West Wing

[TMoore4075]

"You know, if you don't want to run again, I respect that. But if you don't run because you think it's gonna be too hard or you think you're gonna lose, well, God, Jed, I don't even want to know you."

Watched it on my lunch to get ready for next week's episode.

[junior94]

Originally Posted by TMoore4075

West coast version is actually the one on the dvd.

Originally Posted by daveshookme

And Netflix, yes.

wait a sec, seriously? huh, that's genuinely kind of fucking with my mind. Because I've seen the debate episode A LOT. In fact honestly I've watched the bulk if not all of s6/7 episodes a lot, I would guess perhaps more so than most hardcore WW fans. Because while yea no question the 1-4 run stands out as superior and different, I still found a fair amount to like about the last couple years, hell even certain s5 episodes. Although there are also several s5 shows I've only watched a couple times and not thrilled with at all. funnily enough the Leo flashback one to those war scenes I find quite boring.

But anyway, this is making me wonder now if indeed I only ended up seeing the original east coast version of the debate my very first viewing, and everything after that has been west coast. And that switchover was just so long ago I don't really remember the changes.

[TMoore4075]

I haven't watched the debate one in forever but watched the east coast one originally (being in MI) and then watched it later on on the dvd and I couldn't tell you the differences. The only reason I know the one on the dvd is the west coast one was it says it on the box.

[junior94]

well I remember when ER did the live episode back to kick off their season 4, I'd heard that they specifically did do a couple details different when they did it for the second time for the west coast. And that was the year I first moved out to Los Angeles, and I was all excited after I got out there cause I was figuring, alright when they go into hiatus after the season and start repeating everything in order (of course as was the traditional way with network shows then), well I was on the west coast now so I'd get to see that version, too.
Of course, the repeat run starts, and the network decides they'll now switch the broadcasts so the east coast people would get to see the west coast one, and vice versa. So I had to watch the same damn one over again!

[junior94]

Originally Posted by TMoore4075

I haven't watched the debate one in forever but watched the east coast one originally (being in MI) and then watched it later on on the dvd and I couldn't tell you the differences. The only reason I know the one on the dvd is the west coast one was it says it on the box.

out of curiosity is that the full series boxed set you've got, or the individual season? I mean the way these companies work with DVD distribution over the years it's certainly not out of the question for there to be different versions. but cause I just looked again at the discs from my "complete 7th season" (which admittedly is not literally one off the shelf, but it's a direct copy of those discs) and for the menu of the disc with the debate episode, it notes in parenthesis it's the West Coast version. and yet I also just compared it with what's currently on Netflix, and in the site's labeling it doesn't specify either way but there's no question it's a different version of the episode. The whole first section of how their answers on illegal immigration come in a pretty different way.

So now I'm more confused than ever

[TMoore4075]

My DVD was the season not the series boxset.

[daveshookme]

I have both plain season one and the series box set. They both say west coast version.

[junior94]

well daveshookme, can I ask where you got the knowledge that it's the west version that netflix runs? cause I mean you can easily see for yourself, play them next to each other, the DVD and netflix are absolutely different versions.


and, taking into account what I was talking about before of the gossip BTS back then of Smits in particular taking awhile to get comfortable in rehearsal, he clearly seemed to me to have a better performance in the west coast one, which makes sense that being the second time he did it in the same night.

[daveshookme]

Originally Posted by junior94

well daveshookme, can I ask where you got the knowledge that it's the west version that netflix runs? cause I mean you can easily see for yourself, play them next to each other, the DVD and netflix are absolutely different versions.

I don't remember where I found out. I suppose maybe I'm wrong? I haven't watched either of the DVD's in a while, so I don't know if they're different from what's on Netflix, I just remember (apparently incorrectly) that all 3 versions were the west coast version.

[iMAC386]

Originally Posted by TMoore4075

"You know, if you don't want to run again, I respect that. But if you don't run because you think it's gonna be too hard or you think you're gonna lose, well, God, Jed, I don't even want to know you."

