In honor of America's greatest (fictional) president, as well as The West Wing 's recent availability on Netflix, here are the 10 best West Wing episodes.
Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1)
From the start, The West Wing was a different kind of television program. Nowhere is this clearer than in the pilot episode, which mixes comedy (mostly involving the president's unfortunate bike crash), politics, drama, and witty back-and-forth dialogue and also debuts the show's walk-and-talk style that would become a mainstay of wordy dramas for the following 10 years.
KEY MOMENT: During a debate about the Ten Commandments with the religious right, President Bartlet correctly states the text of the first commandment in one of the most effective character introductions in television history.
BEST LINE: "Mrs. Landingham, what's next?" —President Bartlet
Via: screemusings.net
"Take This Sabbath Day" (Season 1, Episode 14)
The West Wing afforded Aaron Sorkin the opportunity to delve into some controversial political topics, and though he was sometimes accused of politicizing his entertainment to express his own views, "Take This Sabbath Day" tackles the death penalty head-on, making a religious argument against the death penalty while using Charlie to make a personal argument for it. This also introduces Joey Lucas, who must deal with a hungover Josh Lyman in some of the show's comedic highlights.
KEY MOMENT: Josh Lyman explains to Joey Lucas why they cannot support her candidate for Congress, pointing out that he (and the president) think she would be a fine candidate, a thought the show sadly never came back to.
BEST LINE: "You know what, I actually know that sign." —Josh, to Joey Lucas
"Shutdown" (Season 5, Episode 8)
After Sorkin left at the end of Season 4, the show saw a major tonal shift and quickly lost viewers as the quality of the writing fell. That said, Season 5 managed to pull out one of the best episodes of the show's run with "Shutdown," which follows up on Bartlet's threat to shut down the federal government at the end of the previous episode after a budget impasse. It manages to maintain the optimism of the opening season while keeping the post-Sorkin focus on backroom battles.
KEY MOMENT: On the advice of Josh Lyman, President Bartlet walks to Capitol Hill in a surprise move, scoring a major PR victory (as well as setting off a cultural reference every time Congress threatens a shutdown).
BEST LINE: "The enemy's advancing, and you had better give me more than a squirt gun before the sun comes up." —C.J. Cregg
"Let Bartlet Be Bartlet" (Season 1, Episode 19)
The last few episodes of the first season of The West Wing comprises one of the best stretches in the show's history, as Sorkin masterfully takes many of the pieces he has been building throughout the season (namely the staff's frustration about being unable to achieve anything) and in one of the best scenes in the show's history, has Leo break down the president by finally getting him to admit some things are more important than reelection. The show ends with a triumphant swell and gives us one of the best moments in West Wing history; it's easy to forget this episode also addressed gays in the military and delivered one of the show's funniest opening scenes ever.
BEST MOMENT: Leo lays out the new game plan to the staff, who all respond that they serve at the pleasure of the president.
BEST QUOTE: "Listen up — our ground game isn't working. We're gonna put the ball in the air. If we're gonna walk into walls, I want us running into 'em full speed." —Leo