All Episodes Talk: Walk With Me

[ProudMary]

A smile for your Sunday. I watched the full video. The variety of wildlife is quite amazing.

 

[BW Manilowe]

5 hours ago, ProudMary said:

A smile for your Sunday. I watched the full video. The variety of wildlife is quite amazing.

 

Looks like Pluie, or Pluie’s supporters finally got his/her/their wish!

[ProudMary]

3 hours ago, BW Manilowe said:

Looks like Pluie, or Pluie’s supporters finally got his/her/their wish!

Yes, a win for "the crackpots!"  Let's all have some cheese in Leo's honor. (And Jackson's, I guess.)

[PeterPirate]

They need to install "Wolves Only" signs.

[Driad]

2019 article about POTUSes pardoning turkeys.

[ProudMary]

Fun fact I didn't know.

 

[BW Manilowe]

From People: West Wing Actor Richard Schiff Warns ‘You Don’t Want This’ After COVID-19 Hospitalization

He was also on MSNBC’s The Last Word, which is hosted by former TWW Writer/Producer/Executive Producer (& cameo actor, in S2’s “Two Cathedrals”, as Jed’s father) Lawrence O’Donnell, talking about his experience with the virus & the Canadian healthcare system (it appears he & actress wife Sheila Kelley contracted the virus while filming their current roles—as a married couple—in Vancouver, on ABC’s The Good Doctor, on which former Lost & Hawaii Five-0 co-star Daniel Dae Kim is now an Executive Producer). Richard was hospitalized in a Vancouver hospital. This appearance was apparently on Wednesday’s episode. The “meat” of the interview (without the intro & outro) is embedded from YouTube on the page.

I think it’s interesting both Richard & his wife have their current credits in The Good Doctor, but she’s credited as having been on/in L.A. Law & he’s credited with The West Wing. I guess, technically, TWW is his most recent acting credit again though, because of the dramatic staging of “Hartsfield’s Landing” airing/aired on HBO Max.

[CheshireCat]

I finally watched the Special. It was the first time I saw Sterling K Brown in anything and it was strange to see him in the role of Leo because he wasn't part of the original cast. But I still thought that he was great in the role. He'd have made a great original Leo or he'd make a great President on screen!

I still get mad at Charlie or rather the lack of consequences for his actions. I think it was a disproportionate response and that he took things way too far. While super-gluing the phone was funny, he destroyed property twice and messing with the security card as an employee of the White House should be an absolute no-go. There should have been severe consequences for that.

[ifionlyknew]

I'm a little more than halfway through the second season and I have to say the shady political moves by the Senate Majority Leader from the opposing party seems like something that would happen in today's real world.  When I first watched the show when in aired in the late 90s I thought it was a heightened fictional portrayal of politics.  Now I see it was a sign of things to come.

 

And I might be in the minority but I could not stand Ainsley Hayes.

[PeterPirate]

7 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

I still get mad at Charlie or rather the lack of consequences for his actions. I think it was a disproportionate response and that he took things way too far. While super-gluing the phone was funny, he destroyed property twice and messing with the security card as an employee of the White House should be an absolute no-go. There should have been severe consequences for that.

I completely agree with this.  But in defense of my gender, I will add "CJ started it".

[BlackberryJam]

2 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

And I might be in the minority but I could not stand Ainsley Hayes.

On rewatch, she’s much less likable. It was nice having a counterpoint to the liberal arguments made on the show, but I was really bothered by her dismissal of women’s issues and stance that sexual talk was fine in the workplace.

[A.Ham]

10 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

or he'd make a great President on screen!

You know, I read this and immediately visualized and heard Sterling K. Brown making Martin Sheen's grand entrance saying "I am the Lord your God. Thou shalt worship no other god before me."

'Cause that's just how my brain works.

Edited to add the link that I originally came here to post--Richard Schiff is now doing better, and I am hoping the video below is post-COVID-19 battle (t was posted a couple of days ago):

Warning: Cute dog overload

 

Edited November 30, 2020 by A.Ham

[Kohola3]

40 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

On rewatch, she’s much less likable. It was nice having a counterpoint to the liberal arguments made on the show, but I was really bothered by her dismissal of women’s issues and stance that sexual talk was fine in the workplace.

