damn you, television

[kaydeefalls]

So I've got one episode left of season 1 West Wing, and I know it's a cliffhanger, which means my instinctive reaction is to order season 2 from amazon.com RIGHT NOW. And then I see that they're selling the complete series...for a lot of money, yes, but for a fair bit cheaper than if I buy the seasons individually, which, knowing me, IS going to happen.

However. Most long-running TV shows are not WORTH owning the entirety of. X-Files, for example, still my first and truest television love. I watched it all the way through the end when it was still airing, but I wisely refrained from purchasing anything after season 6 on DVD, because it all went to hell in a handbasket. So how long does West Wing stay good? Five seasons tend to be the expiration of most good TV shows. What is it for West Wing?

ETA: AUGH DAMN YOU SORKIN.

And damn myself for watching this now, when I know I've got shows to run for the next two nights and won't have a chance to start S2 by any means until Saturday at the earliest.

Comments

[andrealyn]

I personally can vouch for West Wing seasons 1-4. Once Sorkin leaves, the quality really is up in the air. But uh, yeah, the cliffhanger is pretty brutal for S1.

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

YES. YES IT IS.

Okay, one through four it is. That seems to be the general consensus, anyway. I can rent the others.

[beachkid.livejournal.com]

i have a tendency to drift through the last half of s4 to the last half of s7. then i start to Really Care again. mind, i have the complete series, and got it as such, and i loooooves it. it is shaped like a file folder! but normally with shows i only buy the seasons i like.

and um, yes. that cliffhanger is a nasty one.

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

Fucking cliffhangers. At least it's not quite as bad as wondering whether or not Mulder was DEAD for an entire summer.

[newredshoes]

...yeah, the S1 cliffhanger is one of the worst I've ever seen. And S2 of TWW is fucking incredible. If you thought S1 was amazing...

You know, I do own the first four seasons, if you can't wait.

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

I may need to do that, yes. And pass S1 back to you, of course.

[newredshoes]

...you busy Friday night?

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

Well, there's this show that I'm stage managing...

[newredshoes]

Dagnabbit! I r teh smrt. We'll figure something out.

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

The first four are awesome. Five and six suck pretty hard, but the last half of seven is worth owning.

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

That does seem to be the general consensus...

[secondsilk.livejournal.com]

Seasons two and three are brilliant.

Season four is great, but the ending is suspicious. Season five has brilliant moments, but they don't quite make up for the strangeness and meh-ness of the set up. (Also, occasional WTF? moments). It does get better as it goes on.

Season six is better and season seven is great. They're quite different from the early seasons (and current American politics is strangely familiar to me having seen them), so it may be worth seeing them before buying them, but I like them very much and they do bring the series to a very good conclusion (which doesn't happen with the end of either season three or four).

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I probably will WATCH the whole show, but it's sounding like I shouldn't bother actually purchasing anything beyond S4, with a maybe on S7.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

You can come borrow 1-4 from me until your shipment arrives. :D Also you could poll your readership on which episodes from 5-7 are vital and which aren't. I'm not fond of the post-Sorkin years by and large, but there are a few episodes that really hit the nail on the head. Of course, there are also plots which make SO MUCH NOT SENSE AND WERE SO OUT OF CHARACTER that the actor has said in interviews that the only way to get through it, as an actor, was to pretend it meant something else. That is as clear as I'll get til you arrive at what I'm referring to.

(BTW I'm always up for a marathon session with pizza or something... )

[kaydeefalls.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sounds a bit like X-Files after Chris Carter went batshit. There's just not much the actors can do at that point.

Oooh, marathon...I really wish this stage managing thing didn't eat up so much of my time these days!

[nevermindirah.livejournal.com]

*is late to the party*

I'm so happy for you that you're getting into West Wing! As I see others have pointed out, things get mighty spotty after Sorkin left at the end of S4. 5-7 are definitely worth watching, as there are some terrific episodes and a few fantastic payoffs. The election cycle is fun. But there are also a few episodes that are a complete waste of time, and some sketchy characterizations.

I don't want to give anything away, but if you have a particular ship that you're invested in, the final seasons will be more worth owning. If that's helpful at all.

I hope you've gotten your hands on S2 by now!