Rating: 
Summary: A Towering Achievement
Review: For four years, the West Wing was largely considered the best show on TV, and not without good reason. Although this could have turned into a liberal lovefest, the show managed to tap into and rediscover a pride and optimism in our government that our founding fathers must have felt. Far from being venal, corrupt parasites, the politicians of The West Wing were talented and generous people who truly care about the country and struggle to make the right decisions, which often literally are between life and death. It's no wonder that this splendid little shade of fantasy continues to be popular, especially when we have becomed accustomed to expecting less and less from those who are running our country.The West Wing's second season had the show really beginning to hit its stride. In my mind, the show hit its peak here and in the third season, with plenty of new drama and surprises. The season starts in the aftermath of the previous cliffhanger, with the President and Josh being shot by white supremacists and everyone else struggling to get through it all. Then, the season begins to move along. Among the highlights: Emily Procter begins her recurring role as Ainsley Hayes, a Republican lawyer working in the White House and constant sparring partner for Sam; another "Big Block of Cheese Day"; a great Christmas episode in which Josh is haunted by the news of a fighter pilot that shared his birthday who killed himself; an unexpected filibuster, and the discovery 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. In conclusion, this is a season that brought much bellowing laughter and heart-gripping drama, often in the same episode, which is an Aaron Sorkin trademark if there is one. The West Wing is an incredible piece of work, and it definitely merits repeat viewings. Go ahead and get it. You owe it to yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to stop watching
Review: Has there ever been a season of television quite like season two of "The West Wing"? The cast and crew--masters of their crafts to start--hit their peaks here, striking a virtually perfect balance of drama and comedy, from the pulse-pounding energy of the two-part season opener, "In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen," straight through to the sheer power of "Two Cathedrals." Those two, along with "Noel" and "17 People," are easily at the top of the short list of best-ever "West Wing" episodes, and "Two Cathedrals" may very well be one of the best hours of television, ever, period.
"17 People," I'd argue, is really the quintessential "West Wing" episode. It's certainly all you need to know about Aaron Sorkin's talents as a writer: on the one hand you have the emotional gravitas of the President revealing his M.S. to a staff member (Toby) while assessing a national security threat; on the other hand you have the rest of the gang trying to "find the funny" in a boring speech. And yet the lasting emotional sting comes from the Josh and Donna storyline, in the form of some of Sorkin's greatest rapid-fire dialogue.
Favorite moments from the second season...
--The revelation, in the teaser of "In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen (Part I)," of the fallout from the first season's cliffhanger
--Bartlet presenting Charlie with a gift in "Shibboleth"
--Yo-Yo Ma in the climactic scene of "Noel"
--Josh and Sam attempting to start a fireplace in "The Leadership Breakfast"
--Meeting Oliver Platt in "Bad Moon Rising"
--The superb marriage of song and theater at the end of "Two Cathedrals"
9/11--which happened between the second and third seasons--had a strange effect on this show, in that while other forms of entertainment became escapes for us, the fictional world of "The West Wing" suddenly felt hopelessly passé. Which is to say, I think that the levity and optimism of the first two seasons renders them a cut above even the later seasons of this show. And to watch them over and over again is to enjoy unique and unparalleled television.
Rating: 
Summary: Defective disc
Review: I am a fan of this show and loved the second season. However, my spouse received this DVD set as a gift and it contained a bad disc. When we contacted Amazon.com, they told us there were numerous customers with the same problem and that they were investigating it. That was months ago. Amazon.com never got back to us. I would strongly recommend against buying this on DVD until there is another DVD printing available from the distributor.
Rating:
Summary: Everything comes together...
Review: I first purchsed season one with skeptical thoughts spinning through my head like, "It's a TV show, how good could it possibly be?" Well, it was a very impressive first time around looking more like an extended film with a phenomenal cast growing into their characters with some splendid writing and interesting stories. While by the end of the first season the plotting was becoming a little repetitious with a main story involving the entire cast and a sub-plot usually about one of the characters on a personal level. In the second season most of this predictability is thrown out the window, the cast is expanded to include some great guest acting, the acting and writing are much sharper, and the classiest of all moves is that the show is now being shot in Widescreen. But I do have a question: What happened to Moira Kelly? She is absent from the entire second season with no apparent explanation for her absence. Also, during the first season it was fairly frequent that sub-characters were discarded for four or five episodes at a time and I was left wondering just where those characters have gone. In the second season, just when I began to wonder when I would see a certain character again, the actor would promptly return to the West Wing to let me know they haven't gone away. In other words, none of the sub-characters are ever discarded or forgotten, giving the show a transfusion of energy and newness just when it needs it. This exceptional cast has finally gelled and completely embraced their characters with depth of emotion and nuance of characterization. The second season has the show in full flight. Don't miss out on the Air-show!