This.  I think the idea was indeed to have a counterpart and she was a brainy Republican but I hated her stance on women's rights from the get go.  But then I marched for the ERA back in the day.

[ifionlyknew]

1 hour ago, BlackberryJam said:

On rewatch, she’s much less likable. It was nice having a counterpoint to the liberal arguments made on the show, but I was really bothered by her dismissal of women’s issues and stance that sexual talk was fine in the workplace.

 

19 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

This.  I think the idea was indeed to have a counterpart and she was a brainy Republican but I hated her stance on women's rights from the get go.  But then I marched for the ERA back in the day.

Every once in awhile she would have an argument that I agreed with but then she would act like a ditz and just annoy me all over again.  I think Sorkin thought her being tongue tied and getting nervous made her look cute or something but I hated it.  

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

And I might be in the minority but I could not stand Ainsley Hayes.

I am so with you on that one. 

[CheshireCat]

6 hours ago, PeterPirate said:

I completely agree with this.  But in defense of my gender, I will add "CJ started it".

She absolutely started it but Charlie should have stopped after super-gluing the phone. Given that the phone is important for her job and the schedule is important for Charlie's job, I think they were even after that.

 

2 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

This.  I think the idea was indeed to have a counterpart and she was a brainy Republican but I hated her stance on women's rights from the get go. 

I don't get why no one argued that it's obviously not working and just let her argument stand but I liked her in general and wish they'd have properly used her and even kept her on. (There was even some potential for a character arc, then again, they didn't really do character arcs).

[Guest]

On 11/30/2020 at 2:05 AM, CheshireCat said:

I still get mad at Charlie or rather the lack of consequences for his actions. I think it was a disproportionate response and that he took things way too far. While super-gluing the phone was funny, he destroyed property twice and messing with the security card as an employee of the White House should be an absolute no-go. There should have been severe consequences for that.

I think Hartsfield Landing is an episode it is good not to look too closely at, but just enjoy.  For starters, the election part didn't make sense as it was a primary - of course Bartlet would win the primary. He was running unopposed for all intents and purposes.  Second, the prank war escalated too far and I don't think we should really think Charlie was able to get the desk to do that.

To me, it's mainly filler.  But enjoyable filler.

[CheshireCat]

6 hours ago, deaja said:

I think Hartsfield Landing is an episode it is good not to look too closely at, but just enjoy.  For starters, the election part didn't make sense as it was a primary - of course Bartlet would win the primary. He was running unopposed for all intents and purposes.  Second, the prank war escalated too far and I don't think we should really think Charlie was able to get the desk to do that.

To me, it's mainly filler.  But enjoyable filler.

I enjoy it - until CJ comes back from her pizza run. Then I get mad at the fact that there are no consequences for Charlie and how Josh is treating Donna. 😄

[anna0852]

Boooo!

The series leaves Netflix on December 24th

[marypat57]

1 hour ago, anna0852 said:

Boooo!

The series leaves Netflix on December 24th

Bah humbug

[BW Manilowe]

On 12/4/2020 at 11:28 PM, anna0852 said:

Boooo!

The series leaves Netflix on December 24th

And it moves EXCLUSIVELY to HBO Max (but I don’t know when it starts there; just that it was announced in October, 2019, that it would be on HBO Max after the deal with Netflix expired). So hopefully some kept their free trials from the “Hartsfield’s Landing” dramatic staged presentation. Otherwise you’ll have to sign up again to keep watching the show on streaming/somewhere besides your DVDs.

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, BW Manilowe said:

And it moves EXCLUSIVELY to HBO Max

Which is $15 a month. Pass. Cheaper to by the DVDs.

[supposebly]

On 11/30/2020 at 8:26 AM, ifionlyknew said:

And I might be in the minority but I could not stand Ainsley Hayes.

Thank you! I thought I was missing something but to me she wasn't a real character just someone to be brought in to say: Look how clever! Defying expectations! The whole thing was stupid. 

