What a difference four years makes, I was entering my final year of high school and I was looking forward to graduating to high school but something amazing happened. I just happened to be in a Gov./ Econ. class that was taught by Mr. Eldridge who made the Economic side of it seem really hard at first but later on I caught on and it seemed simple enough after a while. Even though the Economic side wasn’t really my style of learning, I was caught off guard when he introduced one of the best TV shows I have ever stumbled upon and that is “The West Wing.” The truth is, this show seems boring just from reading the premise of it which is, what goes on in the everyday lives in a white house with a president, a group of senior staff, and maybe some boring storylines to go along with it? But after I saw the first four episodes I was hooked just from the fact that it was funny, new, and I was impressed by the amount of talent that the actors on the show were showing when they were walking and talking but the most amazing thing was I had never heard of any these actors except for Rob Lowe of SNL fame and Martin Sheen because he is Charlie Sheen’s dad. The other actors such as Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Dule Hill, John Spencer, and Richard Schiff all seemed like nobodies to me who could barely hold a candle to Al Pacino or Tom Hanks but they proved me wrong. But the fact was, and it still stands true today, the show is and was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life. After watching the show, I greatly to appreciate what a true government should be like because what I saw with the way procedures were handled and the way problems were handled, it all seemed real because stuff like that happens in everyday government that we as people are not aware about. For example, in one of the best and funniest episodes, Lowe’s character, Sam, and Schiff’s character, Toby, both have to bail their appointed supreme court judge, Roberto Mendoza out of jail, who is brilliantly played by Edward James Olmos. We never know when this stuff may happen and it is funny how the episode ended with all the trials and tribulations that everyone had to go through. Once I saw the first four episodes in class, which were “Pilot”, “Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc”, “A Proportional Response”, and “Five votes down” I was hooked because it all seemed like the actors on the show were treating it as if it were real. The characters also had characteristics about them that made them human but at the same time we as the audience could connect with what they were feeling. Rob Lowe’s character, Sam, was an ultimate idealist and usually people that are idealist try to reach far out and stand up for what they believed in and he had this certain dork factor that had me rooting for him every episode where he had a problem or he had to overcome a government regulation that needed to be handled. Schiff’s character, Toby, has to be one of the funniest but also one of the darkest characters on the show because he has little sense of humor and he also likes to be the one that likes to be the hardass of the show because he protrays himself that way. Whitford’s character, Josh, is simply someone who is smart and the government type when it comes to handling bills, regulations, and also being the one who relays the president’s message. John Spencer, who plays Leo, is one of my favorite characters on the show because he has a tendency to help out those who are in need and he also serves as a father figure to everyone of his staff on the show as is evidenced with Sam, when he has problems during the course of the show, Toby when he runs into a roadblock, Josh when simply has a nervous breakdown. One of the remaining characters that serves as the primary female characters on the show, C.J., is someone who is a feminist mind but also can go toe to toe with the best of them as is evidenced when she has to deal with the press as she handles the press. Simply stated, C.J. plays the press secretary, Sam plays deputy communications director, Toby plays communications director, Josh plays the deputy white house chief of staff, and Leo plays the chief of staff which after watching it a while are roles that have to be prominent during an presidency. Then there are two aides on the show which are played by Janel Moloney and Dule Hill. Moloney plays Josh’s aide, Donna, and it is obvious from the course set that she and Josh had chemistry on the show which led her role becoming bigger later on as the show continued. She is one of the characters on the show that has a tendency to show out of control behavior but she is able to control her emotions when it is crunch time. Dule Hill, who plays Charlie, is someone who is serious about his job and he also is someone who serves at the serves at the pleasure of the president as he is his aide and he also protects him in every which way he can as he serves to relay his messages and come to him if he has any questions. Finally there is the president, played by Martin Sheen, who portrays Jed Bartlet who is a graduate of Notre Dame and a devout catholic. The thing makes me like this president is that he has a straight answer for everyone that comes to him and he doesn’t second guess himself and likes to draw out anything that he feels is worth doing so. Later on as the show went on, new characters were added such as Alan Alda playing Arnold Vinick, Jimmy Smits playing Matthew Santos, and Stockard Channing playing Abigail Bartlet as the president’s wife. Alda and Smits raised the bar of the show after a sub-par season the year before as they played two presidential candidates heading into the second to last season where Vinick was portrayed as someone who resembled John McCain and Santos was portrayed as someone who resembled Obama which is evidenced if you pay close attention to the final two seasons. Both played their parts well and the show is great simply for the fact that it dealt with legislative issues, midterm elections, crimes that are committed in the face of government, terroroism, an inside look at what running a presidential campaign is like, state of the unions, foreign issues, poverty, immigration, transportation, the environment, stem cells, morality, and the list goes on which makes the show so diverisfied because there is something for everybody in this show. There is humor, drama, ethic issues, stress, loyalty, camaraderie, a fictional war, murders, conversations that are meaningful, and backstabbing (if you’re into that sort of thing). Check this show out, you will feel ten times smarter after you have watched it here are some recommendations for episodes that can hook you into the show(Not really top ten but for me it would be):
1. Celestial Navigation:
Josh Recounts to a full auditorium tales of the past week while Sam and Toby rush to the scene when the supreme court seat candidate is jailed on a charge of drunk driving.
