Tag Archives: Television

Why I Love The West Wing (and Why You Should Watch It)

4 Apr

I’ve been wanting to write this post for about a month now, but I haven’t really known how to do it.

You know that feeling when you love something so much you want to shout about it from the rooftops? But then, when you get around to it, this shouting turns out to be starry-eyed gibberish? This might not be a very coherent post, is what I’m saying. It’s what happens when one goes full-blown fangirl.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed me talking a lot lately about a show called The West Wing.

Y’all, I’m obsessed.

Rob Lowe as Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn

Is this post cheesy? Is this show cheesy? Is it some sort of overly idealistic, liberal-leaning love letter to a political world that doesn’t — nay, couldn’t — exist? Maybe.

But it’s also one of the smartest, most well-written shows I’ve ever seen, full of some of the most complex, compelling, endearing characters with whom I’ve ever fallen in love.

Dulé Hill as Personal Aide to the President Charlie Young

I’d always been vaguely interested in watching The West Wing. There was that throwaway moment in Love Actually when Andrew Lincoln‘s character says, “Everything has episodes of West Wing on it by now” or something like that. Also, I love The American President, a romantic comedy set in the White House and written by West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin. People always said, “If you loved The American President, you’d love The West Wing.”

Boy, were they right. And then some.

Allison Janney as White House Press Secretary C. J. Cregg (aka, the love of my life)

Ellen the Roomie was the one to finally kick my butt into gear. We watched the first couple of episodes together, and I was hooked. The rapid-fire dialogue. The chemistry between the actors. The intelligence. It was that thing we so often deride in fiction: insta-love.

In the space of a 45-minute episode, The West Wing can make me cry, laugh, laugh till I cry, and feel more inspired about living in this country than I probably ever have.

Richard Schiff as Communications Director Toby Ziegler

There are times when, as much as I love writing, and as lucky as I feel to be able to write full-time, I start to feel discouraged. I get bogged down in the ins and outs and logistics of navigating the publishing world, and promoting my work, and revisions, and I forget about the joy of writing.

Then I watch something like The West Wing. I hear dialogue that has rhythm so seductive I feel like I need a cigarette after every episode. I watch characters who love and hate and would do anything for each other. I see a world maybe a little better than the one I live in, one that inspires me to make the world I live in a little better.

John Spencer as White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry

I watch this, and I’m reminded why I write. It’s to make people feel and think and experience things like I do when watching shows like The West Wing. It’s to get people so obsessed about a story that they forsake laundry, sleep, revisions, homework, and other responsibilities (not that I would ever, ever do such a thing, not that I am doing that at this exact moment . . . ) just to read a little more, watch a little more, grasp a little more of that rare exhilaration that accompanies a truly sublime work of art.

Again, is this cheesy? Quite possibly. Am I hyperbolizing my love? Not in the slightest.

Janel Maloney as assistant Donna Moss

It isn’t a perfect show, no. There does exist the rare moment that makes me cringe, although they are few and far between. There is also a left-leaning political bias, sure (although in my opinion the show’s writers do a fabulous job of addressing all sides of whatever issue is at hand). There are episodes that seem smug and there are even the occasional eyeroll-inducing lines of dialogue.

But there is wit, and richness, and heart.

Bradley Whitford as Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman

Also, I just have to mention how amused I am by the films in which I’ve previously seen some of these actors. Remember Ms. Perky, the guidance counselor from 10 Things I Hate About You, who spends all her time writing erotica? That was Allison Janney. And J.J., the skeezy advertising executive in Kate & Leopold? Bradley Whitford! And that random guy Eddie who gets eaten by a T. rex in Lost World: Jurassic Park? The ever grumpy, ever mumbly Richard Schiff!

Just had to point that out.

Gratuitous adorable picture of Josh & Donna because, I mean, come on.

Anyway, back to my point. There are few television shows that I truly love. Out of those, there are even fewer shows where all the elements — the casting, the direction, the writing, the production values — come together with near flawless precision. These are the shows that are special, that feel timeless even when they start to feel dated. These are the shows that, when you pop in a DVD or watch clips on YouTube, feel like coming home.

