I'm a republican and self described classical liberal. I like the Macavoy charecter. I think his criticisms of the TEA party were fair and he was asking them honest questions... The "conservative" republicans who get pissy about the show are really the wing nut tea party members and the social conservatives. So very much yes!
I think that's what makes The West Wing great. I loved the finale episode, and it left you with closure for some characters and then opened up this universe we will never get to see. Until we make it to the other universe and watch several more seasons of the show.
Hey, The Newsroom opened its second season this week. Thoughts? I'm not sold on the new producer guy, but the show has returned in the same fine shape it left in last year IMO. Will keep watching. Mark
I agree, the episode was good, but nothing to really comment on. The relationship crap needs to end, I'm sick of people with no chemistry trying to force some.
I thought it was great. I preferred the bombastic theme from last season but maybe that's just a question of getting used to the new one. The way the episode and by extension pretty much the whole season is structured is quite ambitious. It isn't easy to tell a story well with flashes from the past. It also requires some patience from the audience and isn't as accessible to new viewers. Will's talk with the lawywers was hilarious and made me laugh out loud a couple of times. I can imagine what happened to Maggie but I'm still eager to find out. Loved Mac's thoughtful comments at the end. I also want to know how Jim will fare on the Romney campaign trail. And of course, what Genoa is. Come to think of it, this episode was really full of content. Can't wait for next week.
Sorkin said it's a romantic comedy (I like to think of it as a romantic dramedy) so the relationship stuff is kind of integral to the show in his mind, and he's writing it. I don't see it vanishung anytime soon, if ever.
The new producer guy was Matthew on the new adventures of Christine who had one of the best lines from a sitcom in the last 5 years.. A ridiculously attractive and controlling blond woman was his new flatmate: "Hey! You can't tell me what to do unless you're going to sleep with me... Are you going to sleep with me? No? Well, then you can't tell me what to do!" The lad has unexpected depth.
Let me rephrase. I hate the relationship between crazy new hair woman and the guy who left to work the Romney trail. They have no chemistry, they should never be together. The other characters I don't mind the flirting, more so because it feels a little more cut back.
The show was still great - but am I the only person who hates that new intro? I mean, ok, maybe the visuals in the first season into didn't quite match up with the tone of the show, but the music was beautiful. Now we've got some kind of piano tapping cover version? Ew.
The season premiere was just okay. It didn't suck, but it didn't really grab me either. Hopefully it'll get better. List me as another who thought the new intro music was flat and unmoving.
Because the music was written to be important sounding, and the new sequence is people reading things, hitting buttons on switchboards, spilling coffee, texting, etc. The old sequence reveled in its pomp and circumstance and this feels almost timid in comparison. If it were cut down to 20 seconds it could work, but for a minute+ it just doesn't have any 'umph'.
HBO does proper opening credits. I quite like them in most cases. Unfortunately, in this particular instance we had something better to compare them with.
I guess I'll be the combo-breaker. I hated the old intro and theme, I thought they were pompous, which is a problem which I felt permeated the show as a whole. This new intro is more sedate and I read that as a signal that the show was going to try and be less ostentatious in the second season. I found that this first episode, though not great, mostly lived up to that. I'm cautiously optimistic.