As my journey through the seasons of The West Wing continues, I still come up with little things that I wish I had thought about including right from the beginning. Maybe it's my weird focus on wanting to cover absolutely everything (some might say "obsession" - not me, but some) ... I just think it's another neat little fact that somebody else might like to know, too.
With my latest post on The Dogs Of War published, I've decided to start adding a note on why the episodes are titled what they're titled. In nearly all cases, the episode title comes directly from a quote in the script, and oftentimes has a direct relationship to the show's overall theme. Now that I thought of adding this to my blog posts as I begin Season 5, it's only fitting that I go back in time and get caught up with all the other episodes of this fine series.
SEASON ONE EPISODES
Pilot
This is just obvious. It's the pilot episode of a new series, designed to illustrate the overall tone and introduce the characters.
"Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc"
The Latin phrase which translates as "after it, therefore because of it." It illustrates the logical fallacy of believing that because one thing occurs after another, the first thing must have caused the second. As President Bartlet says, "It's not always true. In fact, it's hardly ever true." Lots of elements of the episode's storylines relate to this phrase, whether it be President Bartlet's urge to respond militarily to Syria shooting down a humanitarian transport (to avenge Dr. Tolliver or prove himself to the Joint Chiefs?) or Josh's maneuverings to get Lloyd Russell out of the way (to help the President's reelection or to make Mandy lose her job?).
A Proportional Response
This comes directly from an angry retort by President Bartlet - "What is the virtue of a proportional response?" - as he pushes back against military advice for the attack on Syria, wanting revenge for the loss of Dr. Tolliver.
Five Votes Down
The administration discovers a gun control bill that they thought was in the bag is suddenly five votes short of passage.
The Crackpots And These Women
The "crackpots" are the various fringe groups coming to ask for attention during Leo's "Big Block Of Cheese" day. The women are the female staffers and aides, "these women," as Leo says, appreciatively describing their importance to the workings of the White House and the Bartlet administration.
Mr. Willis Of Ohio
Joe Willis, stepping in to fill out the House term of his late wife, Janice, is the titular "Mr. Willis." He proves to be a key vote for the administration's bill to reform the census, and his willingness to listen to explanations and change his mind given new information proves to be a refreshing change for Toby.
The State Dinner
A state dinner for the President of Indonesia is the setting around which we get a labor dispute, an FBI standoff, and a hurricane threatening U.S. Navy ships.
Enemies
Republican political maneuverings intended to sabotage administration policies lead Josh to tell the President, "We talk about enemies more than we used to."
The Short List
President Bartlet revamps his short list of candidates for a Supreme Court opening, making a bold, progressive pick instead of his original safe, easily confirmed choice.
In Excelsis Deo
Aaron Sorkin likes to use parts of titles of Christmas hymns for his Christmas episodes. This is the first (from "Gloria In Excelsis Deo").
Lord John Marbury
We are introduced to Lord John Marbury, as he helps to broker a resolution to a military standoff between India and Pakistan.
He Shall, From Time To Time ...
This is a phrase from the sentence in the Constitution that requires the President to give what is now called the State of the Union address, which happens in this episode.
Take Out The Trash Day
A reference to Fridays, a day when stories the administration doesn't want to get attention are all dumped on the media, to be wasted over the weekend.
Take This Sabbath Day
As President Bartlet weighs commuting a convict's death sentence, he has a Sunday to make the decision (as executions don't occur on Sunday).
Celestial Navigation
Sam and Toby are trying to find their way to Connecticut to get Judge Mendoza out of jail; Sam claims to be using celestial navigation to guide his driving.
20 Hours In L.A.
A quick trip to Los Angeles for a Hollywood fundraiser is summed up neatly in this title.
The White House Pro-Am
Sam uses the professional/amateur comparison to point out to the First Lady how her staff measures up to the President's staff.
Six Meetings Before Lunch
Several meetings take place here, and the last one we see ends with Josh taking his meeting out to lunch, but I'm not sure we actually see six of them.
Let Bartlet Be Bartlet
The idea that Leo may be holding the President back from advancing his policies is put to bed as he and the entire staff say, "I serve at the pleasure of the President" and they, well, let him be him.
Mandatory Minimums
Toby's ex-wife Congresswoman is introduced as she tries to get rid of mandatory minimum prison sentences for some drug crimes.
