"The West Wing" is still winging it

Following a creatively lacking but better-than-expected fifth season, "The West Wing" looks to rebound and return to its Emmy-winning glory days of its first four years. Unfortunately, the show opens its sixth season with an episode that foreshadows more uninspired television.

The 2003-2004 season was plagued by anticlimactic storylines (most notably the contrived kidnapping and sudden return of the president's daughter, Zoey), bland dialogue and aberrant character behavior. The once-complex Will Bailey (Joshua Malina) quickly became a shill for his new boss, the vice president, and the once morally rock-hard president was frequently guided and reproached by subordinates, such as C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) and Toby Zeigler (Richard Schiff). The show's premiere episode, while a bit more dramatic and suspenseful than usual, is beset with many of the same problems.The premiere episode finds President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) dealing with an international crisis sparked by a terrorist bombing in Gaza that left several congressmen dead and White House aide Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) fighting for her life on an operating table. Resisting pressure from the American public, Congress and White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer) to retaliate with extreme military might, Bartlet instead works vehemently to broker a peace summit between Israeli and Palestinian leaders at Camp David.

The bombing incident, which is traced to Syrian terrorists, is linked by military intelligence to having a highly questionable connection to other terrorists in Iran. In the White House Situation Room, the president's military advisors suggest the U.S. attack both countries simultaneously, but Bartlet resists the recommendation to attack the ever-unpopular Iran based on insubstantial evidence. "I'm not bombing half the Middle East because it's gonna make us all feel better," the president says. The real-world parallels of this situation seem rather forced and are painfully obvious. "The West Wing" would never have been so blatant in the days of yore.

Meanwhile, Donna undergoes heart surgery with teary-eyed Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) apprehensively awaiting the results. This sorry attempt at heart-tuggery (unable to speak, Donna writes "scared" on a piece of paper and gives it to Josh before going under anesthesia) is better left to shows like "ER."

Hopefully, the season's much-hyped new storyline about the reelection of a new administration–with Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda facing off as candidates to replace the now lame-duck Bartlet as president–will breathe some new life, intrigue and wit into the four-time-Emmy award-winning show.

"The West Wing" airs Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m on NBC.