Well, next Monday is 4th of July. I've already done a July 4th post about the best America-themed movies befitting the holiday, so this year, I'm ranking the best episodes of a series in the very vein of what my second homeland is at its best: Aaron Sorkin's masterpiece The West Wing (1999-2006). The show is many things: an intriguing look at Washington D.C. politics, an extremely well-written TV gem with the best dialogue in the business, and most importantly, a value-driven and idealistic look at how politics should work, as we follow a White House staff who are good-hearted people out to make a difference. Watching this show after living through four years of Trump was not just feel-good escapism, but downright therapeutic.
I must confess that I'm not done with the show's seven-season run yet, as my summer job has slowed down my TV-binging pace. However, I have seen all of the show's first four seasons, after which mastermind Aaron Sorkin exited as writer and showrunner. The Sorkin era seems to be considered by all as the show's definitive golden age, so I'm happy to rank the Top 10 episodes from those first four seasons. A spoiler alert is in order, but only for seasons 1-4!
Here are my honorable mentions: Five Votes Down (Season 1 Episode 4), Bartlet for America (Season 3 Episode 10), Posse Comitatus (Season 3 Episode 22), Game On (Season 4 Episode 6), Election Night (Season 4 Episode 7), Commencement (Season 4 Episode 22).
Shared 10th Place: Isaac and Ishmael (Special episode between seasons 2&3) and Documentary Special (Special episode between seasons 3&4)
"We don't need martyrs right now, we need heroes. A hero would die for his country, but he'd much rather live for it"
Both of the special episodes that have been released between seasons are on the verge of whether or not they qualify for this list, but as they're definitely good enough to make the top ten and very close to each other in quality (although wildly different from one another), I decided to put them on a shared 10th place spot. These episodes don't take place in the show's canon timeline, yet they are an important extra spice that brings further greatness into the world of The West Wing.
The story behind Isaac and Ishmael is gripping: a conventional debut episode for season 3 had been planned, and less than two weeks before it aired, the World Trade Center was attacked by Al-Qaida terrorists on September 11th, 2001. In just a few days, Sorkin wrote an episode that deals with the aftermath of this tragedy, and it was shot in another few days and aired on time before the season continued as usual. The episode sends the exact message that Americans needed to hear at the time: both that the nation was going to get through those hard times and shouldn't give in to fear, but also that Jihad extremism is very different from the core teachings of Islam, and turning against the entire religion in reactionary racism won't solve anything.
West Wing Documentary Special is a whole different concept - as the title suggests, this episode takes a deep dive into the real-life West Wing, as we get interviews of the Presidents, Chiefs-of-staff, press secretaries, speechwriters and various staffers from many administrations to the backdrop of the music and general atmosphere of the West Wing series. It's fascinating to get a glance into the lives of people who had the same real-life jobs as the show's main characters, and it's powerful as hell to hear them describe how important and valuable the work really is. For a liberal like myself, it's nothing short of heartbreaking to hear Jimmy Carter happily describe the diplomatic decisions he made that ended up being the 100% right thing to do yet cost him getting re-elected.
9. Hartsfield's Landing (Season 3 Episode 15)
"I think it's nice. I think it's democracy at its purest. They all gather at once..."
"At a gas station"
"It's not a gas station! It's nice"
In 2020, the West Wing cast reunited to do a table reading of a classic episode for charity. The episode they chose was Hartsfield's Landing, and no wonder why: while it's no dramatic season finale or epic game-changer, it is in many ways the definitive episode of The West Wing. All of the show's best elements, from Sorkin's clever dialogue and the lovable nature of the characters to the core values of the show and the intrigue of the setting, are at maximum efficiency in this lovely, delightful episode that just feels like The West Wing at its The West Wing-iest.
The game of chess is used as a neat narrative device, as President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) has just returned from a foreign visit, and bought chess boards for colleagues Toby (Richard Schiff) and Sam (Rob Lowe) - with the motive of discussing important topics with both of them while playing chess, as these conversations go on and off throughout the episode. Even better is the subplot, where the White House staff monitors the primary vote in Hartsfield's Landing, a small town with a history of always predicting the eventual winner of the Presidential Election - the debates between Josh (Brad Whitford) and C.J. (Allison Janney) about whether it's a redundant superstition or an inspiring symbol for democracy are illuminating, and ultimately the episode manages to showcase what politics can be at its most beautiful.
