Thursday, April 8, 2010

Project: Liberal Porn

There's a new sense of purpose illuminating life at Casa M & T. Sure, I might still have boxes of clothes to unpack, bare walls to fill, and then there's the issue of our inspiration-less bedroom decor. But no matter, because life is fresh and new again due to a commitment forged over drinks and patio grilling. The life-changing decision?

We will watch the entire series of The West Wing from start to finish. Project: Liberal Porn, if you will.


Your eyes do not deceive you. T happens to own the box set of the greatest network drama of our time. And between the two of us, we've probably already seen every episode (more credit goes to T here - I admit to nodding off during the Jimmy Smits years), but we have never watched them sequentially, from start to finish. Until now.

We are not attempting to do this marathon-style, never fear. I left behind my ability to stay up for days on end in graduate school. Plus, the show aired for seven years. Although it could be much worse than a fatigue- and hunger-induced death peppered with Aaron Sorkin's wit and speedy dialogue, I'm okay sticking around for a while longer. I will pace myself accordingly.


We're only eight episodes into Season 1, and here's what I have for you so far:
  • Shoes were really, really chunky in 1999
  • Necklines were also supremely unflattering
  • Thank goodness "The Regis" look for men is no more
Oh, I'm sorry, you expected more than a fashion report? Okay.
  • Oh yes, executive damnation for the Right's worst behavior traits!
  • Oh look, you can drive right onto the Capitol steps!
  • Man I love these characters
  • The series finale romances are already in place
  • Moira Kelly, what are you doing with yourself these days?
  • Everyone is so young and adorable with bad 1999 hair! (oops, that was kind of fashion-y)
Fun times over at our place, as you can see. My fantastic sister-in-law (who also delights in pointing out terrible shoes with me) joined us for our first two installments. In my nerd fantasy life, I imagine a rotating cast of West Wing fans who will join us as we get to their favorite parts of the series:

"I want to watch Bartlet's reelection campaign to gear up for 2012!"

"Call me when Mary Louise Parker arrives!"

"Let me know when they're doing Supreme Court appointments." 


So, you know, feel free to sign up and all. :-)


Deep thoughts: How about a West Wing drinking game? One shot for every sweeping musical interlude? One shot for every brilliant takedown of a bad guy political operative? One shot for every defense of the Constitution despite the political damage that might ensue? One shot for every time Josh should have married Donna THEN AND THERE? Three shots for every eery foreshadowing of the Obama presidency? You know you want in!

33 comments:

  1. I vote a shot for all "pedeconferencing". Actually, you'd probably black out by the end of the episode, as those West Wingers never talk while seated.

    I am so jealous of T (and you by marriage) owning the entire she-bang. Whenever I go on a West Wing binge, I end up having the characters appear in my dreams. Sign that I'm too invested in a fictional world I suppose. Although Sam Seaborn can appear in my dreams anytime! ;)

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  2. I LOVE West Wing! I am so jealous that of your having every single episode. And the idea of the drinking game is awesome! Keep the updates about this coming:)

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  3. call me when mary louise parker arrives! ;)

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  4. I slowly collected all the seasons over various holidays and birthdays (this Christmas was the first in a while when I didn't have a WW season on my list). Watched the box set you have with my roommate senior year of college, it really caught on in the sorority house :-)

    I'd say a shot for every lesson Bartlett teaches that involves Latin, and for every thing that happened on the show that later happened in real life (the eeriest to me is the double Supreme Court appointment in season 5 (6?). Happy watching, can't wait to hear updates!

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  5. Love it. I too own that very same set and during our move, while waiting for the fine people at Direct TV to activate our service my fiance and I embarked on watching the series front to back one more time. Oh how I love those characters. My favorite episode? Oh, so glad you asked: Isaac and Ishmael(3rd season), or maybe Two Cathedrals (season 2) or... I should stop before I embarrass myself. Enjoy your West Wing-ing!

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  6. Our West Wing marathon took just over a year to complete. (It would have taken far less time if hubs and I had cohabitated during that year.) It really is "the greatest network drama of our time." And still completely relevant. I miss it! Have you found anything close to its witty, intelligent dialogue and incredibly likeable characters? We need a new series to start.

