Will Seeks Out Sam’s Advice | The West Wing

“They've been working for the president for ever, you've been here three minutes and he made you a deputy. They have whiplash."
Season 4 Episode 16: The California 47th
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[@ThreeRunHomer]

“Leo, tell those …”

[@taylorcostello7913]

A microcosm of the genius of Sorkin's writing on The West Wing.

[@woohooboy]

I always enjoyed the dynamic between Sam and Will. They had good chemistry. Pity they couldn't have found a way to keep them both on the show but as Rob Lowe was heading out the door and Joshua Malina was drafted in to replace him it wasn't meant to be.

[@joemckim1183]

I like how they got them to pass the baton from Sam to Will. Instead of just randomly having Will show up after Sam left the show.

[@wisey105]

One of the reasons the two characters had such a great dynamic on the show is because the two actors had a great relationship out of it. Rob Lowe grew up next door to the Sheen household and hung out with the Charlie and Emilio a lot growing up. Martin Sheen was like a second father in real life. That helped make the relationship in the show all the better.

[@woohooboy]

@@wisey105 - I was referring to Sam (Rob Lowe) and Will (Joshua Malina) onscreen dynamic. I'm not sure what Martin Sheen (President Bartlett) has to do with this.......

[@HarrisonHollers]

My friends and I always burst at laughing watching episodes when the ending song played immediately after a tense, stressful or horrible news.

[@jasonrfoss248]

I think that’s more of a byproduct of streaming and DVD viewing in modern times. When it actually aired there was a commercial break between the end of the show and the final credits with the jangley song playing.

[@davidker8820]

Will: Why don’t they like me? Me: Because you’re not as hot as Sam.

[@hazeleyees]

Yes! I kinda lost interest in the show when even Amy who i hated started getting more airtime than him. I did come back for season 7 though.

[@woohooboy]

Rob Lowe is freakishly handsome. By comparison, everyone else is run-of-the-mill in terms of looks......

[@londonwerewolves]

Because you are the personification of making a popular character irrelevant to the point its actor wanted to leave one the most celebrated series in history.

[@hazeleyees]

@@londonwerewolves umm not true bud.

[@SilverCyan]

The fact that you say "Rice KrispieS Treats" instead of "Rice Krispy Treats" like a human from Earth might have something to do with it.

[@ThreeRunHomer]

The official name of the cereal that the treats are made of is Rice Krispies (TM).

[@helljumper912]

Lol get fuckin rekt

[@PilotA51]

Maybe it was product placement and he had to say it the weird way with the brand name at least twice.

[@SilverCyan]

@@ThreeRunHomer yeah thanks Poindexter but no one with a human brain says Rice Krispies Treats

[@ThreeRunHomer]

@@SilverCyan Your desperate attempt to justify your dumb comment failed. 😆

[@paulawilkison3934]

Is that "Glenn Gulia" from The Wedding Singer?

[@jimmy2k4o]

Who?

[@gavindoherty7809]

They had a great track record in California....

[@murrethmedia]

I didn't like Will either. I didn't like how the President made him a special assistant and then he jumped ship to Russell the first chance he got.

[@kyuusaku1701]

The fifth season writing staff really did not keep it together the same way that Sorkin did. There were maybe 3 episodes of that season that were amazing. We went from Toby mentoring Will to Toby hating Will for no good reason other than drama. Killing off Admiral Fitzwallace, who was one of the strongest recurring characters on the show. Squaring Leo off with his best friend for decades. Making Amy depart the White House... It was all way too contrived. I feel like when they let Eli Attie take over in the sixth, he was far more Sorkinesque with the writing. But it still wasn't as good as the first four seasons, as Attie had an uphill climb coming back from the crappiness of the fifth. On rewatches, I have to speed through it.

[@partyguy101ify]

@@kyuusaku1701 Most of the stuff that has to do with Leo putting Josh in the corner and all of the stuff that happens with Gaza, I usually skip on rewatches. Campaign episodes in seasons 6 and 7 are good if I'm in the mood and don't think of those episodes as being part of The West Wing.

[@tofton1977]

What was he supposed to do? Bartlett was in his second term and can't be reelected for a third!

[@murrethmedia]

@@tofton1977 I dunno, stick around for more than 7 minutes?

[@woohooboy]

This is down to John Wells and his team in season five initiating major changes with the character of Will Bailey. I doubt Aaron Sorkin would have taken this path has he chosen to stay on board. Will jumping ship to join Bob Russell not only seems out of character but makes him come off as opportunistic. This move would have made sense if Russell were a politician who has intelligence and integrity but he lacked both qualities which made Will's reasoning to leave all the more baffling.