OH LORD

To some, this moment at the very end of the second season was among the show's most brilliant. For me, it embodied all of writer-producer Aaron Sorkin's excesses as a stylist, forced dramatics that would become increasingly irritating until he left the show after season four. There was President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), grieving over the death of Mrs. Landingham, pondering reelection after disclosing his MS, ranting against God in Latin in the National Cathedral. The next season, we would see Sorkin's dreadful 9/11 episode. But Bartlet's bombastic rant was the first undeniable sign of grandstanding nonsense to come. Surprisingly, "The West Wing" regained its dignity by the last two seasons, which saw the arrival of a new administration; but it was a different show without Sorkin.