By Hipolito M Navarrete, Managing Editor/Publisher
“The West Wing” is still what I wish my perception of what it is like to work at the White House; it makes me think of extremely qualified, literate and compassionate people that are trying to do what is best for everyone. From President Bartlett to his assistant, Charlie, there is always comfort in that they do not make rash decisions, that they mull over the consequences and that after that, they consult with the brightest minds available, even admitting that they need outside counsel before any thing should be decided. It paints a picture of what is not, but what we wish it was. Long hours where every conversation creates opportunity and every opportunity develops into a policy that will be better for those that are going to be affected by it.
Aaron Sorkin admits that he dramatized his creation and also that he had little knowledge of what really happens there, but his dialogue and of course, the camera movement is mesmerizing, worth at least sitting through one full season, or at least the four seasons he wrote. The rest, I will see if I will continue once I get to that point. What is it that we are missing right now at the real west wing? That is a whole new show possibly being developed now. It’s for sure not, the Apprentice, for if it was, he already got to fire his friends along with those that were dangerous to him. The drama that is happening at this white house is not the drama that we experience in “The West Wing,” were we see the characters struggling with their own truths and open themselves to the realities of those they want to serve. We would have expected to see a much more conservative portrait if the administration portrayed was a Republican version, but we certainly did not expect to see “House of Cards” to be a much more realistic portrayal. At the end of the day, we still want our TV shows to be fictional but authentic and entertaining, not a brutal portrayal of a Machiavellian reality where Nero has come to reign.
Watching “The West Wing,” at least the first season, reminds me of what some of these shows do, they give us a glimpse of what we feel our government institutions are supposed to be doing, and how they are supposed to do it. It is somewhat of a Norman Rockwell version of the America we want to experience, a little more diverse and inclusive, but still hopeful and caring. Check out “The West Wing” on Netflix, fall into what could be.
