NBC must truly trust Aaron Sorkin. He wrote and shot this episode in a few weeks (obviously). It deals with the fictious White House administration dealing with the WTC attack. Very bold. Very risky. I can’t wait! This could be a real make or break moment (of course the show is currently “made” so he can only lose…)
Anyone planning on watching? Let’s meet back after the episode to discuss.
Incidentally, Isaac and Ishmael were the two sons of Abraham. Jews/Christians say Isaac was the favored son, born of a free woman. Muslims say Ishmael was favored, born of Abraham;s slave.
I am psyched! I just started watching West Wing at the last season and I was looking forward to the season premier. This is like an added bonus. Should be interesting.
Where did you read that the episode is about the WTC situation? I was under the impression that the episode was already about a terrorist action, but got pushed back to this week (it was supposed to be on last week) due to both scheduling bumps as well as the need to reshoot a few scenes due to possible sensitivity to some terrorist scenes.
No. This was a special episode written a week after the 9/11 attacks.(I’m not sure it will SPECIFICALLY be the WTC, but it will be a major terrorist attack of this magnitude.)
The first episode was supposed to be about Bartlett’s re-election plans (and illness). That episode has been pushed back until NEXT week. Thisone is entirely in response to the tragedy. CNN just reported that there will be a scene with the Security Counsel. briefing the Prez.
There’s another episode, done before the attacks, dealing with trouble in the Middle East. It’s not airing for a month or so, and was never supposed to. “Isaac and Ishmael” is completely different.
It is my understanding the Sorkin wrote this as a situation similar to the attacks, e.g., in which America and the White House is under siege, but not specifically about the real attacks. This is fiction after all.
I have just recently been introduced to this series since I was living overseas when it began. I am already amazed at the writing and acting. Can’t wait for 9 pm.
It was good. I got distracted for a few seconds. When it said “Crash” on the phone, it didn’t literally mean a crash did it? Wasn’t that just a security breach code word? I had to answer a question from my wife and didn’t hear that part. From then on, they were talking about terrorism, but we heard no more mention of a specific act (short of the questioning of the guy in what I suppose to be the Old Executive building.
Did a great job of fairly portraying every view point. I thought by having his characters giving even unpopular viewpoints, he made it easier to deal with.
Question: What did you think of the opening montage? I like how they specifically addressed the continuity of the episode.
It was too preachy, even for me who generally agreed with the sentiments expressed in the show. I almost invoked Godwin’s Law halfway through.
I can just see the screenwriters sitting down and trying to cook up an idea they could write quickly with hardly any change of sets. The “class lecture” in the kitchen was just too staged. Hey, let’s trot in all our regular characters one by one, in front of our ignorant HS kids who represent the ignorant public! Come on, give the audience some credit. Or maybe I’m wrong, the unwashed massers ARE that stupid and need a blackboard lecture.
I thought the scenes with the students were a bit heavy handed. But the scences with the “suspect” were very good… the way both characters kept nearly losing their tempers but held it together, the way the interviewer (sorry - don’t watch this much) went too far and then was able to apologize. It’s nice that they’re donating their proceeds, too.
I agree with vix. The interrogation scenes with Leo were par for the course; the high school kids scenes were insulting, to say the least. Then again, this is television we’re talking about here.
And given the time constraints and the subject matter, I’d say this is about as well as it could have been handled–unless he’d chosen not to write about it at all.
I agree with watsonwil–it articulated a multiplicity of viewpoints very well.
“Isn’t pinochle a card game?”
“…I’ve changed my mind; kill 'em all.”
Gadarene, speaking as a former Hollywood script doctor, I can tell you from personal experience, there ain’t no such thing as just ONE screenwriter on any project with this size of a budget.