sisk
New Member
Don't fake the funk
Posts: 46
|
Post by sisk on Jun 10, 2005 20:28:53 GMT -5
Let's talk about the West Wing!
Go!
|
|
|
|
Post by Noah on Nov 9, 2005 12:41:24 GMT -5
It's hard to tell if the last couple of seasons (the post-Sorkin era) have been disappointing on their own merits, or if it's just that they don't survive comparison with the brilliance of the four Sorkin seasons. The West Wing, for four years, was probably as good as any show in television history. It completely transcended the medium itself, offering visual beauty and astounding dialogue which compared well with most contemporary cinema.
Even Aaron Sorkin might not have been able to keep that up for much longer, but it's impossible to deny that in his absence The West Wing has devolved into, well, a TV show. I'm still watching, of course, because I'm invested in these characters and I'm interested in the show's subject matter. But what keeps me aboard now is not the sheer pleasure of watching great work; it's the usual bland trappings of storyline and suspense.
The fifth season was pretty abysmal a lot of the time, perhaps because the contrast was so jarring in the first post-Sorkin season. The characters seemed unrecognizable, the drama predictible, the humor pedestrian. The sixth season had its moments, and even a couple of episodes which were worthy of the old days. The current seventh season, seven episodes in, is similarly uneven. (Last week's live debate episode was at least novel and daring in its way.)
I've read here and there that this season may be the last. I wonder if maybe it should be.
At least DVD has made television less transitory, and the original four seasons will stand forever in all their glory. I can think of TV shows which have been as good, but it's pretty hard to think of any which have been better.
|
|
|
|
Post by Darius on Dec 19, 2005 16:30:43 GMT -5
I recently borrowed Season Two from a friend. Many of these episodes I had seen, though not in order, which obviously makes them more meaningful. I got very emotional at the end of "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" when Bartlett said "He said, 'What's next?'"
I can only imagine my emotions will run even higher watching the rest of the season with the recent and sudden passing of John Spencer. I'll miss him.
Darius
|
|
|
|
Post by Noah on Dec 19, 2005 17:55:26 GMT -5
That "What's next?" moment in "Shadow of Two Gunmen" is beautiful indeed. And yeah -- I wonder how the show will deal with the sad passing of John Spencer? There have been a lot of rumors to the effect that this will be the last season anyway, and the prospect of a Leo-less West Wing suggests that this might be right. But they'll still have to address his absence. The next episode, to air in January, is supposed to be called "Running Mates." And the last episode (which had its moments) was pretty Leo-centric. I guess it was Spencer's last.
|
|
|
|
Post by wowposter on Nov 8, 2008 6:47:25 GMT -5
|
|