8. In Excelsis Deo (Season 1 Episode 10)
"Toby, if we start pulling strings like this, don't you think every every homeless veteran will come out of the woodwork?"
"I can only hope so, sir"
When I first started to watch The West Wing, Toby Ziegler was the hardest to 'get' of all the main characters - his core values and the factors that drive him didn't always seem so clear, until the series went on to slowly flesh him out in a fantastic manner so that eventually he makes more sense than any of them. The first instance that I really found myself feeling for Toby and seeing where he's coming from is season 1's Christmas episode In Excelsis Deo, where after multiple episodes of cynical and cold behavior, we see a very humane and caring side of Toby and this is done in a powerful manner.
After being questioned by the police about a dead homeless person who had his business card in his pocket, Toby realizes that the dead man is a Korean war veteran, and that he wasn't going to be mourned or paid tribute to due to his social status. Taking matters into his own hands, Toby uses his pull at the White House to organize a proper funeral for the man, while reaching out to his remaining family. The subplot where Mrs. Landingham (Kathryn Joosten) opens up about the death of her sons fits into this main story in a gripping fashion, making for one tear-jerker of an episode.
7. Noël (Season 2 Episode 10)
"This guy's walking down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep, he can't get out. A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up: 'Hey you, can you help me out?'. The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up: 'Father, I'm down in this hole, can you help me out?'. The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. 'Hey Joe, it's me, can you help me out?'. And the friend jumps in the hole! Our guy says 'Are you stupid? Now we're both down here'. The friend says: 'Yeah, but I've been down here before, and I know the way out'. As long as I got a job, you got a job, you understand?"
These words, spoken by Leo McGarry (the late great John Spencer) to Josh Lyman, are a true testament of friendship that really melt the viewer's heart. Like the previous entry, Noël is also a Christmas episode, which isn't all that Christmas-y as it deals with some heavy topics. The way the episode deals with the delicate issue of PTSD is incredibly respectful, illuminating and powerful, making this a hard-to-watch yet ultimately uplifting 43 minutes of quality television. Brad Whitford is gold in every episode of The West Wing, but this takes the cake as his finest hour.
6. What Kind of Day Has it Been (Season 1 Episode 22)
"Now, I'm an educated man, Charlie, but when somebody tries to explain Cricket to me, all I want to do is hit him in the head with a teapot"
The finale of the show's first season will always be best remembered for the heart-pounding cliffhanger, where things are left open in a horrifying chaos of gunfire. But there's a lot more to this brilliant episode as well: from Toby monitoring his brother's near-death situation to President Bartlet getting to make a heartwarming call to the survivor of a risky military rescue, all of the main characters have character-building moments that are neatly tied together by Josh and Sam's silly hand-upwards signal.
The episode's structure is also classic Sorkin - we begin with a flash-forward, where Bartlet is exiting an event and we cut to the opening credits just as something is clearly about to go wrong, and then we go to 12 hours earlier and it takes the entire episode to get back to that point, as the final scene shows more of the shootout but then fades away before it's clear who got hit. The use of flash-forwards in the opening scene is nothing short of genius, as it's so much more than a mere "someone is about to get shot!" warning - the first scene's dialogue references about eight different plot threads that are left unexplained, and the rest of the episode gives them the proper context. This is a wonderful way to get the viewer hooked from the very beginning of the episode, and a great example of why Mr. Sorkin is one of my all-time favorite storytellers.
5. Twenty Five (Season 4 Episode 23)
"You're relieved, Mr. President"
The season 4 finale is Aaron Sorkin's final episode as showrunner, writer and producer, before he exited for good (and apparently has never watched a single episode from seasons five through seven). The episode's setting is the most dramatic and intense in the show's entire run - President Bartlet's daughter Zoey (Elisabeth Moss) is taken captive by terrorists, and Bartlet must tread the crisis as it gets more and more desperate. Eventually, he realizes that he can't act as both President and a father in such a dire situation, and the twenty-fifth amendment is invoked and power is temporarily transferred to Speaker-of-the-House Glenallen Walken (John Goodman, in the single greatest role of his prolific career).
