There was despair in the Jamie household on Friday when, after a year and 154 episodes, I watched the final minutes of the final episode of the final DVD of the final season of the greatest TV drama I’ve ever seen - stand up and take a bow - The West Wing.
My journey w
ith The West Wing started when Channel Four began showing the first season in around 2001, a couple of years after it had aired in the US. I had heard whispers of this new political drama from across the pond, but nothing prepared me for the audio and visual feast I was about to enjoy. This was a show populated with characters you either wanted to be or to spend time with, speaking dialogue that seemed written by the gods and getting involved in plots that were both intimate and far-reaching at the same time. And in its depiction of President Bartlett’s (played by Martin Sheen) presidency, it gave us an almost fantasy version of a president, greatly needed when compared with the actual Bush presidency that took over in 2001. Within less than an episode I was hooked and this carried on for the next four seasons. I’m not quite sure what happened next – I think the powers that be moved it to one of the digital channels – E4 or More4 – and I did not have digital TV at the time so stopped watching it. However at some stage I bought the DVD set of the first 2 seasons and rewatched them at least twice, still in awe at the writing and performances.
Eventually, having found myself with lots of time to spare I took the plunge and bought the whole boxset – all 154 episodes over 7 seasons in one satisfyingly chunky box. So the odyssey began again as I started from the beginning (again), seeing episodes I’d seen many times before, and then moving on to the later seasons which were all new to me. But alas all good things come to an end and last Friday, President Josiah Bartlett’s eight year presidency ended and his successor was inaugurated.
I do seriously feel a bit empty now – I know it’s only a TV show and is not that important – but as TV shows go, it’s just about unsurpassed. How am I meant to go back to regular television now after watching arguably the finest show the medium of television has to offer?
Admittedly it wasn’t all sunshine. Seasons 1 to 4 were televisual gold, but there was a definite dip in quality in series 5. Rob Lowe had left during season four and this may have played its part, but of a far greater significance was the departure of creator and writer Aaron Sorkin between seasons 4 and 5. He wrote almost every episode of the first 4 series – 87 in total, and when he left the difference was notable. The fifth season also seemed to suffer from not having as much direction as the previous seasons – the series seemed to be killing time before it took up the next challenge of the battle to be Bartlett’s successor. This race reignited the series in the 6th season and throughout the seventh and whilst it may have never again hit the heights of the Sorkin-penned first four series, it definitely improved and the quality returned.
It’s difficult to pick out other highlights from the series as it’s just all so damn good, but you’ve gotta love the walk and talks as characters discuss matters of international importance whilst walking at speed through the offices of the West Wing. The attempted assassination cliff-hanger at the end of season one was inspired too as I then spent the next 6 months worrying about who would live and who would die. The ensemble cast is simply unbelievable; Martin Sheen is the father of a troupe that includes Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Janel Moloney, Dule Hill, Rob Lowe, Joshua Molina and Stockard Channing. Not forgetting those who queued up to take smaller parts or cameos during the series including Matthew Perry, Christian Slater, Ron Silver, Marlee Maitlin, Oliver Platt, John Goodman, Jason Isaacs and even Karl Malden.
Anyway, whilst I’m willing to accept there may be a series that matches the quality of The West Wing (in the interest of fairness I should disclose I’ve never seen The Sopranos or The Wire), I refuse outright to believe there’s been a better introduction to a character than that of the introduction of Bartlett at the end of the first episode. He’s been discussed throughout the episode, but we’ve not seen him and when he enters, his speech is positively Shakespearean and we know the Presidency is in safe hands. No wonder Sorkin changed his mind and kept Bartlett as a main character rather than having him just pop up now and again throughout the series.
In summary, the finest TV drama I’ve ever seen – I just wish I could watch it all over again for the first time. It also signified the point I realised just how deranged the Daily Mail were; the day after it was first broadcast on Channel 4, I remember their TV critic giving it no stars and saying it was one of the worst things she’d ever seen!
