'The West Wing' brings glory to NBC's fall
season
By Mark Blackburn
Daily Forty-Niner
The peacock is spreading its dramatic wings
and taking off with NBC's new fall season show, The West Wing, a combination
of the old L.A. Law and the newer E.R. style show that delves behind the
scenes of what goes on in the business and personal lives of the president
and his staff.
Packed with star powers Martin Sheen, John
Spencer and Rob Lowe, the show is also ensembled with lesser known but
equally strong minor players.
One episode revolves around Bradley Whitford's
character Josh, the deputy chief of staff who receives a special map to
the presidential bomb shelters in case of nuclear attack.
Josh is puffed with pride until he discovers
that he is one of the only staff members slated to survive.
He returns the map to the National Security
Council and decides to side with his staff and friends.
Here is where the show's strength lays.
Most of the discussions about congressional
law and survey skews will leave viewers a little lost.
Then again just because you are not a pre-med
student it doesn't stop most from enjoying the E.R. doc yelling for
200 c.c.'s of some lotion or potion you can't pronounce.
The draw is in the relationships between
the people behind the most powerful man in the nation.
When the wife of the chief of staff leaves
him because he works too much we laugh when he swears that he'll pay more
attention in four years, eight maximum, with re-election.
We also understand the president's worries
about his daughter staying out late without calling because he is afraid
she is dead in a ditch somewhere, or worst, being held for ransom in the
release of mid-eastern terrorists.
We share a tear with Mr. Willis the senator
from Ohio, who's filling his deceased wife's congressional chair,
when he is forced to vote against a minority census bill sponsored by his
wife.
When all else fails the show draws to its
star Martin Sheen as president of the United States.
Sheen is low key yet passionate, speaking
about cutting space spending yet talking of the first moon landing as the
day man reached to touch the face of God and succeeded.
In these monologues Sheen shines and drives
the show in the race to November ratings and early Emmy nominations. |
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