10 Reasons Why I Love “The West Wing”

It’s really well written, like really well written. It makes you wish, “Wow, I wish I was this clever and smart, and was able to come up with a witty retort on the spot.” But it isn’t pretentious, it sounds like real conversations.

Character development. C-h-a-r-a-c-t-e-r development. It makes sense. The characters are real and grow, and make mistakes. They are people. Their reactions are real and unique, and none of them can be place squarely in a box. Sure, there are a few “common” aspects of their personality, but that’s just because they’re human.

The relationships are messy and real and true. It’s not always peaches n’ cream between all of the characters. There’s tension and scenes fraught with all kinds of emotions.

It reflects a time period. Accurately. It’s interesting to see the subtle shift in technology, mindset, and actions of America.

But—at the same time there’s a certain sense of timelessness to the series. I watched it in 2015 (yes, all seven seasons) and there are still issues that are still relevant.

It had a good ending. Although, I wish there was a season eight, nine, ten—it ended, as it should. There was a sense of completeness to the character’s journeys, but there was still enough wiggle room to keep the viewer wondering. If I were going to be really clever, I would say it ended with ellipses…

Symmetry and logic. There wasn’t a rushed feeling to the show, everything developed at a logical pace. Information was revealed on an as needed basis and only when necessary. I think the only way to explain what I’m talking about is by using an example. So, for example in Season 2, Episode 2: In the Shadow of Two Gunmen Part II, Josh is thinking about how he and Sam reconnected to be part of “Bartlet for America”: with the interrupting of the meeting at a Very Important law firm and Josh’s lack of a poker face. And five seasons later, after a very pronounced lack of Sam Seaborn, in Season 7, Episode 19: Transition, we see the same thing again. See? Symmetry.

It made me realize that all those kids who say they want to be President probably haven’t watched this show. Because it’s like a lot of work. Like a lot, a lot. I’ll just stick with my fantasy of marrying royalty, thank you very much.

hannah says/thinks/feels