West Wing

[skyring]

I've been watching West Wing on the iPhone between passengers. Sometimes the waits get pretty bloody long, especially around one in the morning.

When the series was broadcast in Australia, it was usually late at night, often pulled for a sports broadcast, had huge gaps in transmission, switched channels and eventually just killed off.

I became a fan somewhere halfway through the first series. I had a hell of a job just trying to understand what was going on, especially when Josh would disappear off to congress and have complicated meetings with all sorts of monster-egoed people.

And it was West Wing I was watching - a crucial episode with the death of a minor character and an escalating world crisis - when a bulletin came in that a plane had flown into the World Trade Centre. The episode came to an end as fiction segued into reality and the world changed.

Eventually I began watching the whole series on DVD, often with the subtitles turned on to catch the details I'd mist the first time around. I'm up to series six now, and a lot of the new characters are now making the sense they didn't when it was first screened, Channel Nine having decided that the first few episodes in the season didn't need to be shown.

Seasons Six (and presumably Seven) are very different to the first five. In a way this is good, because it was starting to get just a little bit predictable with the election out of the way and Jed Bartlett heading for retirement, but it was unsettling to see so many of the gang break out into other pursuits.

But enjoyable, full of incomprehensible American politics and as addictive as ever. One reason why I don't mind too much if the action becomes a little slow out on the taxi ranks. With a few screen touches, I'm back in Washington DC.

She hopped into the cab on the main city rank, late at night. "Oooh, that's cool!" she said, indicating the iPhone, showing Dire Straits. I considered changing to ABBA. She looked about the right age.

"Bit of in-flight entertainment," I said. "And when I'm waiting on a rank, I watch episodes of West Wing."

Oh boy! Was that the button to push! For the rest of the ride, a longish ride, we two West Wing fans enthused about the show. Our favorite episodes, our favorite characters. Like me, she had bought the series on DVD, but she had looped through it all two or three times - I'm still working my way through Season Six, with Season Seven to go.

Seldom have I let a passenger out of the cab with more reluctance, but she insisted.

Comments

[islandmomma.livejournal.com]

Oh boy will I ever be booking your cab if I ever make it down under! (Not that I wouldn't anyway!). I treated myself to the dvd set earlier this year. Amazon UK had a not-to-be-missed offer. I'd seen up to series 4 previously, so I started there and watched the "new" ones, and then started all over. I am now beginning over again, but at a much more leisurely pace, and am finally feeling that I understand what's going on. Sometimes it even helps me to read between the real-life headlines. For instance, so Bill Clinton got those journalists out of N Korea, but we know there was a price...and I imagine how that all played out. Apart from finding the subject matter really interesting, it is an incredibly well produced series. Since going to DC for the first time in May I now like spotting landmarks too!

[sainity.livejournal.com]

I also bought the complete season from the Amazon UK special, despite owning seasons 1-6 already... I wanted the deleted scenes that you don't get in Australia. Obsessive much? It was a bargain, though, all in a neat case for $90 AUD delivered.

[elhamisabel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, got the same box. A friend, residing in NZ at the time, was happily writing about the great deal from amazon.co.uk and so I ended up buying that one myself. :-D

[elhamisabel.livejournal.com]

I adore, adore, adore the West Wing!

One day I'll come down to Australia and watch the entire 7seasons in your car. :-D

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Bliss!

Charlie's my favorite. The way he puts up with Jed's quirks without rolling his eyes too much. That episode with the bibles for the second inauguration just cracked me up.

[elhamisabel.livejournal.com]

I really like Charlie, but my favourite is Sam. Always nice, always trying to be good. :-D