Lies, Damn Lies And Statistics
A quote from Mark Twain - "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics" - illustrates this story about polling and Presidential approval after Bartlet has been turned loose to pursue his policies.
What Kind Of Day Has It Been
Sorkin uses this title in all of his TV series work: it was the title of the first-season finale of Sports Night (1999), the final episode of Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip (2007), and the last episode of The Newsroom (2014). He uses it here to end Season 1; he also wrote the phrase in as a line for Leo in Sorkin's final West Wing episode, Twenty Five.
SEASON TWO EPISODES
In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen, Parts I and II
The Season 2-opening two-parter that shows us how the old Bartlet gang got together uses a reference to the two gunmen in the Rosslyn assassination attempt for the title.
The Midterms
An obvious call to the midterm elections that take place in this episode, as the timeline races from August to November.
In This White House
Ainsley Hayes' decision to join the White House staff includes her amazement at a Republican being offered a job "in this White House?"
And It's Surely To Their Credit
As Gilbert & Sullivan fan Ainsley gets an office in the White House basement, the rest of the staff welcomes her by singing "He Is An Englishman" from H.M.S. Pinafore, which includes the line seen in the title.
The Lame Duck Congress
Toby tries to get the President to agree to call a special session of Congress, bringing back the "lame duck" members (those voted out in the midterms not yet replaced by the new Congress coming in January) in order to get a nuclear test ban treaty approved.
The Portland Trip
The President takes an overnight flight on Air Force One to Portland.
Shibboleth
From the Bible story where the pronunciation of the word "shibboleth" was used to verify one's identity, used in conjunction with the dilemma of how to verify the religious claims of Chinese stowaways asking to remain in the US.
Galileo
The fate of the Galileo space probe to Mars is a topic of the episode.
Noël
The second Christmas-themed episode of the series, and the second time Sorkin uses part of a Christmas hymn title (from "The First Noël").
The Leadership Breakfast
A breakfast meeting with the leadership of the new Congress turns into a problem for the administration as a Republican figure gets things rolling for the next campaign.
The Drop-In
Toby orders a line added to the speech Sam wrote, a "drop-in" line to chastise the administration's more liberal political allies in order to keep some cover on their right.
Bartlet's Third State Of The Union
Okay, but is it really? Typically a President's address to Congress in the months immediately after their election is not considered a true State Of The Union, meaning Bartlet's first SOTU would have occurred in Season 1 and this would be his second ...
The War At Home
A dual meaning here, as soldiers killed in an ambush with drug cartels in Colombia are returned home; meanwhile, Jed and Abbey are in a cold war of their own over Jed's decision to run for a second term.
Ellie
We are introduced to the Bartlet's middle daughter, Ellie.
Somebody's Going To Emergency, Somebody's Going To Jail
A line from Don Henley's song "In A New York Minute" plays over Sam's struggle coming to grips with the discovery of his father's infidelity.
The Stackhouse Filibuster
The entire episode is taken up with the administration dealing with a filibuster over health care spending led by Minnesota Senator Howard Stackhouse.
17 People
Toby is told the President's secret about his multiple sclerosis diagnosis, a secret only 17 people knew about before him (actually, as Toby says, it's 18 ... nobody was counting the President himself).
Bad Moon Rising
The President spars with the new White House Counsel over how to make his MS condition public, with Bartlet telling Babish, "There's a bad moon rising, Oliver, we both know it." The phrase is also familiar from Creedence Clearwater Revival's song with the same title.
The Fall's Gonna Kill You
CJ responds to Josh's concern over polling maybe being a factor in how the public might perceive the timing of the President's announcement of his MS by relating the story from Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid - it's not drowning after a leap from a cliff that's the problem, "the fall's gonna kill ya."
18th And Potomac
The title describes the intersection where Mrs. Landingham is struck by a drunk driver and killed as she's driving her newly purchased car back to the White House.
Two Cathedrals
Two cathedrals are a factor in this episode - the cathedral at Jed's private school, where his headmaster father demands there be no smoking; and the National Cathedral, site of Mrs. Landingham's funeral where the President defiantly stamps out a cigarette after cursing God himself.
