The Great West Wing Rewatch: 2.1 "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen Pt1"

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Joel: Of course there was going to be a flashback episode where we got to see everyone meet at some point. And episode like that is almost a requirement of a long running show like this one. To me though, the idea of doing this during the emergency trip to the hospital episode was a fantastic decision. This is not a show where the doctors are the main characters and the difficulties and dangers of emergency surgery are not really what we a watching The West Wing for. Instead our main characters are the ones that are sitting for hours on end in the waiting room with nothing to do but wait and worry, and be with your thoughts. Showing the flashbacks here help to give us the feeling of waiting for news from the doctors as we all wait anxiously. It’s also worth mentioning that the flashbacks themselves happen to be fantastic. In just a quick moment we learn a lot about how the relationship between the president and the vice-president formed and why it is the way that it is today. We also get one of my favorite Bartlett moments in the series. Can you imagine a person trying to campaign for president today not only answering a question directly, but saying that their decision hurt the person who asked the question? Bartlett willing to point out how his decision hurt some people but in the long run was the right decision is a wonderfully honest moment from his and what shows that he can be a truly great president. That is the kind of president that I would like to vote for.

Chris: Typical such a flashback episode would be a throwaway episode just to fill out a season after a show has been around for a few years. West Wing does it as a two-parter to premiere their 2nd season. And all that is fine with me because the alternative would be an episode of everyone solemnly sitting around in the waiting room for the entire episode. Also, knowing how protective the president is of his staff, imagine the panic he must’ve felt to have found out after surgery that Josh had been shot. I did enjoy the flashback elements quite a bit because it’s a showcase of one of the biggest strength of the show and that’s the chemistry between the cast.

A good president pays the bill when his daughter pukes in the backseat of a rented car.

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