Politics is a dangerous game, whether it is real or fictional. “The West Wing” is a show that focuses on a fictional presidential staff and the difficultly that comes along with the responsibility of running the country. Created by Aaron Sorkin, the show has been hailed as one of the best dramas on television and continues to air on NBC. One of the reasons why the show has been extremely successful is because the focus is largely on the individual characters, their relationships with other staff members and how the events happening in their fictional country play into their personal lives. “The West Wing: The Complete Fifth Season” is now available on DVD from Warner Home Video.
The show is filled with an extremely talented collection of actors. Martin Sheen seems to have been perfectly cast as President Jed Bartlet. Stockard Channing plays the role of Abbey Bartlet, the President’s wife and First Lady of the country. The two actors share a solid chemistry through their rocky relationship, but Sheen shines best when paired with his oldest friend and chief of staff Leo McGarry, played by the excellent John Spencer. Bradley Spencer handles the role of Josh Lyman, the deputy chief of staff with great ability, and can often be found trying to romance his assistant, Donna Moss, played by Janel Moloney. Richard Schiff plays communications director Toby Ziegler with his usual gruff, and press secretary C.J. Cregg, portrayed by Allison Janney, always has her hands filled with the media. Janney would go on to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work in season five. Rounding out the cast is Dule Hill, playing the president’s personal aide, Charlie Young. Hill and Sheen have a real bond and their relationship is one of the strongest points in the season. There are also a number of guest appearances, including visits from John Goodman, Glenn Close, and Lily Tomlin.
The fifth season is the first without Sorkin at the helm, but the creative team does a fair job keeping the show running at the high level viewers have grown accustomed to expect. The season opens with 7A WF 83429, which features a new commander in chief. Glenallen Walken (John Goodman) is the acting president since Bartlet stepped down to find his kidnapped daughter Zoey. The episode does a fine job of mixing personal affairs with professional ones. After Zoey is safe, Bartlet returns to office and is faced with finding a new vice president in Jefferson Lives. Shutdown is a fine episode that features the president in a stand off regarding the budget, as well as dealing with the strained relationship he has with the first lady.
The Stormy Present is a truly interesting episode which features Bartlet attending the funeral of a former president, while traveling with two other former presidents. Former vice president John Holmes returns in Full Disclosure, peddling a book that reveals intimate details about Leo and Bartlet. It seems that C.J. is the one having the most difficultly regarding it. The Supremes deals with the decision of new Supreme Court judge appointees, and makes for one of the best episodes of the season. Donna is the victim of a terrorist attack in Gaza, and the White House is sent into panic. The season concludes with Memorial Day, which addresses the terrorist attacks and has Bartlet in a reflective mindset, as he is scheduled to throw out the first pitch at a baseball game.
“The West Wing: The Complete Fifth Season” comes with a good batch of special features. The best of the group are two features created for the set. The first, titled “In POTUS We Trust” takes a strong look at the character of President Jed Bartlet and the cast and crew talk about the character as well as the actor who plays him, Martin Sheen. There seems to be a genuine love affair for both. Sheen shares with us that he believes Bartlet to be a combination of John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton and how the original idea for Bartlet when the show first started was for him not to be a regular cast member. It is difficult to imagine the show with Bartlet showing up every fourth episode. The second feature, “GAZA: Anatomy of an Episode” is a detailed account of how the episode was designed and all the work that was done in trying to create a realistic looking Gaza Strip. There are also six deleted scenes from the fifth season, including three scenes from Slow News Day, two scenes from Memorial Day, and a single scene from Eppur Si Muove. Audio commentaries are also included for episodes 7A WF 83429, The Dogs of War, and The Supremes.
While the politics of this administration clearly side with the left, “The West Wing: The Complete Fifth Season” should satisfy fans of the show, as well as those watching for the first time, no matter what their political view might be. The show is well acted, well written, and is one of the best drama series in recent memory.