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  7. Best. Show. Ever. I too own the box set of liberal porn and must confess to having watched the entire series more than once. (Except the last episode. I've only seen that once. I don't do well with endings. I'm pathetic.) West Wing is practically a religion in my family. We rattle off quotes daily and people have no idea what we're talking about.

    I think Moira Kelly left the show to be on One Tree Hill. Major downgrade. What is she doing now?

    CJ's style drastically improves as the seasons go on. She starts out looking old and frumpy and seems to get younger and more gorgeous as the series progresses. If Sam Seaborn were real I'd probably stalk him until a restraining order was issued. I want to be Amy Gardner.

    I'll stop geeking out on your post now. Enjoy the WW!

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  8. Can I just say that your posts always, ALWAYS make me giggle? You're hilarious. And this project is too great! Wish I lived closer so I could join you for a few!

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  9. You guys are AWESOME!!! Your comments are making me so happy. WEST WING GEEK PRIDE!!!!!

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  10. I am DYING of jealousy right now. Every time I happen upon a re-run on Bravo, I immediately stop what I'm doing (and get all sorts of nostalgic about why it was - and always will be -the best show on television)...my conservative husband just doesn't understand! :)

    Happy WW watching!

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  11. West Wing is my favorite! We own every episode. Ironically, I didn't watch it when it aired. In law school my husband (then boyfriend) and I were at Shopko or something and the first DVD was on a great sale. So we picked it up to check it out...and needless to say we now own the entire series and almost failed out of law school bc finding out what happened next became much more exciting then studying boring old contracts ;)

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  12. I have to admit that I only watched West Wing sporadically over the years, but mostly because I knew that it would be too addictive and then I'd be tied to my couch every time that it aired. It's been on my list to watch from start to finish. I loved both Sports Night and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip so much that I own and watch each of them over and over, so I do know that Aaron Sorkin is awesome.

    And the chunky 90s shoes? It blows my mind that we lived through that and thought shoes like that were flattering!

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  13. best show ever. my husband and i watched all of them, in order, when we didn't have cable when we first moved in together...i feel it may be safe to say that those evenings truly cemented our love :)

    call me when moira kelly leaves and when mary louise parker arrives :)

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  14. also...the episode with "hallelujah" at the end? my least favorite and favorite...all wrapped into one....amazing.

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  15. S@sha...to me, it's amazing to watch Sports Nite now (after seeing so many seasons of WW) and be able to see just how it was the first incarnation of what Sorkin was trying to do... in some ways it really is the same show (same wit, intelligence, pace, etc) with different subject matter and less polish/refinement. That evolution is the reason I was so dissapointed that Studio 60 didn't get a longer run...it had some kinks but they were on to something great there I think.

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  16. Maggie, I can't say I'm an Aaron Sorkin fan, so I would make a counteroffer: all ten years of Stargate SG-1 on Hulu! Who's nerdy now? :)

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  17. Hubby is watching all the seasons too. I can't watch more than one episode at a time. But he plays me his favorite parts and recaps each episode for me. It's a great show.

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  18. Hey there F-Word,

    I agree, its really too bad about Studio 60. It was a genius way to air a lot of political gripes and media hypocrisies via a fictional platform. I don't know if the writer's strike killed it, or if that was just an excuse because it hit a little too close to home. In any case its so nice to see intelligent characters as the norm on a show, instead of as the token nerd that everyone makes fun of.

    Also, it made me think Matthew Perry could be sexy in a way that goofy Chandler on Friends never could.

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  19. I have never loved a show like I loved the west wing. While I don't own the snazy box set (jealous!) I do own each individual season. I done a marathon 3 times now- many of the episodes I can quote verbatim. So smartly written, so well acted, so inspiring! It's amazing how the political issues from early seasons are still relevant!

