October 2, 2006

  • West Wing

    My housemate lent me her season 5 DVDs of 'The West Wing.' She had loaned out 1-4. This was after talking about politics for a while.

    She said she'd been in the Sorkin-alternative-universe for a while, and it felt nice to have a real President. So I started watching.

    The first couple episodes, I kinda felt that way. Forget the torture, the two wars that seem to have been forgotten except for use as a political football, the House sex scandal that only seems to drive Republican apologists into a further cognitive-dissonance tizzy about Bill Clinton or some such shit...

    The Republicans in 'West Wing' aren't evil. Well, much. But at least you can let them look after your kids.

    So for the first couple episodes, I was glad to turn all that off and fill my mind with the idea of President Bartlett and his staff of sane people. Competent people.

    And then, after a couple more episodes, I just got very, very sad. Like the kind of sad where the abusive dad gets custody because the mother's a heroin addict. That kind of sad. That the United States of Sorkin were a last-ditch effort to inject something thoughtful into politics through television.

    Now I can't bear the thought of watching any more, because it's so obvious they failed.

    (I'm well aware, by the way, that this kind of 'blog entry is why I have so few readers.)

Comments (8)

  • Re:(I'm well aware, by the way, that this kind of 'blog entry is why I have so few readers.)

    I still read your blog dude. By the way, I know exactly how you feel regarding West Wing.

    -Tik

  • Not sure what you mean by that last line. This entry is just as interesting as any other.

  • The first four seasons were pretty brilliant, and it was wonderful fantasy. an intelligent moral President? A Bill Clinton without the ADHD? we can only dream.

    But I know what you mean. Eventually it wears you down. We simply do not live in anything like that fantasy United States.

  • *You* have few readers? Wow, what does that make me? I can't comment on the post itself, since I've never seen TWW...

  • Well, some people have a million readers. Maybe I'm unfairly devaluing the nine comments I've received so far today.

  • I've been a huge Sorkin fan since "The American President." His new series is pretty good so far.

    The first two seasons are outstanding. In the last episode, you can see where the series jumped the shark. The third season was OK, but everything after is an embarassment. I encourage you to keep watching, if for nothing else than the writing.

    I get the same feeling you get. A moral, intelligent, thoughtful president and staff. Such a nice fantasy.

    I've read you since I've been here. Five years.

  • Like I say, it's season 5, which is the one right after Sorkin left the show. The commentary on the first episode is the writer and director talking about how they had to solve the cliff-hanger from season 4, where Zoe gets kidnapped.

    So far my favorite episode is 'The Warfare of Genghis Khan.'

  • Maybe last year's season of 24 will cheer you up - although I can't say why without dropping a spoiler. :)

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