(Untitled)

[tamedknee]

Over the last few months, I've been watching the West Wing for the first time and I'm halfway through the last season. Watching the show 10 years late, I'm often struck by how the show often brings up issues/arguments that feel like their supposed to be fresh and surprising in the show, but feel tired instead because I've heard, often many times

Comments

[kait_the_great]

Oh man... at first I thought "I envy you" for getting to see them for the first time. But I can totally understand that it would be less sweet considering how much it has influenced real life and been resampled. Sort of like trying to watch the original of a movie that has since been so parodied and mocked that you can't take it seriously anymore.

I had the opposite experience... I watched the show through (probably twice) before I started paying close attention to politics. I actually thought to myself "I've seen this episode before" when the federal government shut down due to being unable to set a budget.

See also: during the primaries leading up to the 2012 election, I avoided the news when I fell behind on The Daily Show... because I didn't want spoilers :P

And, if you're interested in a less optimistic take on politics, I've heard House of Cards (Netflix's Americanized series) described as the Sith to West Wing's Jedi. Not an entirely false characterization.