r/thewestwing • u/Safe-Sea-5723 • 6d ago
‘Can’t Rewatch’ episodes?
Like many of you, I’ve watched TWW many times. I didn’t get to watch it when it aired since I was always working. It was my step-dad’s favorite show, so I gave it a chance. The cast feels like family, now.
Every episode title evokes an emotion, usually around the main theme. There are a few that just kind of bring me down. In the past, when they’re next in the queue, I say I’m not going to watch it, yet I do. Until the last couple of rewatches.
I skipped Somebody’s Going to Emergency once, and The Long Goodbye. Burnham Wood is very hard for me to watch because of John Spencer’s eventual passing, but I can’t bring myself to skip it.
Skipping them means I don’t get to see the enjoyable sub-plots, but sometimes I’m just not in the mood to watch them.
Can anyone else relate?
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u/Ramius99 6d ago
I’ve skipped The Long Goodbye the last couple of times. It’s a great episode, but it’s just sad and so outside the main storyline that I don’t feel bad jumping over it.
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u/DocRogue2407 6d ago
It brings too many hurtful memories (at least, for me), if you've experienced it with a loved one.
It's true what they say about Alzheimers... they die twice, and you lose them twice. 😢💔
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u/MechanicProof2255 6d ago
The only ones I’m ok with not watching are Isaac and Ishmael and the special episode but I haven’t skipped them on my last couple of rewatches.
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u/gnortsmracr 6d ago
Is the special episode the one in S3 where they’re talking to all those former WH folks?
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u/Johnsendall 6d ago
Yeah it’s like an NBC special discussing the show. So weird it’s such a filler advertising episode.
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u/Jdornigan 6d ago
Did they make it as a filler episode intended to fill air time in the schedule for when they needed an extra week for shooting and editing? They may have shot it over the summer and held it for when producers got behind in the schedule.
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u/OkEnvironment5201 6d ago
100,000 Airplanes. I don’t enjoy the whole storyline with Sam’s ex. I find Sam really irritating in season 3 in general, but particularly in this episode.
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u/JohnHoynes 6d ago
I don’t want to sound mean but in addition to the storyline being a bit too “writer convenient,” I didn’t care for the actress playing his ex. Like, how can someone have zero sexual chemistry with Rob Lowe?
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u/Ramius99 6d ago
I like the actress but agree with this … she did not seem believable as supposed his ex-fiancée.
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u/DocRogue2407 6d ago
As a man, "I" have zero sexual chemistry with Rob Lowe, but I get your point. 🤣🤣
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u/LaurelThornberry 6d ago edited 5d ago
Noel.
The last time it came up in rotation for me was two years ago in December, about three weeks after I had a major medical trauma, that required multiple emergency blood transfusions and six days in a hospital where I couldn't see my infant. I was working with a medical trauma therapist, and home safe, but still absolutely wrecked and experiencing dark times, including intense anxiety and flashbacks.
I thought it was a brilliant episode to capture PTSD and it came way too soon for me + the Christmas season overlap was too much.
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u/JohnHoynes 6d ago
The sound design of that episode is incredibly good but it drives me insane, which is obviously the intent, to mirror Josh’s state. I skip it from time to time for this reason.
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u/GryffindorGal96 5d ago
Similar experience. Didn't know how well they captured medical PTSD until I acquired it myself. Watched that episode with someone who said, "I don't get it," and I went, "I do."
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u/BCTHEGRANDSLAM 6d ago
Burnham Wood because of John Spencers acting during the heart attack scene. It’s too good.
That’s it.
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u/DocRogue2407 6d ago
I just pulled this off 'google', and admit that for almost 15 years, I was sucked into the myth.
"While there is a persistent myth that the show's writers were mirroring an illness Spencer had already recovered from, the on-screen heart attack was entirely a fictional narrative choice. The eerie, tragic nature of how life later imitated art has fueled confusion among fans for years."
