Vote Bartlet: The 10 best episodes of The West Wing

If ever there was a good time to get into The West Wing, this is it. The election cycle has been so monstrous – and potentially ruinous – that it has left us all craving the stately certainty of an Aaron Sorkin screenplay, as the rapturous reception to the cast’s reunion demonstrated. And if that is the case, help is at hand. Today, The West Wing will appear as a box set on All 4 in the UK, allowing you to access the entire series. The imperial first few seasons. The wobbly middle. The unexpectedly rousing climax. All of it.

But the US election is just a few days away, and there are 156 episodes. Watching the whole thing in time is an almost impossible task, which is why I have selected the 10 best episodes (in chronological order) for you to pick out and savour.

In Excelsis Deo (season one, episode 10)

Although the pilot would be the most sensible place to start, the first real West Wing masterpiece was its season-one Christmas episode. There is enough plot in this one episode to fill at least a couple of feature films. Toby takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of a dead Vietnam veteran, Josh tries to use a sex worker to dig up dirt on a rival, President Bartlet sneaks out and is adorable with the public – and the show’s trademark earnestness is shored up by the festive setting.

Celestial Navigation (season one, episode 15)

Five episodes later, The West Wing was as tonally different as it is possible to be. Celestial Navigation is almost a flat-out comedy, as Josh (Bradley Whitford embodying the standout character), recounts his bad week to a college class. Sorkin is famed for his love of structural experimentation, and not always positively, but here it fits the story perfectly. What’s more, it contains the secret ethos to the entire series: as Josh says: “It starts off as a nine-to-five job, but you can pretty much count on it being blown to hell by 9.30.”

Let Bartlet Be Bartlet (season one, episode 19)

And then, of course, there is the other ethos. “Let Bartlet be Bartlet” has become a rallying cry over the years, an I’ve Gotta Be Me-style mantra for West Wing devotees to the power of playing to your strengths. This is where it started; a memo reveals public dissatisfaction with Bartlet’s perceived ineffectiveness, and his staff’s subsequent decision to let him off the leash. The resulting flurry of liberal policies is the reason why everyone still wishes that Bartlet was the real president.

In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (season two, episodes one and two)

Although The West Wing shone brightest when it aligned itself with a bright political ideal, two-parters like In the Shadow of Two Gunmen also proved that it was also pretty nifty at the soapy stuff. Season one ended on a classic cliffhanger, with gunshots and an off-screen cry of: “Who’s been hit?” This double bill tracks the aftermath, as two beloved characters are treated for their life-threatening wounds. But what shoves it above the pulp is the way it also serves as a How the Gang Got Together origin story of sorts. It is masterly.

17 People (season two, episode 18)

This is often cited as a cast favourite, and for good reason. 17 People was written to be as cheap as possible, to tamp down the show’s escalating budget, and as a result is the closest that The West Wing ever got to a theatrical performance. As the secret of Bartlet’s multiple sclerosis becomes less and less secret, Toby meditates on the repercussions of hiding his aliment from the American people. The focus is never anything less than ultra-tight, which makes this entire episode unbearably tense.

Two Cathedrals (season two, episode 22)

Of course this is on the list. Two Cathedrals is a swaggering, arrogant, show-off of an episode, as Bartlet – a devout Catholic fresh from the trauma of losing his executive secretary to a drunk driver – screams at God in Latin, smokes a cigarette, listens to Dire Straits and finally decides to seek re-election. It is often called the best ever episode of The West Wing. I don’t agree, but it is certainly the West Wingiest.

Bartlet for America (season three, episode 9)

Another Christmas episode. Against the backdrop of an investigation into the concealment of President Bartlet’s MS, Leo is pushed through the wringer like never before. His alcoholism is explored in excruciating detail, in the present and in flashbacks where he meets Bartlet for the first time. An episode about a man with an addictive personality unravelling due to the pressures of work, released eight months after Aaron Sorkin was arrested for felony drug possession, this one feels as if it’s coming straight from the gut.

20 Hours in America (season four, episodes one and two)

In the thick of the campaign trail, Toby, Josh and Donna find themselves stranded in the American heartlands. The West Wing could be guilty of getting wrapped up in earnest self-importance – and there’s still some of that here – but for the most part, this is a fun and breezy interlude to all that.

Twenty Five (season four, episode 23)

Part of the thrill of watching The West Wing is knowing the backstory of the production. Aaron Sorkin took on a herculean amount of work, had a drug relapse under the pressure and then – in the shadow of falling ratings, network interference and Rob Lowe’s departure (reportedly over money) – left under less than optimal conditions. This was his final episode, and it ends with Bartlet being relieved of duty.

The Debate (season seven, episode seven)

Really, you have little to gain from watching The West Wing beyond Twenty Five, because The West Wing without Aaron Sorkin isn’t really The West Wing. However, the remainder is still good for a few little curios. The most notable is this, from the final season. It’s an entirely atypical episode; consisting of nothing but a debate between Alan Alda and Jimmy Smits, broadcast live. There’s little to care about here, but if nothing else it’s a nice reminder of what presidential debates are supposed to be like.

The West Wing is available on All 4 in the UK from today