The West Wing (TV Series) Two Cathedrals (2001) User Reviews

best episode of any television show ever!

[rbbruin13 · 10/10 · 11 January 2007]

That may sound like a biased claim, but everything about this episode is amazing. Sorkin and Schlamme and team really knew what they were doing. The build up to this episode was amazing, but the episode itself blew all previous ones out of the water.

The whole MS thing was really amazing and I wonder whether Sorkin knew where it would lead when he revealed it in the middle of season 1. It led to such an internal struggle for Bartlet as to the kind of man he was and what the motivations behind his actions were. The scene in the church is untterly amazing, the Latin speech, the lighting of the cigarette (and later, the passing of the motorcade as the janitor is cleaning up) and how deeply Bartlet is affected by what is occurring to him.

The flashbacks of Mrs. Landingham are wonderful (i don't know where they found this woman, but I truly believed it was her at a younger age) and I loved how the scene in the church became ultimately about both Bartlet's faith in God as well as his troubled relationship with his own father. The line where he calls Josh his son chokes me up every time, and the idea that he calls God a "feckless thug" truly sums up how much he is relating God to his own father, as a bully who seems to get off on throwing him hardships. I also love how, even as a young man, Bartlet made enemies because of his intelligence, and how this all came to put him in the situation he was in, despite always trying to do what he thought was the right thing. Bartlet's struggle in this episode is amazing, and the way Mrs. Landingham was used as a moral compass was brilliant because she had to be weighing strongly on his mind.

While Bartlet's struggle is amazing, the other struggle is that of the staff and how they all come to deal with it. To see them all at the press conference waiting to see if Bartlet will let them down or do what they feel is great and noble thing (they all love and respect him so much). I think the hardest part for his staff was in fact the way they dealt with being "lied" to by a man they trusted so much and felt was truly a great person. Their struggle was how to deal with the idea that someone that great and someone who does always does the right thing could possibly detract from their helping him do what is right is truly moving.

The acting in this episode is great. Rob Lowe was exceptional and Richard Schiff was amazing. This episode also showed just how much Leo loved Bartlet and stood beside him, and I loved in the end, when he was watching Bartlet put his hands in his pockets, he knew exactly what he was going to do, and seemed to be the only one. Amazing television.

Bravo, Sorkin and Company...I still can't listen to that Dire Straits song without getting chills. Best episode ever.

Absolutely the best episode of the entire series

[sskankdorf · 10/10 · 9 April 2008]

I am a HUGE fan of this show, and I must agree that this episode is by far the best episode of any television show I have ever seen. The whole sequence at the end with the juxtaposition between Bartlett going to the State Department, and CJ talking to the press and the motorcade passing by as the custodian picks up the cigarette from the floor of the National Cathedral is somehow beautiful, painful, and suspenseful all at the same time- and the Dire Straits song at this point just fits perfectly and evokes such emotion! Also, the symbolism of the cigarette and the portico door and the themes carried over from the flashbacks of Bartlett and Mrs. Landingham in the past and the present are fantastic. This episode takes the watcher through a whole range of emotions, from the opening credits (which for some reason always make me want to just run out and VOTE for something!), to the despair of Mrs. Landingham's death, to the triumph and hope at the end, when a soaking wet Bartlett stands in front of a crowd, puts his hands in his pockets, and prepares to announce his decision to run for re-election. I could watch this episode a hundred times and still love it just as much as the first time I saw it.

In my humble opinion, the best TV episode I have ever seen

[jain-vijit · 10/10 · 30 March 2009]

Towards the end of the episode, the background score is 'Brothers in Arms' by Dire Straits. Although it is one of my all time favorite songs and I would have loved it anyway, I thought the timing was just plainly stupendous. I cannot recall ever getting that eerie sensation of hair rising on the back of my head, while watching another television show! For that alone, I would rate this episode high.

The story is inspirational. Jed Bartlet's long time teacher and guiding force, Mrs Landigham has died and he has to decide if he wants to run for election again. As he makes up his mind, we are brought to witness the various challenges he faces and you realize that sometimes the biggest challenges lie within yourself. This is a truly inspirational episode and it made me learn certain things about myself. It also helped give me some perspective.