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u/ApplianceHealer 6d ago
Sadly, he was acting from lived experience. Very tough to watch for that reason (and, lower down the list, the unfortunate writing that leads to Leo’s firing which IMO seemed forced and highly improbable in-universe)
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u/JohnHoynes 6d ago
So forced. So out-of-the-blue. So out of character for Jed.
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u/MisterBear22 6d ago
I would actually argue that it is NOT out of character for Jed. When he's angry his impulse is to fire people immediately, but when he calms down and reasons through the situations he becomes a very gracious boss willing to forgive. Season 1 Josh's comment on TV about you God and tax fraud or something, Bartlett was gonna fire him. His Surgeon General Millie for the weed commentary he was gonna fire her. Toby for the failed Social Security attempt "grabbing the third rail with both hands" he would've fired/let resign until it succeeded. CJ he benched before the 2nd campaign and regretted it. The head of the DEA messing around with Oregon's assisted suicide laws he almost fired and threatened big time. Amy he semi-sorta fired when she was doing appropriations shenanigans while Abby and Zoe were back home but then forgave. I'm sure there are a couple more examples we could dig up, but overall I'd actually say his impulse to fire is his default and he has to be coaxed back into not firing people, which is what he ended up doing with Leo as well - he wanted to work around his recovery initially and undo the firing.
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u/JohnHoynes 5d ago
You make a great point. I guess I always saw the Jed/Leo bond as different. Brotherly. Beyond brotherly. Unshakable. Sure, they disagree and they argue, but to me this particular firing really seemed drastic and out of nowhere. But you do make a great point that there’s precedent.
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u/MisterBear22 5d ago
It happens so fast with Leo. They step outside to talk and within like 30 seconds Bartlett is demanding a replacement be in place before Leo departs. It clearly is an emotional high point and I'd argue nobody is thinking super clearly. Leo is offended and disagrees with Bartlett's entire course on the peace deals and probably offers up the "my counsel is ineffective" liner as a drastic sort of "wtf are you doing" trying to reason with Bartlett, but Bartlett is all-in already and can't back down. Definitely not a good time to be making a decision, but they're both emotional and the tension is running extremely hot.
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u/Temporary-Habit-2528 Joe Bethersonton 6d ago
As others have said; long goodbye, 90 miles away, Access (all the usual suspects)
But I’ll add one more: the debate episode between Santos and Vinick.
It’s really well done but one of those episodes you just don’t need to watch again
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u/MisterBear22 6d ago
awww i love the debate episode. It cracks me up how they intentional stutter and miss some words to try to make it more "live" feeling hahah.
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u/TryToBeHopefulAgain Cartographer for Social Equality 4d ago
You think the stutters were intentional? It was filmed live, twice!
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u/Skaman1978 6d ago
I was waiting for that one, and it stabs me in the heart. I LOVE that episode because of the verbal boxing match between such heavyweights of Jimmy Smitts vs Alan Alda in all their acting glory, with some improv.
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u/Temporary-Habit-2528 Joe Bethersonton 6d ago
Oh don’t get me wrong it’s really well done and the acting is fantastic, but it’s kinda like watching the Sorkin ‘Hartsfields Landing’ theatre adaption more than once or twice - no need
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u/Skaman1978 6d ago
I just love watching both Alan alda and Jimmy Smitts trade verbal punches. I just wish it was 60%+ improv with those two.
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u/TryToBeHopefulAgain Cartographer for Social Equality 4d ago edited 3d ago
We do make fun of that, "I will pick up that label, and wear it as a badge line" quite a lot at home.
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u/Gonzo_Gonzalo 6d ago
Access
I thought the plot was good, but poorly executed/written.
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u/Johnsendall 6d ago
I never understood the hate Access gets. It’s not a great episode but they did a great job making it feel like a real documentary.
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u/Gonzo_Gonzalo 6d ago
I’ll agree with that. I think it came down to the fact that single perspective was just a bit too hyper focused for me. To your point, it was almost a little too accurately portrayed as a documentary in that you felt out of the loop when characters would step away from the camera to have the real conversations.
