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February 12, 2005
Lions in winter
The West Wing looks to the future with cast additions and a brewing political showdown
By Andrew Ryan
The Globe and Mail
The winds of change are blowing through The West Wing.
The sixth season of the acclaimed White House drama has seen quantum shifts among the pivotal characters, not the least of which is the pending departure of fictional U.S. president Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and his replacement's arrival. The easy route would have been to maintain the status quotient for another year, but that's now how things work in the American political machine.
"The biggest mistake would have been to keep things static, with the current administration frozen midway through a term," says executive producer John Wells. "But the system is about change; even when it's the same people in office, things are always changing. That's politics."
The fresh approach has rejuvenated The West Wing, which has weathered its share of storms these past few years. Series creator Aaron Sorkin left in a huff two years ago; the season before, pivotal cast member Rob Lowe did likewise. Last season was a mixed bag of disconnected storylines and an overpowering emphasis on Bartlet's ongoing battle with multiple sclerosis. But The West Wing has since gotten smartly back on track. "We got back to the business of running the government," Sheen says simply.
The time frame for The West Wing's sixth season is set in the closing months of Bartlet's second term of office. So far, Bartlet has assembled an impressive team that appears to have accomplished the impossible by brokering a Middle East peace plan. Jobs have been shifted around: White House chief of staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer) suffered a heart attack, forcing him to abandon his post; his position was assumed by press secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney); communications director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) has been wedged, begrudgingly, into the press secretary role. "The reason why these characters are being put into new roles," says Wells, "will become much clearer as this season goes on."
Looking to the future, deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) has already started planning the campaign of Bartlet's inevitable successor: Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits), a three-term Democratic congressman with lofty ideals. Santos' candidacy coincides with the arrival of his inevitable Republican opponent, Arnold Vinick. As portrayed by Alan Alda, Vinick is a political warhorse with undeniable blue-collar appeal. A showdown is imminent.
"Both men have their strengths and weaknesses," says Wells. "The goal is that by next fall there will be a real question in viewer's minds as to who would make the better president."
The crafty setup will close off the current campaign of The West Wing and lead into next season with a much-anticipated presidential election. The current administration is going to change, although Sheen rightly points out that ex-presidents never really go away. Bartlet will return next season. "He's not going to go out quietly," promises Sheen. "He's going to rage against the darkness of the light."
Posted by Jo at February 12, 2005 10:21 AM