SEASON THREE EPISODES
Isaac And Ishmael
This 9/11 special non-canon episode dealing with Islamic terrorism and Middle East tensions includes Abbey telling the Old Testament story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar and their sons: "And so it began. The Jews, the sons of Isaac. The Arabs, the sons of Ishmael."
Manchester Parts I and II
The Season 3 two-part opener about President Bartlet announcing his bid for re-election is set in and around the Bartlet farm near Manchester, New Hampshire.
Ways And Means
Josh is in an ongoing fight with the House Ways and Means committee over, well, a lot of stuff, but when the Republican counsel to the committee starts going out with Donna - and then is moved to the Republican investigation of the President's MS coverup - things get out of hand.
On The Day Before
While somberly discussing the deaths of Americans in Israel at the hands of terrorists, the President brings up the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur in a conversation with Josh and Toby.
President: "This guy at the dinner, he told me something I didn't know. On Yom Kippur, you ask forgiveness for sins against God. But on the day before, you ask for forgiveness for sins against people."
War Crimes
The administration is pushing to make Americans subject to war crimes prosecution by the World Court, while an old military buddy of Leo's reveals Leo himself might be guilty of war crimes in Vietnam.
Gone Quiet
When a submarine goes out of contact with the Navy, perhaps in an effort to escape detection in enemy waters, it's calling "going quiet" - which may be exactly what's happening with a submarine on patrol along the North Korean coast.
The Indians In The Lobby
The Thanksgiving episode literally has Indians in the lobby of the White House, refusing to leave until the government publicly recognizes its failure to live up to its agreements with Native Americans.
The Women Of Qumar
CJ can't understand how the administration can celebrate the renewal of an air base agreement with Qumar when that country mistreats its women.
Bartlet For America
It's a Christmas episode without a hymn-themed title! Instead we get Leo's testimony in front of the congressional committee investigating the President's MS coverup, with a story about how Leo got Jed to run for office in the first place (with the campaign slogan, "Bartlet For America").
H. CON-172
This is the piece of legislation moving through Congress, a concurrent resolution censuring the President for hiding his medical condition from the American people during his campaign and Presidency.
100,000 Airplanes
Sam and the President consider adding a bold promise to the State of the Union, a promise to cure cancer in less than ten years. To a reporter, Sam compares the leap of faith to FDR's promise in 1940 to build 50,000 military aircraft a year ... which American industry turned into 100,000 airplanes a year instead.
The Two Bartlets
Toby, trying to spur the President to avoid safety and instead go bold in his campaign, explains to Jed that there are two Bartlets - "The absent-minded professor with the 'aw, Dad' sense of humor. Disarming and unthreatening. Good for all times zones ... and the Nobel Laureate. Still searching for salvation. Lonely, frustrated. Lethal."
Night Five
After being called out by Toby for not living up to his potential - and for not coming to terms with his complicated relationship with his father - President Bartlet has been unable to sleep. On the fifth night, psychiatrist Dr. Stanley Keyworth is called in to help.
Hartsfield's Landing
The White House anxiously awaits the results from the first primary voters of the year, a midnight election held in Hartsfield's Landing, New Hampshire.
Dead Irish Writers
A potential White House visit from an Irish politician anathema to the British looms over Abbey's birthday party, as Toby and Lord John Marbury quote the aforementioned dead Irish writers at each other.
The U.S. Poet Laureate
The newly named Poet Laureate visits the White House, hoping to call out American military use of mines, and Toby is both enthralled by her and eager to temper her criticism.
Stirred
This is a weird title. The direct reference is from the President talking about James Bond and his martini choices ("Shaken not stirred will get you cold water with a dash of gin and dry vermouth. The reason you stir it with a special spoon is so not to chip the ice. James is ordering a weak martini and being snooty about it") - but actually we see Bartlet taking a smooth "stirred" approach to issues in the episode (dropping Hoynes from the ticket, investigating terrorism as the cause of a truck crash, honoring Donna's English teacher) instead of boldly "shaking" things up.
Documentary Special
This is just obvious.
Enemies Foreign And Domestic
The line from the oath of office taken by American elected officials hits with threats both foreign (Russian elements trying to sell nuclear material to Iran) and domestic (CJ is getting credible death threats).
The Black Vera Wang
CJ tries on the dress of the title in a store; when her Secret Service agent reads the latest email death threat mentioning the dress, he realizes the subject was actually in the store at the time, and he failed to spot him.
