The West Wing: Season Two

So I just finished the second season of The West Wing. And while the final moments of the season finale were so predictable that a third grader could see it coming, the rest of the season was top notch.

I remember hearing about the gunshots when the series first aired a few years ago; I didn’t know it was Josh who got shot though. So I was pulled right in when the season began. Of course, I knew he’d live based on his role for the rest of the seasons, but I was still engrossed. I’m glad they continued to bring Marlee Matlin in to amp up the relationship between Josh and Donna. And I though Aaron Sorkin did a brilliant job of ending the season with the confession of MS. Toby’s thought process and reaction, Oliver Platt’s interrogations, the fatal signature, and the surprise death in the second last episode, is what makes West Wing what it is. One of things I am most impressed with about The West Wing are its Christmas episodes. The majority of television Christmas episodes are filled with family stuff and learning the true meaning of Christmas. I usually find these episodes mediocre, as they seem to just go through the motions. The West Wing doesn’t go that route. Josh has a posttraumatic breakdown that is told in wonderful flashback form. The year before, Toby helped a homeless vet, which on the surface seems like a Christmas cliché, but I can still see Toby’s flinch reaction when the gun shots go off at the funeral. Sure there are some Christmasy things thrown in those episodes, but there is definitely more powerful stories being told.

Looking at the characters, I have enjoyed watching Charlie more and more. I love his quick comments and was pleasantly surprised when he was the one who figured out the president’s signature mistake. At first I didn’t like Emily Proctor’s Ainsley role. She just talked too fast and had these weird habits like eating other people’s food. But a few episodes later, I started to enjoy her spunkiness and her sparring with Sam, even though it's just ripping off the chemistry between Josh and Donna. Speaking of Donna, I love those episodes where Donna confronts Josh as an average American citizen so he has to justify himself and things he does as a government official. Its stuff like that that makes me learn more about American government. Of course, looking at the frenetic lives of the Senior White House Staff, it’s hard to imagine that the current Bush administration is anything like that.

There were only a couple of things that I didn’t like about this season of The West Wing, and all of them were minor. First, I missed Timothy Busfield’s Danny in the second half of the season. Second, I didn’t care about Bartlett’s fascination with Galileo. Third, I was annoyed that the filibuster episode didn’t have one reference to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, even to point out how the filibuster rules have changed. And finally, the final moments of the finale, with the hands in the pockets, seemed way too obvious. But these are just small potatoes when compared to the rest of the stellar season.

I’m looking forward to season three. Let the re-election begin.