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October 29, 2004
In the end, `West Wing: Third Season' gets his vote
He has doubts, but thoughtfulness, calm in Bartlet White House are persuasive
By R.D. Heldenfels
Akron Beacon-Journal
The third season of The West Wing in 2001-02 is a tough one to watch, as a new DVD collection shows. What had at times seemed to be the best TV had to offer was instead erratic, awkward and redundant.
And still, in retrospect, it at times looks very good.
The West Wing: The Complete Third Season (Warner, 22 episodes, four discs, $59.98) -- due in stores on Election Day -- actually began twice. The first telecast was an episode called Isaac and Ishmael, writer Aaron Sorkin's attempt to deal with some of the issues raised by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
As the original introductions noted, that episode is outside the time line of The West Wing (although the DVD set numbers it in sequence with the rest of the season). The DVD adds a warning, that ``some charities mentioned in this special episode may no longer exist. Please check the status of any charity to which you may wish to make a donation.''
I thought the episode was clumsy then, and I do now, except for one thing. It's refreshing this near the end of a presidential campaign to see thoughtful people talking calmly about issues we all must grapple with.
Then the season started, with many things to address, from a re-election campaign to the legal and political issues arising in the wake of revelations about President Bartlet's MS. As I said, in many respects it was not a good season, and the attempts at a big finish were especially irritating. But as I noted the flaws, I found myself gripped by the show because it made people's thought processes entertaining -- even when their thoughts were very wrong.
DVD extras include three commentaries, behind-the-scenes features and a West Wing documentary with real political operatives talking about their experiences, accompanied by clips from the show.
Posted by Jo at October 29, 2004 08:54 AM