The West Wing: The Complete Seventh Season (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)It wouuld be difficult for me to truly describe the wonderful shock that is The West Wing's final season. I, like so many, had given up on The West Wing when Aaron Sorkin left, wished the show cancelled during its atrocious 5th season, and, honestly, found the show an irritating fantasy during the Sorkin-helmed 4th season anyway. Something astonishing happens during "The Ticket," the season's first episode - you feel, in its incredible pacing, structure, and emotional understatement - that Aaron Sorkin has not only returned but has regained all of his abilities as a writer. That he is not at all involved with the show means that writers like Eli Attie and Deborah Cahn have finally gotten their work as writers to both revive the lightning-quick trademarks of The West Wing while also justifying the often-unswallowable plot maneuvers of its previous two seasons. It occurred to me during "Message of the Week," a nimble and thrilling episode, that campaign-trail politics had never been so accurately represented, if they'd truly ever been attempted at all. That means The West Wing had found a reason to exist again, and that sense invigorated all the stories it surrounded - the White House's "leak" story, or the regional conflict between Kazhakstan and China. And, in a winning surprise, it also revived its still extraordinary cast - Bradley Whitford especially turns the stress of campaigning into a frayed study of stress and exhaustion, and with Janeane Garofalo at his side, he finds a sparring partner of incredible energy. The two's chemistry makes the workplace seem as vital a beast as this White House ever seemed in its prime.

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The seventh season of the West Wing chronicles the transition between the administration of President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet and the race for the new presidency between Congressman Mathew Vincente Santos of Houston, Texas and Senator Arnold Vinick of California. The season includes the live episode of "The Debate" and ends with a new administration in the West Wing.

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The West Wing: The Complete Fifth Season (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)Of course Season 5 of The West Wing was different. Losing (or dropping) Aaron Sorkin was a major problem for the series as it was his vision and tone which had guided it through its first four sucessful seasons. However the backlash against the series from some fans was completely over the top. To them Sorkin could do no bad and John Wells & Co. could do no good.
There were problems in style at the start of the season. The main worry expressed by fans at the changeover was that the series would become soap opera and relationship based rather than content/issue driven. Instead the series went the complete other way and became far too heavy and dark, as if the writers needed to prove their dramatic creditenials. A lot of the wittiness and humour of the dialogue disappeared in the first couple of episodes as the new writers struggled to understand the characters and find a level that could be both funny and serious at the same time.
However from mid-season (around the execellent "Shutdown" episode) the series began to find its feet again and began to deliver episodes of quality some of which would have no problem with being matched against their Sorkin counterparts. In particular the standout "Supremes" episode is as good as the show had ever been.
By the end of the season a new level had been found. It may not have soared to some of the dizzying heights that the series had under Sorkin. There were still bad episodes but there had been bad episodes in earlier seasons. However The West Wing was still a damn sight better than practically any other television series around capable of being clever, funny, intriguing and thoughtprovoking at the same time.

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Follow the drama when the government is temporarily passed from a Democratic Administration to the Republican Speaker of the House, as President Bartlet copes with the kidnapping of his youngest daughter, Zoey.

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The West Wing: The Complete Sixth Season (2004) Review

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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.

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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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The West Wing: The Complete Third Season (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)The West Wing's third season began in sadness. The 9/11 attacks would change much about our country (and this show), and we got an episode after them (Isaac and Ishmael) that attempted to show sensitivity and comfort during a confusing time. At that time, it wasn't generally liked, but it seems to have aged well (it was voted the 10th best episode by Bravo viewers earlier this year). After this, though, the season began in earnest, picking up where the astonishingly good "Two Cathedrals" episode left off and begins a multi-episodic story arc that has the staff at odds with each other as well as the introduction of the fabulous Ron Silver as Bruno Gianelli (he would get an Oscar nod for his performance). Truth be told, this season didn't have the same uniformity of excellence that previous ones did--the middle of the season was lukewarm, with episodes like "The Two Bartlets" and "Night Five" which rank among the lowest in the series (let's keep it in perspective, though: the worst of this season is still better than the best of the current one). However, the show pulls off one of the best episodes of the show in the finale, "Posse Comitatus", which has President Bartlet grappling with faith, law and morality in the matter of having an Osama bin Ladin-like terrorist assassinated. The sheer shock of the final act still brings chills down my spine every time I see it. Also notable: perhaps the most emotional episode in the series, "Bartlet for America" won an Emmy and its final scene between the President and Leo rivals the denouement in Kubrick's Paths of Glory for full-force emotional impact. "Gone Quiet" is a gripping story about a lost submarine, and features a wonderful, curmedgeonly performance by Hal Holbrook as Assistant Secretary of State Albie Duncan. "100,000 Airplanes" is an example of the complex narrative structure of the series: there are no less than four major stories revolving around Bartlet's State of the Union address, each of which are engaging. One of my favorites is "The U.S. Poet Laureate," which covers the scandal following an off-air gaffe on the part of the president. Says C.J. Cregg, "It's a classic Washington scandal. We got in trouble for telling the truth." But all through this season are these character threads: the President and Abbey (leading to a surprisingly touching scene in "Dead Irish Writers"), Josh and Amy's budding relationship, Toby and his ex-wife, Andie, and, of course, the President and Leo. The final one was always one of the most satisfying relationships with the show, and the fact that the current WW writers have all but eliminated it is one of my major beefs with the show right now. Enough soapboxing. Season 3 of the West Wing contains powerful drama and excitement, examination of real political issues and real people. It's definitely worth the money for anyone.

