The West Wing in Ten Episodes - Part 1

Aaron Sorkin's Newsroom is returning on HBO soon, so now is a good time as any to talk ab bit about his great work, The West Wing.

A tweet from a political scientist led me to Buzzfeed's 10 best West Wing episodes, and I found I disagreed with a lot of it.  Though, rather than do my own top 10 list (filling in early Christmas episodes and "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" and "Two Cathedrals" doesn't leave much space), I thought I'd follow AV Club's model of:

“The 10 episodes that best represent a TV series, classic or modern. If you watch those 10, you’ll have a better idea of what that series was about, without having to watch the whole thing. These are not meant to be the 10 best episodes, but rather the 10 most representative episodes” . 

This is you would use to show what this show is about to someone who's never seen it, like an alien or a foreigner, or an alien foreigner. 

Here are 1-5, in chronological order:

1. “Five Votes Down” Episode 1-04

Bartlet opens the episode in front of a banner proclaiming “Practical Idealism” which was a theme of the entire series, or at least the first part of Jed’s administration. Sorkin wrote the show as a “valentine to public service.” Part of this was showing the toll it takes on the personal life, and that’s not better represented than when Leo’s wife leaves him. He even admits to her that his job is more important than his marriage. The sense of duty permeates the rest of the series.  Not only that but it showed motivations of different politicians Josh and Leo whip for votes seeing hold outs for reasons petty and noble. Ultimately Leo’s political foe, the vice president, offers Leo to attend his own AA meeting when he worries Leo may relapsedue to his impending divorce (oh yeah, they are both alcoholics!).  Hoynes also helps his own agenda by getting the final vote the Bartlet people need, ultimately getting all the credit.  For all their efforts the Bartlets get criticized for not going for a stronger bill and do not even get the credit for the bill they desperately worked to pass.

2. “These Crackpots and These Women” Episode 1-05

West Wing had a nerdy fascination with history.  It showed through characters like Sam and Jed and Leo, who created Big Block of Cheese Day. Each staffer took meetings with advocacy groups they normally viewed as “below them” or at least not at the level to swing a meeting at the White House.  Slowly but surely the staffers came around to care about the Plue the wolf or the injustices of the Mercator projection*. And isn’t that what government is about?**  West Wing was there to inspire confidence in government and that one person can make a difference, blah blah blah, Margaret Mead. 

Josh’s survivor’s guilt was introduced and would play a major part in his character. And at Jed's chili party he combines his roles as boss and grandfather to the staff (and country) by exercising one of the perks of the presidency by forcing everyone to come (“Look down at the seal, now back up at me”) but all with the good intention of surrounding himself with the people he loves. It gave the staff a family feel which continued throughout the show especially when one staffer would come under attack. 

* Greenland never seemed to mind.

** No.  Not really.

3. “The State Dinner” Episode 1-07

Even the president and all his men are helpless sometimes.  Believe it or not there's no magic lever for the present to autonomously control the economy, or anything else for that matter.

The staff face crises of the hostage, diplomatic, labor and nautical varieties. In the end, after steering a small ship directly into the path of a hurricane, the president and his staff sit in evening wear around a phone listening to the lowliest sailor on the lowliest ship in the fleet, staying with him until they inevitably drown. Bartlet is so frustrated and angry that he even brings it up during his Latin laced tirade with God a season and a half later (“They say we haven't had a storm this bad since you took out that Tender ship of mine in the North Atlantic last year. Sixty-eight crew. You know what a Tender ship? Fixes the other ships. It doesn't even carry guns, it just goes around, fixes the other ships and delivers the mail. That's all it can do.”)

4. "In Excelsis Deo" Episode 1-10

One of few episodes that eschews politics as the main plot. Until now, Toby’s been the “prickly mumbly Communications Director” but goes out of his way to properly honor and bury a homeless veteran who he never knew but came across by happenstance. A larger issue is at hand regarding veterans’ treatment, and this before we made a whole bunch of new veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The storyline speaks more about human decency than the politics of it, which is really how it should be viewed in the first place. 

A part often overlooked is Mrs. Landingham talking about her sons being killed in Vietnam, which no doubt contributes to why she is so dedicated to her job and duty.

The episode also features a great ‘behind the scenes’ look when Bartlet goes Christmas shopping at the bookstore…behind the scenes being another crux of the series…and possibly the first moment Josh and Donna take off when he gives her a book with a note inscribed.

5. "Take this Sabbath Day" Episode 1-14

Thoughtful and didactic without being preachy, West Wing could elevate mundane policy and everyday social studies vocabulary (the census, a filibuster, the Lend Lease Act) to be compelling television. So when it tackled the emotionally charged issue of capital punishment, it really ran with it.  The episode is rare because there is only one storyline and all the characters participate.  Each character has their own view of capital punishment born out of their background. The episode also takes pains to show Jed’s internal conflict with religion and executing the law, and the larger theme of the president being both a man and an office.

Numbers 6-10 coming soon...