We watch an episode of The West Wing and discuss it, at length. We analyze the show as drama, historical time capsule, and use it as a lens to view our current world. Sometimes it's funny too.
Watch and Talk: A Podcast About The West Wing
We talk ballets, Ms. Landingham's up close magic skills, and give Doug a new nickname.
We talk snakes, the the validity of unnamed sources, and ship Sam and Connie.
We talk political apologies, presidential marriages, and mall culture.
We talk presidential event staging, question the President's decision making apparatus, and debate the use of that Dire Straits song.
We watch season 2, episode 21 of The West Wing (“18th and Potomac”).We talk presidential scandals, Eric gets a lesson in negotiating, and we deal with this episode’s shocking ending.Links:New Zodiac Sign – OphiuchusKenny ThurmanTrump Dentures?Melania’s Christmas WishRob Lowe Sex TapeBig Old DoinksGood Guy discountFlynn Inaguration TextsMammy YokumConfusing Mammy Yokum CartoonYoung Lady Old Lady Illusion
We talk fictional and real tax plans, have major issues with Sam, and Eric confesses to a crippling addiction.
We watch season 2, episode 19 of The West Wing ("Bad Moon Rising").We talk litigation strategy, plan a vacation in international waters, and eat some expired space food.Links• Cornel West Reader• ERA Ratification• 280• Oil Tanker Sizes• Astronaut Ice Cream
We talk the ERA, presidential clapbacks, and how much of Eric's life is informed by throwaway lines in this episode.
We talk the filibuster, standing desks, and shirt tucks.
We talk about anarchy, map projections, and Don Henley.
We talk drug policy, that Allman Brothers reference, and examine this epiosde's erotic undertones.
We talk the drug war, the viability of third party candidates, and breakfast.
We talk ways to make the SoTU more exciting, school uniforms, and attempt to decipher a particularly inscrutable Sorkin-ism.
We talk comic strips, pie vs. cake, and Elise gives a few extremely accurate and true history lessons.
We talk pizza bites, our animal crushes, and wonder if propaganda is always bad.
We talk acronyms, strategic reserves of all types, and are fascinated by the autopen.
We talk green beans, accidental cousin dating, and introduce Detective Harry Covert.
We talk about how much Elise spends on knives, piece together this eps extremely subtle Thanksgiving parable, and learn some new words.
We talk the education system, returning things, and come up with a hip new name for Ainsley's office.
Elise is sick, so it's a boys-only episode. We talk about the objective value of ducks (lame, regular, or otherwise), Brayden preaches the virtues of preventative RSI health, and we discuss the merits of technocracy vs. direct democracy.
We talk about proper fry saucing technique, struggle with the old-timey references in this episode, and Brayden sings a lot.
We talk liberal smugness, medical and agricultural patents, and Elise outs herself as a Norman Borlaug fangirl.
We try to make sense of the new world we live in, discuss the efficacy of John Oliver style monologues, and Eric has a special treat for the gang.
We talk questionable wrist wear, search for clues in The Great Necklace Caper, and discover the origin of President Dad.
We talk about how Nancy McNally may be responsible for the Iraq War and explain the 25th Amendment in easy to understand terms.
We talk how this episode's clever plot structure, do some impressions of the cast, and tally up the "previously on"'s for this season.
We discuss the use of ambassadorships as political chits, question the efficacy of a military tradition, and argue the finer points of raspberries and zerbits.
We talk about drug reform policy, ponder a moral dilemma of being a sign interpreter, and implore everyone to respect the pie.
We talk about putting our faith in weather forecasts, Brayden's breaks down his current sandwich regimen, and Eric has issues with the White House's email problems.
We talk about school vouchers, take Toby to task for being bearonormative, and compare the fashions of the 90s to the early-00s.
We talk about the cross-partisan politics of free trade, our power moves at work, and the cookies Brayden's grandma used to make.
We talk about the law and politics of flag burning, pick our ideal activities for an afternoon with the president, and call out a case of Bob Balaban typecasting.
We talk about continuity issues in this episode, ask why there isn't an article on "root canal", and question the nature of reality.
We talk the politics of the death penalty, strippers, and proper work attire.
We talk about the grammar error in the episode's title, suspect a fake British accent, and criticize Josh's hamburger order.
We talk about our places in the presidential line of succession, Elise's first experience chatting to strangers/aliens on AOL, and everyone in the White House is super horny.
We talk about the finer points of subpoenas, Elise shows off her pronunciation skills, and the audience picks Jason's Secret Service code name.
We talk about the pros and cons of thought crime, wearing clothes people died in, and notice Toby is acting suspicious.
We talk about the balance between politics and ideology when picking a supreme court nominees, that time a ceiling fell on Brayden, and learn a very interesting fact about William Taft.
This week we lay down some ground rules for inter-office romances, Eric wonders why nobody cares about the environment, and we say hi to "real Sam".
In this episode: the exciting conclusion of the tale of The Gipper, Eric asks Elise and Jason a tough question, and Jason learns a new word.
Jason proclaims his love for forms, we research the history of "The Gipper", and confess the embarrassing drink preferences of our youths.
We struggle with the name of this episode on multiple levels, give Charlie and Zoey their couple name, and Mandy does "the bad thing".
We debate the proper container for eating Chinese food out of, the ethics of fruit baskets, and agree that Toby _totally_ did a felony.
We struggle with certain Sorkin character names, discover the cushiest job in the military, and realize that it's hard out here for a POTUS.
We debate the difference between a hooker and a call girl, come up with our Secret Service code names, then get creeped out by Sam.
We discuss the ethics of being rude to flight attendants (and crossword puzzle editors), whether it's sexist to dislike Mandy, and come up with headlines from The West Wing.