Customer Reviews

The West Wing: The Official Companion

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a wonderful look back on the first two years of a most interesting and enjoyable series.

We bought the complete series of the seven years of West Wing on DVD and over the past 4 years, have watched it NINE TIMES !

I am sure that over the next few years we will read this book before we watch the series again and again.

Truly a wonderful find. Thank you Amazon and Awesome Books for your assistance in finding this treasure for our library.

Sincerely, Bunny and David Fraser

This book, as the official companion to the TV series, has a remarkable, historically evocative setting.

That being said, I keep being made aware of the liberal-tinted glasses through which issues and personalities are seen, and, indeed, created, because this is, after all, fiction.

This creation is a 'what you see is what you get' affair: much to commend it, but you know where it is coming from.

I have seen the "West Wing" books that feature scripts from selected episodes. But this book includes every episode from the first two seasons, told in story form. Plus chapters on each of the actors and their characters, the background on the making of the show -- if you're a fan, this is a "must have". I just hope that there will be, at some point, additional volumes to cover the third, fourth and fifth seasons -- and so on.

I thumbed through this book in a bookstore and by the time I got home, I realized I had to own it and I was online ordering my own copy. This book is more than just a rehash of the first two seasons. We are treated to a real behind-the-scenes tour of what goes into filming the show. Talk about your West Wing trivia!

The asides from the actors on the characters they play are filled with gems of inside information. For instance, what do Brad Whitford and Janel Moloney think the roles of Josh and Donna are all about; how does Martin Sheen get the cast to treat him like the President and why is this adulation so important; and why is Allison Janney everyone's favorite? We are treated to a tour of the West Wing to fully understand the layout of the staff's offices and the dynamics of the characters in relationship to each other. Then, the decorations in the offices are explained, and nothing is so minor to be included by chance.

Sorkin claims he doesn't have a political agenda. He asks his staff to write a pro-con memo on each episode, and he is most comfortable when two people disagree. If the points are good, he incorporates them into the show's dialogue. You have to be a West Wing fan, and a pretty serious one at that, to fully appreciate this Official Companion, which brings to light the fine points of all that went into creating the first two seasons of this amazingly written and performed show.

I know that there is a collection of scripts from the first two season of "The West Wing," including the the Emmy Award-winning episode "In Excelsis Deo," but that only offers up a half dozen scripts. This volume is "The Official Companion" to the television series created by Aaron Sorkin and covers the first two seasons of the series in a rather interesting way. Each episode is given, on average, six pages, in which the episode is described in narrative format with choices quotations and exchanges of dialogue included. I have to admit I like this approach, because it saves fans of the show from going through dozens of pages of scripts to find their favorites lines (e.g., Sam's "This is bad on so many levels" from the Pilot episode).

These 44 episode summaries are enhanced in various ways throughout this volume. There are comments from Sorkin, the cast, and even a few real former West Wing staffers highlighted in the margins, usually talking specifically about the scene they appear next to on the page. You will also find references to alternate scenes that students of the show will find fascinating. There are even footnotes: Barlet might spare his senior staff list listing all fourteen of the punctuation marks in standard English grammar, but here they get named (along with the point that Toby only knew the last seven in the list). In between episodes at various points in the volume you will find profiles of the eight principle actors and insights into the show's creation and a photo tour of the West Wing. Consequently, "The West Wing" provides both a walk down memory lane and insights into the stories, characters, and actors.

"The West Wing" is a show where having all the scripts available in print might be a good thing, but it is not likely to happen. It took six volumes to put into print all of the scripts from the first two seasons of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and that was with 10 less episodes than on "The West Wing." The series will probably end up in syndication on cable channels for eternity so we might never get it released on DVD either. A series of volumes covering all of the episodes in this manner, printed in two season increments, would be an acceptable substitute.

This inside look at my favorite program gives a background to the characters, the storylines, and other information. A must have for all "Wingnuts" as we're called. It is particularly good for the background on the departing Sam Seaborn played of course by Rob Lowe. Hopefully, there will be a second book covering the next season.

This book is fantastic! It is beautifully set out and it has really clear pictures of the cast and the sets. I especially love the quotes that it has on each page from either the cast or crew. You learn a lot! It's also cool how they have a description of each episode intertwined with the best quotes. Really well done - I definitely recommend it!

As a WW fan I waited expectantly for what I had thought was a more in depth retelling of my favourite episodes. Instead this rather glossy overdone manuscript runs through the synopsis of each episode with the same brevity which can be found on any West Wing website, and there are a few. The insider narrations of each of the main characters and the actors who portray them are interesting enough but not good enough reason to buy what is in the end only a fan magazine for die hard addicts. Adam Sorkin you can do better than this...

If you are in front of your tv every Wed. at 9 then either you have no life or are obsessed with the West Wing. Anyone who claims to be a West Wing fan must have this book. It is full of information that you may have missed or didn't even know. It covers the first and second seasons...so I would hope that soon there will be a second volume...this book is a must have!!

Gives a fine overview of the first two seasons of one of the best television programs ever, along with cast bios, photos, and comments. A reminder of favorite episodes or an update of ones missed.