# No West Wing Thread Yet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 30, 2003, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-west-wing-thread-yet/210408 "2003-10-30T09:05:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-west-wing-thread-yet/210408/21 "2003-10-30T21:22:50Z")
I think it was far less sucky than the other episodes this season have been. There was a fantastic op-ed in a local weekly this week, whose URL is stubbornly not responding right now.([This](http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_10.30.03/op/oped.html) is the URL, give it a shot later?) But I have a hard copy (old-fashioned, I know) in front of me, titled “West Wing Goes South” about how it’s jumped the shark. The author’s opinion, for example: > [@](#): > > the kidnapped Zoey Bartlet was found way too quickly; her rescue providing neither denouement, action, pathos or even catharsis. (In fact, she really ought to have been killed, and it’s my little theory that Sorkin wanted to kill her off, and management’s disagreement with this child-unfriendly move is what precipitated Sorkin’s relatively abrupt departure.) … Sorkin never forgot that this was an office drama, and that its attraction was the importance of the business at hand, and the enormous intelligence, knowledgeability, quick wit and articulacy of the office staff. Tis a great article. I wish you could read it ! ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-west-wing-thread-yet/210408/22 "2003-10-30T22:04:57Z")
The link works now. > [@](#): > > The West Wing under new management is trying to transform a workplace drama into a slightly soap-operatic emotional one. Soap opera. Soap opera. Soap opera. Ptui. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-west-wing-thread-yet/210408/23 "2003-10-30T22:26:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ivylass \* > \*\*I thought that was weird, too. She’s the press secretary, for God’s sake, and he’s just an intern. Aiming kind of high, isn’t he? \*\* OTOH, he comes from money (Notice the “Backstage at a Rolling Stones concert”) and she doesn’t. Picture an underachieving son of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy making a pass at Condolleeza Rice; not a pretty sight, but it could happen. That’s about the same dynamic as what we saw last night. ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-west-wing-thread-yet/210408/24 "2003-10-30T22:37:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AV8R \* > \*\*OK, so what are the other two hours? \*\* “24” and, obviously before it ended its run, “Buffy”. Now Buffy is gone, “24” is only one ep into the season; so it’s too soon to tell if it’ll be up to snuff and “West Wing” may very well be dead in terms of good writing and dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-west-wing-thread-yet/210408/25 "2003-10-31T00:25:34Z")
I actually thought the episode was okay. Maybe it’s because by not having Bravo, I can’t be continously seeing the old episodes to compare them. I think the demoralization in the White House is believable. As Russell pointed out, for all practical pruposes the Bartlett administration is over. There won’t be another election and with a solid Republican majority in Congress, the Presidency can’t set an agenda. So essentially they’re all marking time. Leo and Toby are justifiably upset about this and I think this was portrayed well. It looks like the writers are planning on making the breakup of the Bartlett marriage the big event of this season. I don’t think it’ll be believable, but I will concede that it would explain the President’s mood. I foresee CJ offering her resignation in the next few episodes. The scripts seem to be heading in that direction. I also felt the Josh and Amy affair was handled well. They’ve always been attracted to each other, but both view their work as more important than their personal life, so it was inevitable that they’d break up again when they realized their relationship was distracting them from their jobs. Plus as others noted, they had to get Amy off the show before her real life pregnancy became impossible to hide. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-west-wing-thread-yet/210408/26 "2003-10-31T04:10:47Z")
I actually liked the episode. I think it’s more realistic of what would go on in an actual administration. I like seeing their flaws. Sorkin built them all up to be too noble and Lincoln-esque. I especially liked the part with Leo and CJ. I think that stuff happens a lot. The Press Secretary is there to be the mouthpiece of the administration and she crossed the line. I think the difference is that Sorkin did have an agenda other than making good TV shows. I don’t think these producers or writers give a rats ass about politics or policy. It’s not as preachy as it’s been the last few seasons. It isn’t as good as season 2 but neither was season 3. I wonder if they are starting a transition with Will and Russell. Russell is going to do something huge soon. Will they continue the show after Bartlett with Russell as President and Will as a chief adviser? Maybe this is the beginning of that. A Russell/Fitzwallace Administration. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-west-wing-thread-yet/210408.md?page=1)