I just watched the two parts of this episode again for the latest of countless viewings. After the cliffhanger ending of season one, they return to the scene. The highlight of the opening sequence is the reaction of Toby to finding Josh, who has just been shot. The episode makes brilliant use of flashbacks to show how the team came together from its earliest beginnings. The speech that Bartlett gives explaining his decision to "hose" the dairy farmers is possibly my favourite scene of a show that is filled with brilliant scenes. There is not a word spoken of the bond between Donna and Josh, but it is explored brilliantly by the background scene, and is shown brilliantly just through Donna's expressions. Overall, these two episodes stand out as the crown jewel of what is, in my opinion, the best dramatic show I have ever watched.
3 Reviews
THE WEST WING: SEASON 2, EPISODE 1/2: In the Shadow of Two Gunmen
dalydj-918-2551755 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
THE WEST WING: SEASON 2, EPISODE 1/2: In the Shadow of Two Gunmen
Directed by: Thomas Schlamme
Written by: Aaron Sorkin
The second season gets to a strong start with an immediate follow up to the first season's assassination attempt cliffhanger. The first episode is split between two episodes lasting 90 minutes and is a standout moment in the history of television. (1/6)
The episode is filled with the intensity of the present as medical professionals, presidential workers and anybody else involved in the incident deal with the aftermath of the shooting. (2/6)
I love how this episode through flashback gave us a greater insight as to how the presidential team we know came together. The first part doesn't really have a concrete end as both episodes aired together so you really cannot think of one part without the other. (3/6)
The second part continues to flashback and present narrative and it really is exciting seeing the team in their humble beginnings and it all makes sense for their group dynamics in the present. (4/6)
I'm so happy now that I've returned to this rewatch because I miss the experience of all these people especially Josh as played by Bradley Whitford. (5/6)
In the second part we get the devastating moment when his father is revealed to be dead which is played in contrast with the present where Josh finally comes out of surgery after suffering a gun shoot wound during the shooting. (6/6)
The second season gets to a strong start with an immediate follow up to the first season's assassination attempt cliffhanger. The first episode is split between two episodes lasting 90 minutes and is a standout moment in the history of television. (1/6)
The episode is filled with the intensity of the present as medical professionals, presidential workers and anybody else involved in the incident deal with the aftermath of the shooting. (2/6)
I love how this episode through flashback gave us a greater insight as to how the presidential team we know came together. The first part doesn't really have a concrete end as both episodes aired together so you really cannot think of one part without the other. (3/6)
The second part continues to flashback and present narrative and it really is exciting seeing the team in their humble beginnings and it all makes sense for their group dynamics in the present. (4/6)
I'm so happy now that I've returned to this rewatch because I miss the experience of all these people especially Josh as played by Bradley Whitford. (5/6)
In the second part we get the devastating moment when his father is revealed to be dead which is played in contrast with the present where Josh finally comes out of surgery after suffering a gun shoot wound during the shooting. (6/6)
More shootings than days in 2023
estathena25 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
No matter how many times I've watched this episode and been shocked by its violence, I've been moved to tears by its comradery & compassion.
In times like these - where the number of mass shootings outnumber the days in a year, and the ever- increasing frustration that gun violence has gotten worse, not better, this series and this story arc should be taught as part as every American Civics class.
The storyline, characters, and emotive build-up to the second season, to its tomorrow, and how so few want to touch the issue - let alone deal with it, we are moved by the action, the very human drama, and the rippling effects that gun violence had on its victims, the community, the country.
We remember Charlie Young and feel how/why he came to be at The White House, as our heart aches for how little we've come, how many lives we lost, how this is still an issue in this country.
In times like these - where the number of mass shootings outnumber the days in a year, and the ever- increasing frustration that gun violence has gotten worse, not better, this series and this story arc should be taught as part as every American Civics class.
The storyline, characters, and emotive build-up to the second season, to its tomorrow, and how so few want to touch the issue - let alone deal with it, we are moved by the action, the very human drama, and the rippling effects that gun violence had on its victims, the community, the country.
We remember Charlie Young and feel how/why he came to be at The White House, as our heart aches for how little we've come, how many lives we lost, how this is still an issue in this country.
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