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(More customer reviews). . . a far cry from the first four.
As has been much mentioned and debated in reviews at this website of the 5th season, all West Wing seasons after the first four (after which series creators Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme who had created the distinctive tone of the show were shown the exit by NBC) have to be considered as almost a completely different show. Even when thought of in this way, the 5th season was something of a disaster, both ratings-wise and creatively.
So this 6th season really had nowhere else to go but up. Yet, more than just going up, by mid-season the series started to hit a bit of a stride and find a new voice (whether you prefer it to the first four seasons is debatable -- personally I do not -- but at least it was watchable and good for what it was). This is the season in which the narrative of the show fractures, as most of the characters exit their original roles and take on new assignments. This includes C.J.'s unrealistic promotion from press secretary to Chief of Staff (quite an improvement for a character who didn't know what the census was for in the first season and is now the President's chief adviser on all policy issues), Josh leaving the White House to manage the presidential campaign of Rep. Matt Santos (unevenly played by Jimmy Smitts), Donna quitting the White House to work on the Vice-President's campaign, Toby doubling as press secretary, Charlie becoming a Special Assistant for C.J., and Leo becoming general wise man for the White House, with no real role except to recover from his heart attack.
The first part of the season deals with the Arab-Israeli peace talks and the aftermath of the death of Admiral Fitzwallace and Donna's injuries in the Gaza Strip. Concluding with a bitter fight between Leo and the President that leads to the aforementioned heart attack by Leo (a sadly prescient plot line given John Spencer's real life death last year from a heart attack) and C.J.'s elevation, this segment segues into the meat of the season, which is the Democratic Primary Season. While providing many interesting campaign episodes and plotlines as a result (an area the show didn't really explore as much when Bartlet ran for re-election), it also means that the amount of screen time for most characters is drastically reduced as the show rushes to cover so many different long-term plotlines. Moreover, the fragmented storytelling also de-emphasizes the West Wing part of "The West Wing," except mainly to do national security issues to give an excuse to include stories for the totally uninteresting character of Mary McCormack (involving Cuba and Castro and whatnot). Why they wasted so much screen time on her stories is beyond me. More interesting in her addition to the cast is Kristen Chenowith as Asst. Press Secretary Annabeth Schott, who becomes an even better character in Season 7.
The final part of the season deals with the Republican challenger, Senator Arnold Vinick (certainly the most interesting and complex character introduced in the post-Sorkin era and very appealingly played by Alan Alda) and ends with a chaotic Democratic Convention that leaves Leo as the surprise VP candidate to (surprise) Jimmy Smitt's character managed by Josh. The season also ends with a ripped from the headlines storyline involving the leak by a West Wing staffer of sensitive national security information . . . all leading to Season 7 -- the final season of the series and certainly the best season since the first 4.
Overall, the season isn't bad and has a narrative drive created by the election season that helps sustain interest even when individual plotlines fizzle here and there. While the dialogue is a pale ghost of what it was, some of the campaign situations are interesting to ponder and several bit campaign players acquit themselves nicely. If you're still buying West Wing DVDs at this point, then this season isn't a bad buy (certainly much more worthwhile than the previous season in which you swear your favorite characters are possessed by pod people) but Season 7 is really the season to wait to purchase.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The West Wing: The Complete Sixth Season (2004)
During Season Six, the presidential race is on, with Senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) as the Republican frontrunner and a Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits) vying for the hotly contested Democratic presidential nomination. DVD Features:Audio CommentaryDocumentaryFeaturetteInterviews
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