25 years since its premiere, Aaron Sorkins political fantasy is as potent as ever.
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It didnt take long for that long shot to be hailed as a revelation.
Its been 25 years since it premiered, andThe West Wingremains one ofthe bestnetwork dramasever aired.
And it didnt just earn acclaim the first time.
Now, as President Bartlet would say, Whats next?
150.Isaac and Ishmael (Season 3, Episode 0)
150.
The intentions are good, but it basically boils down to Cant we all just get along?
and at its worst feels preachy and premature.
Plus, since it doesnt fit into the rest of the show, there are no long-term dramatic stakes.
149.The Debate (Season 7, Episode 7)
149.
148.Constituency of One (Season 5, Episode 5)
148.
To say it was an adjustment for both writers and audiences would be an understatement.
An interesting shouting match, but a shouting match nevertheless.
147.Talking Points (Season 5, Episode 19)
147.
Sometimes these episodes work really well, but Talking Points isnt one of those times.
146.The Midterms (Season 2, Episode 3)
146.
Its perfectly fine television, but its rushed and chaotic even byWest Wingstandards.
145.College Kids (Season 4, Episode 3)
145.
144.Disaster Relief (Season 5, Episode 6)
144.
143.The State Dinner (Season 1, Episode 7)
143.
142.Guns Not Butter (Season 4, Episode 12)
142.
Season four is the Sorkin-eraWest Wingat its most scattered.
Still, you get Bartlet with a goat, and thats something.
141.Take Out the Trash Day (Season 1, Episode 13)
141.
Theres a lot going on, some of it (Leo and rehab!
CJ and Danny!)
140.The California 47th (Season 4, Episode 16)
140.
It doesnt go well.
Its another of those in-between episodes that never delivers a true emotional punch.
139.The Dogs of War (Season 5, Episode 2)
139.
138.The Benign Prerogative (Season 5, Episode 11)
138.
137.Enemies (Season 1, Episode 8)
137.
136.Jefferson Lives (Season 5, Episode 3)
136.
135.Full Disclosure (Season 5, Episode 15)
135.
134.Faith-Based Initiative (Season 6, Episode 10)
134.
133.The Red Mass (Season 4, Episode 4)
133.
132.Eppur Si Muove (Season 5, Episode 16)
132.
131.The Hubbert Peak (Season 6, Episode 5)
131.
130.Opposition Research (Season 6, Episode 11)
130.
129.The Lame Duck Congress (Season 2, Episode 6)
129.
128.The Dover Test (Season 6, Episode 6)
128.
The Bartlet-led peacekeeping mission to Israel suffers its first casualties, and the staff must deal with the fallout.
127.7A WF 83429 (Season 5, Episode 1)
127.
126.20 Hours in LA (Season 1, Episode 16)
126.
Bartlet heads to California for a fundraiser at a movie moguls mansion, and the staff tags along.
125.A Change Is Gonna Come (Season 6, Episode 7)
125.
124.Abu el Banat (Season 5, Episode 9)
124.
123.Mandatory Minimums (Season 1, Episode 20)
123.
122.Han (Season 5, Episode 4)
122.
121.Swiss Diplomacy (Season 4, Episode 9)
121.
120.We Killed Yamamoto (Season 3, Episode 20)
120.
Its a fun episode, but like so many late-seasonWest Wingentries, its all about what happens next.
119.The White House Pro-Am (Season 1, Episode 17)
119.
118.Separation of Powers (Season 5, Episode 7)
118.
117.The Portland Trip (Season 2, Episode 7)
117.
The results are uneven but still entertaining.
116.King Corn (Season 6, Episode 13)
116.
115.Enemies Foreign and Domestic (Season 3, Episode 18)
115.
114.Message of the Week (Season 7, Episode 3)
114.
113.In God We Trust (Season 6, Episode 20)
113.
112.La Palabra (Season 6, Episode 18)
112.
Meanwhile, the Russell and Hoynes campaigns end up scrambling, and Josh seizes an opportunity.
You wouldnt think an endorsement battle would be especially exciting, but it mostly works.
111.Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc (Season 1, Episode 2)
111.
110.A Proportional Response (Season 1, Episode 3)
110.
Plus, we get to meet Dule Hill as the always wonderful Charlie Young.
109.The Crackpots and These Women (Season 1, Episode 5)
109.
108.The Mommy Problem (Season 7, Episode 2)
108.
107.The Long Goodbye (Season 4, Episode 13)
107.
It feels a little disconnected, but Janney holds it together.
106.The Wake Up Call (Season 6, Episode 14)
106.
105.Stirred (Season 3, Episode 17)
105.
104.War Crimes (Season 3, Episode 5)
104.
103.The Al Smith Dinner (Season 7, Episode 6)
103.
