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Catching Up on TV : The West Wing Season 1

January 23, 2015

So after finishing up with Jack Bauer’s 24 (read about my reviews here), I was wondering what TV show to catch up on. I was googling up on ‘Greatest TV shows of all time’, and had narrowed down a shortlist like ‘Band of Brothers’, ‘The Sopranos’ etc.

As usual, Boone came to my rescue. what about The West Wing? Bingo! I was soon on way watching.

Before starting on the show, I had a rough idea that the show is a drama on the life of the President. I assumed it was a serious drama, with heavy issues the President faces in real life. But after a few episodes, I realized, it is more of a dramedy (as much as I dislike that word), or drama with comedic moments. Kind of like Ally McBeal, or Suits.

Anyway, on to the review of the first season, starting with the pilot episode. I thought it was clever for them to talk about the President the entire episode, but not show him right until the last scene. And when President Bartlett finally makes an appearance, man, what an entrance.

The West Wing is about the daily lives of the 6 White House senior staff and the Democrat President. The supporting cast includes their assistants and the First Lady. Everyone talks fast, and is incredibly witty. Although all 7 stars get equal camera time, my two favourite characters are Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and Sam Seabourne (Rob Lowe). In fact, my favourite parts of the show are the ‘walk-and-talk’ scenes between Lyman and his assistant, Donna. Their witty repartee is TV gold. How come my real-life assistant in my office isn’t so funny? She spend most of the time shopping online and gossiping on the phone.

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The season ending cliffhanger is slightly out of character for the show with its high drama, but its good nonetheless.

I loved the first season. So much so I wanted to write about it as soon as I finished the watching this morning. Let’s see how season 2 fares.

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