The West Wing Season Seven

I suppose it's a little ironic that the final season of The West Wing should get its DVD release here on the 11th September. Or not, I'm not sure.

All I will say regarding 11th September today is this: There is a way for the collective humanity of the world to live together, if only we would all take a moment to try. 

As for The West Wing? Well, I didn't watch the last series on TV, because I grew used to watching entire seasons on their release with the second: I spent a weekend literally shaking with the "WHO THE FUCK GOT SHOT!" after watching the first season that I couldn't stand it.

For me, The West Wing has both reflected and helped to shape my political ideas. No, that's not quite right. Not shaped, so much as it has helped me find a way to articulate what I already believed. I have grown to adore the characters that littered this fairytale flowery dell of a DC. Not just the democrats, not just the people I agreed with. I adored the guys on all sides who were there to make their world a better place. From the first appearance of President Bartlet post-tree and the millions of walking-very-fast scenes, I was in love with this world.

It didn't matter that it was fake. In fact, the more the real version of events got ludicrous and just plain heartbreaking, the more one clung to the picture painted by Aaron Sorkin, whether he was filtering through rocks of crack or not. It was a real version of a world. It wasn't TWO LEGS BAD FOUR LEGS GOOD political writing. It wasn't about uber-religious nutters on one side and free-love heathens on the other, at least not all the time.

More than all of that, it made a seriously boring and convoluted way of running a country seem exciting, interesting and entertaining. I hope to GOD that there were kids watching it who heard the political terminology used (AND explained) and will then use it to better understand and better make their political decisions.

For now, I'm personally waah-ing over Leo, bouncing over Donna's job interview and watching Josh try and relinquish his vice-like grip on the Santos campaign.

The West Wing is just the best 'what-if', man. The best.

The West Wing Season Seven

I suppose it's a little ironic that the final season of The West Wing should get its DVD release here on the 11th September. Or not, I'm not sure.

All I will say regarding 11th September today is this: There is a way for the collective humanity of the world to live together, if only we would all take a moment to try. 

As for The West Wing? Well, I didn't watch the last series on TV, because I grew used to watching entire seasons on their release with the second: I spent a weekend literally shaking with the "WHO THE FUCK GOT SHOT!" after watching the first season that I couldn't stand it.

For me, The West Wing has both reflected and helped to shape my political ideas. No, that's not quite right. Not shaped, so much as it has helped me find a way to articulate what I already believed. I have grown to adore the characters that littered this fairytale flowery dell of a DC. Not just the democrats, not just the people I agreed with. I adored the guys on all sides who were there to make their world a better place. From the first appearance of President Bartlet post-tree and the millions of walking-very-fast scenes, I was in love with this world.

It didn't matter that it was fake. In fact, the more the real version of events got ludicrous and just plain heartbreaking, the more one clung to the picture painted by Aaron Sorkin, whether he was filtering through rocks of crack or not. It was a real version of a world. It wasn't TWO LEGS BAD FOUR LEGS GOOD political writing. It wasn't about uber-religious nutters on one side and free-love heathens on the other, at least not all the time.

More than all of that, it made a seriously boring and convoluted way of running a country seem exciting, interesting and entertaining. I hope to GOD that there were kids watching it who heard the political terminology used (AND explained) and will then use it to better understand and better make their political decisions.

For now, I'm personally waah-ing over Leo, bouncing over Donna's job interview and watching Josh try and relinquish his vice-like grip on the Santos campaign.

The West Wing is just the best 'what-if', man. The best.