The West Wing - Season Six Premiere
I'm currently staying with friends who have a Tivo, which is how I ended up face to face with two hours of the most recent West Wing episodes on Wednesday night. (Yes, after Lost, and the Yankees/Sox game. What can I say? I couldn't sleep.) I stopped watching the post-Sorkin West Wing last season when, after four episodes, the behavior of the characters had changed to the point where I didn't recognize them anymore. With little else to do on an insomniac evening, I made a return visit to the fictional Bartlet White House by watching last season's finale and the current season's premiere.
I can't say I was rewarded, exactly, but I was reminded of how much I miss the characters, in particular Josh (Bradley Whitford) and Donna (Janel Moloney). The West Wing was always second to Sorkin's previous show Sports Night in terms of likable characters and razor-sharp dialogue, but this tale of a fantasy presidency was always affecting and the show's inhabitants became part of that extended television family we all carry around in our heads.
In The West Wing's early seasons, big "event" episodes were rare. Series creator and writer Aaron Sorkin preferred to find importance in the everyday goings-on of the White House. Sure, in the office of the President of the United States even the everyday is unusual, but the show was always more driven by characters and ideas than by events. Sorkin could coax more drama out of soybean fuel alternatives and test-ban treaties than most shows could from the deaths of their main characters. With his departure from the show, however, the reins were turned over to John Wells, the man behind eighty seasons of E.R. -- an almost entirely event-driven show. Predictably, The West Wing followed suit. Even before Sorkin could leave, President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) dealt with the abduction of his youngest daughter in a cliffhanger season finale.
The current season continues the trend, picking up with Bartlet and company as they react to the deaths of several members of Congress and recurring character Admiral Fitzwallace (John Amos), which result from Israeli/Palestinian hostilities. Naturally Donna survives the experience, though not without a dodgy hospital stay with Josh at her bedside every minute. (Maybe Wells and company just feel more comfortable with medical drama.) Subsequent episodes will apparently deal with Bartlet's resistance to military action while brokering peace between Israel and Palestine; a heart attack suffered by right-hand-man Leo (John Spencer) and his eventual replacement as chief-of-staff; and, from the looks of things, Josh's eventual action on his feelings for Donna. (The exact reasons why Donna hasn't taken the initiative are unclear, but even during Sorkin's tenure she always seemed to be waiting on Josh.)
In short, Wells has abandoned the walk-and-talk formula that endeared me to the series and replaced it with his own patented shock-and-awe brand of television. Granted, that kind of drama has kept E.R. alive for ten years -- and I stopped watching after two. That said, I did actually enjoy the two hours of The West Wing I saw the other night. The actors still have some chemistry with one another, and the writers of these particular episodes are skilled at drawing an emotional response from their audience -- with the help of their immensely talented cast. (Donna's scrawling of "scared" on a notepad just before undergoing surgery would have had a lesser impact if an actress of lesser stature than Janel Moloney were emoting from behind that oxygen mask. The fact that Donna has such an indomitable personality outside of those circumstances further contributed to the intensity of the scene.) It wasn't bad television, it just wasn't The West Wing as I knew it. Sure, it's a shadow of its former self, but in today's wasted landscape of quality TV, the shadows may wind up on the viewing schedule.
I can't say I was rewarded, exactly, but I was reminded of how much I miss the characters, in particular Josh (Bradley Whitford) and Donna (Janel Moloney). The West Wing was always second to Sorkin's previous show Sports Night in terms of likable characters and razor-sharp dialogue, but this tale of a fantasy presidency was always affecting and the show's inhabitants became part of that extended television family we all carry around in our heads.
In The West Wing's early seasons, big "event" episodes were rare. Series creator and writer Aaron Sorkin preferred to find importance in the everyday goings-on of the White House. Sure, in the office of the President of the United States even the everyday is unusual, but the show was always more driven by characters and ideas than by events. Sorkin could coax more drama out of soybean fuel alternatives and test-ban treaties than most shows could from the deaths of their main characters. With his departure from the show, however, the reins were turned over to John Wells, the man behind eighty seasons of E.R. -- an almost entirely event-driven show. Predictably, The West Wing followed suit. Even before Sorkin could leave, President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) dealt with the abduction of his youngest daughter in a cliffhanger season finale.
The current season continues the trend, picking up with Bartlet and company as they react to the deaths of several members of Congress and recurring character Admiral Fitzwallace (John Amos), which result from Israeli/Palestinian hostilities. Naturally Donna survives the experience, though not without a dodgy hospital stay with Josh at her bedside every minute. (Maybe Wells and company just feel more comfortable with medical drama.) Subsequent episodes will apparently deal with Bartlet's resistance to military action while brokering peace between Israel and Palestine; a heart attack suffered by right-hand-man Leo (John Spencer) and his eventual replacement as chief-of-staff; and, from the looks of things, Josh's eventual action on his feelings for Donna. (The exact reasons why Donna hasn't taken the initiative are unclear, but even during Sorkin's tenure she always seemed to be waiting on Josh.)
In short, Wells has abandoned the walk-and-talk formula that endeared me to the series and replaced it with his own patented shock-and-awe brand of television. Granted, that kind of drama has kept E.R. alive for ten years -- and I stopped watching after two. That said, I did actually enjoy the two hours of The West Wing I saw the other night. The actors still have some chemistry with one another, and the writers of these particular episodes are skilled at drawing an emotional response from their audience -- with the help of their immensely talented cast. (Donna's scrawling of "scared" on a notepad just before undergoing surgery would have had a lesser impact if an actress of lesser stature than Janel Moloney were emoting from behind that oxygen mask. The fact that Donna has such an indomitable personality outside of those circumstances further contributed to the intensity of the scene.) It wasn't bad television, it just wasn't The West Wing as I knew it. Sure, it's a shadow of its former self, but in today's wasted landscape of quality TV, the shadows may wind up on the viewing schedule.
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