Type:
Television Show
Year:
1999
Production:
Warner Brothers
Feature:
5/5
DVD:
2/5
"The West Wing" is a marvelous television show that makes politics and
the political process... well, noble. It centers on President Josiah
Bartlet's Democratic administration and focuses on him and his staff as
they deal with political issues and the dealmaking that goes on behind
the scenes. The show has wonderful dialog and a lively pace even though
it's mostly just people talking a lot, the main reason it looks lively
are the "walk and talks" where the camera follows one or two people
talking while walking through the hallways of the White House and
dodging the many staffers scurrying to and fro.
The characters are real, the issues are engaging, and it's an addictive
show even if you're a Republican like I am, though maybe not if you're
a hard core Republican. I found it interesting that in the commentary
they think the show is relatively middle of the road. Whereas I think
the politics are very liberal and sometimes rather one sided. I tend to
think it's just a reflection of how liberal Hollywood is that a
"centrist" show still looks quite liberal to me. Still, as I said it's
a great television show.
The package comes with 4 double-sided DVDs although the fourth DVD only
has the extra features. Five episodes have commentaries, all with
creator Aaron Sorkin and executive producer and director Thomas
Schlamme, as well as an occasional outside party. Unfortunately, other
than perhaps the pilot episode, the commentaries are light on the
actual commentary because the guys are too busy watching the show (this
is what happens when they do commentaries years later).
The extra features are mostly intercut clips from interviews conducted
with the actors and production people. It's actually a bit
disconcerting the way everything jumps back and forth. I'd rather have
just watched a few minutes of interview for each person.
All in all the show is so good that even with lackluster extra features
it's well worth watching.
Episodes
101. "Pilot" - Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) has a one-night
stand with Laurie (Lisa Edelstein) who turns out to be a professional
escort. President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) rides his bicycle into a
tree, causing a minor emergency at the White House. Josh Lyman (Bradley
Whitford) may have just lost his job by mouthing off to
ultra-conservatives Mary Marsh and John Van Dyke on a televised talk
show. Mandy Hampton (Moira Kelly), Josh's old flame, is in town working
for possible presidential candidate Senator Lloyd Russell. Sam makes a
fool of himself in front of Mallory O'Brien (Allison Smith), Leo
McGarry's (John Spencer) daughter. President Bartlet makes a grand and
memorable entrance at the end of the show. BONUS: Commentary with
creator/writer Aaron Sorkin and director Thomas Schlamme.
102. "Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc" (after, therefore,
because of it; i.e. one thing follows the other) - Mandy drops Senator
Russell as a client. Vice President Hoynes (Tim Matheson) maneuvers for
the Democratic presidential nomination and butts heads with Leo. The
President is put on a diet in order to control his high blood pressure.
Sam seeks advice from Josh and Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) about
seeing Laurie again, and after being told to drop it he still goes to
see her. The White House hires Mandy as a Media Consultant.
103. "A Proportional Response" - CJ Cregg (Allison Janney)
finds out about Sam and Laurie. President Bartlet wants to bomb Syria
back to the stone age after his personal doctor and friend is murdered
in a terrorist attack. A US congressman indirectly threatens the
President. Charlie Young (Dulé Hill) joins the White House as
Personal Aide to the President. Admiral Fitzwallace (John Amos) and
reporter Danny Concannon (Timothy Busfield) make their first
appearance. Mandy and Josh catch up on old times.
104. "Five Votes Down" - The White House staffers have 72
hours to garner votes to pass a gun bill that the President has
promised to pass but is suddenly five votes short of passing. Toby is
in trouble when an Internet stock he invested in makes a huge profit.
Leo forgets his wedding anniversary and his wife is finally fed up and
leaves him. Vice President Hoynes invites Leo to his personal
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. The President is a little goofy after
taking too much pain medication.
105. "The Crackpots and These Women" - Big Block of Cheese
Day: The White House opens its doors to the general public, who get a
chance to talk to senior staff. Hilarity ensues. Josh gets his NSC card
telling him where to go in case of a nuclear attack. Zoey Bartlet
(Elisabeth Moss) makes her first apperance when she visits and the
President makes homemade chili to celebrate the occasion.
