West Wing Season Premiere

[c9]

I quite enjoyed the premiere of the West Wing this evening. It delved deeper into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and approaches to it. Like every week during the seasons for the past five years, I am again wishing that Jed Bartlett was president in the US.

I worry that I'm learning too much about the conflict from the show, and that what I'm learning is more fictional than I think. Much of the show is very based in fact, so it's a natural position to get into. When I was 12 or so, I read "Space" by James Michener. It is a fact-centred account of the space race, but it features many fictional changes to better create the novel's plot. For example, it features an Apollo-era disaster that didn't actually happen, and for years I thought it did. So I worry that I'll "learn" something from the West Wing and apply it in some debate later.

Plus if I ever become Prime Minister I'm gonna have to know more facts than fiction.

Comments

[leapfish.livejournal.com]

When are you becoming Prime Minister? I need to know, because if I'm resigned to being the PM's wife, I'll need to start shopping for trendy outfits now.

[cap-hill-latte.livejournal.com]

Yeah - that's why I stopped watching The West Wing, I kept getting confused between what was happening on the show and what was happening in the real world - which made it hard to have intelligent political discussions at work. (Also, the writing went downhill when Sorkin left.)

[c9.livejournal.com]

I was worried that might happen (the writing), but I haven't found that to consistently be true yet. Sometimes a notice it, but more often I don't.

As for other events: I'm very plugged into US and western world news, so I was always able to keep up with the show and remember which items were fact and which were fiction. But when they get deep into something, that's when I wonder a bit.

It's just encouraging me to learn more, which is fine by me.