I was impressed and gratified ...
John Spencer, The West Wing
Question: I was impressed and gratified by
The West Wing's handling of the death of
John Spencer/Leo McGarry in last week's episode (April 9), and I wonder if this is the road to the kind of classy ending you hoped for for the show. Clearly it was a story line that couldn't be delayed — no other plausible way to explain the absence of the vice-presidential candidate, especially given the real-life circumstances — but the writers wisely kept the ultimate focus on election results. Grief was expressed by the characters closest to Leo, while others showed the harsh reality of politics. Josh's turnaround was evident but not overplayed. Best of all, throughout the show the presidential candidates displayed the kind of nobility that drew us to this series in the first place. I lost my enthusiasm for
The West Wing a while back, but for me this episode is close to full circle.
Answer: Isn't that the truth.
The West Wing at its best has always been an idealized romance about public service, and the election episode was a perfect example of that. (For my fuller reaction, check out my
Dispatch from earlier this week.) I'm anxious to see this Sunday's tribute to Leo/John Spencer, but mostly, I'm satisfied — no matter how these last episodes turn out — that
West Wing is going out with the dignity befitting a series that was once truly great.
On the issue of the show's imminent farewell on May 14, Colleen writes: "In your last Q&A, you brought up West Wing and how if the fans were 'true fans,' we would want to let the show go on a creative high. I agree and disagree with that statement. Earlier in the year, when I first heard about the cancellation, I was very glad. Being a true fan, I've recognized the show's downward spiral in the past two or three years. And I was excited to know that it was going to end on a high note by letting us a little bit into the character's lives. However, having seen this season unfold, I have to admit that there is a part of me that really wants to have the show continue under Matt Santos. I think it would have been a very different show, a very different White House, and I would have loved to explore it, at least for a year or two. I don't know if it would have been done well, but I would have tuned in, if only because shows like West Wing are becoming more and more extinct.
"And what I mean by that is, most hourlong dramas that are on right now are either procedurals (which bore me to tears) or the action-adventure high-speed dramas, which don't give the viewer much in the way of substance. I miss those old soap-opera-like dramas, where we got to know a group of characters and watched them learn and grow through the years. Often in a police station, a hospital, a courtroom or even a school, but to me, they were the best shows on TV. And now that WB and UPN are merging, destroying half of those shows, and many of the others are going off the air, or have already been canceled, I would have taken a subpar West Wing over "CSI: Vermont" or American Idol 83. Often viewers settle for mediocrity in a show that was great because it's still better than what's out there. Not to say that there aren't any good serials left (Grey's Anatomy, Veronica Mars, Everwood, Gilmore Girls, Desperate Housewives, just to name a few) and that some of the other types of shows aren't good shows (Lost, 24, Bones) but I still miss the shows that have gone before. And I wish someone at the networks would remember what keeps most people coming back: the characters."
Colleen makes a good point and puts The West Wing's departure in an important context. I'd still rather it bow out now and not risk another decline (it's hard to imagine the show yet again topping the drama of the campaign), but we could certainly use more series with this kind of ambition and humanity.
