The Great West Wing Rewatch: 4.10 "Arctic Radar"
Joel: It can be tricky having a character on a show who has “good writer” as one of the main characteristics. Sure you can have other characters go around saying how good of a writer they are and what great things have happened because people have been moved by their writing, but when you actually present their writing, it has to be good. It’s similar to “funny” characters in shows or movies. Just because you cut to a laughing crowd when they tell a joke, if the audience watching the show at home doesn’t find the joke funny, then the character’s going to ring false. Fortunately for Sorkin, he happens to be a good writer himself, so usually when Toby or Sam need to present their writing, it’s usually something good. But there’s an interesting moment where Will and Toby tear apart each other’s writing style. I wonder if Sorkin is intentionally trying to have different writing styles for different characters, or if these are criticisms that other people have said about his writ...