The West Wing: The Complete Seventh Season – DVD Review

Archive


Available At Amazon.com

Cast:

Alan Alda……….Senator Arnold Vinick
Kristin Chenoweth……….Annabeth Schott
Dulé Hill……….Charlie Young
Allison Janney……….Claudia Jean ‘C.J.’ Cregg
Joshua Malina……….Will Bailey
Mary McCormack……….Kate Harper
Janel Moloney……….Donna Moss
Richard Schiff……….Toby Ziegler
John Spencer……….Leo McGarry
Bradley Whitford……….Josh Lyman
Jimmy Smits……….Congressman Matthew Santos
Martin Sheen……….President Josiah “Jed” Bartlet

THE SHOW


It’s always sad to see a great show leave television. These shows become a part of your weekly life, and you feel a certain ownership as characters you’ve grown to love traverse their trials and tribulations. But all good things must come to an end, and such was the case with The West Wing. One of the most critically acclaimed shows of all time finally came to an end after seven seasons, and while there were a few bumps along the way after show creator Aaron Sorkin left, the final season saw it bow out as it reclaimed the mantle of “best show on TV”.

The seventh and final season revolved around the race for President between two men whose similarities almost balanced their differences. On one side you had Senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda), a Republican from California who was pro-choice and had little use for the Christian Conservative base of his party. On the other side you had Congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) from Texas, a Catholic who felt that abortion was a sin, even though he was politically pro-choice.

The final season had its share of tragedy, as John Spencer, who played former Chief of Staff and current Vice Presidential candidate Leo McGarry, died of a heart attack halfway through the season, causing much of the second half of the season to be rewritten. Spencer was the rock that stabilized the show, and his presence was missed in the final episodes. “Requiem”, the episode that dealt with McGarry’s funeral, was one of the most moving hours of television you could ask for.

As the season focused primarily on the race for President, we saw little of the Bartlet White House. The main subplot of the season saw Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) confess to being behind the leaking of classified information that there was a secret military shuttle that could be used to rescue astronauts stranded in the International Space Station as it lost air. Ziegler was fired and prosecuted for leaking classified information. Meanwhile, the White House also had to deal with a malfunctioning nuclear reactor (which would have a major impact on the election) and a growing crisis in Kazakhstan involving oil, Russia, and China.

As a bonus to fans, two long-simmering romances finally boiled over. C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) and Danny Concannon (Timothy Busfield), after years of flirting and dancing, finally began dating. But the big payoff for fans was the final blooming of love between Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and Donna Moss (Janel Moloney). After dancing around the elephant in the room for over six seasons, Josh and Donna finally get together on Election Day and become an official couple. For longtime fans of the show, it was an awesome payoff.

For seven wonderful seasons, The West Wing gave us great television and opened up a line of discourse not normally generated by television. It was a liberal view of governmental utopia, but done well enough that even conservatives could watch and enjoy the show. In an era where the country seems even more divided by politics, The West Wing was an arena where the issues of the day could be discussed without enmity. It will be sorely missed.

THE DVD


THE VIDEO

(Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen)

The video looks excellent. At an estimated $6 million an episode, The West Wing was like a mini-movie every week, and it looked like it. It was easily one of, if not the, best looking shows on TV, and the transfer takes absolutely nothing away from that.

THE AUDIO

(Presented in 2.0 Dolby Digital)

The audio is excellent. As stated before, the show’s budget allowed for cinematic-quality sound, and it’s always excellent. The score perfectly meshes with the scene, and the dialogue is never an issue. Great work all around.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Minimal. The only special features revolve around the live episode “The Debate”, which was an actual live debate between Alda and Smits. The first featurette, Live From The Director’s Chair: A Multiangle View From The Truck’s The Director Calls The Live Debate Episode, is a split-screen experience: on one side you have the actual episode playing; on the other side, you see the director’s truck as they cut from angle to angle. It’s interesting for a few minutes, but rapidly becomes boring. The other featurette, Countdown To West Wing Live: Anatomy Of The Debate, is a 25 minute behind the scenes look at the making of the episode, with interviews with the actors talking about how they prepared for the episode. As a whole, while the features offered are interesting, it’s still disappointing that they focus on only one episode and there’s nothing offered focusing on the overall scope of the show.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE MOVIE

10
THE VIDEO

10
THE AUDIO

10
THE EXTRAS

4
REPLAY VALUE

10
OVERALL
9
(NOT AN AVERAGE)