Watched it on my lunch to get ready for next week's episode.

Is that an Abbey or Landingham line? Or maybe Leo? Trying to think who actually called him Jed.

[junior94]

^^ that is a Mrs Landingham line, well the sort of "ghost" version of her. It's toward the end of the s2 finale when she appears to him as an apparition in the oval after she's already died. And the reason is because it's paraphrasing a little mini-speech that she gave Jed as a prep school student in one of those flashbacks earlier in the episode of the time they first met.

so yea technically it's NOT a case of being part of the multi-answer for my "greatest West Wing trivia question of all time", of each of the series moments where a non-relative addressed him as Jed to his face in the time while he was president. because she was dead

[~Crashintome89~]

Originally Posted by junior94

btw, a couple days ago I engaged with Richard Schiff and one other person on twitter making a crack about Piers Morgan, and Schiff replied.

I've "talked to Toby!" 1 bucket list item removed

I've played West Wing trivia with Richard Schiff.

[timeaftertime]

Originally Posted by TMoore4075

"You know, if you don't want to run again, I respect that. But if you don't run because you think it's gonna be too hard or you think you're gonna lose, well, God, Jed, I don't even want to know you."

Watched it on my lunch to get ready for next week's episode.

One of my all time favorite scenes.

[smokew11]

just started the series for the first time. around ep 18 in s1

[junior94]

Originally Posted by smokew11

just started the series for the first time. around ep 18 in s1

and it was just about a month ago that you started from scratch, right Eric? so I guess averaging a bit less than an episode a day.

yea I've probably said this before, but mine was more non-linear. cause I had one of my best friends, every once in awhile she'd throw another dig in "you should totally be watching this show the West Wing, you'd love it!" And it's not that I didn't believe her, she'd long had a good understanding of my tastes. I would tell her, yea I'm sure I would like it, just haven't gotten around to it yet (well and this was right smack in the middle of when I did my stint with Verhoeven in the Sony office, so I was constantly working pretty long office hours). So then right when the season 3 premiere was going to broadcast, that's when I started. It was only around 2004/05 I think when via the Bravo network I started catching up with seasons 1 and 2.

[daveshookme]

Originally Posted by timeaftertime

One of my all time favorite scenes.

I always say it's so hard to pick a favorite scene and yet when I think about it the first one that always comes to mind is the "down in the hole" story from Leo.

It's just so, so, so impactful.

[timeaftertime]

Originally Posted by daveshookme

I always say it's so hard to pick a favorite scene and yet when I think about it the first one that always comes to mind is the "down in the hole" story from Leo.

It's just so, so, so impactful.

That is a good one too.

[iMAC386]

You guys got link some youtube videos or something when you're naming scenes. I can't remember all these.

[JRS1386]

https://youtu.be/ZQJ6yqQRAQs

Hole scene. It is. Amazing

[daveshookme]

Just found this online. Huge montage of the show and god damn, they really nailed every aspect of the show.

There's kind of some spoilers, so beware.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=tI-Io2dd6KI

[junior94]

on the WW Weekly Podcast, they're up to the point in most recent episodes of covering the start of season 3, and two different things occurred to me within the scope of the opening Manchester 2-parter.

There's a whole sub-plot about everyone worrying about Charlie cause there's no way he'd be able to afford even the bare minimum services of a lawyer for the MS inquiry, thus they all encourage him to take immunity deal. I 100% understand why it doesn't feel right to him. But here's the thing: he is the President's personal "body man", and this is a major, (within universe of show) historic legal situation with the MS 'coverup'. Would it be unreasonable to think even at least one high quality attorney in the DC area would've been willing to rep Charlie pro-bono just for its own advertisement value for himself?


