The West Wing: Season 2

Sharp writing, outstanding acting, and top notch directing make this show one of the best in dramatic television history. Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing has cemented its place is American history, becoming not just a favorite show, but a groundbreaking one, that stands the test of time, and continues to be an outstanding show.The second season means everyone is back, still taking on ‘the other guys’ trying to shape government and policy. What always makes me happy with Sorkin’s writing is his amazing ability to represent both sides of the aisle with smart, memorable ideas, ideals, and lines. The characters are played by some of televisions best actors/actresses who have become a major part of our cultural legacy. Who would ever think of Bartlet and not think of Martin Sheen? Allison Janey as CJ Craig. Or any of the others who have become part of the American lexicon.If you haven’t seen The West Wing, now is the time to start binge watching. If you have, it’s time to revisit. My wife and I watched often in the last four years, reminding ourselves of the intelligence and importance of smart people in government. I very much appreciate Amazon offering it at a great price streaming. Now we can watch it all the more.

Back when I had money, I invested $75 in Amazon.com's Prime feature, which among other things lets me stream live video from a variety of sources, including movies and TV shows.Being a would-be screenwriter, I am always looking for ways to improve my scripts, so I have been watching various TV shows over the last few months. In the last few weeks I have rediscovered 'The West Wing,' a show about a fictional President of the United States, Jeb Bartlett, played by Martin Sheen.I have watched the season in order, so as not to break continuity, and I reached the end of season 2 just yesterday.Before I continue, a bit of background on the series might be useful. President Bartlett has MS, but has hidden it from the public. Up until the second to last show of season 2, only 16 other people knew about his condition, including his doctor wife, who had been treating him. He had made a deal with her that he would only serve one term as president.Now, as we come to the end of season two, his secret is about to come out, and he faces a choice of whether to run again and face the ire of not only his wife, but likely the Republicans and his own party. Not to mention the fact that he or his wife could face perjury charges because of mistakes made along the way, and impeachment too.Into all this drama, we have a hostage situation in a foreign country. It is an extremely tense time and the drama is palpable.Then, at the end of the second to last episode, the president's secretary, Mrs. Lanningham, is killed by a drunk driver.My first thoughts on hearing that was 'WTF?' What on earth would make writers kill off a sweet old lady like that just as the drama of everything else was reaching a climax? I mean, really?!As a writer I couldn't see the point of killing off a character like that. So it was with a degree of indignation that I watched the next episode, 'Two Cathedrals.' By the end of that episode, hell, even a quarter of the way through it, I was in tears. It takes a lot to make me cry.We see Jeb at Mrs. Lanningham's funeral, and after it's over, he asks for some time alone in the cathedral, where he blames God and his lying about MS for her death and for everything else that has gone wrong. Then he tells God he can have the Vice President as the next candidate and leaves.A tropical storm is now showering rain, lightning and thunder on the Capitol. President Bartlett asks one of his aides if this was unusual for May, and was told it had never happened before. He adds this to his list of things he blames God for, and when he is left alone in the Oval Office, the windows fly open suddenly and it storms and rains. He calls for Mrs. Lanningham out of habit and there she is.She chastises him for blaming God for her death and tells him if he wants to blame anyone but himself for his problems, and the choice he has to make, then she doesn't want to know him. Then she's gone and the president is soaked.He now goes before a press conference to discuss his disease and of course, the first question asked is 'are you going to run again?' He pauses, asks to repeat the question and then puts his hands in his pocket, having made up his mind, and then the camera fades.Now, as I said, through most of this episode I was in tears, and since I was in the library at the time, I must have looked and sounded strange, but I couldn't help myself.That was the single best episode of any program that I have ever seen, and all it cost was the life of a minor character.I have to wonder, in whatever writing I do in the future, could I do that? Could I kill off someone small and unimportant to set up the best writing I could do?I just don't know.

First, I must say that I bought the second season of "West Wing" (hereafter WW) because I was missing ONE disc from season two; I own the entire Boxed Set, with early screenplay notes by Aaron Sorkin. That is how MUCH I adore the WW, I consider it television, and all that TV could be, at its very finest. I could NOT be without my complete set.When one considers that shows such as "According to Jim", and "CSI:Miami" made it far past WW's seven seasons, I believe we are in the "plastic" age of television, and I'm not referring only to all the breast implants on so many popular shows, although, now that I think about it, that's a pretty decent comparison.The West Wing offered an insight, albeit, slightly biased, on how our government SHOULD work, and how real people DO work in the White House, every day, just as they are as I write this piece. During President Clinton's time in the White House, Aaron Sorkin, the creator of WW, was given complete access to the White House in order to replicate authentic sets back in Hollywood/ I felt I truly was in the White House residence, Situation Room, Roosevelt Room, the White House Press Room, etc.Sorkin created the "walk and talk", so common now, but unprecedented in 1999, characters actually talked while they were walking - presumbably, they had PLACES TO GO. These were the President's closest aides, after all, and there was no time to waste. Sometimes, the talks were funny, sardonic, many were about serious stuff, as one would expect of "stuff" going on in the West Wing of the White House.The superlative ensemble cast, which stayed almost intact (except for the unwise departure of Rob Lowe after season four - does anyone remember "The Lion's Den"?), for seven years, worked hard, loved their country, and felt they were doing a great good. And they were doing television a great deal of good, simply by showing up, and speaking the lines in Aaron Sorkin's brilliant screenplays on a weekly basis.I wish I could say the same for the lawmakers of today. I must admit, that for the last two presidential election years (2008 and 2012), I have gotten out my "West Wing" boxed set, watching what government COULD be. I am too sad for my beloved country to watch the "real thing" unfold.Of course, there were episodes that were "lesser than", but, I will be forever, and collectively, grateful to actors Martin Sheen, the late John Spenser, Allison Janney, Rob Lowe, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Stockard Channing, Janel Maloney, Dule Hill, and others who rotated in and out, until Jimmy Smits was tapped to replace President Josiah Bartley (Sheen) after eight years of duty.To those who have never seen the West Wing, you may think I am waxing way too rhapsodic. I think not. Aaron Sorkin and the WW cast won many numerous Emmys during its short seven year tenure, and Mr. Sorkin went on to win an Academy Award for "The Social Network" in 2010. He now writes "The Newsroom" for HBO. "West Wing" it is not, however, I will take whatever crumbs Mr. Sorkin, Tommy Schlamme, et al, have left to offer me on what is now thrown up as "television".Oh, if you DO decide to buy just one season, buy season two. It is worth it alone for the episodes, "The Fall's Gonna Kill You", "18th and Potomac", and Not at all last, "Two Cathedrals", which was hailed as one of the finest episodes of writing, cinemtography, sets, etc, in the HISTORY of television.I kid you not. This was a "Golden" television series.

Good series I enjoy rewatching

This series is great entertainment and stands the test of time.

Many things throughout the series are exact replicas of events over the past couple decades. Very thoughtful, VERY realistic.