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My favorite show of all time. I think that (series ending spoilers) season 5 was the low point. However season 5 also included "The Supremes" which is probably my favorite episode of the show. Glenn Close owned hard and I wish they'd been able to get her to come back for a few episodes. Same with EJO. Honestly I think once the show basically becomes about Josh/Santos/Vinick and the race, from the latter parts of s6 through the end of the show is when it's at its best. CJ and Bartlett kind of get shoved to the back but Bradley Whitford/Alan Alda/Jimmy Smits all did an amazing job. I can't remember but wasn't there something where if John Spencer hadn't died then Vinick would have won the election? But yeah I think I'd rank the seasons: 2/3/4 > 1/7 > 6 > 5
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Jul 8, 2011 03:20
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spe posted:Can someone help identify an episode for me? Its split into 3 or 4 parts and shows what happens to a few of the characters over one day, from each of their perspectives. I think it might be a campaign episode in season 7 but I'm not sure. Pretty sure you're thinking of "King Corn". S6E13. It's with the Iowa primary and goes Donna's POV -> Josh's POV -> Vinick. All on the same day with them doing the corn pledge thing.
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Jul 11, 2011 22:01
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mdemone posted:(Rewatching the pilot now and goddamn, Justine Bateman is smoking hot.) Yeah pretty sure he's confused and she was never in The West Wing. Maybe you're thinking of Lisa Edelstein? Anyways I thought they basically didn't know what the gently caress to write about with Bartlett/Toby/CJ in the latter parts of S6 through S7. So the focus became increasingly about Vinick/Santos/Josh (and Leo for the first half of S7) which was the best post-Sorkin story telling. The whole Space Shuttle plot was completely forgettable. Also West Wing really did have some hot women. Teri Polo, Emily Proctor, Kristin Chenoweth, Janel Moloney etc. and they're also all really good actresses/played good characters. e: also random amazing West Wing clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQJ6yqQRAQs (from S2 Noel where Leo backs Josh with his PTSD) Mandoira fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Jul 15, 2011 |
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Jul 15, 2011 05:33
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So I watched a random S5 episode since I've always been such a downer on the season. For how much of a letdown most of S5 was, "Shutdown" (S5E8) was a pretty good drat episode. Had some really good "Bartlet being Bartlet" moments like him walking to the Republican's office, sitting, waiting, then leaving when they didn't answer. Only for the media to totally turn in his favor due to the lack of response. I imagine it's an episode that can only be liked by Democrats. Bartlet also ends the episode with "What's next?" as if it ain't no thing. The episode also had the really bizarre/wtf were they thinking angle with the scantily dressed assistant who Josh said was a lawsuit waiting to happen and seemed to add nothing but a bit of eye candy. Think she stayed on as an occasional minor character during S5/6 as Toby's assistant. S5 is an enigma. You get great eps like "The Supremes" and "Shutdown", the really well done John Goodman opening two episodes written by John Wells. Then you get such mediocrity that it's amazing given the quality of the cast/production crew of the show to this point.
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Jul 17, 2011 16:20
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Mu Zeta posted:Season 5 wasn't bad or anything, it's just really, really boring. If you go back to a season 2 or 3 episode there was so much pep and energy. If "Shutdown" is the one I remember I didn't think it was that great either. Is it when someone dramatically says "Shut it down now" and there are all these dramatic camera cuts and booming music? It felt so out of place on this show. Don't get me wrong I think S5 is by far the worst season. And it says a lot when characters as strong as those by actors/actresses as amazing as those are dull. It just felt like there were a few gems in the rough with S5. It still is by far the worst season of The West Wing. I've honestly told people before to go from S4 -> read spoilers -> second half of S6. "Shutdown" wasn't an all time great ep, but it was a pretty drat good episode and a highlight of the season. Season 5 was basically 20 episodes too long I guess. When you consider the lack of character development.
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Jul 17, 2011 16:31
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I'm not a fan of his presidency but I could never see George Bush being a douchebag about a secret service agent being murdered while trying to break up an armed robbery (the "Crime? Boy I don't know. line). I never got a GWB vibe from Ritchie. I thought it was more generic republican stereotype. When you compare the Bartlet reelection campaign at the start of S4 to the S6/7 campaign storyline, it's kind of disappointing that they never went running with the Ritchie character. He basically made a few cameo appearances to be generic or inept relative to Bartlet. There's the "The Left Wing" criticism when the show was under Sorkin and this is the best example imo. They never even tried to make the Republican challenger likable or his views credible. He was just some hick. Compared to how Vinick was an amazing character who most liberals could sympathize with and even agree with on a lot of issues. Then again they also didn't even make the re-election a mid-season finale so I guess it was just a minor plot line.
