Original airdate: January 5, 2000
Teleplay by: Aaron Sorkin (10) & Patrick Caddell (4)
Story by: Patrick Caddell (4) & Lawrence O'Donnell Jr. (3)
Directed by: Kevin Rodney Sullivan (1)
Synopsis
- President Bartlet pulls out all the diplomatic stops in an effort to stave off nuclear conflict when India invades Pakistani-held Kashmir, even calling on an old eccentric British friend for help and advice. CJ deals with trust issues concerning the press and the senior staff. Josh is subpoenaed in an investigation into Leo's stint in rehab. Mandy enlists Sam in an effort to get approval to take on a new client, and Zoey asks Charlie out.
CJ: "You sent me in there uninformed so that I'd lie to the press."
Toby: "We sent you in there uninformed because we thought there was a chance you couldn't."
Let's talk about CJ.
While the world teeters on the brink of nuclear war involving India, Pakistan, and perhaps China, and we get our first meeting with fan favorite Lord John Marbury, I think the most fascinating aspect of this episode is what goes on with CJ. The first 10 episodes of the series have shown us a tight-knit, united, intelligent (and clever) group of senior staffers, with Chief of Staff Leo leading the way, but the rest of the gang all trusting in and relying on each other. This ... well, this is different.
CJ walks into the Oval Office as the rest of the group (President Bartlet, Leo, Toby, Sam, and Josh) are all discussing India's military move into Pakistan. She asks if there's anything going on to tell the press in the final briefing of the day, and they flat-out lie to her, saying there's nothing to report.
You gotta admit, they all look sketchy as heck here.
In the briefing, CJ gets a question about rumored troop movement by India, and she (gently) slaps down the reporter for having bad sources, saying she was just in the Oval Office and there's nothing going on.
When she finds out the truth the next day - I love how Allison Janney plays out CJ's hurt, anger, and frustration. The look on her face when Leo tells her they withheld information from her the night before (Leo: "You'll tell the room you spoke without knowing the facts." CJ: "I guess that's what I'll do."),
her reactions to Ed and Larry's Encyclopedia Britannica briefing,
her snapping at Toby -
Janney is a motherlode of acting talent.
What really makes this all interesting is how this really cuts the legs out from under CJ. This is a possibly career-destroying moment for a White House press secretary. When Toby tells her "They (the press) don't think you lied to them," she answers, "No, but they think you lied to me, which is what happened." How well-regarded would a press secretary be by the press if they know top staff is withholding information from her?
And what's the reason Toby gives for shutting her out of the loop? He kind of brings up her relationship with Danny Concannon (I knew that was a bad idea! For Danny and CJ both!) - well, actually, she brings it up, but Toby was dancing around the subject:
CJ: "They don't know me, I'm from nowhere. I was just starting to get credible, I was just starting to get their respect. You know how long it's going to take me to get it back?"
Toby: "There's a concern -"
CJ: "Don't ask CJ, she doesn't know anything."
Toby: "There is a concern that you are too friendly with the press."
CJ: "Really."
Toby: "We know it's important that you have a friendly relationship -"
CJ: "It's important for all of us."
Toby: "I don't disagree."
CJ: "Does this have to do with Danny Concannon?"So CJ is rightly furious, but in a professional, controlled, CJ-like manner. What's somewhat interesting, at least to me, is that there's been no hint of the President or Toby or anyone showing concern about CJ's relationship with the press, or with Danny - this kind of comes out of nowhere. BUT - it's absolutely believable. I mentioned before how Danny should be concerned with what his peers might think, with his pining over CJ resulting in scoops like the Syria raid or a one-on-one with President Bartlet; here's the flip side of that concern.
Another aspect could be Aaron Sorkin's attitudes towards women, maybe? He's always gotten criticism for how he writes female characters and how they interact in his scripts; which is somewhat odd when you consider how much of his work includes strong female characters (A Few Good Men, Sports Night, The West Wing, The Newsroom, Molly's Game), although in almost all of those cases these strong women still have to rely on men to get things done. Also consider how he writes men reacting to these women, or other supporting female roles (The Crackpots And These Women is a fine example of men "talking down" to women, I think). Even here, Sam doesn't do himself any favors when CJ storms out of the Encyclopedia Britannica briefing (he tells Toby, "She'll get over it.").
This specific issue with CJ and the trust Toby, at least, has for her gets wrapped up rather tidily.
Toby: "I feel that I didn't have the opportunity to properly articulate my argument."
CJ: "Either I'm a trusted member of the communications staff or I'm not, Toby, what was your argument?"
Toby: "That was my argument."