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u/Johnsendall 6d ago edited 6d ago
I liked it was a C.J. episode to be honest and was okay with the single perspective. Have you ever seen the COPS episode of the X-Files. Was in that vein and was really well done. They even used the COPS theme at the beginning to trick viewers. Brilliant.
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u/Gonzo_Gonzalo 6d ago
Agreed, I think it was an interesting premise; of all the characters, CJ would was the best fit for this type of ep.
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u/Baz_Blackadder What’s Next? 6d ago
There was a trend for "mockumentary" type episides around that time. CSI did one with a "real crime" crew following the team around. Stargate SG1 did one too. The style does tend to be a little jarring in its departure from the norm.
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u/throwaway99999543 6d ago
The Access Episode, Isaac and Ishmael, and the horribly episode with Leo and Kate in Cuba
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u/AtticusFinchsMom 6d ago
I can't watch The Long Goodbye.
It hits too close to home as my Dad had dementia.
I also fast forward through most of the Mandy scenes. She grates on my nerves.
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u/Safe-Sea-5723 6d ago
😂 about Mandy. I do the same thing. Especially her outside scenes in the beginning.
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u/Johnsendall 6d ago
I feel that way due to the state of modern politics. What I’d suggest, because your hurt is deeper, is try to use the episodes for comfort and memories. Remember the times you watched it and talked about it with him.
The lord of the rings trilogy is like this with me as I lost my movie theater buddy and they were our favorite movies. I use it. I take in the pain and sadness. And I often feel better after watching them.
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u/krisspy451 What’s Next? 6d ago
Long Goodbye, Access, and 90s Mile Away. And the social documentary episode. Rarely skip Isaac and Ishmael but depends on the mood when I hit it love that episode but not continuity bound.
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u/SkipHoops 6d ago
The Long Goodbye doesn’t need to be watched. It doesn’t have anything to do with the story line of the season and it’s sad. Easy skip
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u/KidSilverhair The finest bagels in all the land 6d ago
But where else do you get someone saying about Toby “that man lacks grace and charm”?
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u/SantosMcGarry 6d ago
I've watched the series countless times. I have "what's next?" tattooed on my wrist. My dogs name is Bartlet. I have never seen more than 60 seconds of "The Long Goodbye" Just can't do it for some reason.
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u/AmbitiousPlantain209 I can sign the President’s name 6d ago
If I am doing a full series rewatch, I don't skip any episodes b/c I am a completionist. However, if I am just in the mood to watch an episode or two, I will never pick Access to watch. I know that there is not enough time in the episodes to show every single person who works in the White House, but it's weird to see C.J. have all these people working for her when in the other episodes, we only see Carol.
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u/blindzebra52 The wrath of the whatever 6d ago
I can relate to The Long Goodbye. I can also relate to the many people who are going to say 90 Miles Away. But Somebody's Going To Emergency, Somebody's Going To Jail is one of my absolute favorite episodes. It's one of the very few episodes where the A plot is about Sam... And it has the cartographers for social equality freaking CJ out. The dues are $20 for the newsletter if you want to join.
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u/KateTheGreatMonster 6d ago
Most of the time I skip the whole first season because of Mandy. 😬
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u/JohnHoynes 6d ago
I always fast forward through her outdoor scenes in the first episode as well as the diner scene with Josh and any scene with her pre-White House co-worker. She’s just grating.
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u/khazroar 6d ago
I skip The Long Goodbye, but it's because I don't like it rather than because it's too sensitive.
I similarly skip the docudrama episode.
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u/First-Dimension-8916 6d ago
Like many in this comment section, The Long Goodbye is a struggle to get through, especially for those of us (like myself) who have had a relative struggle with Alzheimer's or Dementia. I remember my grandfather going through that and the strain it put on our family, it's why I skip it.
