Don't get me wrong I am one of the most ardent of Wing Nuts but I can't help but feel let down by these last episodes. Apart from sporadic flashes of brilliance (Bartlet's staff reminiscing over Leo)much of the season appears to be an anticlimax.
I think it would have been far better to have condensed series 6 and 7 so that it would have gone out on a high note. The fact that the season is ending allows Josh and Donna to make out whereas it would have been more powerful to leave us to wonder what would have happend to all our favourite characters if it stopped more suddenly.
In reality I don't think we really care what happens to a Santos administration as he doesn't command the same respect that Bartlet had. As Jed said Santos and Josh are the future now, and whilst Josh is starting to fill into his role of CoS far better than he showed during the campaign, I could care less for Santos.
I am not sure what I am supposed to look forward to in these remaining episodes. Am I wrong or just feeling jaded?
I must admit, and am saddened to say this, that I tend to agree with you.
I think that both of seasons 6 and 7 (and season 5 come to that) have been rather hit and miss. The problem with the last two seasons to my mind were that the outcomes of both elections was never really in doubt. Santos was clearly going to win the primaries to be the democratic party nominee - even looking at the credits made this clear, where Santos was given main billing, while Bingo Bob was always down as a 'guest star'. Then when it came to season 7, I think it was fairly clear that he would win the big one too - mainly because Vinick's team and campaign were never covered in the same depth as Santos's was.
And now that Santos is the president in waiting, we don't really care who he ends up appointing or working with (see last week's episode about who should be the leader of the house) because we know that we won't be following it through. Maybe I would feel differently if the show was going to continue with the new administration.
I think that the transition from one president to the next has been the main reason why the last two seasons have lost their edge. In season 6, when we followed the campaign trail I kind of enjoyed it, but always looked forward to the show returning in the next week to follow those characters remaining in the West Wing. This is why seasons 1 to 4 will always be seen as the heyday of the show - we were there every week with characters that we cared about. So, in three (or is it two?) week's time, I will be watching a new episode of the West Wing for the last time with a bit of sadness, but not as much sadness as I thought I would feel.
I have to disagree. I think the Santos storylines added a new dimension to the show and I was still not sure who won the election until CJ woke up Bartlett and the scene moved to the Democrat Party party (??)
I also found the reminiscing about Leo a touch out of kilter. The reaction of CJ & Josh in the previous episode was a fitting tribute to John Spencer - the tales spun after the wake did not ring true.
I'm going to miss it.
Perhaps there is now room on the schedules for re-runs of Lou Grant.
Don't get me wrong - I still love the show, but I do feel that it has never consistently managed to hit the heights of seasons 1 to 4. In other words, we are back to the old chestnut of the show never quite getting over the departure of Aaron Sorkin. There have still been shows in seasons 5, 6 and 7 that have been right up there, but after watching them I find myself saying "Wow, that was West Wing back to its best". In the first 4 seasons I was gobsmacked by its quality after just about every episode.
I will also miss the show, but will be consoled by starting off with episode 1.1 (Pilot) on DVD. I am kind of looking forward to watching it all again from start to finish!
And for those of you looking for a decent replacement, I am really hoping that Studio 60 (rights have been bought by C4) will more than ably fill the gap. It is written by Sorkin and features a few West Wing stars (including Bradley Whitford, Matthew Perry and Timothy Busfield) - should be great.....
I agree with most of the above people, that the shows has lost its spark during seasons 6 and 7.
I think season 5 is under-appreciated. You could feel the Sorkin touch on quite a lot of season 5 (egs. Constituency of One, Talking Points, The Supremes), whereas 6 and 7 feel like a totally different show - and not necessarily in a good way!
Other observations:
The pace of the show has slowed too much. People talk slower too. Again, the lack of Sorkin.
They wasted Alan Alda. There should have been episdes just about him and his staff to give more balance to the show, instead of tediously following Santos every week.
What does Santos actually stand for? I'm not sure I know him very well. Vinick was more developed (in fewer episodes) than Santos, partly due to Alda's brilliance as an actor.
The anecdotes about Leo were fake-sounding and unconvincing. The scenes of everyone crying were genuine, however, and serve as the real wake for the character and the actor.
Oh, and the way they've gotten Josh and Donna together has been DREADFUL! 7 years build up for THAT?
I enjoyed this week's episode, and actually think that the Josh and Donna scenes were pretty good. I am enjoying seeing them get together, but kind of see where some people are coming from. I think it is a good thing that we will not see how the relationship develops - that is where TV shows tend to get it wrong with long-standing potential romances (see Frasier and Moonlighting for 2 examples). So in that respect, I think that the makers have got the timing of their coupling just about spot-on.
I also agree about the producers wasting Alan Alda. He lit up the screen whenever he was on, and he is truly one of the very best actors that the show has had. So, not only did they fail to use him enough, but the lack of balance in following the 2 campaign trails always led me to believe that there would only be one winner. If Vinick had won, how on earth would they have dealt with the final few weeks, given that we knew so little about his team?
Originally posted by Chadders: I enjoyed this week's episode, and actually think that the Josh and Donna scenes were pretty good. I am enjoying seeing them get together, but kind of see where some people are coming from. I think it is a good thing that we will not see how the relationship develops - that is where TV shows tend to get it wrong with long-standing potential romances (see Frasier and Moonlighting for 2 examples). So in that respect, I think that the makers have got the timing of their coupling just about spot-on.
i think they are making it pretty realistic, rather than hugely romantic. theyve known each other what, 9 years? i like the way Donna is being more assertive, which has always been the sort of woman josh goes for, and the fact he has no idea what he is doing!
