West Wing, The - Season 4  (2002-03)

Rating: NR

Distributor: Warner Home Video

Release Date: April 5, 2005
Review posted: April 12, 2005

Reviewed by Dennis Landmann

SUMMARY

Follow the re-election of President Bartlet to his second term and witness the gripping personal crisis that forces him to chose between the best interests of the country and those of his family in this 22-episode, 6-disc collector's set! Compelling and clever storylines reveal the inner workings of the White House in this innovative, multiple Emmy-Award-winning drama series from producers John Wells ("ER"), Aaron Sorkin ("Sports Night") and Thomas Schlamme ("Sports Night"). The West Wing's fourth season received 15 Emmy nominations and 2 wins including, Best Drama Series and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. Starring Richard Schiff, Martin Sheen, John Spencer, Dule Hill, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Janel Moloney, Rob Lowe, Joshua Malina and Stockard Channing.

CRITIQUE

The West Wing is an incredible drama, and it continues its excellence throughout the fourth season. The stories told in each episode (except for one, more on it later) are interesting, exciting and educational, but more importantly they dig deep into the main characters' personalities and thoughts. The characters grow immensely with each passing season, and at this point I thought I knew a lot of about them, but series creator Aaron Sorkin (as well as the show's writers and consultants I would think) keeps new ideas and nuances coming, which means the characters don't become boring or stale. In fact, there are some great character developments this season, including the addition of Lily Tomlin as well as some interesting guest stars.

There are a lot of story developments present in this season, but I'd rather not talk about them because my curiosity before sitting down to watch Season 4 (in a matter of one week) got a little ahead of me, and I found out one or two things I rather wouldn't have known about. All I will say is that this season continues the Qumar situation, exploring it in interesting ways that create good tension, and creates a new storyline (among several others) which I'll dub the "Kundu crisis". There is a lot more going on and it's all really good. The last few episodes of the season build up to something strong and important. Among the returning characters this season after a rather significant absence are Reporter Danny Concannon (Timothy Busfield) and Zoey Bartlett (Elizabeth Moss).

The most obvious change about The West Wing this season is the departure of Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn, who is replaced by actor Joshua Malina (TV's Sports Night). Lowe's character is written out of the show very well, meaning realistically and not killed off like some other shows would if an actor leaves. With Lowe gone, Malina has a considerable shoe to fill and it takes him as well as his character a few episodes to get settled into the role as the new Deputy Communications Director. While this occurrence is handled very well, there is one small event (and I mean really small and perhaps not even all that important) that caught me by surprise. It's the episode The Long Goodbye, where C.J. visits her father at home after deciding to attend her school reunion. The script isn't Sorkin's, and it shows. I didn't care about the story at all, and in fact fast forwarded a few times.

The West Wing is the great drama it is because it focuses on the characters' jobs and how their jobs affect them. It doesn't slow down to portray the lives of the characters after they've gone home, but this episode does that, and it feels out of place. Perhaps I'm being too critical, but that's how I felt. My only hope is that future seasons don't come down to this level of storytelling, although fans of the show have voiced their disappointment about Season Five (not sure about Six). I will say I'm looking forward to more West Wing, but it's pretty obvious the show is not going to be the same without Sorkin, who left the show after this season.

The twenty-two episodes break down per disc as follows.

Disc 1:

20 Hours in America, College Kids, The Red Mass

Disc 2:

Debate Camp, Game On, Election Night, Process Stories

Disc 3:

Swiss Diplomacy, Arctic Radar, Holy Night, Guns Not Butter

Disc 4:

The Long Goodbye, Inauguration Part 1, Inauguration: Over There, The California 47th

Disc 5:

Red Haven's On Fire, Privateers, Angel Maintenance, Evidence of Things Not Seen

Disc 6:

Life on Mars, Commencement, Twenty-Five, Special Features

THE VIDEO

Warner Bros. presents The West Wing in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are bright and clear. Sharpness looks quite good, but some grain persists in scenes. Tiny compression artifacts occur in spots, but it doesn't distract from the viewing experience.

THE AUDIO

Warner Bros. presents The West Wing in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand, as is the lighthearted and dramatic music by W.G. Snuffy Walden. I didn't hear any noise coming from the speakers, in fact the front speakers are very active, and the rear speakers come alive in spots. Optional subtitles include English, French, and Spanish.

THE EXTRAS

The previous season DVD sets featured good extras, and this release continues the trend.

There are three audio commentaries: Game On by Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, director Alex Graves and actor Joshua Malina, which proves to be a good discussion and includes several tidbits, Commencement by Sorkin, Schlamme and Graves, which is another good track with some good information and talk, and lastly Twenty-Five by Sorkin, Schlamme and director Christopher Misiano, which serves its purpose well, too. The only downside to all three commentaries is the great amount of dead space; a few times the speakers would say something following a question or thought, but then there's silence, which leaves me to think some comments might have been removed. These people talk over each other a few times as well, but the conversations are easy to follow most of the time.

Behind Every Good Man... Is the First Lady (14 mins) compares the character of Abbey Bartlet, specifically her role as first lady, the role she plays in politics and the development of the character itself, to past first ladies.

The Letter of the Word (19 mins) takes a look at presidential speechwriters as well as the show's speechwriter characters (namely Sam Seaborn, Toby Ziegler and Will Bailey) featuring interviews with the show's cast and crew as well as real-life speechwriters.

On the last disc are three outtakes (deleted scenes) for the episodes Game On, Arctic Radar and Holy Night which add up to roughly five minutes worth of footage. These scenes aren't great, but they're good to see.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The West Wing is simply a great show. Season 4 tells great stories and puts the characters through interesting and emotional experiences. The quality of the storytelling and Sorkin's teleplays (the majority of episodes receive "story" credit from staff writers) are very good. The DVD set is excellent, with good video and audio quality, and a number of good extras.

VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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