From the amazing writing and acting to the optimistic view of government, The West Wing was a truly revolutionary TV series. It redefined what audiences could expect to see on network television. Every episode explored complex subjects with nuance and detailed research, and most of these actually withstand the test of time.
Of course, the nature of drama television is that every episode must have a self-contained story while also building toward the season's climax. The West Wing was no different, and one of its season finales was universally hailed for its bold narrative style. Here is every season's finale, ranked.
The fifth season of The West Wing was controversial, to say the least. It was the first season of the show not written by the series creator, Aaron Sorkin, a writer who actor Richard Schiff (who played Toby Ziegler) compared to Arthur Miller and called "the greatest writer of this era." Without Sorkin's leadership, characters acted in unpredictable ways and the season was by far the weakest.
In the aftermath of a Palestinian terrorist attack that killed American government representatives, the Bartlet White House worked to keep tensions from escalating into all-out war between Israeli and Palestinian forces. The current crisis contrasted flashbacks of Bartlet in his time as President Elect before taking the Oath of Office. Throughout the crisis, Assistant Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman met with a covery Palestinian agent, even as his assistant Donna was on death's door. It was a great episode overall, just not as great as others on this list.
Half of the sixth season focused on the Bartlet Administration, while the other half followed the Democratic Presidential Primary race as candidates competed in the lead-up to the Democratic National Convention.
The chaos and backstabbing of (small D) democratic politics was on full display as each candidate of the Democratic Party fought to win the support of delegates. Meanwhile, the President contemplated leaving astronauts to die in space rather than allow a Russian astronaut to see the designs of a top secret spacecraft that could rescue them--a spacecraft whose existence has been leaked to the press. The episode ended with the next Democratic Presidential Candidate being Matt Santos, the first Latino to ever be a front runner for a President.
This was the last episode of the series, and it came to a bittersweet end. Bartlet had to say goodbye to the White House--his home for the past eight years. The sorrow he felt was palpable in his every movement as he said goodbye to his staff and debated whether or not to pardon his former Communications Director Toby Ziegler for leaking government secrets.
Meanwhile, President Elect Matt Santos prepared to be sworn in, sharing intimate moments with his wife in their limo or while waiting in a backroom in quiet moments alone, or else surrounded by staff advising him on his responsibilities the next. The solemnity of the whole episode made for a long goodbye, for the characters as much as the audience.
Usually, TV politicians spoke of their actual beliefs in broad generic terms, using phrases like "freedom" or "community" or discussing the spirit of the American people. One reason The West Wing was so groundbreaking was its commitment to actual policies of the Democratic Party, abandoning generic phrases for an actual policy stance. However, for most of the first season, it took a very neutral stance. In this episode, President Bartlet pushed pursue stronger left-leaning policies, even as he worked with his staff to rescue a pilot shot down in enemy territory.
The episode ended with Bartlet finishing a speech in front of a cheering crowd, exiting the building, and being fired upon by two gunmen--white nationalist terrorists connected to a group that had been menacing his daughter and his body man for their interracial relationship. As shots fired, the frame froze, bringing the season to end on a cliff hanger.
As President Bartlet prepared for re-election, this was the first time he met with his Republican opponent, Robert Ritchie. Additionally, Bartlet met with Abdul ibn Shareef, the Minister of Defense to the fictional nation of Qumar, who he then had assassinated. Two additional plot threads involved Charlie replacing the President's secretary with a woman of questionable character, and C. J. Cregg's romance with a secret service officer.
The episode's climax put Bartlet in a room with Ritchie as both men attended a musical rendition of Shakespeare's plays about the various kings Henry. Ritchie called the President "an academic, an elitist, and a snob" among many other insults. As the two butted heads, a song rose to a pitch from the stage. Bartlet buffed his cigarette, looked Ritchie in the eye, said he planned to beat him, and walked out. At the same time, the stage play of Henry's victory contrasted the assassination of Shareef, showing Bartlet's own victory.
The final episode written by Aaron Sorkin was truly unforgettable. The President's daughter Zoey had just been kidnapped and no one knew if she was alive or dead. Meanwhile, Toby tried to do his job to help the President, even as his ex-wife had just given birth to their children. Even as Bartlet reeled from the abduction of his daughter, his multiple sclerosis was impacted by the stress so that he found himself incapable of being cognitively present in the Situation Room.
The episode ended with President Bartlet using the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution to declare himself unfit to serve, swearing in Speaker of the House, Glen Allen Walker. The episode--and Sorkin's run--ended with President Walker telling Bartlet "you are relieved, Mr. President."
In this episode, Bartlet had to announce to the press that he had hidden his multiple sclerosis, and whether or not he was running for reelection--something his staff clearly did not know the answer to (and he himself grappled with). Flashbacks showed a younger Bartlet in college, taking some of his first steps to help others as he grappled with the college dean, his abusive step-father.
Throughout the episode, Bartlet screamed at God, smoking in an empty church as a sign of his disrespect for the Almighty, even yelling in Latin as he walked toward the altar. He grappled with his own political record, the good and the bad, and then citing these again to the ghost of the recently-killed Mrs. Landingham. Finally, at the episode's end, he turned to face the press, soaked from the tropical storm raging outside, and as he was asked about whether he intended to run for reelection, Bartlet slipped his hands into his pockets, looked out at the room full of reporters, and smiled.
