The events of Sept. 11 delivered us all into a world that we didn’t, and still don’t quite, know how to deal with. However, that’s not for lack of trying. It seems as if everyone, from journalists to politicians to talk show hosts, has had his or her say on what comes next for America. This past Wednesday, NBC’s acclaimed drama, The West Wing, took its turn.
Aaron Sorkin, the show’s creator, wrote the special episode in a matter of days. Titled “Ismael and Isaac” a reference to the two sons of Abraham (and the Arab and Jewsish patriachs respectively), the show was offered up to viewers as an anomaly in the usual West Wing storyline. “This week we thought we’d do something a little different,” Rob Lowe (who plays Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn) said in the cast-led preface to the show. In addition to explaining the nature of the episode, the cast also entreated viewers to contribute to victim assistance funds. The cast and crew of the show plan to donate all the profits from the episode to the New York Firefighters 911 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Police and Fire Widows and Child Benefit Fund. The Wall Street Journal estimates that the final sum will be well over $1 million.
As the episode begins, the audience is aware that there have been recent terrorist attempts or attacks. However, no details are given and there isn’t any footage of buildings being blown up. In fact, there is almost no action at all. The show departed from its usual action-packed plotlines and dizzyingly quick camera movements in favor of a much more subdued pace. The bulk of the episode takes place in a single room. There has been a ‘crash’ or a security breach that calls for a lockdown on the whole West Wing. By chance, a group of high school students who have won the opportunity to participate in Presidential Classroom are in the building. They are secured in the office’s cafeteria along with Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman. In a subplot, Chief of Staff Leo McGarry interrogates an Arab-American White House staff member who is suspected of being involved with terrorist activities.
Using the students’ questions as starting points (“Why is everyone trying to kill us?”), Lyman and other senior staff members engage in a didactic discussion on everything from the origins of terrorism to the CIA and draconian war tactics. The President appears only once to passionately condemn the terrorists. “We don’t need martyrs right now. We need heroes,” he says. “A hero would die for his country but he would much rather live for it.”
Concentrating on the reasons behind the attacks and the implications of them, the characters present much in the way of opinions and information but little in the way of solutions. Seaborn advises the students, “Remember pluralism. Keep accepting more than one idea—it drives [extremists] crazy.”
Around the nation, the much-anticipated episode was met with huge ratings and huge amounts of criticism. A record 25.2 million people tuned in to witness fictional television’s first attempt at tackling the sensitive topic. However, most newspaper and magazine critics denounced the episode as preachy and self-important, blatantly preaching the simplistic, pro-America propoganda that in some cases has given rise to anti-Arab seniments.
Closer to home, reviews were slightly more favorable. A motley collection of curious students and adults, West Wing diehards and virgins alike, piled into the Institute of Politics forum to watch the special episode on the big screen. The fading of the final scene was met with scattered applause and excited debate. Former President of CNN and Shorenstein Fellow Rick Kaplan was impressed by the show’s efforts. “I thought it was brilliant,” he said. “They were so smart because they had us address all the issues left on the table after the attacks without making us relive the horror of the attacks.” Kaplan pointed out that what struck him the most “were the things that weren’t there—all those cheap thrills that some newscasts can’t live without.”
Sara Chase, from the Center for Public Leadership agreed, “It was remarkable how compelling it was for how little action there was.” Current American Presidency teaching fellow Bill Burke-White is a long-time fan of the show and felt that the episode lived up to his expectations. “I was a little bit concerned that they were going to do a special episode on it because the topic was so sensitive,” he admitted. However, he continued, “I was very pleased. Aaron Sorkin succeeded in producing an episode that was very powerful yet respectful of the tragedy.”
Others were less than thrilled with the episode. British-born Hugh Harris, a second year Kennedy School student voiced his disapproval. “I know what they were trying to do, but I don’t think it worked” he declared. “I thought the whole question and answer session was crude to the point of underestimating the intellect of its target audience. Trent Thompson, a first year student in the Masters of Public Policy program was less vehement in his assessment. “I felt like the whole point was to teach America about terrorism and on that point it was good,” Thompson explained. “At the same time this is a television show, and what happened on September 11th wasn’t.”
The West Wing will not be the last television show to address the topic of terrorism in America. Another NBC drama, Third Watch, has already planned to incorporate the subject into its upcoming episodes. However, no other series will be afforded the kind of opportunity West Wing had. By virtue of the show’s political nature, it was able to use its airtime to address many of the questions that are relevant right now. Whether or not one agrees with the opinions set forth by The West Wing, ideas and discussion are an intrinsic part of our nation. In light of recent events, they are more important than ever.
