From Start to Finish: The West Wing

As I now have all seven seasons of The West Wing on DVD, I am beginning an effort to watch it from start to finish. I intend to watch one episode a day, with more possibly on weekends, until the job is finished.

As some of you readers know from the old days of my MySpace blog, I started a ranking of episodes of the West Wing. I don't believe I ever finished it, and I have no intentions of finishing it now. Instead, I will be posting some thoughts on the episodes I watched.

As I have already started the run, I will make two posts to cover the seven episodes I have already watched. The first set will be "Pilot", "Post Hoc ergo Propter Hoc", "Proportional Response" and "Five Votes Down".

The Bartlet Presidency, a retrospective
w/ bonus coverage of the 2006 Presidential Election

Season 1, Episode 1: "The Pilot"

Compared to other episodes of the show, this one is not a power-house. However, it is an excellent first episode. All of the necessary items in a pilot are here, as the characters are introduced, the stage is set, and the first running story line (Sam's friend with an interesting occupation) is going strong. There is plenty to like in this episode, from the wonderful shot following Leo through the West Wing, to the already strong chemistry between Donna and Josh.

By the time the meeting with Mary Marsh and the other right wingers takes place, the show has already shown flickers of its greatness. However, those flickers pale in comparison to the bright flames that appear when President Bartlet appears. Those last few minutes of the episode really set the tone for the show, and also demonstrate why making Jed a regular cast member was a wise idea by Aaron Sorkin and Co.

Season 1, Episode 2: "Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc"

A solid episode, although it pales in comparison to some of the great ones of the season. The Latin lesson was very helpful, and the Sam makes an ass of himself (SMAH) average stays at 1.000. Other than that, not too much to say about this one.

Season 1, Episode 3: "Proportional Response"

The second part of a two part story arc, this episode has several moments that are really great.
From the introduction of Charlie, to C.J. finding out about Sam's friend, the show really starts to flesh out the character relationships. Above all else, however, is the moment when Leo sets the President straight, explaining the role of a responsible superpower. In this day and age, I can't help but think things might have been better off if G.W. had a Leo to remind him of this.
The ending of this episode is one of the first (of many) truly uplifting conclusions. Yes, Charlie, the feeling doesn't go away.

Season 1, Episode 4: "Five Votes Down"

This episode is one of the least enjoyable episodes of the season. Not that it isn't a good episode, or that it doesn't have some good moments. The biggest downer is that it is a somewhat depressing episode, with the somewhat unsuccessful fight to get a bill passed, and the troubles at the McGarry household . Nevertheless it still has some great moments, such as President Bartlet's trip to the oval office on painkillers, and the Veeps meeting with the country fried representative from Texas. Honestly, that character either should have never existed, or should have been a recurring Blue Dog Democratic foil for the West Wing. There is no middle ground for Representative Tillinghouse.