CJ: "That wasn't your argument."
Toby: "It was my argument, a little while ago, when I was arguing in my head."
CJ: "Are you apologizing?"
Toby: "Yes."
(long, long pause)
CJ: "Well?"
Toby: "What?"
CJ: "Apologize!"
Toby: "I'm sorry!"
CJ: "God!"
Toby: "I was trying to do it nicer than that."I'm not sure I believe CJ would be ready to smooth things over and move on (like I said, having the press know she'd been lied to by senior staff would be devastating for her credibility), but, you know, CJ is awesome and the show must go on.
Okay. As for the rest of the episode, we cannot forget the brilliant Roger Rees as Lord John Marbury, a former British ambassador to both India and Pakistan and apparently an old friend of Jed's. He only appears late in the episode, but his boozy, breezy attitude coupled with Leo's exasperation at putting up with him (and Jed's delight at the prospect) make him a real fan favorite. Here he's talking to the President while suppressing a (likely alcoholic) belch:
While President Bartlet had been pretty much frustrated with his diplomatic efforts with the ambassadors from India, Pakistan, and China (even threatening a wider conflict), Lord John is able to help arrange a UN cease-fire between India and Pakistan to buy some time, and helps focus the Bartlet administration on what the real issue is in the conflict (religion). As with most guest stars called to appear on The West Wing, Rees is brilliant, and Lord John will indeed make a return visit.
Meanwhile, Josh has been subpoenaed by Freedom Watch, a right-wing organization looking for dirt on members of the administration. It turns out the group has the records of Leo's stay at Sierra Tucson for alcohol and drug addiction a few years back, and is looking to get confirmation from Josh about the stay. Sam manages to help Josh not perjure himself (although Josh nearly assaults Claypool in the bargain), but everyone knows the story can't stay bottled up for long. Needless to say, in the next episode we're going to find out there's some even bigger fish to fry when it comes to health issues in the administration (not really a spoiler alert, but if you don't know - hang on, folks).
Mandy ... poor, confused, wide-eyed Mandy. She asks Sam for his help, because she wants to take on another client and she needs support to get approval from Toby and Josh. Why? Because the client, Mike Brace, is a Republican Congressman. This definitely hasn't aged well over the past 18 years, concerning our current political climate (is there really such a thing as a Republican Congressman who's good on education and women's rights anymore, who a Democratic political consultant would even consider taking on?), but nevertheless, the notion in the Bartlet West Wing doesn't go over very well. Not to mention, Mandy should be on some thin ice considering her disastrous advice about the FBI and Idaho in The State Dinner - this whole idea is really going out on a limb. Even so, it takes Sam's reaction to the Freedom Watch attack on Leo to finally stand up against Mandy's idea:
Sam: "Leo's in trouble. You're a political consultant, your job isn't to end the fight. It's to win it. Now you can work for us or you can work for them, but you can't do both."And then Zoey's flirtation with Charlie continues, as she basically asks him out on a date (if he ever gets a night off, which he doesn't seem to). He mentions it to the President, in case he has an issue with it, and of course he does - not because of the racial issue, but because he's a guy and she's a girl and he's her father. Bartlet mentions dungeons and the 82nd Airborne, but in the end, he knows Charlie's a good guy, even though he has to caution him about the public reaction his dating the First Daughter will get.
A lot to unpack in this episode - if you're still with me, thanks for hanging on to the end! We're now revving up for a wild ride through the last half of Season 1, and believe me, it's a doozy. I hope you'll join me for the journey.
Tales of Interest!
- While the chemistry between Josh and Donna is obvious, and I think they are great together, he really doesn't treat her well at all. Notice how he signs his subpoena using her back as a desk, and she just accepts it.
(I love Donna, and Janel Moloney is fantastic, and thank goodness Donna becomes a much more well-rounded and complete character as the years go by. Josh can just be a giant tool sometimes.)
- The Sit Room has been upgraded since last we saw. Some much nicer lighting, plus a real screen now instead of the chintzy projector we saw previously.
- Director Kevin Rodney Sullivan brought out some of The West Wing favorite shots in this episode (the camera rotating around the actors, as we see in the second deposition scene with Josh, Sam and Claypool), but also tried something we haven't seen before - the split-diopter deep focus shot, showing both President Bartlet and the CIA Director in focus in the Sit Room.
- Toby tells Sam the administration hasn't nominated an ambassador to Pakistan yet. Sam replies, "It's been over a year." Um, no, it hasn't. It's the first week of January, Bartlet won't mark his first-year anniversary in office until January 20. It's been over a year since the election, but that doesn't matter when it comes to nominations. (Writers for The West Wing have been making this error all season.)