106. "Mr. Willis of Ohio" - CJ asks Sam to tutor her on
the national census. A woman jumps the White House fence gunning for
Joey Bartlet. The White House needs to convince three congressmen to
drop an appropriations bill amendment banning sampling usage in the
national census. One of the congressman is political neophyte Joe
Willis who took over his wife's congressional seat when she suddenly
died. Mallory makes another appearance visiting her father in his time
of need. Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) tries to convince Josh that the tax
surplus should be returned to need citizens like herself. Josh invites
Charlie out for some drinks; Mallory, Zoey, Sam and CJ tag along. Leo
tells President Bartlet about his marriage troubles. Charlie gets into
it with some yahoos trying to pick up Zoey at the bar.
107. "The State Dinner" - While the White House prepares
for a State Dinner with Indonesian dignitaries, the FBI has a group of
militants holed up in Idaho, a hurricane threatens the East Coast, and
the teamsters threaten to strike. Toby and Sam struggle over the toast
President Bartlet will say at the Dinner. Danny Concannon flirts with
CJ. Sam has a lunch date with Laurie. Mandy and Josh argue strategy on
the Idaho situation. Mandy wins and gets an FBI negotiator killed. The
First Lady, Abby Bartlet (Stockard Channing), finally makes an
appearance. Laurie shows up at the Dinner as a businessman's escort.
The hurricane catches a carrier battle group at sea.
108. "Enemies" - The President is ecstatic about passing
his banking bill, but perhaps he's celebrating prematurely. President
Bartlet scolds the Vice President. Danny asks CJ out to dinner, she
refuses. Mallory asks Sam out to the opera, he accepts. The Vice
President hobnobs with reporters and businessmen. Congressmen Eaton and
Broderick attach a land use rider, which will turn Montana into a giant
strip mine, to the banking bill. Leo and the President conspire to make
Sam miss his date with Mallory. Josh comments to the President that all
they seem to talk about nowadays are all their enemies.
109. "The Short List" - President Bartlet decides to
nominate Judge Payton Cabbot Harrison III (Ken Howard) for the Supreme
Court. Congressman Peter Lillienfield (Holmes Osborne) accuses one in
three White House staffers of drug abuse. One of Judge Harrison's
anonymous papers, which makes him look unappealing as a Supreme Court
nominee, surfaces. Danny keeps chasing after JC, this time with a
goldfish. Leo reveals he had a drug problem six years ago. The
President meets with his backup nominee, Judge Roberto Mendoza (Edward
James Olmos).
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110. "In Excelsis Deo" (in God the highest) - Christmas episode.
Toby takes interest in a deceased homeless veteran who was wearing
Toby's donated coat. A homosexual kid is murdered by his peers,
prompting some staffers to champion more hate crimes legislation. CJ is
upset that her Secret Service code name is Flamingo. The President and
company go shopping at a rare books store. Josh and Sam ask Laurie for
Republican names in order to defend Leo from a drug scandal. CJ asks
Danny out to dinner. BONUS: Commentary with Aaron Sorkin, Thomas
Schlamme and director Alex Graves.
111. "Lord John Marbury" - India invades Pakistani held
Kashmir. Zoey flirts with Charlie. Josh is subpoenaed to testify about
drug abuse in the White House where he finds out that the Republicans
know about Leo's former drug abuse. Josh states that President Bartlet
was sworn in 12 months ago. Mandy wants to take Republican Mike Brace
as a client. The eccentric Lord John Marbury (Roger Rees) is brought in
as an India consultant. CJ is miffed that she was kept out of the India
loop until after a press briefing. Charlie asks the President if he can
go out with Zoey.
112. "He Shall, from Time to Time..." - As President
Bartlet prepares to give his State of the Union Address, he collapses
in the Oval Office. After a short cease fire, India prepares to resume
their invasion while Pakistan prepares to use nuclear weapons. Leo has
to reveal his former drug abuse in a press conference. Mallory visits
to comfort her father and ends up kissing Sam. Abby rushes back and
reveals to Leo that President Bartlet has Multiple Sclerosis. Lord
Marbury suggests bribing India in order to maintain the peace. CJ and
Danny kiss.
113. "Take Out the Trash Day" - The Lydells are coming to
the White House for the signing of the Hate Crimes Bill, but they're
not fans of the current President or the Bill. An investigatory
committee recommends teaching "Abstinance Plus" in sex education in
schools because abstinance-only is not working. All stories that the
White House does not really want to release are released to the press
on Friday, Take Out the Trash Day, because no one reads the paper on
Saturday. Republicans make a deal: no investigation of Leo and in
return the President buries the sex education report for a year. Sam
finds out who leaked Leo's Secret Service report to Congressman
Lillienfield.