Rating:
Summary: Mauro
Review: I have long waited for The West Wing show to come out. As soon as it did my wife bought me as a birthday gift (Great Idea). I have watched several times already, I can't wait for this second season. It is great to just play it and watch non-stop. I just wished that the DVD was in widescreen format. But hey, the show is great, smart, fast-paced, clean, and interesting. You can't go wrong! Buy it now!
Rating:
Summary: Never A Dull Moment
Review: I have recently re-discovered this show with season 1 and 2 on DVD. The show is fast paced and has many stories and situations in every episode. In that respect, it is much like "E.R.", another great show on DVD. What I like about this show is that, while it often goes into serious and deep discussions about social and political issues, the writers are smart enough not to bog it down in constant heavy drama. Something funny will always happen or an off the cuff remark from one of the main characters. I lost interest in this show after Rob Lowe left and I do think that is when the show 'jumped the shark' but what do I know...I haven't seen this show much beyond the first 2 seasons. Great show, great acting, great writing & thought provoking. What more do you need to make you buy this DVD? Highly recomended
Rating:
Summary: West Wing Complete Season Packages are Wonderful
Review: I love this series and these packages. Being on the go, I do miss a lot of the shows when they originally air so this allows me to catch up. Although I am not politically in the same arena, the acting and the writing is wonderful, entertaining, and just plain fun to watch. My only issue is that they can't release the season packages fast enough and I'm just biting at the bit to get the Complete Third Season.
Rating:
Summary: DON'T BUY THIS FROM THIS STORE
Review: I received one copy from amazon.com last Tuesday- widescreen was not working, DVD was basically crap. Exchanged it for another one- got it yesterday- EXACT same problem. I'm returning it and getting it somewhere else. This is ridiculous. But on the other hand- I've seen WORKING copies of the DVDs and they're awesome- what a great season!
Rating:
Summary: A Sensational Sophomore Season
Review: I think that in many cases, the second season of a TV show is its best season. Why is TV so often completely opposite from sophomore efforts in music and movies? From my own observations it's because in the second season of a TV show, the actors have gained a comfortable grasp on how to portray the deeper parts of their character. At the same time, the show still has the freshness of a new show, the same rich texture that won it a debut to begin with; the writers are still developing plots that don't feel stale, so the show hasn't lost that "new car smell". Of course there are exceptions: shows that run out of steam soon after they start, and shows that just seem to keep getting better even after the second season. I don't know if The West Wing's second season is its best, but it definitely includes some of the best episodes. Great writing, great acting, great sets and music, all come together to form what has become my favorite TV show ever. Season Two includes these episodes:
In The Shadow of Two Gunmen (Part 1)
In The Shadow of Two Gunmen (Part 2)
The Midterms
In This White House
And It's Surely To Their Credit
The Lame Duck Congress
The Portland Trip
Shibboleth
Galileo
Noël
The Leadership Breakfast
The Drop In
Bartlet's Third State of the Union
The War at Home
Ellie
Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail
The Stackhouse Filibuster
17 People
Bad Moon Rising
The Fall's Gonna Kill You
18th and Potomac
Two Cathedrals (You can look up an episode guide if you want a quick summary of the plots; I didn't want to spoil any surprises here.) I doubt Warner will include the special episode "Isaac and Ishmael" in this set. This episode was written after the 9/11 attacks, and aired a week before the start of Season Three; thus, if it is included with a regular season, it will probably be the third.
Rating: 
Summary: Commentaries are lacking ...
Review: I was disapointed with the commenteries on the season openers "In the Shadow of two gunmen". They added nothing to the story. I was hoping it would be more in depth with the story. It was more like having the guys over and made little chit-chat. The commentary on "Noel" was a lot better. It told the story behind the story.
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