A Dire Straits Classic in “The West Wing”

When "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits plays during the climactic moments of Season 2, Episode 22 (“Two Cathedrals”) of The West Wing, it becomes more than just a song—it's the episode’s heartbeat. The track is used almost in full, weaving through President Bartlet’s private storm with a depth and grace equal to the narrative itself.

You won’t find the full episode on YouTube, but if you ever have a chance to watch it, do. It’s a masterful exploration of grief, resolve, and the unique forms of strength that guide us through loss. Mrs. Landingham is the quiet power behind Jed Bartlet—a presence whose influence far surpasses that of his father. Her role is a reminder of how some people shape us in ways we only understand when they’re gone. There’s a ripple effect, a sort of mystical resonance, in who we become simply by having them in our lives.

Below, you’ll find two videos—watch the first, then the second.

I’m sharing this because I’ll be re-recording the background music from that pivotal scene. Today I started learning the guitar parts—never playing note for note, but letting the feeling guide me. My philosophy is to play a song as if it’s new every time: lights down, eyes up to the sky, fingers following sound rather than memory. There’s a magic in chasing the next note, feeling your way through the melody as if it’s still being written. Mark Knopfler captured that kind of energy in his original, and it’s impossible to truly replicate—because music is as much about the moment it’s created as the notes themselves. That’s what makes playing this song so rewarding, and so humbling.

Taken from two-thirds into the episode, Barlet is seen at the end of Mrs. Landingham's funeral. He has a "few words" with God that we all wish we could have, without being struck down by lightening afterwards. The actor Martin Sheen is a deeply religious man and I cannot think of anyone else who is capable of acting in this scene. He knows his religion and lives by it every day in real life.

This video, is the certainty that Barlett has, later on in the episode, that nothing will stand in his way for the next election. Even though he says God can have John Hoynes, his current Vice President. This is his revenge against God and the "Feckless Thug" that God can be. We have all felt this way sometime in our lives but have never been able to put it into words... The song sets the tone—perfectly.