2. Somebody’s going to Emergency, Somebody’s going to Jail:
It’s big block of Cheese Day, the day the administration hears petitions from groups who ordinarily don’t have access to the White House.
3. 17 people:
Toby follows up his suspicions and becomes the 16th person to know of the President’s secret affliction. He also knows there’s a 17th person, someone whose prior knowledge and actions could mean the downfall of the administration.
4. 20 hours in America (1 and 2):
Which way to the White House? Josh, Toby and Donna, must find transportation through American heartland after the president’s motorcade mistankely leaves Unionville, In, without them. Meanhwile the Qumari coverup may be unraveling, and an act of domestic terrorism takes a deadly toll.
5. In God we trust:
Church and state. Senator Vinick wraps up the Republican nomination. Then the revelation that he hasn’t attended church for years erupts controversy and leads to a heart to heart with Bartlet.
6. Noel: The West Wing is aglow with holiday decor and a band plays Christmas music in the foyer, but the season holds little joy for Josh. His health and career may be in meltdown because of PTSD.
7. Duck and Cover:
Bartlet makes agonizing choices when a California nuclear reactor malfunctions, endangering the lives of thousands, if not millions. Vinick, a nuclear power supporter who suddenly finds himself on the wrong side of the issue.
8. Bartlet for America:
Who knew what and when? Leo’s testimony before a House investigative committee provides a window into the earliest days of Bartlet’s run for office.
9. The Supremes:
The death of a conservative Supreme Court justice triggers a scramble to nominate a moderate the Republicans will accept. Then Josh hatches an ingenious scheme that may also place a brilliant liberal on the bench.
10. Life on Mars:
Twenty four hours that shook the nation: on his first day on the job, assistant counsel Joe Quincy tracks a news leak and discovers a scandal that shatters the administration.
Runner Ups: (Just as good)
1. Game On:
After extensive groundwork(and the right choice of a necktie), Bartlet is prepared to meet Gov. Ritchie in a national debate. A congressman’s victory who is no longer alive intrigues Sam Seaborn to contemplate his future at the White House.
2. In Excelsis Deo:
On Christmas Eve, a coat Toby gave to Goodwill leads him to take personal responsibility for the funeral of a homeless vet, while Sam and Josh sink to their enemies’ level to protect Leo.
3. Here Today:
Seismic shifts: A stunned White House deals with the revelation in the leak investigation. Santos, mired in the polls, shakes up his campaign staff. And Ellie Bartlet has big news for her parents.
4. In the Shadow of Two Gunmen(Part I)
In the chaotic moments after the assassination attempt, there are lives to save… and challenges of governing that remain. For the staff, there are also moments of reflection about how they joined Bartlet’s campaign.
5. 2162 votes:
Deals and principles collide as each Democratic election team jockeys to put its can candidate over the top at the convention. The FBI looks further into the leaked military secret and looks at Bartlet’s staff as to who could have done it.
Here’s a small clip for those unfamiliar with the show:
Just Another Day... 