"Isaac and Ishmael" was a rushed response to the 9/11 attacks. It aired three weeks after the events and isn't considered canonical.
According to Wikipedia it's considered a "special" but chronologically it premiered before the proper Season 3 opener Manchester Part 1
Yeah, I know. Just explaining how he could be confused, as I got sucked into a Netflix wormhole and now seem to be in the middle of my 4th or 5th rewatch of this series.
I remember watchin it live. I was too young to understand anything: but it's now one of my favorite episodes. Side note: I am head over heels in love with Amy Gardner.
"Sweden has a 100% literacy rate, Leo. How do they do that?" "Well maybe they don't and they also can't count." I love this show so much.
'West Wing' Uncensored: Aaron Sorkin, Rob Lowe, More Look Back on Early Fears, Long Hours, Contract Battles and the Real Reason for Those Departures Basically an oral history of the show.
(spoilers!!!) Anyone else give credit to the idea that it was actually CJ who leaked information, and Toby left to cover for her?
I'd like to see a reboot with Sam Seaborn in the Oval Office. But, only if, Rob Lowe can capture that character again. If not, its got to go another direction.
I usually stop rewatches of this shortly after Zoe is rescued, but I decided to watch it all the way through again. Just finished the 6th season. I can definitely agree that the 5th season is probably the worst but overall I don’t mind it. I do see that there is barely an original story line, though. Bartlet struggling with his health, Josh feeling ineffective with policy, sexual tension between Josh and Donna, etc. One of my biggest issues is the way they introduce Will and then almost immediately shove him aside as he goes to work for Russell. The show definitely gets some of its vitality back when Alda and Smits come along, but it also feels a little too telegraphed. They put Smits into the opening credits before they even introduced him in the show, and Josh is working for him, so of course he’s going to win the nomination. They had to have a floor fight at the convention just to manufacture some suspense. I got frustrated during the 6th season because the show suffered from the same problem GoT has at times, just too many characters. Episodes essentially alternated between the White House and the campaign, and made it seem like it all goes by very quickly. A lot of moments in the early seasons give me chills. Great television moments. I don’t think any episodes in 4-6 give me chills, except for when Santos walks on stage with Leo to accept the nomination. I’m not ready for him to die... :(
According to Martin Sheen, Alda was supposed to win the election, but it all changed when John Spencer died. The show would revolve around Alda's Presidency, and Sheen being retired and what comes with that being a president. Smits winning was changed, so that they could end the show there.
I know Leo's death on the show was a reaction to truly sad event in the real world, but the drama they wring out of it with Josh on election night is a beautiful parallel to his father's death when they won the Illinois primary in the first Bartlett campaign.
Anyone else watched the reunion special on HBO Max yet? Sterling K. Brown is great as Leo, and the version of the theme song they recorded for it is wonderful.
Got until the 24th to finish my Nth rewatch and midway through season 4. Trying to figure out which episodes to skip (I always skip “The Long Goodbye” for example). Any thoughts on the weakest standalone episodes of each remaining season? No, I’m not going to skip all of season 5.