The epitome of Good writing

[Mixx-2 · 10/10 · 30 December 2012]

Of the whole series, all seven seasons of it, this is the one that stands out from the crowd. West Wing was always about great storytelling, Aaron Sorkin is one of the most intelligent story writers out there, and here, at the end of a season, he gets to show all his prowess. All episodes that comes before this one had been building up to this crescendo, and what a final it is! Everything about this episode, everything, is perfection. Pacing, mood, camera, dialog, music, even the weather is perfect. All the characters do exactly what is needed. It is like watching a great opera unfold. It is, in a word, Perfect!

I have watched a lot of series in my days. I mention this, not that it will give me any credibility since you do not know me, because I think I have some knowledge about what woks and what does not. There are a few series out there that have that special Something.... 'The Wire', 'House', Boardwalk Empire, '24' to some extent, 'Six Feet Under', 'Dexter', 'American Horror Story', all those had something that aspired to be Great, but nothing comes close to West Wing.

Is this the Best Episode Ever! fro0m the West Wing? Well, it sure does come really close.

Is it the Best Episode Ever, any category? It might just be actually.

West Wing had a lot going for it, no matter what political persuasion you belong to (I am not American, just a Swede). Great writing, great characters, engaging stories, fantastic camera-work, and seriously good music and audio.

I HAVE to give this 10/10.

Do NOT watch this episode as a Stand Alone! See all the episodes that comes before this and you will find this one so much more rewarding.

Goosebumps

[BuddyBontheNet · 9/10 · 3 September 2010]

One of the best TV episodes of all time for raising the hairs on the back of your neck - brilliant TV and exceptional performances, especially from Martin Sheen, Kathryn Joosten and the late John Spencer! The tension builds and never dips, ending with a fantastic series cliff hanger. There is not one character I would like to see cut and each has been carefully developed since the beginning, so we know their strengths and weaknesses and still like them. Normally I hate flashbacks in a series, as it gives me the impression that the storyline wasn't thought out well from the start. That doesn't apply to 'Two Cathedrals' where so much is explained and revealed about Jed Bartlet in this episode. It is easy to forget that Martin Sheen is acting a part because he is just so believable throughout the whole episode - no wonder he was asked to run for the US Senate.

I miss this series so much - it has never been bettered. If you have never watched The West Wing then watch it from the start - you will be hooked.

Easily the best episode of television I have ever seen.

[rohnsubrmni · 10/10 · 14 June 2019]

Aaron Sorkin's writing is simply genius. I have never seen a more beautiful and powerful episode of television. I rewatched the last ten minutes of this episode at least 5 times every day for the entire first week after I watched it. The character development, the plot, the emotions, and even the music are crafted to perfection. To an extent, the purpose of all art is to evoke emotion, and I have rarely seen entertainment - in any medium - do that more effectively than this episode.

A magnificent piece of tv

[csm-78119 · 10/10 · 29 January 2019]

Out of all the tv shows that I have ever seen this episode of the West Wing stands above all else. A superb piece of writing brought to life by an excellent cast. An episode that I have seen a dozen times and would view a dozen more. Martin Sheen is magnificent as the President with the weight of the world on his shoulders reeling from a personal tragedy, seemingly heading towards the end of his presidency and all that he has worked for. He has of course just lost his lifelong friend Mrs Landingham and we are given flashbacks of his earlier friendship with her when he was a student. In his grief he imagines how she would speak to him now and is inspired to keep up the fight. The use of "Brothers in Arms" as the thunder booms and the rain pours down upon him is inspired and the section that follows sends a wave of emotion through every viewer. His "brothers" set off to join him at the press conference. He has regained perspective. He is determined to battle on and we see this not from dialogue but from the manner of his movement - he declines his overcoat as the rain pours down. He almost marches to his car. He doesn't utter a word in the car. As his motorcade passes the cathedral a janitor picks up the cigarette he discarded when raging against the injustice of the world earlier that day. He is beyond that now. He can see clearly. As he walks to the lecturn he wipes his face with a towel and throws it back and goes in to the hall to face the music. A tame questioner has been lined up for him. He ignores that option and selects a tougher journalist. "Watch this" says Leo. This really is storytelling at its absolute best.

