(no subject)
It was six years ago that I decided to stay up one night and watch TV with my mother. I was in the fourth grade, and I had no clue what my mom was going to watch. It was Wednesday night and that was The West Wing night. The episode was the second season opener, and it caught my attention quickly. It picked up right after the assassination attempt of President Bartlet. Little did I know that the two hours I spent watching the show would draw me into the world of The West Wing.
The West Wing makes you think. In one of my favorite episodes, “Take This Sabbath Day,” The president mulls over the death penalty, and whether he should step in and stop an execution. Mixed in with the drama is a scene with Josh Lymen (Deputy Chief of Staff), passed out in his office after a bachelor party. After two drinks and a night of partying his self-proclaimed “weak system” gave into the alcohol and left him passed out on the ground smelling of garbage. This mix of comedy and drama is the epitome of The West Wing.
The West Wing ends tonight at 8:00 on NBC. It marks the end of a television era. The first successful political drama on TV will end its seven year term. After 89 Emmy nominations and 24 wins, including four straight Best Drama Series, President Bartlet will leave office. He will leave behind a television show that causes the viewers to stop and think about the world. It will bring an end to the smartest show on television. President Bartlet has changed America. He has sparked interest in government again in so many people (myself included), and has brought attention to some of the biggest problems the world faces today. Yes, it had its failure, but even at its worst it was far better than most TV. Aaron Sorkin’s creation will end tonight. It will leave me with a small hole, that may never be filled. I will cling to my DVD’s, but maybe, just maybe the fantasy of The West Wing can become reality.
And so, in the words of President Bartlet I ask “what’s next?”
The West Wing makes you think. In one of my favorite episodes, “Take This Sabbath Day,” The president mulls over the death penalty, and whether he should step in and stop an execution. Mixed in with the drama is a scene with Josh Lymen (Deputy Chief of Staff), passed out in his office after a bachelor party. After two drinks and a night of partying his self-proclaimed “weak system” gave into the alcohol and left him passed out on the ground smelling of garbage. This mix of comedy and drama is the epitome of The West Wing.
The West Wing ends tonight at 8:00 on NBC. It marks the end of a television era. The first successful political drama on TV will end its seven year term. After 89 Emmy nominations and 24 wins, including four straight Best Drama Series, President Bartlet will leave office. He will leave behind a television show that causes the viewers to stop and think about the world. It will bring an end to the smartest show on television. President Bartlet has changed America. He has sparked interest in government again in so many people (myself included), and has brought attention to some of the biggest problems the world faces today. Yes, it had its failure, but even at its worst it was far better than most TV. Aaron Sorkin’s creation will end tonight. It will leave me with a small hole, that may never be filled. I will cling to my DVD’s, but maybe, just maybe the fantasy of The West Wing can become reality.
And so, in the words of President Bartlet I ask “what’s next?”