What really gets me about the episode, in addition to the heart-wrenching atmosphere and Walken's ice-cold and memorable entrance in the final scene, is the episode's function as a metaphor for Sorkin leaving the series. Sorkin (Bartlet) has lost control of his show (his daughter), and in order for everything to work out, he must transfer power to executive producer John Wells (Walken), who he knows to be a good person who will do their best, but also knows to have very different ideas and visions for the job, which makes the transfer of power difficult. Gripping stuff.
4. 20 Hours in America (Season 4 Episodes 1-2)
"When, after having heard the explosion from their practice facility, they ran into the fire to help get people out. Ran into the fire. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight"
The two-part premiere of season four is a masterclass in comedy, in emotion, in political insight, and just generally television. With the storyline of Josh, Toby and Donna (Janel Moloney) being accidentally left behind on the campaign trail, and using trains, plains and automobiles to make their way back through the Midwest, Sorkin made this into the single funniest episode in all of The West Wing - there were a few parts that had me spitting out the tea I was drinking, as the hijinks the trio gets into are so hilarious. The same storyline is also weirdly profound, as the characters exit the 'Washington bubble' we often see them in, and get to witness how 'regular Americans' talk and think during an election year, which changes their perspective on many issues.
In the second part of the episode, the humorous side of things comes to a sudden halt with the abrupt and heartbreaking storyline of a bomb going off in a Midwestern university. Bartlet's speech in the wake of the attack is perhaps the most towering of the many, many "Man, I wish this guy really was President" moments in the series, and the interaction between Bruno (Ron Silver) and speechwriter Sam is pure gold ("When did you write that last part?" / "In the car" / "Freak").
3. Let Bartlet Be Bartlet (Season 1 Episode 19)
"Say it out loud. Say it to me"
"This is more important than re-election. I want to speak now"
"Now we're in business"
More than anything else, The West Wing is a series about what politics should be. It's not exactly a utopia (though it sure as shit feels like one after witnessing four years of a racist pumpkin as President), as there's an impressive touch of realism in how Washington politics are portrayed, but the key difference between real-life politics and The West Wing is how genuinely good-hearted and determined about changing society in a positive manner the main characters are. Not to be one of those "all politicians are selfish monsters" cynics, but more often than not it does seem that nine out of ten politicians will choose winning the next election or getting the support of a wealthy donor over being part of actually meaningful change any day of the week, and this world of half measures and over-careful calculations is one of the most frustrating facets of politics. The West Wing illustrates why things shouldn't be that way, and never more so than in the inspiring Let Bartlet Be Bartlet.
The best episodes of a series are ones that really cause something in the viewer. This episode pumped me full of inspiration, gave me some extra faith in the world, made me want to be a better citizen and filled my head with fantasies about running for office some day - that's quite something for a 44-minute piece of television from 22 years ago. The episode's progression is wonderfully dramatic - Sam and Josh get more and more frustrated in their administration's careful and risk-free policies while trying to be progressive, all while a memo criticizing Bartlet and Leo goes around, until it all blows up in an argument between the President and his Chief-Of-Staff where they realize that they're both on the same page about wanting to be behind meaningful change. In the show's most fist-pump-worthy moment, Leo comes back to the senior staff all fired up, giving each member new marching orders with the general guideline "Let Bartlet be Bartlet", and they all leave to make the world a better place to the best of their abilities.
Also, the episode's cold open is one of the best-constructed comedic payoffs I've seen, and yet another testament to Aaron Sorkin's unbridled writing abilities.
2. In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (Season 2, Episodes 1-2)
"I need to ask you some questions, sir. Do you have any medical conditions?"
"Well, I've been shot"
If season 1's gunfire cliffhanger ending was thrilling television, then the season 2 premiere that followed was a whole different level. The aftermath of the shooting is incredibly intense - the moment where Bartlet, seemingly okay, gets into the car with the Secret Service agents, only for them to realize that he's been hit, is one of the more heart-pounding moments of intensity that I've seen in all of television. A majority of this two-parter is spent with Bartlet and Josh in the hospital, fighting for their lives, as the rest of the characters are there for emotional support while trying to keep the country running amidst the crisis. That narrative alone makes this episode hellishly dramatic and compelling to watch.
