Rating: 
Summary: This DVD is wide-screen (unlike the first season)
Review: "The West Wing" is a wonderful show, and it's great to have it coming out on DVD. I just want to point out that first season DVD is full-screen, while the second season DVD is wide-screen. For some, this change will be great news. For others (like me) with small TVs who have been buying DVDs of TV shows just so we can watch things that look good in full-screen, this change will be a surprise and a disappointment. But what the heck, it's *still* a wonderful show!
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Summary: Two Cathedrals ...
Review: ... the best drama episode ever seen in the history of television - probably.
Counting the days.
Rating: 
Summary: Television at its best
Review: Aaron Sorkin is a genius and it shows in each and every episode. That said, the special features on this DVD set are pathetic. The few commentaries are banal and the gag reel is a whopping three minutes long.
Rating:
Summary: Mind-boggling stuff
Review: Aaron Sorkin is a prodigy. Nobody can write dialogue that simultaneously sounds so polished and natural like he can. He also can write well for people: his characters are believable, flawed, and heroic, and his view of the world is realistic, yet optimistic. I find myself missing my weekly dose of Sorkin's West Wing these days, but there is a prescription that can help: the West Wing DVD sets of yesteryear.The West Wing's second season had the show really hitting its stride. The season starts in the aftermath of the previous season's cliffhanger, with the President and Josh being shot by white supremacists and everyone else struggling to get through it all. Interspersed throughout the episode (In the Shadow of two Gunmen) were flashbacks to Bartlet's presidential campaign, a framework which really worked for the episode, although I cannot put my finger on how. Then, we were off to the races. I'll never forget Bartlet's vitriolic speech to the Dr. Laura-type pundit in "The Midterms," good material to remember if you ever get engaged in a debate with someone who likes to pick and choose which parts of the Bible they like to follow. "Do I have to kill my brother for planting different crops side by side?" Great stuff. Among the rest of highlights: Emily Procter begins her recurring role as Ainsley Hayes, a Republican lawyer working in the White House and constant sparring partner for Sam. Her best episode here was "And It's Surely to their Credit," which evoked much empathy for the poor soul. Plus, an impassioned speech at the end by Sam really got the juices flowing. The episode that just blew me away was "Noel", a haunting and poignant foray into Josh's head that really showed his pain underneath the facade of composure. The scene with Yo-Yo Ma alone was unbelievably intense. Perhaps the defining moment in the season is the discovery by Toby, and subsequently everyone else, that the President has Multiple Sclerosis, which is impressively explored in the episode "17 People". The episode takes the form of a series of fiery dialogues between Toby and the President and is filled with tension, but is lightened up by its subplot of staffers trying (unsuccessfully) to come up with jokes for the President. The juxtaposition is inspired, and the episode sets up what would become a key issue in the show for the upcoming season. "Two Cathedrals" was another episode with such raw emotional power -- the president announces his M.S. and contemplates whether or not to run. The final shot alone will send chills down your spine. This was surely Sorkin's best season on the show, in terms of narrative power (and that says a lot). It's what he does best: portraying the complex and jagged emotions that pervade us, consciously and subconsciously. Lord knows I miss him. Come back, Aaron. Please! We need you now more than ever. In conclusion, whether you're a Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative (or whatever in between), this is a show that you can enjoy. This is substantial entertainment, there's comedy, but also pathos, problems to solve and the interplay of emotions, ideas, and forces outside our control. Words cannot convey my deep respect for this show (and I don't even consider myself liberal). Get it, and see television as it once was, and as it might again be one day.
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Summary: Who says people don't want smart television?
