The West Wing

If someone were to design a TV show specifically for the purpose of entertaining me, they would probably come up with a show having something to do with the presidents. Ever since my excellent high-school government teacher gave me my final project topic of "Presidential Leadership Styles," I have been fascinated by US presidential history. This fascination has grown into a pretty significant hobby, as I have collected and read many books about the presidents and traveled to over 150 historic sites related to the presidents (including the gravesite of every deceased president and all of the presidential libraries save one).

So I was thrilled when I heard of this new TV show called The West Wing but at the same time disappointed because it came out just as I was about to move to Belgium. So, since I did not get to start the series in its first season, I never got around to watching it at all. Until now.

Fortunately, I have a friend who has begun purchasing each of the seasons of the show on DVD as they are released, and he has been kind enough to allow me to borrow them to watch. I am now about halfway through the third season, and although I'm obviously late to the party, I must say, this show is awesome! It's like porn for presidential history geeks (both of us).

Off the top of my head, here's some random things I have loved about the series thus far.
- The pacing of the show is great. With one exception, the dialogue is very fast-paced and the action constant. The set on which they work is amazing, full, and inter-connected, so they move quickly from one room to another, giving the impression of the intense pressure-filled atmosphere that comes from running the most powerful office in the world. However, scenes within the Oval Office are invariably much calmer and slower-paced, and the contrast works brilliantly.
- The writers of the show have done an amazing amount of research and work in all kinds of cool trivia and even educational information into the storylines of the show. And, as a president snob, I love when I hear some historical bit of trivia and can say, "I knew that!"
- Controversial issues are dealt with in a superb manner. Although the Bartlett administration is Democratic, Republicans are not presented as hateful morons. There are certainly some
"bad" politicians in the show, but they are not limited to one party. And, when characters in the show are arguing over a difficult topic, the strongest possible arguments for either position are presented effectively, so even if the show ends up going one direction, those who went the other are generally shown to be thoughtful, patriotic people who just have a sincere difference of opinion. I also love how they do not shy away from difficult truths about touchy topics. Very brave and, rarity of rarities in modern-day TV drama, actually stimulates the viewer's thinking. And I love how the main characters in the show are presented as intelligent but real (and sometimes flawed) people who are not where they are (earning far less than they could with their abilities most anywhere else) just for power, but because they truly love their country and want to make a difference.
- Rob Lowe is still hot.