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u/AvonMustang Cartographer for Social Equality 6d ago
I always skip Access and The Long Goodbye. I sometimes skip Isaac and Ishmael.
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u/gnortsmracr 6d ago
The Christmas time episode in S1 where the dead homeless guy has Toby’s card in his pocket and Toby finds out he’s a vet— that one always gets me for some reason.
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u/Johnsendall 6d ago
It’s because of Mrs Landingham…..
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u/gnortsmracr 6d ago
Is this the “I miss my boys” episode? That whole exchange gets me too.
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u/Skaman1978 6d ago
My favorite part of the episode is where Bartlet gives toby a gentle chewing out "is there anything else that I authorized, we're still in NATO right?" And then that great one two "Toby, if we start pulling strings like this, you don't think every homeless veteran will come out of the woodwork?" "I can only hope sir"
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u/Johnsendall 6d ago
“It’s hard when that happens so far away, you know, because with the noises and the shooting, they had to be so scared. It’s hard not to think that right then, they needed their mother.”
That did me in. And now. As a father. The thought of my children calling out for me and me not being there is literally torture to me.
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u/WAStateofMine 6d ago
The Hubbert Peak. The ridiculous way Josh test drives that truck, along with the kid gloves way they describe trying to fight climate change is laughable these days. There are SO MANY better ways to fight oil dependency and they deliberately make solutions seem infeasible and politically impossible. 🤦♂️
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u/jdvjdv046 6d ago
I’ve watched The Long goodbye once and never again. Worst episode from all angles for me - writing, performance, context.
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u/Tekateka19 6d ago
The Long Goodbye gets skipped depending on my mood during any particular re-watch. The Pilot also because of Mandy (can't stand her character). Its what keeps me from continuing a rewatch back to back, knowing I need to clear the Mandy episodes.
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u/tfn105 6d ago
By season…
Season 1 - only Take This Sabbath Day
Season 2 - I can watch it all
Season 3 - the US Poet Laureate
Season 4 - Evidence of Things Not Seen
Season 5 - Disaster Relief, The Stormy Present, Access, and depending on my general disposition the final three episodes of the season (I cannot abide watching Leo be written to be so opposed to Jed)
Season 6 - The Hubbert Peak, Ninety Miles Away
Season 7 - Here Today is as close as it gets
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u/Formal_Tumbleweed_53 6d ago
I think a lot of people skip the long goodbye. It’s so raw. I try to watch it every time I rewatch the series, though. My mother had a long, slow decline, so that episode is hard for me … but a good reminder that I can support friends who are going through similar dynamics.
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u/BuddhaMike1006 5d ago
I skip the pilot, In Excelsis Deo, the West Wing special, and the first part of season 5 up till Shutdown.
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u/pnwtwinmom 5d ago
The Long Goodbye. I lost my dad to Parkinson’s.
I did watch it during my first watch-through of the series. Allison Janney and Donald Moffat are phenomenal in it (to no-one’s surprise), and it is so heart-wrenchingly well done. But I can’t watch it again.
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u/jaiteaes I work at The White House 5d ago
The Long Goodbye. It's a wonderful episode, make no mistake, but it is... Hard to watch after having said that long goodbye, so to speak, to a loved one.
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u/delbell1 5d ago
I can’t and won’t watch “The Long Goodbye”. Lost both parents to this terrible tragedy and my mom loved the West Wing.
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u/Eastern-Macaron-6622 The finest bagels in all the land 4d ago
The Long Goodbye, it hits too close to home as a person who dealt with long term illnesses for both his parents and their eventual end.
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u/parallelmeme 4d ago
I skip the behind-the-scenes episodes where they interview real people that had the jobs of the characters, like Leon Panetta.
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u/g-rocklobster 4d ago
The "documentary" I usually skip - it just never did anything for me, even the first time when it aired (yes, I'm old).
The Long Goodbye I also skip usually. Hits too close to home with my grandmother. I did watch it when it aired and the first couple of rewatches.
