From the iconic “walk and talk” to President Bartlet’s grand entrance, here’s why The West Wing pilot remains a TV masterpiece.
I’m going again. Back to the beginning. Back to where The West Wing all started.
Why? The 25th anniversary was a memory jogger – all those clips on social media. Also, politics is in such a ragged and toxic state that one needs a palate cleanser, a reminder of how it could be.
Leo McGarry: All in his stride
And, boy, did writer Aaron Sorkin hit it out of the park from the first step. Literally, because that debut walk-and-talk scene where Leo McGarry slaloms around the West Wing, exchanging quips, news, and petty grumbles about the crossword, is glorious.
SECURITY OFFICER: It’s a nice morning, Mr McGarry.
LEO: We’ll take care of that in a hurry, won’t we, Mike?
Here’s how Sorkin so superbly sets up his other key characters, sometimes in just a line or a visual.
Sam Seaborn: The idealist
I have a minor quibble with the Sam/Laurie storyline. Never believed that Laurie (Lisa Edelstein) or anyone would glory in their call girl status. It has that icky ring of Pretty Woman about it. Surely no one relishes the thought of sleeping with a bunch of tubby, gropy Washington bores, even if it does pay the bills.
Still, it allows us to get to know Sam (Rob Lowe), who was, back then, the headliner of this ensemble piece.
He was committed, intelligent, naive in the ways of love, an optimist, and a believer in second chances and reformation. He won’t be deterred, and he fails to understand why that might be necessary.
And it sets up that classic line with Leo’s daughter, Mallory. You know the one. (“I’m a nice guy who’s having a bad day…”)
(Incidentally, one of the joys of The West Wing was the staff’s outlook. Despite working in the viper’s den of politics, they still stumble about as if fresh from the egg, unsullied and a little confused.)
Josh and Donna: The double act
I’ve said elsewhere that I don’t buy into the Josh/Donna romance. I’m an Amy Gardner person – that’s where his heart should rest.
However, there’s no escaping the quipping, screwball relationship between boss (Bradley Whitford) and assistant (Janel Moloney). Donna can deflate his many pomposities – of which there are many in the occasionally insufferable Josh.
In this episode, she gets him coffee for the first time, signalling his job is on the line due to his cheap remark to Mary Marsh on Meet the Press. And also signalling the soft heart and genuine affection beneath the pointed workplace barbs.
CJ and Toby: Setting the stage
Not much of a show from these two. The magic is yet to come. But we know who they are now. CJ, on the outside, trying to find her way in. She’s trying to balance work and life – and find a little romance if she can – although she’s a very tall klutz so that doesn’t work in her favour.
Toby, angry. You want to know who Toby is? This one line:
“I agree with Josh and I agree with Sam and I agree with CJ and you know how that makes me crazy.”
President Bartlet’s entrance: The grand moment
Then comes the climax. What an entrance. Watch it a dozen times, and you’ll see all the moving parts, how Sorkin has set it up with the bickering over the Commandments, everyone getting fractious.
Toby, yelling, “Honour thy father is the third commandment?”
“Then what’s the first commandment?”
Cue President Bartlet, hobbling in, declaring, “I am the Lord your God. Thou shalt worship no other God before me.”
Everybody stands.
Then: “Boy, those were the days, huh?”
The script describes the President thus: “While the left hand is lulling you with folksy charm, you don’t even hear the right hook coming.”
Watch it again. Watch how Sorkin does it.
Later, the sense of grandeur is perfectly captured when Bartlet (Martin Sheen) talks about Cuban refugees:
“With the clothes on their backs, they came through a storm. And the ones that didn’t die want a better life, and they want it here. Talk about impressive.” (Beat.) “My point is this: Break’s over.”
What’s next?
A flaw in the West Wing pilot?
What’s next? Well, stop reading if you want to bask in the lavish gorgeousness of that practically perfect pilot. But if you want to see a little flaw, read on.
And I’m not talking about the unbelievable Mandy Hampton, the Jar Jar Binks of the West Wing. She’s gone. Forgotten.
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Apart from the minor gripes, here’s the significant issue I have. And it’s something that only a veteran would notice. The problem is this: There’s no way – no way – that President Bartlet would sack Josh over his remarks to Mary Marsh on Meet the Press.
No way would Leo have to talk him down.
We know this because:
- Bartlet loves Josh. They’ve been through everything together. He’s the pitbull, the fixer, loyal to the last.
- Bartlet thrives on battle, especially when it involves ideas.
- He must have loved Josh going up against the Christian hard right, especially since one of them sent his granddaughter a mutilated Raggedy Ann doll. He would’ve relished Josh’s slapdown and fancied it for himself, perhaps.
- Bartlet and Josh are family. I say it again. He wouldn’t have booted out Josh (his de facto son) over a cheap gag.
So the dramatic tension of episode one is, in hindsight, bogus. But that’s the beauty of having hindsight – new viewers, like we were once, wouldn’t know this. They have seven seasons to figure it out.
So ultimately, it’s just a piece of dramatic flim-flam to keep us hooked. Otherwise, 10/10, Aaron.