The West Wing: My Top 10 Episodes

A few months ago, I had a M*A*S*H marathon. Not for the first time, and not for the last time, but it had been maybe a year since I actually marathoned the entire series.

Now, I really love Alan Alda. He is the bomb, and when if he ever dies (I'm hoping he'll just live forever. Him and Julie Andrews), I may actually have to take time off to grieve.

My mum got me into M*A*S*H in 2007, during my last year of high school, and I fell in love with it. Mostly because, as I mentioned, Alan Alda is the greatest.

I knew Alan Alda had been in the last few seasons of The West Wing, but I'd never watched the show. I was 9 when it started, 16 when it ended, and it had never been something I paid much attention to. My mum however, loves it. I suspect this is mostly because of her love of Rob Lowe.

Anyway, when I finished my M*A*S*H marathon, I decided that I'd give The West Wing a shot. So, when I was home for a weekend in August, I borrowed my mum's boxset of the series. Last night, I finished the series.

And I loved it. Really, really, really loved it. It's brilliantly written, and the cast is amazing.

So, now that I've finished the series, I decided to list my Top 10 Episodes. It took a day of careful consideration, and 4 pages of notes, but I finally made my decision. I went through the episode guide and made a shortlist of every episode I remembered that completely grabbed me. There was 24.
From that, I shortened it to 10. And 5 honourable mentions, because I'm terrible at making decisions.(BTW, I just told that story to my mum and she laughed at me) Enjoy!

10. Shibboleth (season 2, episode 8)
It's Thanksgiving, and CJ's first Thanksgiving in the White House (because she had been sick the year before). As the episode progresses and she finds out this entire list of apparently traditional White House Thanksgiving traditions, including choosing between two turkeys (Eric and Troy) to see which is more photogenic and thus receiving a presidential pardon; I didn't think it could get better.
Until it ends in the President drafting the second turkey (which CJ still wanted to save from being eaten, even if he wasn't photogenic) into military service.
There's also a subplot where Charlie is on the hunt for a new set of carving knives for the President, which starts off funny and ends up being very sweet and heart-warming.



9. The Debate (season 7, episode 7)

This episode was performed live, twice (one for each coast), which is really why it's on this list. I just find that amazing, plus it was completely gripping. I actually had to remind myself that this wasn't a real election debate at times!
It felt very real, and both Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda did such a brilliant job.





8. Dead Irish Writers (season 3, episode 15)
It's Abbey's birthday and the White House is throwing her a birthday party. I think I love this episode so much because the show was in the midst of such a heavy storyline about the President's MS, and there was so much humour in this episode. The President working on his toast for his wife and trying to be funny; and the First Lady, CJ, Donna and Amy just holed away, drinking.
Donna discovers she's actually Canadian, because the town in Minnesota where she was born has been moved over the border; and Abbey puts together a little surprise for her at the end.



7. The Leadership Breakfast (season 2, episode 11)
This episode contains probably my favourite episode opener of the entire series. But the clip below covers about every reason this episode is on my list.

6. These Crackpots and these Women (season 1, episode 5)


Five words: Big Block of Cheese Day. President Andrew Jackson once placed a two-ton block of cheese in the main foyer of the White House and allowed guests to enter, eat from the cheese, and meet with the President about whatever they thought was important.

In the spirit of this, once every so often, the Bartlet Administration take meetings with people who wish to discuss topics that wouldn't normally be given much discussion. Basically, these end up being random and hilarious episodes.
This is also the episode where we find out about Joanie, Josh's sister; and the President cooks chilli.

5. 20 Hours in America (season 4, episodes 1 and 2)

Yeah, technically two episodes but I'm counting them as one. Josh, Toby and Donna are stranded by the President's motorcade in Indiana during the election. That says it all, really. Another episode that you think is just going to be tremendously entertaining, but at the end surprises you with something really sweet.





4. Shutdown (season 5, episode 8)

President Bartlet shuts down the government when the Speaker of the House refuses to pass the Senate. What I really love about this episode is getting to see Josh showcase his brilliant political mind, through such simple actions. He suggests they go to the Capitol to negotiate the budget. When the President stops to greet some tourists, Josh suggests they walk the rest of the way. When the Speaker and the Republicans make the President wait, Josh suggests they leave; which changes the tide of the media in their favour, making the Speaker look to be the one to blame for the government shutdown.





3. Shadow of Two Gunmen (season 2, epsiode 1 and 2)
I do love a good flashback episode! Getting to see how the team came together during the campaign is fantastic- especially how Donna was hired. To have that as Josh and the President undergo surgery after both being shot and the fallout from that. Such a good episode.



2. Isaac and Ishmael (season 3, episode 1)
This was the first episode of season 3, which aired in 2001. It doesn't fit in with the show's universe or timeline, but although I watched it for the first time 13 years after the events of 9/11; it's message is just as powerful now as I imagine it would have been then. It discusses terrorism in a calm, logical manner and I think I understood more after watching this episode than I did before. It's a powerful episode on a subject that is still relevant today, as the West Wing staff try and explain terrorism to a group of students.

1. Celestial Navigation (season 1, episode 15)

Josh gives a lecture about a "typical day" at the White House. Which includes Josh having to do the press briefing after CJ has a root canal, and accidentally alludes to the Presidents' "secret plan to fight inflation". The President's reaction is the best. Plus, Sam and Toby get lost on a drive to Connecticut.










HONOURABLE MENTIONS (AKA Episodes that I love but I thought 10 was a better number than 15):
1. Inauguration Parts 1 and 2 (season 4, episodes 13 and 14). Namely for this scene with all the Josh and Donna feels. Plus, Charlie in this scene cracks me up. (I can't find the scene on YouTube, so you'll just have to watch the episode yourselves!). 

2. Pilot (season 1, episode 1). This is one of the best pilot episodes I've ever seen. It sets up so much, and all the characters are pretty much exactly as they are throughout the series, which isn't always true with pilots. I was hooked from the start!

3. And it's surely to their credit (season 2, episode 5). This episode has Ainsley Hayes' first day (who I love. She's awesome).When two staffers leave dead flowers on her desk with a note reading BITCH, Sam goes nuts. Which doesn't happen a lot and I think that's why I love this so much.

4. Noel (season 2, episode 10). A Josh-centric episode dealing with his PTSD after being shot. That's all. I do love Josh.

5. Stirred (season 3, episode 17). We have the President doing Charlie's tax return for him; and Donna trying to get a presidential proclamation for her high school English teacher, who is retiring. Because he can't do that, instead the President calls the teacher from the Oval Office. I think it's because I'm a teacher I love this so much.

THE OTHER EPISODES THAT MADE UP MY SHORTLIST (in case you're interested):

1. Debate Camp (season 4, episode 4)
2. Gaza/Memorial Day (season 5, episodes 21 and 22). [I know, they're two episodes. But I couldn't separate them]
3. Requiem (season 7, episode 18)
4. The State Dinner (season 1, episode 7)
5. Let Bartlet be Bartlet (season 1, episode 19)
6. Two Cathedrals (season 2, episode 22)
7. Hartsfield's Landing (season 3, episode 14)
8. The Black Vera Wang (season 3, episode 19)
9. In the Room (season 6, episode 8)