To be honest, in retrospect, the female characters don't hold up well. Even with C.J. I cringe occasionally. And while I never quite liked Josh I used to appreciate what he brings to the table. But on my recent rewatch I actively disliked him. 

I still like Abby. I still don't understand what she was thinking in medicating her husband but I get it. She panicked. They both did. Stockard Channing conveyed that mixture of bravado, panic, arrogance, and denial exquisitely.

[ifionlyknew]

4 minutes ago, supposebly said:

Thank you! I thought I was missing something but to me she wasn't a real character just someone to be brought in to say: Look how clever! Defying expectations! The whole thing was stupid. 

To be honest, in retrospect, the female characters don't hold up well. Even with C.J. I cringe occasionally. And while I never quite liked Josh I used to appreciate what he brings to the table. But on my recent rewatch I actively disliked him. 

I still like Abby. I still don't understand what she was thinking in medicating her husband but I get it. She panicked. They both did. Stockard Channing conveyed that mixture of bravado, panic, arrogance, and denial exquisitely.

I'm in the middle of season 3 and I just finished that story arc.  Abby was thinking as a wife first and doctor second. 

I think season 2 and 3 are the best seasons.  The writing was always top notch throughout the Sorkin years but these episodes it was just near perfect.  And there were laugh out loud lines in almost every episode.  I cracked up when riding to the rally to announce Bartlett running for a second term Abby tells Jed she is leaning towards voting for him.  It might not sound funny but it was.

[PeterPirate]

2 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Which is $15 a month. Pass. Cheaper to by the DVDs.

Except that I have two sets for Season 3, and they are both missing the second disc because I've watched Bartlet For America many, many times.  HBO has a bunch of excellent movies that Netflix doesn't, so I'm going to stick with it for a while.

 

Edited December 7, 2020 by PeterPirate

[Guest]

12 hours ago, PeterPirate said:

Except that I have two sets for Season 3, and they are both missing the second disc because I've watched Bartlet For America many, many times.  HBO has a bunch of excellent movies that Netflix doesn't, so I'm going to stick with it for a while.

 

I'm probably going to sign up for HBO Max now that it's available through the Fire stick and Warner Brothers is putting all their 2021 movie releases on there.  West Wing is just a bonus and definitely not a sign that I'm too lazy to deal with DVDs.

[CheshireCat]

20 hours ago, supposebly said:

I still like Abby. I still don't understand what she was thinking in medicating her husband but I get it.

It makes sense from that point of view but why didn't whoever diagnosed Bartlett originally tell him that he needs to be treated by a neurologist/specialist? (My best friend gets treated by a neurologist who specializes in MS). Every attack is different; when my friend has an attack then her doctor determines whether she had one first and then decides how much steroids she gets. (And if the attack persists after the initial dose, she gets more). My friend also gets MRIs ever so often to monitor the inflammation centers.

The way they portray it on the show makes it seem like MS can be treated like diabetis. Doctor or not, unless Abby has experience with MS, I don't think she was able to give her husband the best care available. That doesn't fit with how she freaked out when he decided to run for a second term, though.

[BlackberryJam]

I can’t stand the Sam exit story and always resented Will Bailey for existing. I can only tolerate him in S7 when CJ dragoons him into being a punching bag for the press.

[ifionlyknew]

6 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

I can’t stand the Sam exit story and always resented Will Bailey for existing. I can only tolerate him in S7 when CJ dragoons him into being a punching bag for the press.

I like the actor Josh Malina but he always seems to play the same character.  His character on Scandal David Rosen could have just as easily been Will Bailey.  Even his BIg Bang Theory character college president Siebert wasn't all that different.  

I didn't actively dislike Will but to me he was just a poor substitute for Sam Seaborn and I could never get past that.  It was blatantly obvious the only reason Will Bailey the character existed was because Rob Lowe the actor left the show.  

[CheshireCat]

I always thought that it was strange that they wrote in Will and then basically wrote him out by putting him into the VP's office. It felt like they were breaking it up too much; a character in this place, a character in that place etc. Of course, it was the worst in S7 when they split it between two campaigns and the WH.