The second thing is probably more of a stretch, it definitely would never happen in the real world, but actually within WW-world, maybe. The notion that they feel they couldn't handle the Haiti situation the most proper and efficient way cause it would involve military action, and the admin's worry they'd get tagged for wagging the dog. That they were only doing it to distract the public from "the president's lies". So, you actually take that right fucking head on. Even if it's Bartlet himself making a statement directly to the press, that things in Haiti are simply too important to worry about public optics, and I'm going to go ahead and engage the military if I feel that's what's necessary, and to show you I'm not just trying to spin you, I'll remind you myself to keep hounding us with MS questions. There, you can't accuse me of just trying to distract you.

[42graystreet]

On my 3rd or 4th re-watching of the series. Started season 4 last night. Only now take notice that Amy Adams is in the first episode.

[TMoore4075]

Originally Posted by 42graystreet

On my 3rd or 4th re-watching of the series. Started season 4 last night. Only now take notice that Amy Adams is in the first episode.

I did notice that a while ago. That episode also has Jim from The Newsroom in it.

As for the podcast, I liked the information that it seems that they wanted Donna's diary to be a bigger thing and then ended up scrapping it. It was weird that it was like "omg the diary" and then it just went away.

[junior94]

Originally Posted by 42graystreet

On my 3rd or 4th re-watching of the series. Started season 4 last night. Only now take notice that Amy Adams is in the first episode.

yea it was directly related to the fact that she'd played Martin Sheen's daughter in the very excellent Catch Me If You Can movie, which was shot not long before production on the s4 premiere. She was still fairly unknown back then. In fact CMIYC included Adams, Jennifer Garner and Ellen Pompei (the latter two in small roles) all before really any of them broke out.

Originally Posted by TMoore4075

I did notice that a while ago. That episode also has Jim from The Newsroom in it.

and Sorkin had no memory of it whatsoever when going into production on The Newsroom pilot. He later laughed about how when they were still putting together casting and he looked down on John Gallagher's CV when he arrived to audition and was like "you were on the West Wing??"

[TMoore4075]

Last week's episode brought me back to one of the funniest:

"The question?"
"Why do you want to be president?"
"I don't."
"Well we'll put that in the hopper and show you a draft."
"Good."

[TMoore4075]

If you haven't listened to this week's episode. Do it.

[Nick@Night]

Started watching the show for the first time a while back, now in the middle of season 5. Can't believe I glossed over this show for so long.

[junior94]

Originally Posted by smokew11

just started the series for the first time. around ep 18 in s1

okay coming back into topping this thread, I guess we wound up doing most of the posting talking about you moving thru the series in the general TV watching thread? we must've, cause there was a fair amount but I see none of it here.

Anyway I've been looking at some s4 and 5 stuff lately myself as part of an editing project I have in mind, and since you did the whole show as recently as you did smoke, it occurred to me to ask this particular question. Looking back at the first third or so of season 5... with how openly hostile and angry that Abby is with Leo because of Zoey's kidnapping in the s4 finale (whether that was a totally rational and reasonable thing or not) did you find it odd at how how quickly she comes back around to being cool with him again? I mean, I think it's in 05x03 where, after the meeting with the secret service leader, she straight out says to Leo "but don't ask me to trust you ever again". And by 05x11, her and Jed are having a drink with Leo, saying they won't accept no for an answer of him coming up to the New Hampshire farm to get together for the Presidents weekend holiday.

I was just curious if that stuck out to you at all?

[smokew11]

yeah i think thats where a lot of the discussion happened

i didnt notice it but i just take it as kind of another example of the show very quickly moving past certain events and never really acknowledging them again unless needed, ie 1 episode to fix SS and middle east peace

[junior94]

okay that's fair.


btw I just thought of a brand new question for the first time, I've put it to the WWW'd podcast twitter account, let's see if I get a response. With the 5x18 episode "Access", since it's done in documentary-style showing what a day of CJ's job is like, but within the universe of the show, that episode of "Frontline" doesn't actually get "broadcast" to viewers until the Bartlet administration is out of the office (for national security reasons) that if you were a WW fan and recommending the series to a new viewer, would you suggest they actually skip that one during the season 5 run, and not watch it til they're done with the entire series. It feels like a fun way of playing along with the show's realism.

or is that waaaay too nerdy for anyone else