But then there's the flashbacks - nobody does flashbacks quite as well as Aaron Sorkin in this particular series. Seeing how the series started at a point where the Bartlet administration is already in office, this episode finally gave us the proper backstory for his Presidential campaign and how the different characters came together. It's fun to see younger versions of the characters meeting each other and working on the Bartlet campaign - but it's not just fun, it's also powerful as hell.
Following Sam, who had fallen in with defending shady oil companies in the court of law, as well as Josh, who was working for middle-of-the-road politicians'-politician John Hoynes' (Tim Matheson) campaign, as they see Bartlet speaking and drop both of their jobs in order to start fresh with this inspiring figure, is truly empowering, as is the bond between Josh and the President. In the flashbacks, we see Bartlet delay a major victory speech in order to be at Josh's side upon learning that his father has just died, while in present day, the two recover together and are clearly more glad of their friend surviving the shooting then they are about their own survival.
1. Two Cathedrals (Season 2 Episode 22)
"Yes, I lied. It was a sin. I've committed many sins. Have I displeased You, you feckless thug? 3.8 million new jobs, that wasn't good? Bailed out Mexico. Increased foreign trade. Thirty million new acres of land for conservation. Put Mendoza on the bench. We're not fighting a war. I've raised three children. That's not enough to buy me out of the doghouse? Haec credam a Deo pio, a Deo iusto, a Deo scito? Cruciatus in crucem"
I honestly don't know where to start with this masterpiece. I didn't think anything could top the dramatic and powerful season 2 premiere, yet the same season's finale found even more earth-shattering levels of killer television. To the backdrop of a tropical storm raging through the East Coast while long-built storylines come to a point of culmination, we witness 43 minutes of perfect television as President Bartlet must decide whether or not he'll seek re-election, while coming clean to the public about his M.S., and attending the funeral of Mrs. Landingham while we see flashbacks on their relationship that close her arch beautifully.
And my God, that's the best use of flashbacks I've seen in any TV series (or movie, for that matter). The casting of Jason Widener as a young Jed Bartlet and Kirsten Nelson as a young Landingham is perfect, and it's fascinating to follow what a big-sister-little-brother dynamic they had from such a young age. The flashbacks also resonate with the present-day storyline with perfection: for example, when Landingham urges Jed to confront his father and says "If you think we're wrong, then I respect that, but if you think we're right and you won't speak up because you can't get bothered, then God, Jed, I don't even want to know you", that's a perfect metaphor for Bartlet's present-day dilemma: if he honestly thinks he can't handle re-election and another term, then he shouldn't run, but if he knows he's up for it but won't run because it will be hard, that's a whole different story.
There are two scenes in this episode that are the show's two best individual moments, and would both make my top 10 favorite television scenes of all time. First is the cathedral speech, where after the funeral, Bartlet remains alone in the cathedral as he addresses God directly in the wake of his friend's death and the political nightmare he's living through. Martin Sheen's acting is chilling, and seeing him rant against the God he worships while cursing in Latin is nothing short of profound. Man's smallness and lack of might in comparison to God has been a recurring theme in classic literature, but with Jed Bartlet, they created such a mighty and larger-than-life character, that this episode twists that theme into something like "Man finding the conviction to stand up to God".
And secondly, the final scene, which just might be the single best moment in TV history. Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits starts to play, as the Presidential motorcade makes its way to the press conference where Bartlet will be asked about running for re-election. CJ has carefully instructed him to let one specific reporter ask first as they won't ask about re-election, yet Bartlet ignores this and chooses the first reporter at random. At this point, I'll remind you that the episode's flashback narrative had a scene where Landingham knows that Jed has made up his mind about a decision, because he has put his hands in his pockets and looks to the side while smiling. Anyways, in present day, Bartlet is asked if he's going to run again, and the season ends with Brothers In Arms blasting while a storm rages outside and Leo tells the other staff to "watch this", as Bartlet puts his hands in his pockets, looks to the side and smiles, after which the credits start to roll. There is no better way to end a television season.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week, as I begin the third of my non-movie-related theme months: now that literature and music have been covered, July's topic will be yet another semi-passion of mine: football (soccer, that is). Football Month begins with a ranking of the top 10 greatest players from my lifetime!
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