    Some of my all time favorite episodes:

    -S1E5: the crackpots & these women - when I fell head over heels for Josh Lymon
    -S1E19: let Bartlett be Bartlett - so energizing
    -S2E1&2: in the shadow of two gunmen- love the flashbacks
    -S2E16: cartographers for social justice!
    S4E1: watch for a cameo by a young Amy Adams!
    S4E17: Allison Janney is a comedic genius
    -S2E16: somebody's

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  20. My husband and I recently did the same thing-- neither of us had seen very much of the show, and thanks to a generous friend were able to watch the entire series! It was interesting to watch it once it was off the air and we didn't have to hear about Aaron Sorkin drama, or Rob Lowe wanting more money, etc. etc. ad nauseam. And now, of course, when we see any actor who was even tangentially on the show, we have to identify them by their character's name-- we recently saw Ainsley Hayes on some show or other, and were a little disappointed she wasn't blaming it on the bossa nova. :)

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  21. Yikes, I'm so jealous! I fell in love with West Wing when I was studying abroad in college and the only English TV station would replay all the early seasons over and over. I think I should definitely add this set to my wish-list!! Keep the updates coming.

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  22. Yay!!! Love, love WW. When I interviewed with a certain US Senator (who shall go nameless for Maggie's sake ;)), I felt like I was in an episode of WW. And then when I got the job and worked on Capitol Hill, I really felt like I was part of the cast.

    Gotta give a shout out to Raleigh native Emily Procter who played Ainsley. Although her character got on my nerves, I was proud to see a North Carolinian on the small screen. (I much prefer her as Calleigh Duquesne on CSI: Miami!)

    Have fun. Maybe I can get in on the action when I'm up there on the 28th!

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  23. Oh I love the West Wing. My husband and i finished watching the entire series start to finish last summer, we started it right after he started law school and we would watch episodes here and the there on friday nights when I could get him to start studying. It was so sad when we finished. I love the early years with Sam the best. I love Sam and Josh, and CJ oh and Charlie. Don't you just love Charlie? Seriously the best show ever made. Where is Aaron Sorkin with another one?

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  24. I call Mary Louise Parker! If you give her away, we can no longer be friends!

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  25. Dear Kate,

    I'm afraid we're just going to have to share.

    xoxo,

    T

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  26. Ooo my husband and I did this awhile back. Best thing ever. Be prepared for the badness that is Season 5 and be sure to have lots of drinks handy once it starts.

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  27. There are some horrifying typos in my earlier comment - apologies to the fellow west wing o philes reading this.

    Wanted to chime in to the F-word's commentary on Studio 60. I recently snagged the entire series on DVD and I'm excited to rewatch it. I remember wanting so badly for Studio 60 to fill the gaping hole in my soul that first run episodes of the West Wing had left... and being a little let down, yet at the same time pulling for it to make it as series. Mostly likely so I could continue to see Bradley Whitford on a regular basis. What is he up to?

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  28. I love, love, love West Wing. I've seen every episode at least once. I have the series finale still saved on my DVR.

    @amelia -- Whenever I hear the song "hallelujah," I think of that episode and tear up a little. Oh, poor Simon.

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  29. Comrade I hear you. I just finished such a run (although I too waver in the Smitts years, despite the Santos / McGarry magnet on my fridge).

    Can I tell you i mourned when I was finished watching them again. Just as I mourned when it ended the first time on TV. Real physical pain.

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  30. I actually started REALLY missing the show and tracked down the whole series too one weekend just so I could get my fix. It was and still is one of my favorite shows!!! Hmm, kind of making me want to go pop a disc in now just thinking of it. I am so glad to I am not the only WW crazed person out there.

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  31. You have no idea how happy this post just made me! WW is my absolute favorite. I started watching them again by myself, but now my fiance is hooked so we're back to season one. The Christmas episode from season one is next and I can't wait- I cry every time.

    I wasn't a huge Moira Kelly fan or anything, but they could have at least written her off the show. It's sad to watch knowing she just falls off the face of the (West Wing) earth.

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  32. This is the first post I've read of your blog and I'm already smitten. WW is my second favorite series of all time (after M.A.S.H.). I am madly in love with Josh Lymon. My husband has never watched an entire WW episode so we're getting ready to start a marathon. My favorite episodes are the Crackpot & Two Cathedrals.

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  33. My boyfriend and I watched the whole series together; it took about a year. The best part is that he is a REPUBLICAN! Yet, he loves WW as much as the rest of us. :)

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