West wing season 1 (1 Viewer)

[David Lambert]

David VP, that price reflects 35% off the list...yes, that's among Amazon's higher discounts, but still in the normal range for them. But they can certainly afford to be competitive on this title, since it is going to sell in huge volume and since Warner probably offers them (and others) very good terms (that's based on my observations and my experience in the retail industry; I don't have a price sheet handy or anything! ). Anyway, I wouldn't be in any rush out of fear that it's going away.

Having said that, I'll agree that it's a good price. Costco is selling E.R. this Tuesday for $39.99, so I imagine they will sell West Wing for the same price (since they both SRP for $59.98).


DANE: About the pre-ordering, I'll encourage you to never use a debit card for pre-orders if possible. Aryn mentions that funds can indeed come out prior to the actual shipping, at least for a little while. Sometimes for more than that, depending on the seller and the circumstances. If you use a debit card, I *HIGHLY* encourage you to have money to cover the entire expense IN-THE-ACCOUNT when you place the order, and then earmark the money as spent and never touch it, and adjust your balance to show that it is gone, gone, gone. That's the only safe way to do that and not bounce anything. For my part, I only use true credit cards now for online purchases, so I don't have to get into all of that.

Also, about point #2, I have heard a few DDD horror stories where the customer not only didn't have their new item by street date, but they didn't have it 1-2 months later, either. Amazon does indeed get it to you at or shortly after street date, but I've resisted pre-ordering from DDD because of stories I have read right here on the HTF. They may have gotten better by now, but I'm quite happy with Amazon and DVDEmpire for my pre-orders.

 

[David Von Pein]

$38.99 for one of the best dramas ever??? That's insane!

I agree!
But it's the kind of insanity I like! You??

And also consider the "total running time" for the West Wing upcoming set. .... MORE THAN 920 minutes of programming, and that doesn't include what evidently will be a healthy dose of supplements added in as well! Must be over 1,000 total minutes of material for less than 39 clams! Less than 4 cents per minute. Hard to resist.

 

[Dane Marvin]

And also consider the "total running time" for the West Wing upcoming set. .... MORE THAN 920 minutes of programming, and that doesn't include what evidently will be a healthy dose of supplements added in as well!

And me -- being the geek that I am -- I always like to add the runtimes of episodes with commentary tracks onto the total runtime, sorta like the episode counts twice if it has commentary.

 

[David Von Pein]

I see that within the last 24 hours, Amazon has removed the $38.99 Pre-Order link and price tag from its site. :frowning:

I sure hope this doesn't indicate that WB has changed its mind about releasing Season 1 in November.

Anybody have any ideas?

(My pre-order has not yet been cancelled or altered however.)

 

[David Lambert]

David, nothing's changed in Warner's password-protected info system.

Maybe Amazon realized they could sell it for more, and stepped back until they could adjust. You scared 'em off, man!

 

[David Von Pein]

Maybe Amazon realized they could sell it for more, and stepped back until they could adjust. You scared 'em off, man!

Well....I guess they were only "scared" of this fantastic price point for a mere 24 hours...because they've got it back up now. Same price as before too...Whew! *wipes brow of increasing perspiration*

But that link did show "TITLE NOT AVAILABLE" yesterday...I swear.

Amazon must have had a poltergeist in their matrix or somethin' like that there. (Mrs. Landingham monkeying around perhaps??)

 

[David Von Pein]

Maybe Amazon realized they could sell it for more, and stepped back until they could adjust.

Well .... Perhaps you were correct after all.

 

[Aryn Leroux]

Glad i ordered it when i did $34.74 shipped @ Amazon. Of course that includes the share the love discount. Still for the quality show west wing is the current price would not have prevented me from ordering it anyway.

 

[David Von Pein]

The Musical Chairs Of Pricing continues. Back down again.

But..."For how long, Mr. Spock....For...how...long?!" -- J.T. Kirk

 

[Johnny Angell]

I've loved this series from the beginning and now I've finally got my wife hooked on it. We've just finished the S1 set and she's screaming "when is season two going to be released?"

Anyone have any idea?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

No, unfortunately there hasn't been any word about season two yet. Since it appears they really took some care into the extras on the first season, it'll probably take some time to put together the next one.

The good news is that if you have cable, reruns of the show have been running like crazy on Bravo. If you pop over to the West Wing newsgroup or do a Yahoo search, you'll be able to find a couple websites that give the schedule for the current Bravo run, and which episodes are on when. The second season was amazing. (You have no idea, or perhaps now that you've watched season one you do, how difficult it was to wait for the season premiere. I don't want to give anything away, but the second season starts exactly at the moment the last episode of the first season blacks out.)