One of the best television episodes of all time PERIOD

[lareval · 10/10 · 25 August 2021]

Every time I watch the show and I get to see this magnificent hour, goosebumps run all over my body. The show never got any better than this (though keeping a superb level). "Brothers in arms" closes a masterpiece of TV that should be witness by everybody.

Amazing Episode

[EdwardHamill · 10/10 · 25 September 2018]

I love this show... I miss this show... And when I want to see Bartlet be Bartlet, this is the episode I go to!

This is what happens with great writers working with great actors.

Best thing ever on tv!

[robby77777 · 10/10 · 12 May 2020]

Simply, the best thing ever on tv. There isn't really anything close. Perfect in every way.

Writing Masterclass by Sorkin

[sachin_eightysix · 10/10 · 19 August 2019]

The last act of Season 2 in which Martin Sheen's motorcade drives past the cathedral where Mrs. Landingham's service was held to address the most important presser of his Presidential term (with Dire Straits playing in the background) *Goosebumps* I have only seen two seasons of the show as I started watching the show last week and Celestial Navigation in season 1 was one of my favorite episodes followed by Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail in Season 2 but the season two finale has left me speechless. The writing team of this show was fantastic

Season 2: Tones down the smugness to good effect

[bob the moo · 26 January 2013]

I recently rewatched the first season of this show because it had been many years since I last did and from memory the first season was the only one I had wholly seen as the rest of the show was used to launch Channel 4's new digital service (all those years ago) and I couldn't get that channel at that time. I dipped in and out of it later but never really got back into it but my memory of the show was the same as generally accepted wisdom that it is one of the great shows. So, I was a little surprised then to find that the first season was actually a very simplistic show that never missed a chance to throw on uplifting music and a soft focus to have a character proclaim the rightness of their liberal politics while everyone else looked on misty-eyed with inspiration. Sure it had energy, wit and intelligence in there too, but my overwhelming impression of the show was that it was painfully smug – and I say this as one who shares my political views with it!

I wasn't even sure I would bother with the second season but I did and in fairness it did get significantly better very quickly. The shooting is a very simple affair and it was a bit disappointing to see that it was clearly just an end of season device to get viewers to return. It takes up a few episodes and has a bit of a lingering effect on some characters but generally it is not well used. Fortunately the show does get settled once this is out of the way and this season sees much better plots and scenarios thanks to the introduction of a bit of balance in the writing. I say "a bit" because there is no point in pretending that the show doesn't continue to lean very much to the left but at least we get to see these views having to be compromised, get to see the politics of politics a bit more and also have some decent non-liberal characters in there – it went from 100% to a "balance" of 70/30, which is still an improvement.

As a result of this shift away from total wish-fulfillment self-love, the general sense of smugness is greatly reduced and the show becomes much more palatable and engaging as it seems more interest in telling stories rather than pushing an agenda. I'm not naïve enough to suggest that the agenda has gone away – just that the writing has improved to make it less obviously the reason behind lines and characters' actions. The cast benefit from this despite essentially doing the same performances as before. Sheen benefits from this the most and his "kindly grandfather" now has more meat on it for him to work with. Likewise Janney, Spencer, Lowe, Whitford and others benefit from still having the same slick banter and movement but also having a little bit more substance behind these words. It is telling though that the best episodes in the season tend to be the ones where the main characters are forced to compromise or are shown to be wrong – I guess even the actors tire of staring off into the heroic distance.

Season 2 doesn't change enough to win over those who are totally against the agenda and politics that runs though this show like a stick of rock, but it does change enough to become a better show. The improvement in balancing to a certain degree really reduces the smugness of the show and allows for more interesting exchanges, scenarios and plot threads. Not perfect but a lot better than the first season and I have no doubts this time that I'll follow it into the third season, with the hope that the direction in this second season can be continued.

My least favorite episode

[amytychx · 1/10 · 30 January 2024]

I know lots of folks like this episode but I hate it with a white hot passion. It's trite. It's petty and it doesn't work at all. The worst moment of all is Bartlet's soliloquy in the cathedral after the funeral mass. I'm not religious. I don't go to church but I found his whole speech trite and offensive. It's way, way, way over the top. No one loved Mrs. Landingham more than me but blaming God for her death is completely ridiculous. I just fast forward through this scene when I'm rewatching the episode. I don't know how the director talked Mr. Sheen into doing that scene. Just UGH. I don't remotely understand why this is at ALL appealing. Trite Trite Trite.

