For anybody who has fallen in love with the exceptional prose of the West Wing writing staff (Namely Aaron Sorkin), and the believable and engaging acting of the stars within it, the second season had a lot to stand up to. But it steps up the drama completely. In fact the West Wing Series 2 won both Emmy awards and Golden Globe Awards for Best Drama. It most certaily deserved it.
Headed again by the Presidential looking Martin Sheen - it follows the cast as they establish themselves in the West Wing and begin to develop further the inter-relationships between the main characters and other less visible cast members. It follows them as they try and implement the legislation and acts they think matter and will help the American People. Sad times are to be had with the loss of a small part of the cast, but one special to most of us who grew to love her as she stood up to the President she had known since he was a young boy, Mrs Lanningham.
Season 1 left a cliff-hanger after the assassination attempt, and season 2 starts with a conclusion and lays out the ongoing difficulties and problems it makes for the staff, as one of their own is injured (Josh, Deputy Chief of Staff). The President too is injured, but these are the least of his worries in this season, tensions between India and Pakistan are coupled with revelations regarding his own health, namely : Multiple Sclerosis, which both the nation and his staff have to come to terms with, the mid-term elections are to be endured and gotten through.
The India:Pakistan tensions allow the introduction of the first of two breaths of fresh air, in the form of Roger Rees, who plays Lord Marbury, the English Queen's ambassador and Asia expert. He is a little tipsy at times, inspiring at others, and a pain to Leo McGarry (Chief of Staff - John Spencer) with funny moments and poignant words between the two.
The second breath comes from Ainsley Hayes (Emily Procter), a Republican counsel who is hired after she kicks Sam's (Sam Seaborn, Deputy Communications Director (Rob Lowe)), ass in a TV debate. Anybody who watches CSI will know her as Calleigh Duquesne. She is highly intelligent but also a little ditzy at times and definitely raises smiles with her sweet nature but fiercely held morals.
Stockard Channing lends acting weight to the cast as the First Lady, and when she comes into it, sometimes infrequently, she is feisty and well placed against a cast of virtual unknowns (except perhaps John Spencer, Rob Lowe and Martin Sheen).
The writing on this show is exceptional. At times you have to really concentrate on the dialogue, especially if you are British and have no idea how the American legal/government system works! However, this is the kind of show you can watch, over and over again, and find something new and amusing each time. Even if you cant always understand what is going on, the fast pace is intoxicating and the acting and delivery of the writing is unrivalled. Some of the dialogue and rhetoric is mind blowingly funny even at times when you weren't sure if it was a put down or a complement!
Episodes can be watched singularly, over and over again, as well as in order through the series. The stories contained within each are not always black/white problems, they often wander into the grey areas between right and wrong, sometimes having to elect from the less of two evils. It shows the job that a President has to do, the knowledge and the people he has to surround himself with to be able to cope with the running of a super power country.
President Bartlett (Martin Sheen) encapsulates everything you would want in a President, but he also has flaws and Martin Sheen portrays them and the battles he has with himself spectacularly.
The West Wing Season 2 is a must for any fan of the original series. John Spencer as Leo McGarry, Chief of Staff, is engaging and you also get the sense all the time that whenever they are in trouble "Leo will know what to do". The series draws you in, you become attached to the characters. Sam's sweetness, Toby's abhorance to most things, CJ's righteousness, Donna's loyalty….everything draws you in.
This DVD box set has 6 discs, but no special features - unfortunately!. The packaging itself is well presented, discs are safe and there is a series episode guide in the cover. Looks well presented on the shelf! Retails on Amazon for about £26, well worth the value.
Enjoy!
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Average
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after a few moments of patriotic sentimentalism, maintains the series' astonishingly high standards in depicting the everyday life of the White House staff of a ...
after a few moments of patriotic sentimentalism, maintains the series' astonishingly high standards in depicting the everyday life of the White House staff of a ...