My journey w
ith The West Wing started when Channel Four began showing the first season in around 2001, a couple of years after it had aired in the US. I had heard whispers of this new political drama from across the pond, but nothing prepared me for the audio and visual feast I was about to enjoy. This was a show populated with characters you either wanted to be or to spend time with, speaking dialogue that seemed written by the gods and getting involved in plots that were both intimate and far-reaching at the same time. And in its depiction of President Bartlett’s (played by Martin Sheen) presidency, it gave us an almost fantasy version of a president, greatly needed when compared with the actual Bush presidency that took over in 2001. Within less than an episode I was hooked and this carried on for the next four seasons. I’m not quite sure what happened next – I think the powers that be moved it to one of the digital channels – E4 or More4 – and I did not have digital TV at the time so stopped watching it. However at some stage I bought the DVD set of the first 2 seasons and rewatched them at least twice, still in awe at the writing and performances.Eventually, having found myself with lots of time to spare I took the plunge and bought the whole boxset – all 154 episodes over 7 seasons in one satisfyingly chunky box. So the odyssey began again as I started from the beginning (again), seeing episodes I’d seen many times before, and then moving on to the later seasons which were all new to me. But alas all good things come to an end and last Friday, President Josiah Bartlett’s eight year presidency ended and his successor was inaugurated.
I do seriously feel a bit empty now – I know it’s only a TV show and is not that important – but as TV shows go, it’s just about unsurpassed. How am I meant to go back to regular television now after watching arguably the finest show the medium of television has to offer?
Admittedly it wasn’t all sunshine. Seasons 1 to 4 were televisual gold, but there was a definite dip in quality in series 5. Rob Lowe had left during season four and this may have played its part, but of a far greater significance was the departure of creator and writer Aaron Sorkin between seasons 4 and 5. He wrote almost every episode of the first 4 series – 87 in total, and when he left the difference was notable. The fifth season also seemed to suffer from not having as much direction as the previous seasons – the series seemed to be killing time before it took up the next challenge of the battle to be Bartlett’s successor. This race reignited the series in the 6th season and throughout the seventh and whilst it may have never again hit the heights of the Sorkin-penned first four series, it definitely improved and the quality returned.
It’s difficult to pick out other highlights from the series as it’s just all so damn good, but you’ve gotta love the walk and talks as characters discuss matters of international importance whilst walking at speed through the offices of the West Wing. The attempted assassination cliff-hanger at the end of season one was inspired too as I then spent the next 6 months worrying about who would live and who would die. The ensemble cast is simply unbelievable; Martin Sheen is the father of a troupe that includes Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Janel Moloney, Dule Hill, Rob Lowe, Joshua Molina and Stockard Channing. Not forgetting those who queued up to take smaller parts or cameos during the series including Matthew Perry, Christian Slater, Ron Silver, Marlee Maitlin, Oliver Platt, John Goodman, Jason Isaacs and even Karl Malden.
Anyway, whilst I’m willing to accept there may be a series that matches the quality of The West Wing (in the interest of fairness I should disclose I’ve never seen The Sopranos or The Wire), I refuse outright to believe there’s been a better introduction to a character than that of the introduction of Bartlett at the end of the first episode. He’s been discussed throughout the episode, but we’ve not seen him and when he enters, his speech is positively Shakespearean and we know the Presidency is in safe hands. No wonder Sorkin changed his mind and kept Bartlett as a main character rather than having him just pop up now and again throughout the series.
In summary, the finest TV drama I’ve ever seen – I just wish I could watch it all over again for the first time. It also signified the point I realised just how deranged the Daily Mail were; the day after it was first broadcast on Channel 4, I remember their TV critic giving it no stars and saying it was one of the worst things she’d ever seen!
The Wire, and Mad Men. Nuff said. Shall watch blog with interest!haha
ReplyDeleteNice blog. I loved West Wing (or The Stwing as it became known rounds ours) too and was similarly gutted when it ended. That walk-and-talk thing I've seen being called pedeconferencing which is rather nice!
ReplyDeleteBattlestar Galactica next, man, you won't regret it. I'm just writing a blog myself about the end of BSG, so I'm gonna look like a big copycat :)
Thanks - 3 suggestions for when I'm finally over my grieving process!
ReplyDeletePedeconferencing is a great term, though i'd better not do a blog about it, or some Sun readers with placards will turn up accusing me of interfering with children ;-)