Yeah, this is awful. At least there's no need to spend any more money on this race.
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So, random aside, but I just finished watching The West Wing, and...found it quite surprisingly enjoyable. I had seen the first 4.5 seasons when they originally aired, but quit during season 5 because thought it was getting boring. Now I kind of wish I had seen seasons 6 and 7 as they aired, but watching them now was kind of awesome too.
Honestly, after the Newsroom, I never thought I would be able to find Sorkin's writing to be anything other than completely pornographic. On top of of that, I've had a lot of trouble enjoying House of Cards, for example, just because it's too hard to suspend my disbelief when I know too much about a subject. So I was pleasantly surprised to find the West Wing mostly pretty enjoyable.
In the early seasons, most of Sorkin's quirks are visible, but at least toned down from where they ended up going. And yeah, it's a hyper-idealized vision on politics, alongside a hyper-simplified discussion of policy. But it's still good for what it is, and it's just real enough that I was able to accept that I was watching some sort of bizzaro world where things operated a little bit differently. I mean, yes, it is silly that "the gang" broked a peace deal between Israel and Palestine with the Secretary of State nowhere to be seen. Or, say, that the press secretary with a background in PR got promoted to chief of staff. But even those didn't really bother me. It's television.
I think it was really smart for the show to undergo the changes did in seasons 6 and 7, following the presidential race along side the lame duck White House. It was one of the most successful mid-run shake ups I've seen in a TV show. Reminded me a lot of Friday Night Lights, in a weird way.
Anyway, the last few episodes during the transition really stuck with me, seeing them for the first time right now. I'm sad to see Obama go, even as I'm excited to see Hilldawg run shit next. It's incredible how well those last few episodes evoke a lot of feelings we'll all probably be having in November, just as it's incredible how well their 2005-06 season basically called the 2008 presidential race.