[SoMuchTV]

I currently, for reasons I don’t need to defend to anyone, and may or may not have anything to do with Dash and Lily, am rereading From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, set in about 1967, and the main character is a girl named Claudia, who has 3 brothers. She definitely grew up to be Claudia Jean, right?

ETA: And it has just been realized, by me, that I may be picking up on the speech cadences of a particular White House counsel.

Edited December 12, 2020 by SoMuchTV

[PeterPirate]

On 12/11/2020 at 4:21 PM, SoMuchTV said:

I currently, for reasons I don’t need to defend to anyone, and may or may not have anything to do with Dash and Lily, am rereading From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, set in about 1967, and the main character is a girl named Claudia, who has 3 brothers. She definitely grew up to be Claudia Jean, right?

I remember that book.  Claudia did like to mishandle carved artwork.   

Also, from Take This Sabbath Day: 
Bartlet - I'm the leader of a democracy. People have spoken. The courts have spoken.

And, from Message Of The Week:
Bruno - You have a lock on the Electoral College.

[ifionlyknew]

I'm re watching season 7 and John Spencer doesn't look good. In hindsight I guess his death shouldn't have been a surprise.  Still makes me sad though.  

I'm enjoying the campaign.  Vinick lying to the reverend who was demanding Vinick promise to appoint anti choice judges to secure the evangelicals. votes.  Santos not wanting to be seen as just the Latina candidate.  So much more interesting than that damn leak story.

[SoMuchTV]

On 12/11/2020 at 7:21 PM, SoMuchTV said:

I currently, for reasons I don’t need to defend to anyone, and may or may not have anything to do with Dash and Lily, am rereading From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, set in about 1967, and the main character is a girl named Claudia, who has 3 brothers. She definitely grew up to be Claudia Jean, right?

 

On 12/14/2020 at 2:09 PM, PeterPirate said:

I remember that book.  Claudia did like to mishandle carved artwork.  

Oh my goodness.  I first read that book when I was about Claudia's age.  I thought she & her brother had such a cool adventure! Reading it now, it's a parent's worst nightmare!  (For anyone not familiar, it's a story about a sister and brother - ages 12 and 9 - who run away from home and hide out - and get involved in a mystery - at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.  For over a week!)  I can't imagine what her family was going through!

[ProudMary]

Best thing you'll see on Twitter today. Allison Janney is all that and more!

 

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Best thing you'll see on Twitter today. Allison Janney is all that and more!

 

Wow! So much more than “Flamingo”!

 

[ifionlyknew]

I finished my re watch last night.   With just over 24 hrs to spare.  I'm going to miss it on Netflix.  It was nice  having it there anytime I wanted to pull up a favorite episode to watch.  I know it's coming to HBO Max which I do have but it feels like an end of an era. Which I guess is fitting since the show itself concluded.

There was a noticeable difference after Sorkin left.  It became about things happening outside the White House.  What made the early episodes so wonderful was that core group of characters and watching them do their jobs and be friends.  The final episode had some nice touches and it did briefly feel like the show I loved so much.  

 

[PeterPirate]

Yup.  It's on HBOMax (and off Netflix) now.  I'm taking this opportunity to watch the first four Christmas episodes.  Yo Yo Ma rules!

Edited December 25, 2020 by PeterPirate

[Kohola3]

I never celebrate a Christmas since In Excelsis Deo without thinking of hmeless vets. And that's a good thing, no one should forget.

[BW Manilowe]

So far, it’s still on Apple TV (which I currently have a free year of thanks to recently buying a new iPhone)/iTunes. So you can still add your favorite eps/the whole series to your preferred Apple device. I also heard, the other day, that 1 of the streaming devices (I think either Roku or Fire, but I forget which) which wasn’t carrying HBO Max was to start carrying it either this past or this coming Thursday.

[oakville]

Was there ever a chance of the West Wing being renewed so that viewers could see the first year of the Santos Administration ?

[BW Manilowe]

On 1/3/2021 at 8:12 PM, oakville said:

Was there ever a chance of the West Wing being renewed so that viewers could see the first year of the Santos Administration ?

