A West Wing question.

[IslaValargeone]

I am a first time winger, and have been ploughing through the box set and am now on season 6. I am however getting quite bored, the campaign story just isn't doing it for me and there is no razor sharp wit/banter any more. Is this largely it now until the very end, or does it get better?

Isla you're going through a syndrome known as 'it's cold and grey in New Hampshire and it's warm and glossy in the White House'. Most Wingnuts go through it on first viewing, all I can tell you, as people are telling me about my new baby, are it DOES get better, it really does.

First time viewing I couldn't be bothered with the campaign and wanted to be back in the White House where it was warm and funny, but now I have realised that you have to sometimes go away, in order to be able to come home again.

It takes a while to warm to the new characters, and there are a lot of them, but it does ramp up, and by the end it all just seems to fit.

D

Ah! I hadn't realised it was a recognised condition, I feel better now.
Thankyou.

I'm getting a bit bored in series 5 tbh
after the kidnapping it all gets a bit lacklustre

Season 5 is generally acknowledged to be a low point I think - didn't Sorkin stop writing it after Season 4?
However OP, I loved Season 7 after finding the start of 6 slightly unengaging, so it will get better. I re-watched it fairly recently and was still gripped.

It gets better. Once the primaries are out of the way its top notch all the way to the end I think . Hang in there, there is light at the end of the season.

Definitely gets better - and you get more of your old characters popping back up and in again.

I agree season 5 is a low point, and season 6 has its downs but it sets up season 7. Having watched the entire series more than a couple of times, I think that we are sort of meant to feel a bit frustrated/bored with it at various times, in the sense that that's how they would have been feeling, halfway through the second term, realising that they hadn't achieved half of what they thought they would when they were younger, enthusiastic, optimistic etc, and then season 6 again I think you're meant to feel like the start of the campaign is cold and a bit fruitless, because it was.

I don't mean that they were deliberately writing boring episodes, and obviously Sorkin leaving left a great gaping hole in the writing which it took time to get over, but I do think the way I feel watching those seasons is completely in tune with how the staffers would have been feeling at the time.

I know I am waaaaaaayyyyy over thinking this though, but that is what has helped me enjoy the later seasons more, and then season 7 is really good and full of energy again (IMO).

D

I am so jealous that you are watching it for the first time.

Right - must watch it all again! I loved it all...