114. "Take This Sabbath Day" - Over the weekend, the White
House struggles to decide whether or not to pardon a death row inmate
before he is executed at 00:01 Monday morning. Joey Lucas (Marlee
Matlin), a campaign manager for a California congressional candidate,
makes her first appearance when she meets with Josh over the DNC's lack
of funding for her boss. BONUS: Commentary by Aaron Sorkin and Thomas
Schlamme.
115. "Celestial Navigation" - Josh is interviewed at a
college lecture hall and he gives some amusing White House anecdotes:
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development calls Republicans
racists on live television, CJ has an emergency root canal and Josh
takes the press briefing where he says that the President has a secret
plan to fight inflation, Supreme Court nominee Judge Roberto Mendoza is
arrested for drunk driving. BONUS: Commentary by Aaron Sorkin, Thomas
Schlamme and director Christopher Misiano.
116. - "20 Hours in L.A." - The White House staffers
accompany the President to Los Angeles for fund raising. Special Agent
Gina Toscano (Jorja Fox) is assigned as Zoey's bodyguard. Vice
President Hoynes has to cast the deciding vote on a controversial
Senate bill. Zoey and Charlie's romance moves along. Joey shows up at a
fund raising party and flirts with Josh. First hints that some
skinheads are apparently gunning for Zoey. Josh finds out that Joey has
been sleeping with political consultant Al Kiefer (John De Lancie).
117. "The White House Pro-Am" - The Federal Reserve
Chairman dies of a heart attack and the White House scrambles to
appoint another head as Wall Street stocks stumble. The First Lady's
manager aggressively butts heads with Sam and the rest of the White
House staff over Abby's public statements, which are starting to
adversely affect public policy. President Bartlet warns Zoey about
white supremacist threats and she has to cancel her date with Charlie.
118. "Six Meetings Before Lunch" - The White House
celebrates Judge Mendoza's confirmation to the US Supreme Court.
Mallory is mad at Sam because he wrote a position paper favoring school
vouchers. CJ does "The Jackal". Danny finds out that Zoey was just in
party where there was a drug bust. Sam and Mallory have something like
a date when he takes her to lunch. CJ gets tough with President
Bartlet.
119. "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet" - Two seats open up in the
Federal Election Committee and President Bartlet wants to appoint two
pro-campaign finance reform replacements. CJ finds out that Mandy wrote
a playbook on how to defeat Bartlet in the next elections when she was
working for Senator Russell. Sam and Toby discuss changing the current
gays in the military policy with military leaders. Leo comes to the
realization that President Bartlet hasn't been leading since he was
inaugurated and he convinces the President to "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet".
120. "Mandatory Minimums" - The President starts his
assault by naming his two FEC replacements. Al Kiefer and Joey are
brought in to do polling. Bartlet wants to reapportion anti-drug
funding to favor rehabilitation over enforcement. Leo makes Toby meet
with his ex-wife, Congresswoman Andrea "Andie" Wyatt (Kathleen York),
to gauge the congressional reaction to various proposals. Leo threatens
seven congressmen if they resort to rhetoric to fight the President's
drug policy. Andie and Toby argue about mandatory sentencing minimums
for drug offenses.
121. "Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics" - The White House
polls constituents. Leo schmoozes an FEC representative trying to
convince him to side with banning soft money. Sam can't go to Laurie's
law school graduation, but he does see her afterwards and a
photographer takes their picture. The White House wheels and deals to
replace one of the FEC representatives to bring their total of friendly
representatives to a majority of four. Joey argues with Josh about
making English the official language of the US. The poll results are
good, very good.
122. "What Kind of Day It Has Been" - A Nighthawk F-117 is
shot down over Iraq while enforcing the no-fly zone. The President
prepares to conduct a town hall meeting that night and looks forward to
watching girls softball afterwards. The space shuttle Columbus,
carrying Toby's brother, did not land on schedule because one of the
payload bay doors is malfunctioning. Josh warns Vice President Hoynes
not to intefere with President Bartlet's plans. After the town hall
meeting, skinheads open fire on the President's party. BONUS:
Commentary with Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme.
Special Features
The Primaries (17:30) - Genesis of the show. How people were cast.
The Inauguration (29:00) - Sets, walk and talk, writing, favorite
scenes.
Capital Beat (8:00) - Consultants and political experts involved in the
show.
Sheet Music (6:30) - Composer WG Snuffy Walden on the musical scores.
Deleted Scenes (5:20) - Four deleted scenes.
Gag Order (3:00) - Outtakes.
The West Wing Suite (1:50) - Montage with no dialog.
Off the Record (3:30) - Outtakes from the interviews.
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