Potus has driven into a tree, Sam has accidently slept with a prostitute and Josh is about to get fired! West Wing Series One rewatch starts here!!

[lilibet]

So, episodes one and two this weekend everyone and a chat next week?

Are we on three and four yet?

OK. I've now watched all of series 1. Of course, some of the excitement of the cliffhanger is lost on me, having watched the last series. Still, wow!

So, what are we supposed to be talking about?

I'm falling behind as I hae become adicted to the re run of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, sorry

A few thoughts on 3 and 4. Firstly they are both totally wonderful, it really does make you see how the writng has deteriorated.

Why is Josh only getting his card now, after they ahve been in office for so long? How long is it btw, I know that someone will know, tripbot?

I love the scene in the bar with Zoey and Charlie - what a man!!

And Mr Willis, why is he doing his wife's job? That is never adequatley explained, could you imagine if David Cameron popped his clogs, Samantha taking over? Or Cherie running the country??

But it is still all totally wonderful, I love it, every episode makes me fill up!

I did wonder about that. Can you inherit a seat in congess?!! Do you know, I didn't like that story as much. A bit too wide-eyed for me I think. But lots of series one Toby. Yum! What happened to grind him down?

I've been trying to find out about the inheriting of the seat. I found something (eventually) by googling, which suggested that a temporary congress(wo)man could be appointed by the state's governor. I'm guessing that's what's happened in this case, until an election can be held to find a proper successor to Mrs Willis.

I've killed the WW thread !

I watched episode 9 last night and, apart from it being a stonking episode, which left me with a lump in my throat (lilibet...?), was shocked by the snobbishness of America's apparently classless society - and this from people on the Left...

Is there just me left doing the rewatch?

Sorry - I got side-tracked after my WW marathon when we started, it's v hard to stick to just 2 eps a week, esp when we are back with WW at its very best.

Whereabouts are we?

Hi Trib... I don't know where everyone else is. I couldn't keep to two a week either, and got ahead. I have just watched episode 12 or 13 (can't remember without looking at DVD box): 'He shall from time to time...' (when POTUS gets ill just before the State of the Union).

Another classic ep Ellbell, although does it strike you as weird in retrospect that Leo didn't know about the MS but the VP did?

Right, back to business this weekend I think, from the State of the Union.

VP would have to know, though, wouldn't he?, in case he was called on to take over if JB became incapacitated. Whereas maybe he thought that if he told Leo he'd feel duty-bound to tell some of the others and it would all get out of hand. Or perhaps he thought that Leo wouldn't support his campaign if he knew...

Me and dh commented on how obvious it is, once you know, that something dodgy is going on - when Abbey comes in and sends the official doctor away and starts giving him injections. Most odd. But the first time you see it it doesn't necessarily strike you as peculiar at all.

If you watch episode 9 (can't remember what the title is now, but the one when Mendoza gets selected), see if you agree with me about the sheer outrageous snobbery. "He graduated from Harvard and Yale and his father was...".

(If there's a phrase guaranteed to get me going, it's "But his father was..."! Get your own life, I say!)

Agreed, although JB has seen Leo through his own trials - drinking etc. It seems unlikely in retrospect he wouldn't share. When JB gets shot, Abbie says there are 14 people who know, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, etc.

The whole Mendoza thing seems quite odd compared with the Santos nomination to the presidency. Either TWW got further away from reality (sadly possible) or American society has taken a major leap forward whilst it's been on.

I'm still here!

I agree about the "his father was...." bit, but all the WW bods are pretty proud of their Ivy League educations. A lot of the first series dialogue seems to be spent establishing how clever the characters are by referencing Berkeley/Princeton/Harvard/Masters/PhDs.

There are people who are intelligent and good at their job who have worked their way up the hard way (like Mendoza), or who are intelligent and "good" and are able to impart some wisdom, like Mr Willis, but for the real cleverness, the repartee, the "brightest minds in America" - that's the Ivy Leaguers.

Re. Santos and Mendoza... I'm not 100% sure about this (will have to check with dh, who took a module on American G&P when he did his degree and is better-informed!) but doesn't a nomination to the Supreme Court have to be approved by Congress (a Republican-dominated Congress in the case of Mendoza)? Whereas the nomination of Santos only had to be approved by the Democratic Party (which one could assume to be more open-minded...) - though of course the party had to believe that enough of the country would find him votable-for! I'm not sure about this though. (We must be coming up to the next Mendoza-related episode soon, surely?)

PS You are right, trib, it is odd that Leo should not have been told sooner. But it is also a useful narrative device which allows us (the viewers) to know before the majority of the other characters, and which makes it clear just how much of a big deal this is going to be when it does all come out.