I recently began watching the television series "The West Wing" on Netflix. While I do not recall ever seeing this show during its run on Fox, I decided to give it a try after it was recommended by my roommate. Even though I am only a few episodes into the series, "The West Wing" has already captured my attention. Being that I am not very passionate about politics, I had my doubts about wether or not this show would truly appeal to me. However, this television series surprised me and, due to its fantastic writing, has me hooked.
Right from the very first episode, "The West Wing" drew me in with suspense. Instead of focusing on one or two main characters, "This West Wing"highlighted the issues facing a lot a multitude of individuals, from members of the White House staff to Cuban refugees. Although, on the surface, such issues may seem unrelated, the writers of "The West Wing" do a fantastic job of tying everything together. On that note, and this may be what I liked the most about the series, "The West Wing" presents such issues from multiple viewpoints without forcing the viewer to choose sides, which was something that I was not expecting from a political drama.
Instead of focusing on who's right and who's wrong, "The West Wing" illustrates that there is often much more to an issue than what meets the eye. As the series progresses, it becomes obvious how limited the power of the president, portrayed by Joshiah Bartlet, really is. Although we view him as the head of our country, he is often little more than a figurehead. As highlighted in this series, the actions that the president takes are very often nothing more than a consequence of the decisions made by those around him. This fantastic political commentary, which I believe holds true in regards to our modern-day presidents, is highlighted throughout the "The West Wing". The writers of this show do a great job of displaying the president as both a politician and a person, a fact that is accentuated by Bartlet's terrific acting.
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