The debates. Election Night. Inauguration. The West Wing’s
Fourth Season captures the most important moments in President Bartlet’s
(Martin Sheen) second term, and if Aaron Sorkin ever gave up on Hollywood,
he’d be a first rate speech writer.
Among other bonuses, The West Wing: The Complete Fourth Season
offers “The Letter of the Word,” a documentary in which speechwriters
like Eli Attie shed light on the thought process behind the president’s
speeches. This is both fitting and bittersweet, since speeches are what this
election-focused season is all about, and speeches are what Sorkin, who serves
his final days on West Wing’s dwindling dream team (Director Thomas
Schlamme and actor Rob Lowe also leave), arguably does best.
Before I continue, an amendment must be made- when I reviewed Season Three
back in November, I thought that season was Sorkin’s last, and, prior
to watching Season Four, was prepared for the worst (“depressingly devoid
of humor” referenced half-watched episodes from Season Five). Happily,
while several stories are concocted by other writers, Sorkin does pen teleplays
for the episodes he doesn’t draft completely on his own. Apart from
“Swiss Diplomacy,” he’s absent only from “The Long
Goodbye,” which is written by acclaimed playwright Jon Robin Baitz.
Transplanting Press Secretary CJ Craig (Allison Janney) to her Dayton, Ohio
high school reunion, “Goodbye” features memorable guest turns
by Matthew Modine as CJ’s former classmate, and Donald Moffat as her
Alzheimer’s stricken father. It doesn’t feel exactly like “West
Wing,” but it’s still very, very good.
Season Four opens in Indiana cornfields. As the President gives a speech
to the state’s meager liberal constituency, Deputy Chief of Staff Josh
Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and Communications Director Toby Zeigler (Richard
Schiff) consult with a farmer’s daughter (Amy Adams of Catch
Me If You Can). Caught up in a debate over subsidies and conservatism,
they’re left by the motorcade and stranded in the least friendly of
states. While Toby, Josh, and his exasperated assistant Donna (Janel Maloney)
endure frequent insults (“I didn’t vote for him the first time,
I’m not voting for him this time”) and the angst of a love-struck
adolescent who volunteers to drive them to the airport, the president interviews
a series of executive secretary hopefuls before finally settling on the outspoken
Deborah Fiderer (Lily Tomlin, one of a string of luminaries to grace the West
Wing’s screen).
The 2002-2003 Season, which won Emmys for Outstanding Dramatic Series and
Outstanding Directing, boasts a growing roster of celebs, from Modine to Christian
Slater, who plays Jack Reese, a Lieutenant Donna has a penchant for. Most
heralded is Matthew Perry’s Joe Quincy, the new Assistant White House
Counsel (shoes once filled by Emily Procter’s Ainsley Hayes). But the
best guests are the lesser known ones- terrific theater actors like Adam Arkin
(psychiatrist Stanley Keyworth), Joanna Gleason (lawyer Jordan Kendall), and
Anna Deavere Smith (National Security Advisor Nancy McNally). Hal Halbrook,
James Brolin, and Taye Diggs also make appearances.
Season Four is also notable as Rob Lowe’s last. When Deputy Communications
Director Sam Seaborn (Lowe) leaves the senior staff for congress (as Lowe
leaves “West Wing” for flops like The Lyons Den) he’s replaced
by lawyer Will Bailey (Joshua Malina). An alumna of previous Sorkin projects
like Sports Night and The American President,
Malina perfectly projects the stressed/thrilled demeanor of a brand new senior
staffer, hilariously taking his frustration out on half-sister Elsie (Danica
McKellar of The Wonder Years) and four inexperienced speechwriting
interns (“Did they have a spread on that in Republican Vogue?”)
Dealing with genocide in Africa, domestic terrorism, and “bloodless”
foreign policy, The West Wing’s fourth season could easily be depressingly
dense. The humor saves this show, and Sorkin constructs some of the best dialogue
on TV, nailing everything from showdowns in the situation room to breakdowns
in the oval office to well handled romantic interludes- i.e. the relationship
between Bartlet and the gutsy first lady (Stockard Channing).
The season’s memorable couplings also include Presidential Aide Charlie
Young (Dule Hill) and first daughter Zoe (Elisabeth Moss); Toby and his ex-wife,
Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt (Kathleen York); Chief of Staff Leo McGarry and
his Special Council Jordan (Joanna Gleason); and C.J. and Pulitzer Prize winning
journalist Danny Conconnan (Timothy Busfield). Josh and Amy Gardner (Mary-Louise
Parker) break up, which is absolutely realistic in the stress-high political
setting- no romance on this show could or should last, because it would distract
from the central focus. Minor romantic subplots make the characters richer:
watching Toby succumb to ardor complicates his brilliant but dour Communications
Director, and Danny’s courtship of C.J. defines the precarious line
between personal and political when Danny says “I’m back, and
I think you know how I feel about you. But don’t mess around with my
story.”
Sorkin’s episodes are still razor-sharp, and incumbent writers have
a hard act to follow. Sorkin knows this, and he tries to lead them smoothly
into Season Five, ending Season Four with a giant cliffhanger (the kidnapping
of the Zoe Bartlet) and a possible romantic triangle (Amy asks Donna “are
you in love with Josh?”). It’s not surprising when these developments
seem a bit contrived, making this very good episode collection on par with
Season Three, but not quite the same caliber as Seasons One and Two.
The two under-twenty minute featurettes are worth watching, but I had hoped
for more. They are:
The Letter of the Word: A speechwriting-focused documentary featuring interviews
with Gore speechwriter Eli Attie, who also serves as the show’s co-producer,
and West Wing consultant Dee-Dee Meyers, Press Secretary to former President
Clinton.
Behind Every Good Man…Is the First Lady: Cast and crew discuss the
conception and casting of First Lady Abbey Bartlett, a doctor and mother who
is every bit her husband’s intellectual equal. Best is an extensive
interview with Stockard Channing, but the feature only lasts twelve minutes.
Deleted Scenes: There are three- “Lover Boy,” a nicely acted
scene between Toby and Andrea; “Cast a Spell,” an inconsequential
30 seconds from “Artic Radar”: and “You Can run but You
Can’t Hide,” a great, lengthy scene between Leo and psychiatrist
Stan Keyworth that’s certainly worth watching.
Key Episode Commentaries: Aaron Sorkin and Director/Producer Thomas Schlamme
are featured on all three, joined by actor Joshua Malina and director Alex
Graves (“Game On”), Alex Graves (“Commencement”) and
director Christopher Misiano (the season finale, “Twenty Five”).
These are more anecdotal than informative, but that’s just fine, and
it’s fun to hear Malina talk about his casting and first days on the
set. Schlamme and Sorkin make references to leaving (for real this time),
which made me very sad.
The Complete Fourth Season is available with English, French, and Spanish
Subtitles. The set contains six single-sided DVDs, less easily damaged than
the double-sided first three season discs.
The Bottom Line: The novelty of The West Wing may have worn
off, but its firecracker dialogue, complex characters, and intelligent scenarios
remain top notch. Though meager special features diminish the appeal, this
six-disc set is still worth your while.
Series Score: A-/B+
Special Features Score: B-
Overall DVD Score: B+
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