Arguably the greatest tv show season finale and cliffhanger in television history

[mohlerowen · 10/10 · 14 June 2020]

From Martin Sheen yelling at god in latin to "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits at the climax, "Two Cathedrals" is the greatest episode of arguably the greatest network drama of all time:

The best piece of television ever

[coene-wim-809-572936 · 10/10 · 11 August 2022]

The West Wing is one of the best series ever created and this episode is without a doubt the best episode of any television series I've ever seen and I doubt I'll see anything better.

Two Cathedrals

[lassegalsgaard · 10/10 · 27 June 2022]

A thing I've learned about "The West Wing" is that it never goes in the direction that you'd think. I had a completely different vision of this season in my head after the first finale, thinking that it'd tackle vastly different issues that it actually took up. This last half of the season has mostly been about President Bartlet and his disease, with the secret he hoped to keep beginning to spin out of control and landing in the minds of a lot of unintended parties. In the previous episode, it began to really come to a climax as the staff decided to leak the news and hold a press conference where the President himself would disclose the illness. Then, the episode ended with the tragic death of Mrs. Landingham, who had been killed in a vehicular collision while driving to the White House. A lot of things happen to bring Bartlet to a place of complete ruin. There's not a lot that's keeping his presidency together, and with this last episode, a lot of things could have been done to finish up the storyline. And in many ways, it does, but it also spends a lot of time preparing you for what's to come. This episode is definitely one of the best episodes of the show, and one of the best examples of great writing that I've seen in a TV show for a long time. It's hard not to find yourself on the edge of the seat throughout the whole thing, anticipating everything.

There are a lot of storylines to handle in this episode, and if anyone less talented than Aaron Sorkin had been doing this, I'm not sure that they'd have been able to navigate the audience through the episode with such clarity. There are certain things that are being pushed to the sideline to make room for the emotional pull, and without even realizing it, you'll quickly forget everything that isn't related to what the episode conveys to you. The show is built in such a smart way that any storyline can be picked up again, and this episode uses that.

They've never held away from the dramatic elements in this show, and despite its humor, it's so steeped in reality that it can't help but become emotional. The entire service for Mrs. Landingham was beautifully executed and will surely have fans of the show in tears. If that's not going to do the job, then a following scene where Bartlet goes off on God inside the cathedral will get them. They'll at least cheer when Bartlet pulls a boss move at the end and gives a metaphorical middle finger to the man in the sky, leaving me satisfied and pumped.

Sorkin is also good at leaving you frustrated, because he sets a lot of stuff up that he decides not to give to the audience. The ending scene of this episode left me really ecstatic and annoyed, despite the fact that I know what's going to proceed it. He's so good at leaving the audience in a state of wanting more and not feeding them everything. And while that is a bit of a drag sometimes (just go back to the first season's finale), he makes it work very well, especially in this episode, with a little smile and nod.

As always, the acting in this show transcends a lot of other shows of the time. Martin Sheen, especially, has been consistently great as Bartlet, and this episode does serve as his magnum opus as the character. The church scene alone brings a lot of emotions out in him that we've only seen the surface of in other episodes, while a scene towards the end with an old friend shows his ability to restrain himself. I'm not sure how he does it, but Sheen is truly one of those actors who can be everywhere on the spectrum all at once.

"Two Cathedrals" was an emotional rollercoaster and an episode that shows the power of writing, especially when its someone like Aaron Sorkin doing the writing. It takes President Bartlet on the ride of his lifetime and puts him in front of the tough answers, ending the season on a satisfying and really anticipated final note.

One of the best

[krharlan · 10/10 · 25 May 2023]

This episode has many redeeming. From the story line to the soundtrack. Kirsten Nelson as young Mrs.. Landingham and Kathryn Joosten's presence as the spirit of Dolores Landingham are great. Martin Sheen's monologue in the cathedral is worthy of watching even of you watch it on YouTube. It's the last episode of season number two...so it ends with a cliffhanger. Fortunately I don't remember watching the original episodes in the early years...so thank goodness for dvd and streaming options. The wait from Episode 22 season 2 until episode 1 of season 3 must have been painful. Great episode...one of my favorites.