The West Wing Script Book -

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Lisa Verson (Dayton, OH) –

  

  

I was so happy when the script book finally came out. Even though it only contains six scripts of Aaron Sorkin’s incredible writing, it’s much better than nothing at all. I found this to be just like watching the episode in my head. I guess the only thing I wish is that there were more scripts in it! Other than that, it is great. If you love “The West Wing” or Aaron Sorkin’s writing, buy this. You will not be disappointed!

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The episodes presented in “The West Wing Script Book” were obviously chosen because they have two strong points in common. First, these are the scripts which introduce each main character in “The West Wing” and which tell the stories of how each came to travel the road that brought them to work together in Washington. Second, the scripts contain the most powerful scenes that reveal the personalities of the characters. The book includes those pivotal events such as the President’s flashbacks about his relationship with his father, Toby’s moral dilemma in finding out about the President’s MS, Josh and Donna’s reasons why each depends on the other, Sam’s accidental tryst with a call girl and C.J.’s damage control with the press, Ainsley’s anti-ERA speech, and Charlie’s initial job interview to name only a few.

If you’re a “West Wing” fan, you can now fully digest the subtlety and cleverness of the writing you may have missed during the rapid-fire pace of the show. If you are not a fan, this book is a good introduction to the dynamics of the cast and the premise of the show. These are the episodes that not only “let Bartlett be Bartlett,” they are the ones that show the entire cast at its best.

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William Gallagher “william_gallagher” (England) –

  

Two very important things first: this has six scripts, not the eight it was planned to and it doesn’t include the episode In Excelsis Deo; also, people who have claimed that the scripts are available online are mistaken. It appears that a version of the pilot is, but the rest are transcripts. That’s like comparing a symphonic score to the instructions to key music into your mobile phone. These published scripts come complete not just with deft scene-setting but also errors that give you a sense of a working document and, reproduced here as they were given to the cast, their inate sense of pacing and rhythm is kept. It’s difficult not to hear the cast’s voices as you read but that’s a measure of how distinctive each character is and the scripts work quite marvellously on their own. Then, too, Sorkin’s introduction and later short notes probably contain more information than we’ve had on The West Wing DVD extras here in England and if there’s anything you’d wish for in the book, it would just be for a Volume 2.

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