The West Wingwas a TV show about work, like many others about hospitals or cops, with the biggest difference being that it happened to be in The White House. With Aaron Sorkin at the top of his game, Tommy Schlamme’s direction (they created the walk-and-talk kind of scenes), and an incredible cast, the show talked about America, democracy, and idealism. The scripts and performances were celebrated and won many awards, as the cast was one of the best in history: Rob Lowe, Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, John Spencer (RIP), Richard Schiff, Janel Maloney, Dulé Hill, and, as the President, Martin Sheen. Let’s sit in the Oval Office and rank allThe West Wingseasons.
This was the first season after Sorkin left, and it shows. John Wells became the showrunner and, at first, tried to imitate Sorkin’s style (something impossible). That period brought some of the worst episodes, as he didn’t know how to write the characters, or understand their fast dialogue and idealism. Even then, there are still a couple of episodes worth saving: “The Supremes”, an episode that could’ve been written in Sorkin’s seasons, where Glenn Close guest stars as a federal judge who becomes the first female Chief of Justice of SCOTUS; and “Shutdown” where, after being benched for a big mistake, Josh (Whitford) comes back with a bang, helping President Bartlet (Sheen) against the Republican Speaker of the House during a shutdown, because of the federal budget.
After a bad fifth season, the sixth was whenThe West Wingbecame a different animal, one where Wells and his team wanted to do a political campaign.The West Wingbecame two different shows, anchored by the two most charismatic actors: the political campaign with Josh (Whitford) training to make Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) the Democratic nominee, and another one in the West Wing where CJ (Janney) became the Chief of Staff.
Janney had shown in the previous seasons how talented she was, andthis performance is still one of the best of her career. The best episodes of the season are “Impact Winter”, where the President’s Multiple sclerosis appears in a tough way, and we see Bartlet unable to do even the easiest things; and “King Corn”, where the three candidates have their own small stories about the same issue, and, especially, the season finale, “2162 votes”, where we find out who the Democrat candidate for President will be.
The finale season of the show presented us with an election day with real stakes. Being the last episodes, Alan Alda as Vinnick could’ve won, and some real emotions, as the death of actor John Spencer was also used in the show, in one of the saddest episodes of any show ever. This season kept the dual narrative between The White House and the election, and the worst part of all, was how they did Richard Schiff and his character dirty, making him a traitor (something the character would never have done) and taking the actor from the show.Richard Schiff told Entertainment Weeklyabout that decision: “I would have talked them out of it because it was not in line with the six years of work that I built with that character. I was very, very hurt by it.”
This season was also a tour-de-force byMartin Sheen in one of his best performances ever,as his character had more difficulties because of his disease, showing his frustration and fear with what was happening to him. The best episodes of the season are “The Debate”, which was filmed live as if it was a real debate; “Tomorrow”, the series finale that gives everyone beautiful endings, and the heartfelt, chill-inducing “Requiem”. The funeral of Leo McGarry (Thompson), mixes real life and fiction, as the actors say goodbye to their friend John Thompson, while acting out those real feelings.
After President Bartlet made his MS known to the public at the end of the second season, the third one deals with the aftermath, while trying to run the campaign for reelection. This season also shows Sorkin’s mastery as a writer, be it writing about the consequences of lying to the American people; or if it’s justified to kill a terrorist for the better of humanity.
The best episode of the season is “Bartlet for America”, where we see the origin of Bartlet’s candidacy for President in a showcase for the late actor John Spencer. The episode shows the friendship between Leo (Spencer) and the President (Sheen), the idealism of both, and why Leo creates such loyalty that any of his staff would do anything for him. Especially Josh (Whitford). Another is “Hartsfield Landing”; the episode where on a night when the small town of Hartsfield Landing votes first in the Election, while the whole team is still in The White House, while the President has chess matches and revealing conversations with both Toby and Sam. The season also has “Posse Comitatus”, as Sorkin and co. always knew how to do great season finales, and this one spells the tragic end of Mark Harmon’s Secret Agent character.
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The last season with Sorkin at the helm was one of many changes, as not only the writer and the director, Thomas Schlamme left, but so did Rob Lowe. The season was packed with action, as there was an election night, a vice president scandal, and a season finale where the President’s daughter was kidnapped.The West Wingwas the show where most people discovered a young Elisabeth Moss, playing the President’s daughter, Zoey. It might not beone of her best performances, but she saw from the front lines what great actors could do, and she learned those lessons as she has become one of the greatest actresses of her generation.
The best episodes of the season are the season-opening two-part, “20 Hours in America”, where Toby, Josh, and Donna are left behind by the motorcade and have an odyssey trip back to Washington; “Game On” with the debate between Bartlet and his Republican opponent for president, and we see how good Martin Sheen is as the President, and especially, “Commencement”, the season finale, where they kidnap Elisabeth Moss, in an electric final ten minutes.
The show started with a bang, with an already defined tone and style, idealist characters who felt like real (if sometimes too smart) people, and a President who wanted to change America and help every one of the people living there. Sorkin had already writtenThe American President,one of the best movies about politics from the 20th century,and it looked like a trial run. Sorkin himself has admitted that some scenes that got cut from the movie were used for the show’s pilot and first episodes.Rob Lowe told Empireabout reading the pilot: “My first reaction was, “The West Wing? Is it about a squadron of fighter jets?” Then I turned the page and saw, ‘by Aaron Sorkin’ and I knew it was going to be something good. Then I started reading it and the very first scene is Sam Seaborn talking to a guy at a bar in DC. Sam was the first character that I saw and immediately fell in love with.”
The best episodes of the season are “Pilot”, where we get to meet the characters, especially Rob Lowe’s Sam, who started as the lead of the show, while we learn how The White House works, and what kind of obstacles they must go through to do their job properly; “Take This Sabbath Day”, where the President must decide if he’s okay with the death penalty and showing all the conflicts his Catholicism gives him about it; and “Let Bartlet be Batlet”. This last episode was a game changer where, after being ineffective for most of the season, they decided to go on the offensive. The scene where each of our main characters says: “I serve at the pleasure of the President” is still chill-inducing.
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This is the best season of the show by a mile, as everyone knows their characters inside and out, and Sorkin knows what he wants to tell, showing mastery of his writing craft. It’s also one of the best seasons of television ever. This season has so many bangers that we could do a top-ten list of best episodes of the show only with this year. From “In the Shadow of Two Gunmen”, where we get to see how the team was united, while Josh and the President are fighting for their lives; to “Noel”, where we understand Josh’s PTSD after the shooting, to “17 People”, where Toby comes to know the President has MS in one of the most uncomfortable conversations ever; and, especially “Two Cathedrals”, the best episode of the whole show, where there are moments of grief, but also hope as we revisit the relationship between the President and Miss Landingham (who just died), and he decides to run for President again, even if it will be more difficult as his MS is made public. An incredible television season; easily as good as the ones fromThe Wire, The Sopranos, or Mad Men.
