tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post1585741059039473014..comments2024-02-10T01:22:29.316-08:00Comments on Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies: The West Wing -- Season 5Kevin J. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-87037669102318016872013-12-24T22:42:47.829-08:002013-12-24T22:42:47.829-08:00For me season five just doesn't have the heart...For me season five just doesn't have the heart the first four season had. I'm six episodes into season five and I'm really not liking Leo or the president thus far. Both have become really hard with few hints of the compassion that made those two characters stand out in the first four season. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-57994334702568353312013-09-18T19:50:40.906-07:002013-09-18T19:50:40.906-07:00You said that Season Five might be not so bad but ...You said that Season Five might be not so bad but just different. In my opinion it's both. One other fact that seems never to be mentioned, and bothers me, is that the video itself is dark, with the colors muted. This in itself seems to sap the energy and any humor from the show.<br /><br />To this day, I've never been able to finish this series. I've watched Seasons One through Four several times, determined each time through to continue on through Season Seven. But by the middle of the fifth season my determination always falters. I find myself no longer able to pay attention. I need to keep rewinding to see what I've missed, but it's never worth it. While in the first four seasons each episode flies by, after that I can only watch about ten minutes at a time before boredom sets in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-30509124970623277102012-10-15T13:46:42.744-07:002012-10-15T13:46:42.744-07:00Nice article. I started watching The West Wing in ...Nice article. I started watching The West Wing in Season Five so I may be less harsh than others in judging it. You're right that it works as a straight drama. Personally I'm quite fond of The Warfare of Genghis Khan, which a) provides an in-depth view of a pressing issue, b) has more humor than the rest of the season combined (Leo's jetpack speech is hysterical), c) allows underused characters like Will and the Vice President something substantive to do. Han, The Supremes and Shutdown are also favorites.<br /><br />That said, Season 5 had plenty to irk me. Access was a terrible gimmick show, and unlike you I found No Exit a contrived way to force characters to work out their issues. Wasn't there an episode where Josh and Toby came to blows? I definitely recall Josh yelling at the Capitol Building and Charlie getting bitch slapped in the Oval Office by a girlfriend. Too much absurd melodrama and off-base characterization, only accentuated in the subsequent seasons. <br />Groggy Dundeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14990254767008162244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-82413929194573668722012-06-17T09:45:40.123-07:002012-06-17T09:45:40.123-07:00Well, I think I thought the same thing you did abo...Well, I think I thought the same thing you did about the kidnapping episode until I watched it about a month ago. Yeah, it's paced well and pretty good television in the sense that you're never bored watching the episode, but it just seems so out of place in that universe. There are some moments within in those last two episodes (especially the moments with John Goodman) that are just laughably bad, and I guess the point I was hoping to make was this: I know I gave those episodes a pass because they were Sorkin's last and because I was someone who believed that Sorkin could do no wrong (not to mention I came to the show late on DVD, so I had already heard about the well-documented gripes between fans of the series and John Wells' version of the show...which no doubt clouded my judgement a little). I found myself upon recent viewing not caring at all about those last two episodes and kind of seeing them for what they were: Sorkin blowing up his show on the way out. <br /><br />Even if Sorkin hadn't left, the kidnapping storyline pales in comparison to his three other season-ending cliffhangers he wrote for the series.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-9949523997919162062012-06-17T04:54:06.942-07:002012-06-17T04:54:06.942-07:00It's been a while since I've seen Season 5...It's been a while since I've seen Season 5, so I'm struggling a bit to remember all its little details. I will say though that I think you're wrong and right on the kidnapping part: right in that it's very 24-ish and thus a departure from the show's usual spirit; right again in that it was smart to resolve it swiftly and not let it carry out over several episodes; but wrong in that the kidnapping episode itself is actually very well constructed (as I recall), to the point that I find it difficult to resist as drama/suspense, even while I love to resist anything that resembles 24. I guess my point is this: I think it's fair to question whether the show should have gone there, but at least when it went there it did it well. (Although maybe my memory is faulty.)Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.com