This is a new kind of "West Wing"

I've now watched two episodes of this season of "The West Wing," and I have to say this is a different kind of storytelling for this show. The glossy shots and inspirational pageantry of Aaron Sorkin's creation is gone, replaced by a quick-cut, high-contrast story, with fast dialog and even faster camera shots. It all combines to create a frenzy, which accents the campiagn underway in the show's plot.

I loved the Sorkin version, of course, and it was along the same lines as "The American President," a Sorkin-written movie directed by Rob Reiner in classic Reiner fashion -- inspirational shots and sweeping panoramas. But this new flavor for "The West Wing" is also tremendously appealing. I miss the distinctive dialog that Sorkin also used in "Sports Night," but I think I can get over it.

Meanwhile, the campaign is heating up, and I honestly haven't a clue whether the show will see Democrat Jimmy Smits or Republican Alan Alda elected in a few weeks. Since the show's timeline is still spinning along around Labor Day, I imagine we will see the "election night" somewhere in Nivember sweeps week. Inauguration should come around the February sweeps. Perfect.

Interestingly, too, the show is mirroring a real-life political scandal. On the show, the leak of information about a secret space shuttle has resulted in the reporter heading to prison for contempt of court for refusing to testify to a grand jury. Sounds just like the reporters who went or almost went this summer in our real world.

It's shaping up to be a fine seventh season for "The West Wing," and I couldn't be happier.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.