Honestly, I don’t think so. They had to start cutting the budget around S6 & definitely in S7 (which is why there was so much focus on the campaign trail & so many characters who started out as Bartlet staffers, ride or die, left the White House & his administration to help get the next guy from their political party elected to succeed Bartlet, & then didn’t appear in every episode of the season like they had previously because they were trying to focus on the Vinick campaign 1 week, the Santos campaign the next, as I remember. They had to cut the budget to even get an S7, & the original cast members who were still with the show by then had to agree to not appear in at least 1 ep apiece that last season, in order to keep the cast salaries (they’re normally paid per ep) down. The longer a show remains on the air, the more it costs to produce; especially when it comes to cast salaries, which start out at a certain level & get higher every so often, depending on how big the actor is, to start with, & how long they stay with the show/the show stays on the air. And, in the case of a show like Hawaii Five-0, which (perhaps unexpectedly, to many) ended a pretty successful, 10-season run last April, if the show’s filmed completely on location, the longer you film on location, the more expensive it gets to film as well. But you pretty much need to film something set in Hawaii, or another tropical location, actually in Hawaii (or the other tropical location involved) because it’s hard to duplicate Hawaii successfully on the Mainland or anywhere else outside of Hawaii or the other tropical location.

[PeterPirate]

From 17 People:

Toby - For 90 minutes there was a coup d'etat in this country.

[PeterPirate]

Also, from In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen:

Hoynes - Coach, I want to congratulate you and your team in the NCAA on a great season last year. I know you had four starters returning so I'm confident...

Several Secret Service Agents come storming inside. 

Agent - Excuse me! Everyone stay where you are. Mr. Vice President, would you come with us please?

The agents surround Hoynes and escort him outside.  

......

 

Then there's this:

From In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen:  
Hoynes - I'm going to federalize the Virginia and Maryland National Guards.

and

Danny - I want to know who was in charge.

And, from 17 People:
Toby - The Vice President's authority was murky at best.

Edited January 16, 2021 by PeterPirate

[PeterPirate]

On 12/18/2019 at 5:36 PM, PeterPirate said:

From 17 People:

Toby - You don't have to break the law to get served with articles of impeachment.

 

 

[Cetacean]

Just caught the movie Dave on cable and recognized a much younger Anna Deavere Smith as the manager of a homeless shelter for kids.  I think Nancy McNally was one of my favorite characters especially her interaction with Admiral Sissymary.

 

On 1/6/2021 at 5:04 PM, PeterPirate said:

Toby - For 90 minutes there was a coup d'etat in this country.

Margaret : Can - can I just say something, you know, for the future?

Leo McGarry : Yeah.

Margaret : *I* can sign the President's name. I have his signature down pretty good.

Leo McGarry : You can sign the President's name?

Margaret : Yeah.

Leo McGarry : On a document removing him from power and handing it to someone else?

Margaret : Yeah. Or, do you think the White House Counsel would say that was a bad idea?

Leo McGarry : I think the White House Counsel would say that's a coup d'etat.

Margaret : I'd probably end up doing some time for that.

Edited January 18, 2021 by Cetacean
system hiccup

[Cetacean]

President Bartlet – There's a promise I ask everyone who works here to make: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world. Do you know why?

Will – It's the only thing that ever has.

[PeterPirate]

From Posse Comitatus:

Leo - I'm not gonna have trouble saying the Pledge of Allegiance tomorrow.

[Anela]

On 12/26/2020 at 2:37 AM, BW Manilowe said:

So far, it’s still on Apple TV (which I currently have a free year of thanks to recently buying a new iPhone)/iTunes. So you can still add your favorite eps/the whole series to your preferred Apple device. I also heard, the other day, that 1 of the streaming devices (I think either Roku or Fire, but I forget which) which wasn’t carrying HBO Max was to start carrying it either this past or this coming Thursday.

I received an iPad for Christmas, so I have Apple TV free for a year. I hope it's still there. 

[BW Manilowe]

22 hours ago, Anela said:

I received an iPad for Christmas, so I have Apple TV free for a year. I hope it's still there. 

It is.