The Great West Wing Rewatch: 3.15 "Dead Irish Writers"
Joel: Someday I’m going to need Aaron Sorkin to write a show about science. Yes, the political angle in The West Wing is interesting, and the rousing speeches about what our political system could and should be are inspiring. But every now and then, he sneaks one in about science and it does my heart good. Sam talking about going to Mars because “it’s next” is a good example, and this episode has a fine example as well. Dr. Millgate says at one point in the show that Great Achievement has no roadmap. It’s a powerful statement that kicks off a powerful speech, one that ends with me wanting more money to be donated to scientific pursuits of any and all kinds. The political intrigue in this show is interesting. The Dr. Millgate storyline is tied in with a senator who is opposing the project for political reasons, and doing it in a sneaky way, again, for political reasons. And I love that Sam is able to work everything politically to make sure that he gets what he needs, but mo...