The second season of The West Wing takes up literally where the first season left off and, after a few moments of patriotic sentimentalism, maintains the series' astonishingly high standards in depicting the everyday life of the White House staff of a Democratic administration. The two-part opener covers the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt on President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), switching between the anxious wait on the injured and flashbacks to Bartlet's campaign for the Presidency. Other peaks in a series exceedingly short on lows include "Noel," the... episode in which Alan Arkin's psychiatrist forces Josh Lynam to confront his post-traumatic stress disorder and the episodes in which President Bartlet, following a tragic car accident, rails angrily against God in Latin. Other new aspects include the introduction of Ainsley Hayes, a young Republican counsel hired after she beats communications deputy Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) in a TV debate ("Sam's getting his ass kicked by a girl!" crow his colleagues), as well as the revelation that the President has been suffering from multiple sclerosis. Tensions grow between him and the First Lady (Stockard Channing) as she realizes, in the episode "Third State of the Union," that he intends to run for a second term in office. It becomes clear to Bartlet that he must go public with his MS, and his staff is forced to come to terms with this, as well as deal with the usual plethora of domestic and international incidents, which apparently preclude any of them from having any sort of private lives. These include crises in Haiti and Columbia, an obstinate filibuster, and a Surgeon General's excessively frank remarks about the drug situation. Thankfully, the splendid Lord John Marbury (Roger Rees) is on hand to make chief of staff Leo McGarry's life more of a misery in "The Drop-In." These episodes, though occasionally marred by a sentimental soundtrack and an earnest and wishfully high regard for the Presidential office, are master classes in drama and dialogue, ranging from the wittily staccato to the magnificently grave, capturing authentically the hectic pace of political intrigue and the often vain efforts of decent, brilliant people to do the right thing. The West Wing is one of the all-time great TV dramas. --David Stubbs [show more]
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The complete second series of the acclaimed political drama. 'In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Parts 1 and 2' sees Josh fight for his life as an investigation unfolds around the assassination attempt on President Bartlet (Martin Sheen). 'The Midterms' covers the problems with the midterm elections, the aftermath of the shooting of Josh and sees the President lashing out at a radio host. 'In This Whitehouse' sees the President wanting to hire a Republican after he beat Sam in a televised debate. 'And It's Surely to Their Credit' sees the President taking some flack from White House staffers. In 'The Lame Duck Congress' the staffers consider calling a lame duck session of Congress. 'The Portland Trip' sees Leo staying behind to deal with the Gulf situation whilst the rest of the staff join the President on a trip to Portland. In 'Shibboleth' it is Thanksgiving. 'Galileo' deals with a NASA space probe, the Russians denying any knowledge of a fire in a nuclear missile silo and C.J. and Sam having to confront various people they have been avoiding. 'Noel' has Josh forced to deal with his post-traumatic stress symptoms. 'The Leadership Breakfast' sees the staff before and after a bi-partisan breakfast with the Republicans. In 'The Drop In' Toby plans to add a 30 second 'drop-in' comment to Sam's speech on the environment. 'Bartlet's Third State of the Union' finds Bartlet preparing for one of the most important speeches of his career while also trying to deal with a hostage situation involving DEA officers and Columbian terrorists. 'The War at Home' sees Abbey and Bartlet discuss whether he should run for a second term. 'Ellie' has the Surgeon General at the centre of a controversy when he makes comments in favour of legalising marijuana. In 'Someone's Going to Emergency, Someone's Going to Jail' Toby meets with a group of anti-globalisation activists. 'The Stackhouse Filibuster' finds the Family Wellness bill in trouble when Senator Howard Stackhouse stages a filibuster designed to block its progress. '17 People' sees Toby and Leo discuss the legal issues surrounding Bartlet's MS. 'Bad Moon Rising' finds C.J. searching for a leak among the White House staff. 'The Fall's Gonna Kill You' finds Babish asking some difficult questions about the MS cover-up. '18th and Potomac' sees the staff preparing to make an announcement about Bartlet's MS to the press. Finally, 'Two Cathedrals' has the staff deal with a crisis in Haiti and attempt to preserve the integrity of their law suit against the big tobacco companies.
Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play Contains all the episodes from Series 2 In the Shadow of Two Gunmen - Part 1 In the Shadow of Two Gunmen - Part 2 The Midterms In This White House And It&39;s Surely to Their Credit The Lame Duck Congress The Portland Trip Shibboleth Galileo Noel The Leadership Breakfast The Drop In Bartlet&39;s Third State of the Union The War at Home Ellie Somebody&39;s Going to Emergency Somebody&39;s Going to Jail The Stackhouse Filibuster 17 People Bad Moon Rising The Fall&39;s Gonna Kill You 18th and Potomac Two Cathedrals As Season Two&39;s 22 episodes unfold across this 6 disc set the president and his staff have been targeted for disruption by rival politicians soon after being targeted by would be assassins Yet the determined colleagues continue to serve the US and its President as the administration heads through midterm elections and into a crisis that leads to allegations of criminal conduct The West Wing&39;s second season won Best Drama Series Emmy and Golden Globe Awards
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