The West Wing is one of those shows.

Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet

What’s more, I feel like it’s an important show. Not artistically, no. But ideologically. No matter what your political leanings may be, I feel like this show champions a love of what’s right, the power of admitting and learning from mistakes, and the beauty of living in a flawed, complicated, messy, wonderful place.The West Wing is about love, really — friendship and family, and love of country.

And, quite frankly, I can’t think of a more perfect time to start watching this show. Yeah, I’m kind of bummed that I couldn’t experience the rush of first-run episodes and be a part of the fandom when it was in its prime and thriving. But with the state of political discourse (and courtesy, and general respect) in this country being what it is, what better way to get a morale boost and dare to think that things will be okay, even if they suck for a while first, than to watch a show that tells us exactly that?

With witty dialogue and perfectly staged walk-and-talks, of course.

You know, just writing this post almost made me cry. Damn it, I’m in love, forever.

source

Music/Moving/BRAINSPLOSION Post: Battlestar Galactica, etc.

23 Jan

This will be a short post because my brain is in the process of exploding.

(DISCLAIMER: I REALIZE THAT I HAVE A GOOD LIFE, I HAVE MANY BLESSINGS, I AM THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING, I AM AT LEAST NOT STARVING IN SOME POST-APOCALYPTIC OR EQUIVALENT DUNG HEAP, THANK YOU.)

The thing is, there is so much going on right now (ALTHOUGH IT IS ALL GOOD), and it is showing no signs of stopping (THANK GOD I KNOW RIGHT BLESSINGS EVERYWHERE), that I have pretty much just been alternating between writing feverishly on The October Year . . . and curling up with chips or cheese or some other thing I should not be snacking on and watching YouTube videos (like this one).

Plus, since I’m feeling overwhelmed just in general, and since general overwhelmed . . . ness . . . can lead to more specific kinds of whelm, I also have these random moments of like, “OH MY GOD. My first book is coming out THIS YEAR and I’m not doing enough and I’m so unprepared and no one will like it and there are so many other books coming out that are so much cooler than mine and HOW WILL I EVER BE HEARD?”

Plus there is the moving and the saying good-bye to friends and family. More chips. More cheese. More YouTube videos (like this one).

Thankfully, I also discovered Battlestar Galactica this week. Now, this is one of those shows that everyone and their tauntaun has been telling me I should watch since, I don’t know, forever. I just never made the time for it, though; committing to a multi-season show is asking a lot at this point in my life. But in a recent moment of particularly potent whelm, I decided I was just going to go ahead and start watching it. I needed something to do with myself between bouts of frenetic writing and cheese-snarfling.

Well, lo and behold, everyone and their tauntaun was RIGHT. It is SO GOOD. Jaw-droppingly so, even.

But a couple of episodes in, I remembered that, in my rush of rebellious excitement, I’d forgotten that I’d promised The Boy we would watch it together. So I halted my watching, and will resume later. I know, right? Twue wuv. Agent Lady was impressed by my willpower.

I’ve been listening to the score, though — mainly the miniseries score, by Richard Gibbs. I’ve thus far managed to keep from shelling out the $50+ for the entire series’ scores. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Check it, and be INSPIRED (and then send me some cheese?):

Music Post: The Firefly + Serenity Scores

7 Nov

A couple of years ago, my roommate introduced me to the wonderful world of Firefly, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that it changed my creative life forever.

It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, a delightful mishmash of genres that shouldn’t have worked but did — because of the heart in it, the soul, the chemistry amongst the impeccably assembled cast. Everything from the special effects to the lovingly crafted sets to the elaborate world-building is top-notch. If you haven’t watched this show, and its accompanying film, Serenity, you really, really must.