 

[Michael*K]

Though Bravo can help sate one's appetite for epsiodes, we still have to deal with those damned commercials. Bring on the season two set!

 

[David Lambert]

I too am waiting desperately to find out when I can see the resolution of the cliffhanger!

But he's right; no news yet. As soon as Gord or I find out, we'll have it you-know-where, of course!

 

[Kevin Porter]

This set is amazing!

I've already watched the first two episodes three times and the third twice. The thing about Aaron Sorkin shows is that you can watch them over and over again without being bored because they are just so rich and full. The 4th and 5th episodes didn't exactly grab me the way the first 3 did but that might have something to do with the fact that I watched them between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM. While so far this isn't the absolute masterpiece Sports Night was, it is some very much amazing television. I even managed to convert my parents who are not too fond of Mr. Sheen. My mother and I watched two in the same night. It just goes to show that if you put your political tiffs aside, you will be royally entertained.

 

[Dane Marvin]

I, too, am a huge fan of Sports Night, Kevin. Continue watching the first season episodes of TWW. By the time you get to the tenth episode, "In Excelsis Deo", you'll come to realize that this show is absolutely a masterpiece. Even more so than Sports Night. The realization will become fully realized when you hit the episodes "Take This Sabbath Day" and the masterfully written and pieced together cliffhanger finale "What Kind of Day Has It Been?".

And season two is as good as (if not better than) the first!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

While so far this isn't the absolute masterpiece Sports Night was, it is some very much amazing television.

It does get better as it goes on - I think by the time you see all of the season one episodes (as well as the second season, whenever the hell that comes out), you'll feel The West Wing is an absolute masterpiece.

As the first season progressed, the characters really developed into real characters and not mere plot devices, and with the interplay between the characters established, the show really took off. If you share the show's politics (as I do), you'll probably love it to death by the time you've seen the rest of the set, but I'm told by friends who have different political views that it's enormously entertaining to them.

The very best episodes have you watching, eyes glued to the TV, perhaps even forgetting that you're watching fiction and not real life.

The episode "He Shall, From Time To Time..." marks the beginning of a subplot that shall continue from that point onward, and result in many satisfying dramatic moments.

 

[Mark Silver]

Kevin,

I am huge Sports Night fan and West Wing fan, and must say I disagree with the above statements. Season 1 is the best of the West Wing. Everything from mid Season 2 on starts to go down hill after they resolve the Season 1 cliffhanger.

And for those who are true Sports Night fans you will notice that The West Wing's Season 2's "Stackhouse Fillibuster" is a recycled script and almost exact duplication of from Sports Night's Season 1's "How are things in Glocca Morra ?".

 

[Dane Marvin]

Mark, we could draw comparisons between Sports Night and TWW all day long (the shattered window from a season 4 episode is something that was used in SN also). He isn't "recycling" scripts, as you call it. Such things are certain Sorkin quirks that he likes to do no matter what he's working on. Like episodes written to a distant character we never see (C.J.'s letter to her father in "Stackhouse Filibuster" is similar in style to Jeremy's letter to his sister regarding a tennis match that just wouldn't end). If you really want to make a gripe about this similaratiy, why don't you accuse Sorkin of "ripping off" the idea from M*A*S*H, which saw Hawkeye writing to his father in this exact same format on several occasions?

The point is, Sorkin pays homage to his past shows (he named the first season finale episodes "What Kind of Day Has It Been?" for both his series) and has certain things that he likes to do over and over because they have become artistic signatures for him, like having Josh Malina star in all of his projects. Or what is lovingly referred to as pedeconferencing (walking and talking). And especially his snappy Dr. Seuss-like dialogue!

And if you think that season 2 goes downhill midway through, I'm wondering if we're talking about the same show. The season 2 finale, "Two Cathedrals", is one of the most critically-acclaimed and moving episodes in the entire series run. It might possibly be the best.

 

[Mark Silver]

Dane,

I am not saying the writing device of writing to a relative is a "rip-off". Believe me I've studied Sorkins writing since I saw "A Few Good Men" on Broadway (with Bradley Whitford as the Kaffee).

What I am saying is that the "Fillibuster" script doesn't pay homage to, but is almost an exact copy of the "Glocca Mora" script.