The West Wing now on Netflix

Discussion in 'TV & Media' started by Brolan, Dec 31, 2012.

  1. Brolan

    Brolan Commodore Commodore

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    For fans, The West Wing is now on Netflix. Even if you are not a fan give the Pilot a try.
     
  2. shivkala

    shivkala Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    My sister and brother-in-law are big fans and we recently talked about how one of their decisions not to get Netflix streaming was that it did not have The West Wing on it. They recently discovered their Amazon Prime subscription gets them free streaming of the show through Amazon.

    I just watched the pilot last night on Netflix and liked it. I intend to keep up with the show.
     
  3. Jax

    Jax Admiral Admiral

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    5 years till UK gets it am sure :rolleyes:
     
  4. shivkala

    shivkala Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I just watched the 2nd episode and I can see why people love the show. Rob Lowe's character seems like a toned down version of his Parks and Recreation character and that's a good thing. I also like Josh and Leo, though C.J. and Toby have yet to impress me that much. As for Bartlett, I'd vote for him. The only one I can't stand is Mandy, time will tell if (a) she'll grow on me, (b) she's not supposed to be likable, or (c) my opinion is based on the fact that I like Josh and therefore don't like his ex.
     
  5. Snaploud

    Snaploud Admiral Admiral

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    I love this show.

    Regarding Mandy...I'm not sure if commenting on her constitutes much of a spoiler, but:

    Aaron Sorkin felt the same way. That's why he ditched the character after season one.
     
  6. cardinal biggles

    cardinal biggles A GODDAMN DELIGHT Moderator

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    Give C.J. and Toby time; C.J. was one of the best-written female characters on TV, and Allison Janney would win four Emmys for her portrayal. As for Mandy... well, all I'll say is don't sweat it. ;)
     
  7. bigdaddy

    bigdaddy Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Cool, I'll tell a friend of mine. I bought my grandma all the DVD sets years ago and one of the episodes from season 6 doesn't play because it's starched! Was so pissed. (It was too late to return it.)
     
  8. bigdaddy

    bigdaddy Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah let the characters grow. If you really hate the show there are about 5 episodes from season 1 that are most important to the storyline. I saw watch those and move on to season 2. Seasons 2-3 are the best of West Wing 1.0.
     
  9. Kronos

    Kronos Admiral Admiral

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    I like to pretend Mandy gets hit in the 1st season finale and nobody cares to notice :evil:
     
  10. Amaris

    Amaris Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Now all they need is to stream Boston Legal, and Hogan's Heroes, and I'll never have to leave the house again.
     
  11. Snaploud

    Snaploud Admiral Admiral

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    Add in The Practice. I never got to watch those Alan Shore episodes from the final season. They were apparently available in some special Boston Legal DVD sets, but I didn't get access to a copy.


    I would also like to watch Mister Sterling (a political show made with a lot of the people from the West Wing). It still bugs me that I never got to watch most of those episodes.
     
  12. bigdaddy

    bigdaddy Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I happen to agree. :lol:

    The Practice final season, kind of known as Boston legal season 0, was never released on DVD. Best Buy had a preorder bonus that had 5-6 episode with Alan and Denny, but it was never the full season.

    And honestly at this point you might as well try other means. I love The Practice, but they only released 1 season (that I know of) on DVD and that's just wrong.
     
  13. cardinal biggles

    cardinal biggles A GODDAMN DELIGHT Moderator

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    Yeah, I would love to see the final season of The Practice; I didn't get into Boston Legal until partway into Season 2. Also, while Alan Shore was a new character during the final season, that special DVD only included the final arc from Season 8 of The Practice where Denny Crane is introduced, setting up Boston Legal.
     
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2013
  14. lurok

    lurok Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Just started final season. I'm probably in a minority but I've enjoyed the latter non-Sorkin seasons more. 4,5 and 6 have been particularly enjoyable.
     
  15. TheGodBen

    TheGodBen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Only about five people in the whole world like Mandy, so don't worry about it. ;) She ran PR for a President who didn't like being managed by PR people, so she doesn't have much of a role on the show beyond the opening episodes. She typically just shows up for one or two scenes per episode to justify being part of the main cast, and is then unceremoniously dumped.

    Toby is an excellent character if you like the cynical, brooding sort, and he works as an excellent foil for Bartlet. They love each other, but they have a way of getting underneath each other's skin and that leads to some explosive situations.

    I have a bit of a soft spot for season 5 because it was the first full season I watched, but it's easily my least favourite of the seven. Pretty much everyone is out of character, it's unusually episodic, and the stories are just dull. Thankfully, the election storyline in the final two seasons gave the show some much needed direction and I think the show ended on a high.
     
  16. lurok

    lurok Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    It does feel like a series of two halves, and I'm sure there's a stylistic change around S4/5 which makes it feel more doco style, less those long follow-shots. Plus I have issues with some of the latter casting/character changes. But I was genuinely surprised how topical many of the issues still felt (the corn/ethanol one comes to mind). And I loved the CJ/egg thing you mentioned many moons ago. Was a bit wtf but I give it a pass :)
     
  17. bigdaddy

    bigdaddy Vice Admiral Admiral

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    That's how I feel, there are some OK stories in season 5, like the Supreme Court nomination episode, but you just can't enjoy it to the fullest because they characters were such asshole and out of place.

    The best thing they did was skip a year and go to the election. I wish they planned it better so the year didn't just disappear, but most people don't notice that.
     
  18. shivkala

    shivkala Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I guess it's just that the first two episodes focus more on Josh and Sam than Toby or C.J. Episode 2 has C.J. confronting the Vice-President (who is now tied with Mandy for my least favorite character), so I can tell they're going to focus on her. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike her or Toby, I just haven't seen enough of them yet.

    Aside from Sam, Toby, and C.J. (and for the smart-alecks, Bartlett and Mrs. Landingham have pretty defined jobs as well!), the character's job descriptions aren't well fleshed out. I really want to see the organizational chart Josh's office is working on for Mandy! ;)

    I don't hate the show, I quite enjoyed the first two episodes. The only things I hate are Mandy and the V.P. (the latter I'm sure I'm not supposed to like).

    Can I assume among those five are Aaron Sorkin and Moira Kelley?

    He handled himself well in the meeting in episode 1. I liked how he called that Mary woman out on her "New York" comment!


    My sister mentioned she never bought the DVDs, even after seeing a great Cyber-Monday price on the full-set due to a lot of complaints about the quality of the DVDs. Shame, really, but it's nice that there are options for watching it streaming.
     
  19. Rowan Sjet

    Rowan Sjet Commodore Commodore

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    Aaron Sorkin was the one who did the dumping, so no. :p
     
  20. Snaploud

    Snaploud Admiral Admiral

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    The post-Sorkin years (season 5 through 7) only really blossomed when they got out of the White House and followed the presidential campaign.