Anyone getting the impression that "West Wing" is taking a right tilt

[Bandit]

Last night it seemed way more pronounced to me. Bartlett's approval ratings are in the thirties. Why is that? He used to have high approval ratings when Sorkin was writing for the show. Also they slip in Republican sound bite all the time. Like the cleaning gal saying Americal was a ridiculous because it paid people for volunteering. Also it made a point of saying how much better the Republican budget plan was than Bartletts. Bartlett is supposed to have a Nobel in Economics. They let Bartlett win this budget battle but it doesn't make up for all the GOP sound bites inserted thru-out the show. I'm almost done with the show.

[Zero Gravitas]

1. Its taking a sucky tilt

IMHO

[american_punk]

2. doesn't care....

I don't watch west wing so I really don't care. Just thought I'd say that....have a peaceful day:hippie:

[Zomby Woof]

3. it's on purpose

There was pressure to make it more "balanced" (a reason Sorkin left), and they brought on ex-Reagan and Bush aide Marlin Fitzwater as an advisor, among some other Repubs.

I miss the first 3 seasons, but have quit. "Smallville" is my Wednesday night program of choice.

[liberalhistorian]

5. Marlin Fitzwater is a consultant???????????

GAG, no wonder the show sucks anymore! I didn't know that, I'm now glad I don't watch it anymore.

[HereSince1628]

7. I gave up several weeks ago, Wednesday night is now

spent on odd-jobs. Week before last I cut-down a pair of discarded french doors and rehung them on the entry into the basement family room. This week it was repairing a 60 year old window sash.

If I keep on at this rate, I'll be cleaning the garage before to long...

[elfwitch]

16. Wednesday night viewing...

My TV stays on WB on Wednesday. Smallville and then Angel!!!

[liberalhistorian]

4. I think I read recently where

they were deliberately tilting it more to the right because, in their reasoning, we now have a GOP President instead of the one we had when West Wing first started, and they were afraid the ratings would go down if they kept up with what they feared was being too "left-wing liberal").

In other words, they were kowtowing to the right in fear of losing the show. Well, guess what, their ratings are still going down because they can't seem to get a clue that most of the show's viewers were "lefties" in the first place who don't appreciate the current trend.

[MissMillie]

6. I miss the banter

There seemed to be much more fun banter between the staff. I miss that.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

9. That's what I've noticed...

The characters had a sense of humor under Sorkin's writing. They were intelligent and witty people, but they're now pretty much all like Toby on his most depressed day.

[Ratty]

8. I don't think it's any more right than it ever was

When Sorkin was there they'd occasionally have republicans spouting things that weren't obviously lunacy. I remember that woman, can't remember her name, but she was republican but was part of the staff talking about gun control: "You want to outlaw guns because you just don't like people who like guns. Admit it." That's something a republican would say.

Last night the republicans came off looking pretty bad, don't you think? The speaker was a nutcase, the other republicans came off kind of sinister.

I think West Wing occasionally does this to *appear* balanced. I haven't really noticed them doing it more than usual. The 30% thing I interpreted as reflecting on Clinton's last term. The Republicans controlled congress, his approval ratings were down.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

10. Last night's bit...

with the girl cleaning the office and her "right wing" comments was, I think, meant to set up the lame joke where she asks Toby to write a recommendation.

[Insider]

11. Karl didn't go west for nothing

when did he go out there and have his meeting? would that have been anywhere near time for shows to be writtena dn go thru the whole production cycle? i thought the same about law & order now too. different, maybe not leaning, but definitely different dialogue.

i'm just sick of the ever-blurrier f*cking line between reality fact and fiction.

[skippysmom]

12. it seems..

...we say way more of the Republicans, and the writers seem to be striving for "balance" -- the Repukes aren't the bad guys in the black hats anymore.

When I watch the show on Bravo, I see how good the show was -- the dialogue was great, and the characters were optimistic liberals. It was like 1992 all over again. Now...feh. I can take it or leave it.

[skippysmom]

13. it seems..

...we say way more of the Republicans, and the writers seem to be striving for "balance" -- the Repukes aren't the bad guys in the black hats anymore.

When I watch the show on Bravo, I see how good the show was -- the dialogue was great, and the characters were optimistic liberals. It was like 1992 all over again. Now...feh. I can take it or leave it.

[TrogL]

14. They were showing what happened with Bartlett off his feed (spoiler)

Without Bartlett's firm hand at the tiller (because he's distracted by events from the season opener) the ship of state is being hijacked by Repugs.

Last night's show demonstrated that he's back with a vengeance.

[Lisa]

15. I thought the "interviews on the street" were bizarre ...

I wonder if they're trying to point out how scripted some of the news stuff really is? As shown on that TV the staff watch, they looked staged to me -- for example, that little girl pouting because she wanted to visit D.C. "to see the Constitution and grandma, and now we can only visit grandma" (the fed buildings being closed). Clearly a Republican plant ... what real kid talks like that? I can see her wanting to dodge out of seeing grandma if she doesn't like her for some reason -- but being all excited about looking at the Constitution? Even the nerdy pre-adolescent history buffs I used to hang out with didn't talk like that!

But the part about Bartlet taking his walk was pretty funny. If I were him, I'd have dragged the busload of tourists along with me "to see some historic stuff".


p.s. here's "Coronation Chicken" from the BBC. Not bad, for a half-century-old recipe! And it looks like it wouldn't matter if Jed were late for dinner -- cold curried chicken is also pretty good. Personally I'd rather have this with Jed and Abby than a full-bore (that's the word, alright) state dinner with "Chicken George".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/features/2003/06/coronation_chicken_recipe.shtml