Ten years ago the West Wing was the show for political geeks to watch. How we all wished we could have Jed Bartlet (the odd slip up with the death penalty notwithstanding) instead of George W Bush.
Yesterday, some of the cast reunited to record a video for the Funny or Die website. One of the West Wing writers, Eli Attie, tweeted this picture:
feels like it was just yesterday… @WhitfordBradley@JoshMalina@AllisonBJanney@Richard_Schiff@DuleHillpic.twitter.com/RjuNHQYHH5
— Eli Attie (@EliAttie) January 14, 2015
It’s interesting that this has happened on the day when we’re all being told to walk for 20 minutes a day as inactivity is more of a danger than obesity because it gives me a not entirely gratuitous reason to refer you to the video of the last time they got together to do a Funny or Die video to promote walking.
In the Autumn, I bought this mobile treadmill which makes sure I get more than my quota of exercise. It has the advantage of a built in pester feature which means you can’t put it off, too. And posting this picture is entirely gratuitous.
But seeing the cast together again, albeit without the likes Donna, Abby and Amy Gardner, all of whom I thought were brilliant characters, made me want to get the box set out and watch the West Wing again.
What was your favourite episode? I loved the “barbecuing” one, Ainsley vs Sam, the one with the successful rescue mission, the Vinnick/Santos debate, Mrs Landingham’s death, the one where Bartlet took that evangelist down and so many more.
A world with Bartlet and Borgen’s Birgitte Nyborg in charge would be a good place.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
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9 Comments
“But seeing the cast together again, albeit without the likes Donna, Abby and Amy Gardner, all of whom I thought were brilliant characters, made me want to get the box set out and watch the West Wing again.”
I think you either need to check your arithmetic or let us know who the odd one out is 😉
Yeah, the West Wing may have been the show for political geeks to watch – I did so myself.
However, it gave a misleading picture of how American politics works. We now know, for example, thanks to a leading academic report published in 2014, that the United States is more accurately described as an oligarchy than as a democracy.
Moreover, the West Wing never gave enough attention to what one of its actual occupants referred to as the Military-Industrial Complex. I think for that perspective, the X-Files, Babylon-5 and I Claudius were far more to the point.
Ah, thanks for pointing out my proof-reading failure, Allan. It is early yet.
Very early indeed as you appear to have edited my comment but not the main article.
I’m enjoying this 😈
The individual moment that comes to mind is when Toby arranged the funeral for the homeless victim in the President’s name.
Jed: “If we start pulling strings like this you don’t think every homeless veteran will come out of the woodwork”
Toby: “I can only hope sir”
Toby was an amazing character. While Josh, CJ, Sam/Will etc would have done anything for the President, Toby would have done anything for his principles. Shame they took that theme and butchered his character towards the end though.
———–
The episode that sticks out is “17 People” in Season 2, when Toby finds out about Jed’s MS. They built up tension so well. That kicked off the storyline that ran right to the end of season 2, which was the show at its peak.
The moment that comes to mind is when Bartlet ta;ls about there is only so much money with which to do so many things – even with the best of intentions you just can’t do it all. A real moment of liberal realistic pragmatism.
I’m dong so well today, Allan. That, even for me, is quite impressive in its idiocy:-).
I loved the quips and the characters. But it was a bit overblown and smug and went downhill fast after the first 2 seasons (no TV series should ever go on for more than two seasons). It also became harder and harder to shake the creeping air of misogyny. Also Rob Lowe.
But best moment is easy – the Brothers in Arms montage at the end of series 2 is one of the finest moments in television history.
Just re-watching the show for the nth time. Tonight we’re watching the Vinnick/Santos debate..
In a recent episode Santos makes what at first is thought to be a Gaff regarding intelligent design (he states he believes in God and that God is intelligent). Whilst his team panic he moves the debate to a great place where he gets to demonstratew that his personal position on faith is irrelevant and that faith should not be taught as science. He does a similar thing in the following episode with abortion. He demostrates that he has a view based upon his Catholic faith but does not feel that his view should be forced on others.
Very apt with recent events regarding religion…