- It's an open question as to how much help Mandy provided during the campaign, but it must have been really something. After Sam agrees to talk to Toby and Josh about her taking on a new client, he says he'll still need to do many, many more favors for her before they're even. Whatever she did on the campaign, it must have been incredibly effective (too bad they couldn't find something equivalent for her to do in this West Wing).
- Sam has a neat photo behind his desk of former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, apparently with Bartlet at a campaign event.
Quotes
(The President has just learned of the incursion by India into Kashmir, discovered by American intelligence 25 minutes prior)
Bartlet: "All I'm trying to do right now, I'm trying to avoid making eye contact with the CIA director."
CIA Director: "Mr. President -"
Bartlet: "Three hundred thousand troops? I can't move my motorcade from K Street to Connecticut without it showing up on a weather satellite."
CIA Director: "We dropped the ball, sir."
Bartlet: "Pick it up again." (pause ) "Would you please?"
-----
Josh: "I'm being deposed at lunch tomorrow."
Sam: "Who you bringing?"
Josh: "I'm not bringing anyone."
Sam: "Josh."
Josh: "It's a non-event."
Sam: "You should bring a lawyer."
Josh: "I am a lawyer."
Sam: "Yeah. Seriously, you should bring a real lawyer."
-----
(Ed and Larry are giving their briefing on India and Pakistan, featuring numbers on population, income, religion ... average rainfall ...)
Toby: "What the hell kind of briefing is this?"
Larry: "Toby - if we could have just another hour to prepare ..."
Toby: "Where'd you get this stuff?"
Larry: "Swear to God, the Encyclopedia Britannica."
-----
Bartlet: "There's an India expert I want to bring in."
Leo: "Who?"
(Long pause, as Bartlet gives Leo a look)
Leo: "No."
Bartlet: "You guys are going to love him."
Leo: "He's a lunatic."
Bartlet: "He's colorful."
Leo: "He's certifiable."
Sam: "Who?"
Bartlet: "Lord John Marbury, former ambassador to New Delhi from the Court of St. James."
Sam: "Where do we find him?"
Leo: "A psychiatric institution."
Bartlet: "He's colorful, Leo."
Leo: "You're really going to let him loose in the White House, where there's liquor and women?"
Bartlet: "We can hide the women. But the man deserves a drink."
-----
(Toby reacting to Sam's news about Mandy wanting to take on a Republican client)
Toby: "Is this a joke?"
Sam: "No."
Toby: "I don't understand."
Sam: "Toby -"
Toby: "I'm in disbelief."
Sam: "What should I say your first reaction was?"
Toby: "Disbelief!"
-----
Bartlet: "I'll take the Indian ambassador in the Oval Office."
Charlie: "Yes, sir."
Bartlet: "And then if you could just ask the Secret Service to step in and kill me, please."
-----
Sam (to Claypool, with steel in his eyes): "You're a cheap hack. And if you come after Leo, I'm going to bust you like a pinata."
-----
Leo: "Sir?"
Lord John: "It's, um, your lordship, as a matter of fact, but it couldn't possibly make the least difference."
-----
Story threads, callbacks, and familiar faces (Hey, it's that guy!)
- Claypool, the Freedom Watch guy, is played by John Diehl (Miami Vice, The Shield, Jurassic Park III).
- The Chinese ambassador is played by James Hong (Big Trouble In Little China, Blade Runner, hundreds of other roles including voiceover in Kung Fu Panda).
- The Pakistani ambassador is played by Eric Avari (The Mummy, Mr. Deeds, Independence Day, Heroes).
- The Indian ambassador is played by Iqbal Theba (Community, ER, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, but to me he'll always be Principal Figgins from Glee ["K-E-dollar sign-Ha"]).
- Ed and Larry, together again ... and credited as "Ed" and "Larry" for the first time!
- Mandy mentions how good everyone is going to look in California; there is indeed a California trip coming up in a few episodes.
- Gail's fishbowl features a couple of missile launchers.
DC location shots
- There are no location shots in this episode.
References to real people
- When Leo asks Bartlet if he might have a problem with Charlie's race (in reference to dating Zoey), Bartlet exclaims he's "Spencer Tracy at the END of 'Guess Who's Coming To Dinner.'"
- CJ remarks that the entire Lord John visit is starting to seem like a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. We'll see more references to Gilbert and Sullivan in upcoming episodes, too (Sorkin seems to have a thing for those two).
End credits freeze frame: The staff informing President Bartlet that Leo's rehab story is about to break.
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