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Jul 20, 2011 05:48
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I'd think Amazon HD is the best bet assuming that it's similar in price/rights in Aussyland. Really though TWW is the kind of show that SD is pretty much perfectly fine.
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Jul 23, 2011 16:43
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I'm re watching season 5 for reasons I don't know. S5E4 Han. It's the episode where Russell gets nominated/confirmed as VP and there's a North Korean pianist who wants to defect. Bartlet tells him no due to nuclear talks and the guy mans up and goes back to North Korea rather than publicly asking for asylum. It feels like an episode that Sorkin probably came up with the idea for but man does it seem un-Bartletlike. I realize that the show's very idealistic and liberal biased, but for the same episode to show him nominating a VP that he knows is bland/moderate + throwing the North Korean musician under the bus on seeking asylum. It's depressing. Good episode as far as the music/direction/writing, but it kind of stands out as a "Bartlet isn't perfect" episode. And then the ending is that the North Koreans put the nuclear talks on hold regardless. I don't think it gets addressed again in the series. Probably the most pessimistic episode of the show.
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Aug 10, 2011 06:50
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bobkatt013 posted:you forgot Al Bundy Oh my God I never connected that. Mind is blown.
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Aug 11, 2011 15:34
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This is off-topic but I didn't want to make a thread for it and I figured if any viewers may have checked it out they'd be here. Has anyone watched "Commander in Chief"? Was a 2005-2006, 18 episode before cancellation ABC political show. Sounds pretty similar to The West Wing and has Donald Sutherland. Was recc'd to me on Netflix instant streaming, reviews seem mediocre. Worth giving a 2-3 episode check?
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Aug 18, 2011 16:31
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ufarn posted:It was awful, last time I saw it. Wah wah family troubles and such. It probably had little to do with politics. Yeah I watched the Pilot and I think I'm going to go ahead and bail. Much as I love Donald Sutherland it seemed a bit too ridiculous.
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Aug 18, 2011 16:52
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Mu Zeta posted:Season 6 has some decent episodes. These are the ones I'd watch Good list. I'm a bit late to chime in but I also really enjoyed S6E10 "Faith Based Initiative", where Santos decides to run. Episode ends with Josh telling Bartlet he's going to go help the campaign. Beyond this it deals with how homosexuals are discriminated against when CJ has rumors about her started by the media. Rather than just "No Homo" CJ goes all "it's none of your drat business" at the press. It's a good episode and Jimmy Smits gives his first Diet Obama trump speech at the end. I'm pretty sure I've said it before in this thread but I really think that the second half of S6 and most of S7, basically any episode that revolves around Josh/Santos/Vinick, are amazing.
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Aug 22, 2011 18:57
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Alaemon posted:One thing I will never get over about this show is the absurdly peppy end-credits music compared to the down-note on which most episodes end. It's enough to give me whiplash. Yeah this is dumb but it wasn't how it aired live. Also I just watched 18th and Potomac and Two Cathedrals again. Jesus Christ it's still amazing 10+ years later. Is there a better ending to a TV episode/series than the ending of Two Cathedrals? Maybe the end of 24, or the end of Battlestar: Galactica's miniseries, or something from Veronica Mars? Breaking Bad and Doctor Who have been great but man. Two Cathedrals just kind of stands out on its own when the Dire Straits song hits. I wish I could go back to the first time I watched it. edit: The Rome series finale owned too, and the Sopranos (totally debatable). Yet I haven't re-watched them nearly as much as "Two Cathedrals" just saying. Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaUPDYXQUtw Mandoira fucked around with this message at 17:28 on Aug 25, 2011 |
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Aug 25, 2011 17:21
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BklynBruzer posted:I just watched the last 5 episodes of Season Two (17 People -> Two Cathedrals) and I swear to god that's about 5 perfect hours of television. At the end of Two Cathedrals, even though I've watched the series all the way through about 7 times by now, every hair on my head stood straight. loving amazing show. You should re-watch The Stackhouse Filibuster too (episode before 17 people). Amazing episode that feels gimmicky at first due to the separate narrators (CJ then Sam then Josh then Donna/everyone). It's also the episode that really sets up the coming storm with Hoynes switching positions about the environment knowing something strange that causes Toby to be confused. e: it also has the hilarious minor subplot of CJ breaking an Egyptian holy relic by throwing it into her purse and super-gluing it back together and incurring a curse. Mandoira fucked around with this message at 16:35 on Oct 16, 2011 |
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Oct 16, 2011 16:27
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