The West Wing

[Tea Lady]

I don't know if I can name my favourite episodes but I can name my favourite scenes. Actually come to think of it, some episodes just seemed to plod along and then bang, you were hit by a scene that knocked your socks off.

I think that is true of what is probably my favourite scene overall which is at the end of "20 hours in America" - Season 4. Right at the end there is a university fire which kills 44. Bartlet gives a speech "the streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight" while "I Dont Like Monday's" is playing over sung by Tori Amos. It is such a beautiful and sad scene and the speech still gives me goose pimples.

This scene is followed by the following in no particular order:

- The State Dinner - Series 1 - where Bartlet stays at the radio to talk to the sailor injured in the storm. Such leadership.
- In Excelsis Deo - Series 1 - where Toby gets the Korean War Vet a military funeral. It was the right thing to do.
- Two Cathedrals - Series 2 - for the reasons already mentioned and Jed putting his hands in his pockets.
- Posse Comitatus - Series 3 - at the end where the secret service agent is shot and Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah is played over. Poor CJ.
- The Ticket - Series 7 - for the line "and if you think I dont miss you every day" - Josh to Donna. That line got me.
- 18th & Potomac - Series 2 - when Charlie gets off the phone and tells Leo that Mrs Landingham had been killed. That hit me like a truck (oops.) So cruel after her only two boys had been killed together in Vietnam.

As for favourite characters, that is difficult. I would probably find it easier to comment on who I didnt really like and that would be the First Lady and Josh's girlfriend who kept popping up later on in the series. She was such an argumentative men hating so and so.

I didnt really like series 7 but that was probably more to do with my favourite characters having less screen time and I knew this was going to be the last series.