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Compelling and clever storylines focus on Bartlet's campaign and continue to reveal the inner workings of the White House in this innovative, multiple Emmy Award-winning drama series from producers John Wells ("ER," "China Beach"), Aaron Sorkin ("Sports Night") and Thomas Schlamme ("Sports Night"). The West Wing's third season had 5 Emmy wins including, Best Drama Series and Outstanding Special Episode.

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The West Wing: The Complete Fourth Season (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)This season saw the end of a bright but sadly short-lived era. The West Wing was THE show to watch for four glorious years. There are those out there who might say that the show somehow lost steam in the final year of the Sorkin era, but I say unto you, listen not to them. When a highly regarded show undergoes (or is about to undergo) a major change, it is nitpicked to a great extent, and some people feel compelled to invent problems with it, for whatever reason. It is fortunate for the non-crazy, then, that this year proved so able to produce challenging, powerful drama. This season opens with presidential politics in full swing, President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) campaigning for a second term facing a suspiciously Dubya-looking Republican contender portrayed by James Brolin (okay, he's more like a Bush caricature). After several great campaign-themed episodes at the season's beginning, politics-as-unusual would once again turn up in the halls of power at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
This season's biggest change was Rob Lowe's departure from the show, but that was alright, because we got the super-talented Joshua Malina to replace him. We met Toby's and CJ's dads in "Holy Night" and "The Long Goodbye", respectively. The former continues in the show's tradition of powerful, moving Christmas episodes, the latter is a greatly underrated family drama centering around CJ and her Alzheimer's-stricken father. These episodes pack plenty of emotional power, and there were other great episodes like "20 Hours in America," which tracked Josh, Toby and Donna through Indiana after they lost the motorcade, and "Life on Mars," which led to the departure of John Hoynes as Vice President, thanks to Matthew Perry's guest turn as Joe Quincy. These episodes, in addition to the pulse-pounding final two shows of the season, were only a few of a memorable and consistent year of television that called to mind the show's first season--no grand arcs, just stories and characters and the delightful political mess the White House staff would sort through on a weekly basis. This season brought the series back to its roots and was an appropriate send-off for one of the medium's masters, although it's sad indeed that the send-off in question was needed in the first place. Where have you gone, Aaron?

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Follow the re-election of President Bartlet to his second term and witness the gripping personal crisis that forces him to chose between the best interests of the country and those of his family. Compelling and clever storylines reveal the inner workings of the White House in this innovative, multiple Emmy-Award-winning drama series from producers John Wells ("ER," "China Beach"), Aaron Sorkin ("Sports Night") and Thomas Schlamme ("Sports Night"). The West Wing's fourth season received 15 Emmy nominations and 2 wins including, Best Drama Series and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.

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The West Wing: The Complete Series Collection (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)The West Wing is by far the best television series I've ever seen. 5 stars for that. However this set, although nice to look at, has too many flaws for me to recommend it very highly. 3 stars for this set.
My main gripe is that there are no English subtitles. Why not? There is plenty of space on the disks and subtitles don't take up that much. The gain would be far greater than the cost!
I often have to rewind episodes three or four times to catch a phrase that I can't quite make out hearing the first or second time. There is often so much background noise (sirens, crouds, music, etc) that one can't make out all the brilliant dialogue by only listening to the audio.
The UK editions have English subtitles, so why can't the American versions?
Another gripe is the packaging. While it is very nice to look at on the shelf, cleverly designed with file folders holding each season, it is impractical and scratches the disks! The folders are hard cardboard and the slits (not even lined with felt or soft material) are so narrow you have to really press the disks in, damaging and scratching them up!
The UK boxed set uses 22 slimline DVD cases, holding two discs each, all packaged within season-by-season slip cases.
If your DVD player can play European DVD's, I recommend paying a little extra and ordering the UK version instead: ASIN B000I8OC08 on Amazon.co.uk. It has the same 21+ hours of extras this set has so you won't be missing anything except the booklet and script, which frankly doesn't add much value.
EDIT: As somebody kindly pointed out in the comments, seasons 1-5 have subtitles. Only seasons 6 & 7 are without English subs. Also, if you do consider buying the UK edition, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A REGION FREE DVD PLAYER, or that your player can play European DVD's. Read the comments to this review for tips on how to check your player. Thanks for voting and commenting! :)

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The West Wing ventured where no other TV series had gone before: an extraordinarily intimate look at an American President and the inner workings of the White House. Experience all the crises, triumphs, lofty idealism and hard realities of the acclaimed series in this complete seven-season DVD set. Here, on 45 discs, are all 154 episodes of the series that won 26 Emmys, including 4 for Outstanding Drama Series. Hail to chief - and to the creators and stars of this ground-breaking series.

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