essential West Wing episodes

[pocochina]

Because it's a massively long show but I think nearly everyone who likes television will enjoy some of it! This list is meant to be accessible to someone who hasn't seen any of the show - whatever you need to know to enjoy the episode should probably be in the "previously on" segments. I went with my "top 10% of the show) rule, so there's about 14

Comments

[sunclouds33]

Great list! Man, it's really hard narrowing the best TWW to 14 eps. A lot of eps on your list would also be in my Top 14. I think everything but the Pilot and Third Day Story and maybe We Killed Yamamhoto although it really does go with Posse Comitatus. BTW, The Sopranos pilot is my favorite of all time. The Mad Men pilot is a close second. Next, I'd rank the Rome pilot third. IMO, the West Wing pilot was a little too silly and Mandy and the "Sam slept with a prostitute" storylines are among my least favorite of the Sorkin years and they prominently featured. I also found it discordant that Sam would hit on Leo's wife in the seemingly recent past and that Sam wouldn't know Leo's daughter is not a third-grader or heck, wouldn't *know* Leo's daughter. I also think CJ/Allison Janney seemed a little off in the first two eps.

I also ADORE What Kind of Day Has It Been, Shibboleth, Bartlet for America, Inauguration Part I and II- and really the last four eps of S2, S3, and S4 are individual arcs of awesome. From the post-Sorkin ouvre, I love In G-d We Trust, La Palabra, Election Day Part II, Drought Conditions, 2162 Votes, and Internal Displacement.

The Sopranos pilot is perfect, btw. Case in point because I have a twelve year old's maturity:

Herman 'Hesh' Rabkin: I hear Junior wants to whack Pussy Bonpensiero.
Tony Soprano: Pussy Malanga.
Herman 'Hesh' Rabkin: Oh, Little Pussy.
Tony Soprano: Yeah, Little Pussy. You think he's going to fuck with Big Pussy? My Pussy?

I rewatched the Sopranos pilot recently. David Chase didn't even need to retool a character or plot from the pilot. Everything just evolved perfectly in S1.

One of my favorite reveals in the history of television and my Ultimate Don Draper Key- Don bouncing from sleeping with Midge as his "girlfriend" to going straight to work to obviously developing a romantic UST plot with Rachel Menken and then giving a seemingly cool and artful speech about how he's born alone and he'll die alone so he doesn't play by the rules on his business date with Rachel followed by Don at the end of the ep taking a train out to the burbs and kissing his sleeping two children and wife.

[pocochina]

ooooh, yes, the Mad Men pilot is another great one, and definitely benefit from Wiener's Sopranos-honed skills. The West Wing pilot is also a lot less necessary to understanding the show than those other two, but I do think it's the best introduction to the show someone new to it would get.

Sam is a problem, in hindsight.

Bartlet for America and Inauguration I&II almost made the cut for me as well. I also considered Night Five, even though it's not as great a look into Bartlet's head as Noel is for Josh.

I appreciate your post-Sorkin list! I tried to watch that whole second act of the show when it first went up on Netflix and I just couldn't. But I do remember there were episodes I liked, so I'll give those a try sometime.

You think he's going to fuck with Big Pussy? My Pussy?

ahahahaaha, it is still funny, it will always be funny. I'm doing a top-to-bottom rewatch of The Sopranos this summer, I hope.