We Killed Yamamoto
After a thwarted terrorist attack on the Golden Gate Bridge is tied to the Defense Minister of Qumar, a plan is developed to take advantage of Abdul Shareef's upcoming visit and eliminate him. Admiral Fitzwallis compares the situation to the World War II killing of Japanese Admiral Yamamoto by shooting down his plane.
Posse Comitatus
The law preventing use of the military for civilian ends on American territory limits the Bartlet administration's legal authority in the plan to kill Shareef.
SEASON FOUR EPISODES
20 Hours In America Parts 1 and 2
After being left behind at a campaign event in Indiana, Josh, Toby, and Donna get in touch with Americans outside the DC beltway, and come up with an idea to help make things "just a little easier." Another two-part season opening episode (actually originally broadcast as one two-hour episode).
College Kids
The plan Toby and Josh came up with - making college tuition tax-deductible - is a focus of this episode (as well as a Rock The Vote concert aimed to attract, well, college kids - yay, Single Cell Paramecium!).
The Red Mass
The title refers to a Mass traditionally held just before the Supreme Court begins their new term.
Debate Camp
President Bartlet and his crew are off to a camp in North Carolina to prepare for the upcoming Presidential debate.
Game On
It's the debate, and the term "Game on!" is said by characters far and wide as President Bartlet wipes the floor with Governor Ritchie.
Election Night
It's Election Night, silly.
Process Stories
As Election Night continues into the wee hours of Wednesday morning, CJ gets obsessed over stopping a low-level campaign flunky taking credit (a "process story") for moves made by the top minds of the campaign.
Swiss Diplomacy
The Swiss get involved in brokering a deal for an American doctor to provide lifesaving surgery on the son of an Iranian ayatollah.
Arctic Radar
An offhand remark by Jack Reese about conditions at a radar base above the Arctic Circle gets turned into the title of the episode, for some reason.
Holy Night
We're back to hymn-related titles for the Christmas episode ("O Holy Night"), as Toby struggles with his father (a former Mob killer) visiting the White House.
Guns Not Butter
A neat episode about maneuvering over a vote on a foreign aid bill gets a title that's ... really not about that. "Guns not butter" is a term used in economics to study a society's balance between spending on things that increase civilian social welfare (the "butter") and its defense spending ("guns"). Josh's fixation on a poll that shows 68% of respondents think there's too much foreign aid and 59% think it should be cut - meaning there's 9% of people who think there's too much foreign aid but don't want it reduced - is germane to the title, I guess, indicating that even the public doesn't have a good understanding of the guns vs. butter balance.
The Long Goodbye
CJ visits her father, suffering from the early signs of Alzheimer's disease; sometimes called "the long goodbye."
Inauguration: Part One
Well, sure, it's Inauguration Day.
Inauguration: Over There
Inauguration Day continues, as well as the President's committal of troops to Equatorial Kundu ("over there") as a part of his new Bartlet Doctrine.
The California 47th
Sam keeps his promise to a widow and campaigns for a California House seat in a special election.
Red Haven's On Fire
The Kundu military operation gets complicated when a staging/training base in Ghana (code named Red Haven) is attacked, killing several American military personnel.
Privateers
An old antagonist of Abbey's criticizes her membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution, claiming the ancestor Abbey cites for her membership was a privateer ("Isn't that just a hired pirate?").
Angel Maintenance
Air Force One is delayed in flight due to a possible landing gear problem, causing Josh to get Donna on the case of the aircraft's repair records ("angel maintenance").
Evidence Of Things Not Seen
CJ quotes part of the Bible verse Hebrews 11:1 ("Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"), which relates to Air Force soldiers declining to launch nuclear missiles, President Bartlet's bold move to trust the Russian leader over a downed UAV, and faith in being able to balance an egg.
Life On Mars
Evidence of possible life on Mars, found in an Antarctic asteroid fragment, is part of the classified information Vice President Hoynes brags about to his mistress - leading to his resignation from the office.
Commencement
It's Zoey's graduation from Georgetown. Some other stuff happens, too.
Twenty Five
The Twenty-fifth Amendment comes into play, as a stricken President signs away his power to the Speaker of the House while his daughter is a captive of Islamic terrorists.
No comments:
Post a Comment