Well, it's sorta like the Plague...

Greetings all!
I figure that since this is a blog, I will use it to do some blogging, (at least as I understand things). And since I've got a nice rant in my all ready and raring to go, what better time? But first, some administrative things:

Again, great idea for this, I hope it becomes something of a catch-all for our discussions, opinions, observations, and the general macabre that is our lives. Second, whoever The is, good topic for discussion, but one that I am wholly inadequate to comment on. I've noticed that even though I seem to be more into music than the average Joe Punchclock, I don't know shit compared to you guys, so I'm gonna stay out of it. Ok, anyone who doesn't want to listen to my semi-coherent babblings can stop reading now. And PS, if you've never seen the West Wing, this is going to make very little sense to you, but this is me not caring.

I've been a fan of the West Wing for a long time. I would argue that for many years (at least 3) it was the best show on television. Sadly, that is no longer the case now that Sorokin has voluntarily jumped ship and retired to Mandyville (TM: TWOP). Incidentally, as I write this, I am listening to the song "Angel" by Massive Attack, which was featured in one of the last episodes penned by Sorokin, and may in fact be the best six minutes of television ever. That's fairly bold, I know, but bear me out (or you know, don't and bitch at me later). The final segment of the 4th season episode Commencement under which the aforementioned song plays, is a master stroke of editing. If you appreciate first rate editing, lighting, and directing, you'll love this scene. It was recently on and I backed the TiVo up 3 times just so I could keep watching it. If you're familiar with the character arcs at all the scene becomes even better.

Character arcs? That reminds me, I had a point to get to before I went all tangential there, didn't I? I think what used to set TWW apart from others shows was that you really got a sense that character arcs were worked out way in advance. This allowed for plenty of stories and really gave the viewers a sense of cohesion and reality when the series was viewed as a whole. Too often, character development comes at the expense of a plot point and then writers are painted into a corner. They either have to go with what they've written, or just ignore it and change the character to suit there particular needs. This didn't used to happen on TWW and it was fantastic.

But Elvis has, unfortunately, left the building, and he seems to have smuggled out continuity with him. The show has basically gone to shit, under the woefully misguided direction of ER producer John Wells. Naturally he can't write like Sorokin, few can, but I was hoping that he would at least be good. Hell, at this point I'll settle for average. He was entrusted several huge stories when Sorokin left; Zoey is kidnapped, there's a Republican POTUS, Amy asks Donna if she loves Josh (a huge deal for us shippers! Yeah!), and Danny has the Shariff story. And what came of all that? A gym sock on towel rod, that's what. The Amy and Donna thing? Dropped. Shariff? A non-story. Zoey and the new POTUS? Eh, she was locked in a closet somewhere, no big deal. Oh, and she was abducted on May 7th, and according to Wells, found 4 days later...in July!!!

No no, old Wellsy-boy had bigger and better things to move on to. He had stuff Will into a job so out of the way that he's barely on the show. He had to put Swimtern on so that all the teeny-bopper girls who watch will have someone to drool over. You know, it's really tough to turn all the characters in disproportional caricatures of their former selves with all that annoying plot and witty dialog getting in the way. Nish told me tonight that there's a petition out there to cancel the West Wing after this season, and I'm hoping against hope that the do it. This show has become a curse, I feel like I've been a fan for so long that I have to keep watching, but it's so painfull I can barely stand to look at the screen.

So I appeal to you, where ever you may be, if you see John Wells walking down the street, please, please, please hit him with your car, and then back over him a few times, just to make sure.