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  | The West Wing - The Complete Second Season
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| A fascinating series... | |
| Premiering in September 1999, the original NBC series West Wing built an instant cult following with its seemingly realistic weekly excursions into the inner sanctums of the White House. The series became such a hit that some pollsters claimed that certain people actually believed Jed Bartlet was the real president (although, if true, this is more of a negative reflection on the intelligence of the electorate, and not necessarily an indication of West Wing's realism). But regardless, the truth of the matter is that West Wing definitely strikes a chord with certain audiences, providing entertaining brew of action, suspense, and drama on a weekly basis...
Seasoned Hollywood actor Martin Sheen plays the lead role of President Jed Bartlet. The day-to-day affairs of Bartlet's administration are run by a number of individuals who surround him, among them are: Claudia "C.J." Cregg (Allison Janney), Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe), Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), Leo McGarry (John Spencer), and Charlie Young (Dule Hill). West Wing follows these dedicated staffers as they work extended hours behind-the-scenes to help keep the White House running smoothly. Along the way, the stress of the job and the characters' personal lives make for an interesting glimpse into what many believe is an accurate portrayal of a real-life White House administration... The West Wing (Season 2) DVD offers a number of dramatic episodes including the season premiere "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part 1" in which the staff awaits news relating to the gunshot wounds suffered by Josh Lyman and President Bartlett, prompting them to reminisce about their initial involvement in Bartlet's campaign and how they all came to know each other. Meanwhile, Leo, Toby, and C.J. examine the formal inquiry into the Secret Service's policies as well as the legal implications of Bartlet's surgery and the transfer of his executive power... Other notable episodes from Season 2 include "In This White House" in which the White House staffers host a contingent of pharmaceutical executives and leaders from Africans nations in relation to ending the AIDS crisis, and "The Leadership Breakfast" in which the staffers participate in a bi-partisan breakfast which they hope will actually substantively tackle an issue... Below is a list of episodes included on the West Wing (Season 2) DVD: Episode 23 (In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part 1) Episode 24 (In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part 2) Episode 25 (The Midterms) Episode 26 (In This White House) Episode 27 (And It's Surely to Their Credit) Episode 28 (The Lame Duck Congress) Episode 29 (The Portland Trip) Episode 30 (Shibboleth) Episode 31 (Galileo) Episode 32 (Noel) Episode 33 (The Leadership Breakfast) Episode 34 (The Drop In) Episode 35 (Bartlet's Third State of the Union) Episode 36 (The War at Home) Episode 37 (Ellie) Episode 38 (Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail) Episode 39 (The Stackhouse Filibuster) Episode 40 (17 People) Episode 41 (Bad Moon Rising) Episode 42 (The Fall's Gonna Kill You) Episode 43 (18th and Potomac) Episode 44 (Two Cathedrals) The DVD Report | |
| The cast and writers are at the peaks of their game | |
| Season 1 of the West Wing was a bit uneven at times, and lacked a season-arching continuity. Season 2 does not suffer this problem, and so makes for enjoyable watching from end to end, with recurring plotlines stretching over the entire season and consistently high levels of quality in acting, directing, and screenplays.
So what is going on at the White House? Well, it turns out that the President has multiple schlerosis, which could cause him to lose consciousness at unpredictable times. This is obviously a problem for someone with the nuclear launch codes, but is early enough in the disease that it's not an acute problem. Unfortunately, if the president intends to run for reelection, there's the issue of whether he maliciously covered up the fact that he has MS, and what the public should know when voting. In fact, very few of the senior staff (only Leo, the VP, and a couple cabinet members) know, and as the others are let in on the secret, they do not take it well. Toby takes it particularly badly, and some of the best shows (17 People, the Stackhouse Filibuster) focus on the relationship between Leo, Toby, and Bartlet. Then there is the question of reelection - should the president, with his MS, actually run again? If not, should he even finish his term? What about getting his legislation through? What about international crises like a military coup in Haiti? What about the aftermath of the assassination attempt? Will Leo gain any converts to the idea of "Big Block of Cheese" day? Oddly enough, special mention must be made of both the (2-part) premier and the final show, which are flashback episodes. "In the Shadow of 2 Gunmen" gives us flashbacks to the hype and excited optimism of Bartlet's winning of the Democratic nomination for president. In a nifty contrast, "Two Cathedrals" at the end of the season provides a flashback even further back, when Jed was in high school and first debating politics with Mrs. Landingham, which helps shape his decision on whether to seek reelection. Viewers who pay attention during the episode will be rewarded with the answer to the question "Will you seek reelection," even though the show stops before Bartlet verbally answers. So, pick up Season 2 of the West Wing for the best examples of the show's wit, relatively even-handed politics (Ainsley, the Republican lawyer, scores not a few points for the Right in a number of episodes), and fast-paced verbal action. It well deserved the Emmy for best drama. Unfortunately, there are precious few extras on this DVD package - don't be fooled by the box's list, they are quite short and deal entirely with the mechanics of the show. Again, I have to ask, where are the extras on actual politics? Why not do documentaries on the issues in the show? Why not show us some of the "extra material" the producers supposedly make available to schools that use the show as a civics lesson? | |
| TVs Best Show presents: it's 2nd Emmy-Winning Season | |
| The West Wing pulls together all elements of great "shows" - writing, directing, acting, sets, costumes, lighting and music - in a way that always has me at rapt attention.
At the end of Season one the cliffhanger had gunmen raining a hail of bullets down on the President's entourage leaving a televised town meeting - the shooting and editing of that sequence was intentionally confusing and as season one faded to the final credits a voice cried out "Who's been shot? Who's been shot?" The 2-part opening of Season Two tells us who was shot, and the motivations of the shooters - and the scenes following the shooting are intercut with scenes from the beginning of the Bartlet campaign, back when Senator Hoynes had the nomination all sewed up and Jed Bartlet was only a liberal intellectual Governor from New England. We get to see how Josh and Sam and Donna join the Cinderella campaign. We get to see how Tobey goes from the guy who has overseen a half dozen losing campaigns to trusted advisor to the President. We see C.J. go from press secretary for Hollywood's fattest egos to the job she was meant to have - as President Barlet's Press Secretary. The writing has always come from a liberal/democrat perspective, but I think Aaron Sorkin and his team have also tried to show a balanced perspective. Ainsley Hayes, a brilliant young Republican Lawyer, is first shown trouncing Sam on a Sunday morning talk show over education. President Bartlet recognizes her intelligence and fire and has Leo ask her to become a White House lawyer - which provides more opportunities for "opposing viewpoints". The season progresses in a realistic manner, and although I've been a Republican my entire voting life - going back to Reagan's first election against President Carter - I only hope and pray that the men and women who are actually running my country are doing it with as much intelligence and compassion as the fictional Democrats of "The West Wing". Bravo, Sorkin and company. | |
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