102.An Khe (Season 5, Episode 14)
102.
101.Process Stories (Season 4, Episode 8)
101.
100.365 Days (Season 6, Episode 12)
100.
99.The Wedding (Season 7, Episode 9)
99.
98.18th and Potomac (Season 2, Episode 21)
98.
Mrs. Landinghams death is just the final minute of the episode.
97.Freedonia (Season 6, Episode 15)
97.
Its good, but more important, its a sign of bigger and better things to come.
96.The Ticket (Season 7, Episode 1)
96.
95.The Warfare of Genghis Khan (Season 5, Episode 13)
95.
Meanwhile, CJ fights with a talk-show host and Josh goes stargazing with a beautiful NASA scientist.
Frost (Season 7, Episode 4)
94.
93.Drought Conditions (Season 6, Episode 16)
93.
This ones worth it for Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff alone.
92.The Drop-in (Season 2, Episode 12)
92.
Toby and Sam argue over a speech to an environmental group.
Con-172 (Season 3, Episode 10)
91.
90.Welcome to Wherever You Are (Season 7, Episode 15)
90.
89.Ninety Miles Away (Season 6, Episode 19)
89.
88.Lord John Marbury (Season 1, Episode 11)
88.
Rees is a born scene-stealer, but thats far from the only thing this episode has going for it.
87.Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics (Season 1, Episode 21)
87.
86.Running Mates (Season 7, Episode 10)
86.
85.Impact Winter (Season 6, Episode 9)
85.
84.Slow News Day (Season 5, Episode 12)
84.
83.Arctic Radar (Season 4, Episode 10)
83.
Those story lines are good ones, but theyre not what make this episode sing.
82.Things Fall Apart (Season 6, Episode 21)
82.
81.Undecideds (Season 7, Episode 8)
81.
This is one of those times, and its quite something to watch.
80.Red Havens on Fire (Season 4, Episode 17)
80.
79.Bartlets Third State of the Union (Season 2, Episode 13)
79.
78.Here Today (Season 7, Episode 5)
78.
Everyone plays it beautifully, and its fittingly hard to watch.
77.In the Room (Season 6, Episode 8)
77.
76.Access (Season 5, Episode 18)
76.
Its a very fun play onThe West Wingformat, and a great example of season fives rising ambitions.
75.On the Day Before (Season 3, Episode 4)
75.
74.The Women of Qumar (Season 3, Episode 8)
74.
Its a brutal reckoning for the character, but thats not the gem of this episode.
73.Holy Night (Season 4, Episode 11)
73.
Not the bestWest Wingholiday episode, but a winner nonetheless.
72.The Two Bartlets (Season 3, Episode 12)
72.
Its a stepping-stone episode, but its remarkably well-balanced with the emotional threads its plucking.
71.Internal Displacement (Season 7, Episode 11)
71.
70.Memorial Day (Season 5, Episode 22)
70.
69.Third-Day Story (Season 6, Episode 3)
69.
Bartlet made an epic peace deal, and now everyone has to figure out how to make it work.
68.Shutdown (Season 5, Episode 8)
68.
67.Transition (Season 7, Episode 19)
67.
The Santos campaign won!
66.Liftoff (Season 6, Episode 4)
66.
Its CJs first episode as the new White House chief of staff, and its a doozy.
65.The Stormy Present (Season 5, Episode 10)
65.
Its a wonderfully weighty episode that doesnt forget to bring some humor to the party.
64.The Last Hurrah (Season 7, Episode 20)
64.
63.Commencement (Season 4, Episode 22)
63.
Its a great little narrative trick, and sets up an interesting parting gift fromThe West Wings creator.
62.The Supremes (Season 5, Episode 17)
62.
61.In This White House (Season 2, Episode 4)
- episodes, which might be grating if it werent for the charm of everyone involved.
60.Let Bartlet Be Bartlet (Season 1, Episode 19)
60.
59.The War at Home (Season 2, Episode 14)
59.
It doesnt go well.
58.The U.S.
Poet Laureate (Season 3, Episode 16)
58.
That gif of Bradley Whitford saying The internet people have gone crazy?
57.Two Weeks Out (Season 7, Episode 14)
57.
56.Gaza (Season 5, Episode 21)
56.
55.Inauguration (Season 4, Episodes 14 and 15)
55.
54.Gone Quiet (Season 3, Episode 6)
54.
53.Institutional Memory (Season 7, Episode 21)
53.
52.Take This Sabbath Day (Season 1, Episode 14)
52.
Martin Sheen in Profound Mode and Bradley Whitford in Clown Mode.
What more could you want?
51.Somebodys Going to Emergency, Somebodys Going to Jail (Season 2, Episode 16)
51.
Oh, and Josh and CJ meet with some crazy mapmakers, and Toby hangs out with anarchists.