Perhaps the most memorable aspect of the show, at least for me, is the score. The music for both the television show Firefly (composed by Greg Edmonson) and the film Serenity (composed by David Newman) is full of just as much passion as every other element of the show. Like the storyworld they accompany, these scores combine Asian, western, and traditional science fiction elements to create a musical palette unlike any other. Whenever I listen to this music, I feel immediately comforted, like I’ve come home after being away for far too long.

Although Edmonson and Newman bring their own unique flavors to their scores, and it’s impossible to confuse the two, they are both utterly, unmistakably Firefly.

Check out these tracks:

“Main Theme” - This beautiful opening sequence showcases a theme song written by creator Joss Whedon himself. The lyrics are poignant, wistful, bittersweet, and perfectly set the tone for the score (and the show!) to come.

“Big Bar Fight” – For a prime example of Firefly‘s western flair, check out this track, accompanying — you guessed it — a bar fight in which people are thrown out holographic windows and our heroes are rescued by fake spaceship guns.

“The Funeral” – Although this music accompanies an extremely moving scene in the episode “The Message,” the real story behind this track is even more poignant. Edmonson wrote it as a farewell to the show after learning of its cancellation.

“Inara’s Suite” – The mysterious Companion Inara Serra is one of my favorite characters. I don’t think she’s one of the more popular characters with most fans, but I find her incredibly complex. If the show had had the life it deserves, the exploration of her character would, in my opinion, have been one of the most fascinating. This track is sumptuous, exotic, and, like Inara, seems to hold a secret sadness that we may never understand.

“Dying Ship/Naked Mal” – The opening of this track is solemn and elegiac, from my absolute favorite episode of Firefly, “Out of Gas.” The second half of the track is more cheerful, more tongue-in-cheek, and ends the album on a positive note, from a scene when we see — ahem — a good deal more of Nathan Fillion’s Captain Malcolm Reynolds than we have ever seen before.

~*~

The score for Serenity, as I previously mentioned, is in some ways very different from the Firefly score, and in other ways, obviously related. One unique thing that David Newman did for this score is omit the use of woodwinds. What we’re left with is brass, strings, percussion, and electronics, without any of the woodwind instruments’ characteristic warmth — an interesting choice for a story set in the cold black of outer space. But the presence of those trademark Firefly fiddles keeps the score accessible and familiar.

“Into the River” / “Escape” – The first two tracks of the score, “Into the River” and “Escape” accompany the film’s incredible prologue. “Into the River” is eerie and mysterious, as we get some insight into River Tam’s tormented past, and “Escape” is action-packed and suspenseful, accompanying a fantastic escape sequence that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

“Serenity” – This brief but incredible track gloriously showcases the theme for the ship herself, our beloved Serenity. She soars through the stars, a scrappy, inimitable, classy lady, the heart and soul that binds the Firefly characters together.

“Going for a Ride” – LOVE this track! As our heroes set out for yet another caper (which, unbeknownst to them, but fairly predictably for us, turns out to go…not so smoothly), this rollicking track gets their — and our — blood pumping. I especially enjoy the tender moment about three-quarters of the way through that accompanies the little longing glance Kaylee gives to the ever-oblivious Simon.

“River and Simon in Locker” – I really love what Newman did thematically for River in Serenity. Just as Edmonson did in Firefly, Newman creates an eerie yet innocent tone for our favorite…well…perhaps I shouldn’t say for the sake of those who haven’t seen the show. Let’s just say that River Tam is not what she first appears to be. ;)

“Run to Black” – There is some really fantastic action music in Serenity, and this track is one of them. If you sense tragic undertones…you’re dead on.

“Love” – This track is just absolutely lovely, and accompanies a wonderful moment between two of the most important members of the Serenity crew. “You know what the first rule of flying is? … Love.”

~*~

I can’t say enough wonderful things about this show, this movie, and the scores for each. There isn’t anything else like Firefly. It’s a truly special work of art, a world unlike any other and one that you will never, ever forget. Give it a try if you haven’t already, and if you’re a Browncoat and you don’t have these scores, what are you waiting for??

← Older Entries