Review: After viewing this season's DVD set numerous times, I'm convinced that it represents not only the best season in terms of the WW series, but also some of the finest television today. Starting off with a bang (no pun intended), we see the roots of the Bartlet campaign as Josh Lyman holds on for his life following the VA shootings that ended season 1. As the characters slowly recover from the traumatic experience, the series shifts to President Bartlet's MS and his bid to run for reelection. You get the feeling that Aaron Sorkin picked up on some of the criticisms of last season's so-called grandstanding and soapbox sermonizing, as he delved deep into the personalities of each of the cast members to show a kind of pain and longing that binds them together through thick and thin, this time through standing behind Jed as he admits to the country that he lied about his health. The season (along with Season 3's two-part opener "Manchester") takes a swooping bow into the reelection year with the kind of heart and vigor that's rarely seen by movies nowadays. The highlights are a plenty throughout the magnificent season, peaking with the focus pieces on each staff member: Sam's father in "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going To Jail", Josh's post-traumatic stress disorder in the emmy-winning "Noel", Toby's ethical battles and toe-to-toe face off with POTUS in my personal favorite, "17 People", and a look into Jed's past with what has to be one of the most sublime and superbly acted episodes in the season finale "Two Cathedrals". We get a gentler and smoother hand guiding us this season, a contrast to last season's desperation leading up to the semi-forced "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet" that finally brought the gang ready to play. In season 2, you see a more serious and deeper exploration of above all things, a surrogate family struggling to survive and depending on eachother as things get tougher, leading up to Jed's announcement for reelection, done with such great skill that you want to cheer, you want to cry, you want more.....which is a shame, since Season 3 just can't compare to the first two... Especially this one.
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Summary: Can't Wait
Review: All i can say is that i can't wait for the new season to debut! And Mauro I believe if you look above it says that the second season will be formatted in widescreen. (Under Format above under the details section) This is great news!
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Summary: The West Wing Season 2
Review: As a self-professed "Wing Nut", I was beside myself when I got the first season on DVD for Christmas. To know that I can now get Season 2 is the best news!! Seasons 2 and 3 are, in my opinion, the best. Especially "Debate Camp", "Game On", and "Election Night". Those are where Bartlet's moxy comes out! I actually already have every episode on tape (thanks to Bravo), but the DVD is obviously much better with the special features, commentaries, and lack of commercials! This is a must-have!
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Summary: The BEST show
Review: Been a fan of The West Wing since the first season. I have been waiting for second one to come out. The West Wing has some of the best writing and acting on television - I would say the show is to drama television as Friends is to sitcoms. I absolutely recommend getting The West Wing - The Complete Second Season, as well as The West Wing - The Complete First Season. They're well-worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: This is the season to get
Review: Before I get to my review, I just want to say that this talk of widescreen not working for the credits is mistaken. The reason why is that the second season of the show was originally filmed in widescreen, but it was shown, at least in the US, in fullscreen. Therefore when they made the masters of the credits and the "previouslies," they were done in fullscreen. Later, in order to match them with the widescreen shows on the DVDs the fullscreen credits are "boxed" with black bands on either sides. You may or may not like the effect, but it's not a mistake, and the widescreen does work, if you watch the actual show. Now, to get to my actual review, the second season of "The West Wing" is simply some of the best television ever made. If you can only own one season, this is the one to get. The season is bookended by some of the best episodes of the entire series, with gems such as "Shibboleth," "Noel," and "Somebody's Going to Emergency..." in between. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll learn, but most of all these episodes are just a delight to watch again and again. "The West Wing" has the perfect blend of comedy and drama that is so rare in TV today. The picture and sound on this DVD set are just gorgeous. In short, I can promise you won't regret this purchase.
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Summary: Excellent series continues.
Review: First of all, I'm a political science/history major and I'll still be the first to admit that I was a bit sceptical of this series. I just didn't think that they could make this show as interesting, informative, and especially funny as it ended up being. After watching about the first disk of the series, I was hooked and it had become my favorite show. The first season just blew my mind. I've now watched the rest of them, and they haven't let up a bit.
This is anything but watching an hour of Capital Hill voting on CNN, though. There's an incredible cast including Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe who take you into the show and the world of politics. It's nowhere near stuffy; full of humor, love interests, and interesting information. From the first frame of the episode, you'll be glued to the TV. If you're interested in politics, or even if you're not, give this series a chance. You won't be sorry you did.
Martin Sheen is my President.
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