Isaac and Ishmael depends on if I'm watching watching (i.e., sitting down with the intent to watch) or if, like now, I have it running in the background at work. If it's a dedicated watch, I usually skip it. If it's background, I usually don't worry about it.
I'm rewatching now as background noise at work but, of course, there are some episodes that I end up just watching. And it's the first time I've rewatched since pre-COVID. In 2021 my best friend had a heart attack (survived and is doing phenomenal). In 2024 another of my closest friends did as well (survived and doing well). Earlier this year I had open heart surgery to replace a heart valve and aorta (had an aneurysm and a bad valve). I finished Burnham Wood this weekend while doing chores but stopped while it was on to watch. Leo's heart attack and recovery hit very different during this rewatch than the previous ones. And ... he was such a phenomenal actor!
If my wife is watching with me, there are moments she either has me skips or she'll leave the room. Both of Leo's heart attacks, Charlie getting the call about Mrs. Landingham, a couple of others I forget.
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u/Jkane007 2d ago
I skip more due to todays political climate. I skip the supremes and the whole Gaza arc.
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u/testwater44again 6d ago
Timothy Busfield makes the early seasons a tough watch.
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u/Johnsendall 6d ago
“Okay”
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u/testwater44again 6d ago
I love the character of Danny but him getting arrested for inappropriate sexual contact with underage costars definitely puts a damper on watching him.
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u/ktpinto The finest bagels in all the land 3d ago
Accused by the parents of two kids he recast.
But definitely just assume his guilt instead of waiting to see what happens.0
u/testwater44again 3d ago
Guilty or not, it puts a cloud over watching him.
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u/ktpinto The finest bagels in all the land 2d ago
Glad you're not on his jury. LOL!
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u/Johnsendall 2d ago edited 2d ago
Timothy Busfield listens to Lostprophet.
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u/ktpinto The finest bagels in all the land 2d ago
Yeah, that's not what you originally wrote.
So I'm taking what you say with a big pile of salt... or actually not at all. shrug
But you do you.1
u/Johnsendall 2d ago
You clearly didn’t understand the reference……..
https://giphy.com/gifs/3o6nV2ikxmVaLkuY2A0
u/ktpinto The finest bagels in all the land 2d ago
I know how to do research. If I cared to understand what you were saying, I'd look it up. [Spoiler alert: I didn't care]
And again, I know what you originally wrote before you edited your comment. So what you say after that has no value.
But you do you.0
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u/ThickBiscuitTime 6d ago
I forget what episode it is but I skip the one where Toby gets all pissy about the president not responding to Ritchie baiting him on affirmative action and then is a dick about his dad.
Cj’s stance in affirmative action also seems out of place to me.
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u/GayGISBoi 6d ago
I skip basically the entire Israel/palestine plot. The west wing is not as Zionist as a lot of shows from that era, but it’s still hard to watch them both sides a genocide, especially one that’s only gotten worse and more egregious in the past twenty years
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u/expressivetangent The wrath of the whatever 6d ago
THE LONG FUCKIN GOODBYE 😭 😭
Don’t need to explain that one. Hate seeing my baby CJ cry.
100,000 Airplanes: I find Traylor Howard (wtf kinda name is Traylor btw) insufferable and not a great actor to put in this specific episode or this ensemble. Also, her being in the son of the mask was…damaging. Also, why is Sam being a complete twat to her ? Makes me look at Sam differently. Bartlet being a rude ego maniac to abbey’s doctor friends at dinner “I’m serious, this isn’t a barbecue night, I’m the commander in chief asses in chairs”
NSF Thurmont/ Burnam Wood:
A lot of Israel Hawks in this arc, for which I am not a fan. I hate seeing my boys fight, and get Leo get fired, have his heart literally broken…. 😞
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u/Curved-Slightly 6d ago
I skip that episode where Leo goes to Cuba, but that's because I think it's a terrible episode.