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West Wing

West Wing

I love the West Wing, I really do. But lately it has started to annoy me. I got the first season on DVD a while back, and me being the big fan I am watched them over and over again. Now, for those that don't know this (and you know who you are Duggie) The West Wing (TWW) is written by Aaron Sorkin. He is a very liberal person AFAIC, where as I am not so liberal, in fact I would say I am right of center in my way of thinking. Nothing wrong with that after all there is such a thing as free speech :)

Anyway I love watching the West Wing, not only is it witty and entertaining and Toby is my favourite character but it addresses some really good issues. My favourite episode so far is the one where President Bartlet (being a very religous man) has a chance to stop an execution of a man. President Bartlet is a very strict Catholic and a very liberal President. The whole episode centers around Bartlet and his struggle to let the execution go ahead, when he can quash it. It is a great episode and makes you think about the death pealenty).

However I think the first season is by far superior to the second season, not only in entertainment, but the writing. It is getting a bit to blatent and arogant now. Sorkin is a big time opponent of President Bush. And as it turns out in Season 3 is opponent in the Presidental Election is a dim-witted Governer from Texas. Yeah, I never seen that one coming. Sorkin is also a strong opponent against the Second Amendment (for those of you who don't know it is the right to bear guns, you know who you are Duggie). He uses The West Wing to give us a one sided view of guns. The people that want guns are all southern red-neck white republicans (which may or may not be true, I don't know). But the thing that annoys me is that AFAICS the writing is getting lazy. President Bartlet comes from New England, and his Vice President John Hoynes is a Southern Oil baron (yeah, never seen that one coming either). Now Hoynes is a bit more right wing that Bartlet and they argue about everything. In particular they argue about Guns. In Season 3 there is an episode where a mad man comes into a church and shoots some people. One person in the church has a gun and tries to take down the mad man, but instead he shots an innocent girl. There is nothing wrong in this, it happens the problem I have is the aftermath. Hoynes is arguing with Bartlet again about guns. The argument is pretty good and then Bartlet says "Tell me John, why do we have to conceal are firearms, why can't we have them out in the open then". This ends the argument with Hoynes saying while stumped "I don't know." Now this annoyed me. A person that has reached the heights of Vice President can argue with the best of them and would have a retort for that statement. It just annoyed me that Sorkin isn't going that bit further than he used to. Well, that is my two swm's. No doubt there will be more to follow :)

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