The West Wing Forums: Sam Seaborn

NBC (Ended 2006)

 
  • Avatar of sbd3_24

    sbd3_24

    [1]May 14, 2006
    • member since: 01/23/06
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    Was anyone else really excited to see Sam Seaborn return? I hated to see him go a few seasons ago, and really haven't cared much for his replacement (Will Bailey) since his departure.
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  • Avatar of hmnut7

    hmnut7

    [2]May 15, 2006
    • member since: 08/22/04
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    • rank: Evil Bert
    • posts: 664

    Was I excited to hear he was returning? Big Yes. Was I happy with his return? Big No. Will was no replacement for Sam but they did a horrible job bring him back.

    They did so little with him, why bring him back at all. Notice he did not share one scene with CJ, Toby, Will, Charlie or Bartlet, he did not attend Leo's funeral. Again I ask why bring him back at all.

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  • Avatar of FrakkingFrakker

    FrakkingFrakker

    [3]May 17, 2006
    • member since: 01/22/06
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    I can't speak to how they brought him back in these last few episodes...I didn't get to see most of them this season. I was able to see Leo's funeral (requiem)...and I felt that his absence was conspicuous.
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  • Avatar of sbd3_24

    sbd3_24

    [4]May 17, 2006
    • member since: 01/23/06
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    • rank: Soup Nazi
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    No doubt it was a bad idea not having Sam show up at the funeral, but the bottom line is that it was good to finally see him come back - you gotta love ol' Sam!
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  • Avatar of xrobertwilsonx

    xrobertwilsonx

    [5]May 24, 2006
    • member since: 06/12/05
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    To me he looked completely out of place. It was like the writers really didn't know what to do with the guy! For the little part played, I am sure Rob Lowe enjoyed it, he was laughing all the way to the bank I bet!
    Edited on 05/24/2006 4:58am
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  • Avatar of hidden_planet

    hidden_planet

    [6]May 31, 2006
    • member since: 05/30/06
    • level: 1
    • rank: Weatherman
    • posts: 6
    There was no real point bringing Sam back for the plot. They merely did it to satisfy the fans who have been bleating on at them for 3 years to do it. If they had had a new season anyone wanna bet they wouldn't have done it, unless they had signed him up to a monster pay deal and retooled the show to be the rob lowe show.
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  • Avatar of explorer0713

    explorer0713

    [7]Jun 11, 2006
    • member since: 08/07/05
    • level: 3
    • rank: Soup Nazi
    • posts: 63
    See, now I am just the opposite. I always found Sam to be dreadfully dull. Will could be interesting when the writer's could figure out what to do with him. Watch his scenes with Sam. There is really no comparison. Joshua Malina soars past Rob Lowe.
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  • Avatar of ebroyr2

    ebroyr2

    [8]Jun 12, 2006
    • member since: 01/02/06
    • level: 10
    • rank: Holy Level 10!
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    I can't believe you guys don't like Will!!! Sam was funny in a goofy quirky sort of way but Will is funny in a witty, knowledgeable way.  You can't compare them.  You must love them equally!

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  • Avatar of hmnut7

    hmnut7

    [9]Jun 14, 2006
    • member since: 08/22/04
    • level: 12
    • rank: Evil Bert
    • posts: 664
    Whoa! I want to go on record, I like Will, I like Will a lot. I just think they clearly brought him in to replace Sam and you can't do that. Will on his own merits is a very good character who just came in when the show started to go sour, he didn't cause it but he was stuck with it.
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  • Avatar of Diogo22

    Diogo22

    [10]Jun 15, 2006
    • member since: 06/09/05
    • level: 15
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    Will was somewhat like Jeremy Goodwin from Sports Night (also played by molina), the difference being that, instead of being a geek about sports, he was a geek about politics. Will was perhaps less zany, but the characters are basically the same.
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  • Avatar of quigley_lib

    quigley_lib

    [11]Jun 15, 2006
    • member since: 06/13/05
    • level: 13
    • rank: Regal Beagle
    • posts: 1,081
    I liked Will at first. The character had great potential for heart and then the writers had him give in to the dark side. Then it was no heart and all politics. That Will I didn't like so much. Thankfully, they brought the character 'back to basics' in the final season.
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  • Avatar of DHPLover

    DHPLover

    [12]Jul 5, 2006
    • member since: 06/23/06
    • level: 7
    • rank: Talk Show Host
    • posts: 120

    Before Sam came back into season seven I'd forgotten how much I missed him, until I started to watch the show from the very beginning again (well I'm a TV student, I call it work!). When he left I missed the extra humour that his character always brought to an episode and the boundless optimism and enthusiasm that he would have in comparison to Toby.

    But I also enjoyed watching Will when he came in as Sam's replacement. Again I thought at times he was a very funny character, but I still had trouble getting Sports Night out of my head.

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