Must see West Wing episodes for a newbie

[Gaith]

^^ Beat me to it! Aye, Sorkin talks about that on the Pilot commentary.

... And I agree with starting with the first five eps. Though if you don't, you should absolutely include "Take This Sabbath Day", which is the most standalone ep of the season as well as the best, imo.

 

[bigdaddy]

...they should have done the same thing with Mandy, it's not like the actress is busy with anything else.

I would expect that being a regular on a series between 2003-2009, as well as other projects, would count as working.


Besides, she's probably living off of her Lion King residuals anyways.

One Tree Hill is a soup opera, she doesn't really act on that show.

 

[TheGodBen]

It might not be 100% Sorkin's fault. He saw that she is a useless character and didn't renew her contract for season 2. The actress might then have went "OK, I'm gone" and didn't want to do a cameo then.

Well, Mandyland has a name for a reason, Mandy wasn't the only character to disappear during Sorkin's tenure at TWW, he also dropped the ball on Ainsley Hayes, Danny and even Sam (who disappeared after we were told he would get a promotion). Sorkin also suggested that he was going to bring Mandy back at some point in season 2 as the campaign operator for Ed Begley Jr's character, but it somehow didn't work out. Sorkin is a great writer, and his work on TWW was mostly magnificent, but he had real trouble remembering all his characters.

 

[IndyJones]

Sorkin is a great writer, and his work on TWW was mostly magnificent, but he had real trouble remembering all his characters.

The drugs'll do that to you.

 

[bigdaddy]

They somewhat explained Ainsley Hayes left in season 4 when the VP thing came out, Danny did disappear but i always figured that was the actor being busy, but he did come back. Sam was written off and the promotion thing was a joke. However maybe he would have brought it up in a season 5, we will never know.

 

[Harvey]

They didn't really explain why Ainsley Hayes left during Sorkin's run, but they did mention that she left on screen during the end of season four.

 

[Marc]

They didn't really explain why Ainsley Hayes left during Sorkin's run, but they did mention that she left on screen during the end of season four.

well she was the lonely little Republican in the Democrat patch and as she then went on to CSI I don't think that Jorja Fox complained- though I can't remember the reason for her in show departure.

 

[Jax]

I would suggest the first 2 episodes of season 4 (2 parter) because it has great humor with the roadtrip plot of Josh, Toby and Donna. Also part 2 has one of the greatest speeches in the shows history with the "Streets of Heaven are full of angels tonight".

I also love the season 6 finale with the Democratic conference to decide on there Presidental candidate. I think the pilot would do no harm either. The episode that kics off season 3 (that has no place in canon) is dam good too...this show has to many great episodes.

^^^^ Touching on the subject of people leaving the show the Sam one wasn't his fault because Sorkin left after season 4 and inbetween seasons didn't Rob Lowe quit because of Sorkin leaving and the networks demanded changes to Sam Seaborn which he disagreed with.

 

[TheGodBen]

No, Sam was already written out in the fourth season because Rob Lowe wanted more money and was upset that Sam wasn't the central focus of the show, which he was supposed to be before Martin Sheen was hired and stole the spotlight. In the show, the story was that Sam accidentally ran for congress, Will was drafted in to help Toby write the inauguration speech, the speech was so successful that Toby asked Leo to hire Will full-time in Sam's old job and if Sam lost the race for congress he could be promoted to the position of Senior Counsellor to the President. Sam's last appearance was with Toby in a bar as Toby informed Sam that he wasn't going to win the election but that they'll go down fighting the good fight, so more than likely he lost the election. This was only confirmed in season 7 when we learned that Sam was working in a law firm.

A similar thing happened with Ainsley Hayes, she had a big role in the second season, she was MIA for much of the third season but she turned up in an episode where it was announced she had been given a promotion and an actual office. She wasn't heard from until again season 7, but she was replaced with Joe Quincy towards the end of the fourth season.

A similar thing happened again with Charlie and Zoey's relationship, Charlie put her on the long finger after the shooting, but then he realises what an ass he is being and the two of them seem to make up. We didn't even know they had broken up until Zoey showed up with Frenchie in season 4.

 

[bigdaddy]

she turned up in an episode where it was announced she had been given a promotion and an actual office.

I don't remember that at all. She was in season 2 and some of three. In season 3 she was given a promotion after the President called Richy stupid, was that her last episode until season 7?

 

[TheGodBen]

As far as I remember that's what happened, and her imdb page only lists her appearing in one episode of season 3, The US Poet Laureate. So she was brought back after being missing for almost an entire season, given a promotion, and then dropped.

 

[Australis]

And turned up in one of the eps I've just rewatched, Transition, iirc.

As to the OP, ParticleMan's list is pretty good, so is the idea of watching the first five.

My preferred option would be strapping him to a chair and making him watch at least ten eps, including In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen. _

 

[bigdaddy]

As far as I remember that's what happened, and her imdb page only lists her appearing in one episode of season 3, The US Poet Laureate. So she was brought back after being missing for almost an entire season, given a promotion, and then dropped.

I didn't even notice.

I just watched half that episode today, I liked her but never missed her.

 

[bigdaddy]

My preferred option would be strapping him to a chair

If i did that I think I would find something better to do than watch West Wing....

Did a say that outloud?

 

[CaptainCanada]

Sam's last appearance was with Toby in a bar as Toby informed Sam that he wasn't going to win the election but that they'll go down fighting the good fight, so more than likely he lost the election.

Actually, according to Tommy Schlamme in an interview he gave a few years later, it should have been "obvious" to viewers that Sam won the election. For some reason.

Yeah, that was a botched exit.

Sorkin's tendency to just drop characters and plotlines was the thing that annoyed me most about his writing of the show, which otherwise possibly my favourite drama ever.

 

[bigdaddy]

But once again Rob Lowe left the show because he was having a pissy fit. Still they should have said he won the election in some episode, but by them Sorkin left the show.

 

[CaptainCanada]

But once again Rob Lowe left the show because he was having a pissy fit.

That wouldn't have meant anything. They had plenty of time to plan his exit; the whole election arc was an exit. That was known to be his last episode, and Sorkin chose to just leave the whole up in the air.

 

[bigdaddy]

Because maybe they left on OK terms and Sorkin wanted him back after he cooled down.

 

[CaptainCanada]

It would be rather easy to provide some closure while leaving a return open (though Lowe was quite clear he was tired of his decreasing screentime, so I don't think anyone harboured thoughts of him coming back permanently).

 

[IndyJones]

Sorkin's tendency to just drop characters and plotlines was the thing that annoyed me most about his writing of the show, which otherwise possibly my favourite drama ever.

It seems Sorkin and David E Kelly have some sort of competition going.