50.The Falls Gonna Kill You (Season 2, Episode 20)
50.
49.Requiem (Season 7, Episode 18)
49.
48.The Black Vera Wang (Season 3, Episode 19)
48.
47.He Shall, From Time to Time (Season 1, Episode 20)
47.
But theres no time for the president to sleep it off.
46.NSF Thurmont (Season 6, Episode 1)
46.
45.Duck and Cover (Season 7, Episode 12)
45.
44.Election Night (Season 4, Episode 7)
44.
Bartlets reelection comes without much tension.
43.A Good Day (Season 6, Episode 17)
43.
More political fantasy, maybe, but its exhilarating all the same.
42.No Exit (Season 5, Episode 20)
42.
Its a great conceptual hook pulled off to near perfection, and it breathes new life into the show.
41.Ways and Means (Season 3, Episode 3)
41.
Meanwhile, Donna goes on a date with a Republican and Sam works to secure a key endorsement.
40.Debate Camp (Season 4, Episode 5)
40.
Its a great episode for Richard Schiff fans and a fun balance of campaigning and governing.
39.The Birnam Wood (Season 6, Episode 2)
39.
38.Night Five (Season 3, Episode 13)
38.
37.And Its Surely to Their Credit (Season 2, Episode 5)
37.
Ainsley Hayes starts work at the White House, and shes not exactly getting a warm welcome.
36.Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1)
36.
The West Wings series premiere is not perfect.
35.The Leadership Breakfast (Season 2, Episode 11)
35.
34.Ellie (Season 2, Episode 15)
34.
33.What Kind of Day Has It Been (Season 1, Episode 22)
33.
It all builds to an unforgettably tense conclusion and leaves you begging to see more.
Thankfully, now you dont have to wait those agonizing months.
32.100,000 Airplanes (Season 3, Episode 11)
32.
31.Posse Comitatus (Season 3, Episode 21)
31.
Its an exhilarating finale, even if it isnt the best conclusion the show ever gave us.
Willis of Ohio (Season 1, Episode 6)
30.
29.The Cold (Season 7, Episode 13)
29.
An epic episode in pretty much every sense.
28.Angel Maintenance (Season 4, Episode 19)
28.
27.Evidence of Things Not Seen (Season 4, Episode 20)
27.
Oh, and someone shoots at the White House, prompting a lockdown.
26.In Excelsis Deo (Season 1, Episode 10)
26.
25.Privateers (Season 4, Episode 18)
25.
24.The Indians in the Lobby (Season 3, Episode 7)
24.
For that scene alone, its one of the best holiday episodes the show ever produced.
23.Celestial Navigation (Season 1, Episode 15)
23.
22.Election Day (Season 7, Episodes 16 and 17)
22.
21.Life on Mars (Season 4, Episode 21)
21.
What do you do when you get Matthew Perry to guest star as a new White House lawyer?
You put him at the center of a blockbuster revelation that will oust the Vice-President, of course.
20.Bad Moon Rising (Season 2, Episode 19)
20.
19.Manchester (Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2)
19.
18.The Short List (Season 1, Episode 9)
18.
17.20 Hours in America (Season 4, Episodes 1 and 2)
17.
Donna, Josh, and Toby get stranded in the heartland when Bartlets campaign motorcade leaves them behind.
Episodes outside of the White House can sometimes feel like style over substance, but this one nails both.
16.Tomorrow (Season 7, Episode 22)
16.
The series finale feels, first and foremost, appropriately grand.
15.Bartlet for America (Season 3, Episode 9)
15.
14.Galileo (Season 2, Episode 9)
14.
13.Six Meetings Before Lunch (Season 1, Episode 18)
13.
One of the most ambitious episodes of the first season is also one of the most intimate.
12.2162 Votes (Season 6, Episode 22)
12.
11.Twenty Five (Season 4, Episode 23)
11.
10.The Stackhouse Filibuster (Season 2, Episode 17)
10.
There are a lot of great rewatchableWest Wingepisodes, and this ones among the most consistently satisfying.
9.Noel (Season 2, Episode 10)
9.
8.Five Votes Down (Season 1, Episode 4)
8.
This is the episode whereThe West Wingall comes together.
7.Dead Irish Writers (Season 3, Episode 15)
7.
6.17 People (Season 2, Episode 18)
6.
5.In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2)
5.
4.Game On (Season 4, Episode 6)
4.
The season-seven debate episode is all about realism.
The season-four debate episode is all about maximum tension and payoff.
3.Hartsfields Landing (Season 3, Episode 14)
3.
Of all the cozy, thoughtfulWest Winghours, this is the coziest and most thoughtful.
2.Shibboleth (Season 2, Episode 8)
2.
1.Two Cathedrals (Season 2, Episode 22)
1.
