west wing season three

The Fringedwellers' Guide

The West Wing Index

Author Key

S. One
S. Two
S. Three pt 1
S. Three pt 2
S. Four pt 1
S. Four pt 2
S. Four pt 3
S. Five
S. Five pt 2
S. Six
S. Seven

Season Three

Go To Episode

Manchester pt 1

Surely someone could have combed his hair before he went on?
Is her name really Sandi? Because he's usually pretty bad with names
That's a nice shot of the three of them in a line, it almost makes Sam look as tall as CJ.
Go on, say no, surprise us
"I'm gonna win" That was assured
I wish they'd put the "Four Weeks Later" bit up earlier, save me being confused for quite so long
CJ sounds very tired getting on to the plane
Doug? Co-writers are a tricky business, Toby and Sam only just figured out how to work with each other, you can't expect them to handle other people!
There has to be a graphics department in the White House that could do that
Like the President doesn't have enough wrong with him
If I was the mysterious annoying bald guy then I wouldn't be too worried. Toby usually doesn't get on with anyone.
It's amazing that Air Force One takes off at all, it's so big. If this is Air Force One, then what's Air Force Two and Three? Is it like the Thunderbirds and one is a submarine and one a space station?
Sam neatly ruins all of CJ's hard work there, with one childish tantrum. Nice to see Sam's total drama queen credentials haven't slipped between seasons at all
CJ however does not "anticipate a smooth flight"
Rob Lowe photographs well anyway, but he looks great in the black and white photographs.
This time jumping thing is annoying.
That was an overly dramatic roll of thunder there.
Josh was obviously delayed as Ed and Larry gave him a quick haircut in the car
Pumped, but facing the wrong direction
Hang on, why isn't Sam wet? Maybe he was intercepted by the coconut oil and hot towels
I'm sure Haiti are very happy with Toby's attitude
Operation Swift Fury, there's a nice, non-judgmental name. Good, manly name for an operation, not Operation Mildly Pissed
The Haitian soccer fans are going to be more than a little annoyed about this. The marines are going to be faced down by one really pissed off groundskeeper with a rake
The President gets clapped for standing up now? I think the Chiefs of Staff are kissing POTUS’ butt
Yes, but the possibility of Bartlet killing Oprah is all too real
Well, that's blown the dramatic impetus of the Haiti subplot
If they’re landing, why isn’t anyone else sitting down? Can’t Air Force One afford an air hostess who looks after safety and tells them where the exits are?
Is that Josh's Tuesday suit? No, I think it's the one we thought was his Tuesday suit sometime last season
"Totally bogus", hell there's a communications team at work, full and proper use of the English language. The surfer dude poll
Toby acting just like me when I'm trying to get a point across to my parents. Eventually you learn to just wait and let them come to conclusions in their own time, that or throw a tantrum like six year old in full view of the general public, that works too
Joey Lucas also seems to have had a haircut on the way back from the press conference.
That really wasn't a specific idiot
This jumping back and forth is confusing me. I am an intelligent person, I understand linear narrative. Why couldn't they have used that?
Josh is such a jackass
Toby’s so dry he’s almost dehydrated
Sam sadly jiving to the disco soundtrack. Sam's shirt is a bit distressing, despite being gloriously revealing. It's actually odd to see all the guys out of the office clothes, particularly Toby
CJ really shouldn’t bet until she’s grasped when it’s appropriate
I must be the most impressively inept person at pool known to man, during a game I once hit the cue ball, which rolled up to a cluster of three balls, (any of which I would have liked to hit) jumped all three of them and potted itself in the corner pocket. CJ has nothing to worry about
Yeah, because no political leader has ever invented a foreign crisis to divert media attention away from a domestic problem.
USS Enterprise? Are they kidding me?!
I'm guessing the First Lady's pretty warm
He's writing in his head. Who needs paper?
"Great nation...America" two clearly separate ideas there
Charlie is going to shake Toby for cash until his teeth rattle, you can tell.
The edit with the break is beautiful
It's not football at all, it's a deposition. There's a bit of a difference, and usually less padding required
Who's going to pay for poor Charlie? Well he's not going to win that much off Toby playing pool
Women always do this Josh. Fact of life. Live with it
There’s a show called ‘Up With People’?
Ball game? Again, people, this is politics, not sport, I feel it would help if they realised that
There we go, that's our Josh, "I'm doing it"
Oh dear. Oh crap, CJ
Apparently she does dare say 'ego', or dare sign it anyway, Kenny was the one who had to say it
Sam Rocks! Toby says nothing here but you can tell that for once he agrees with Sam wholeheartedly.
Ah, the President's being all-American by smoking in the back of a pick-up truck.
Ooh, that's smart/casual!Leo
"Screw anybody", therefore probably leading to a few more abortions. Leo's diary is suddenly going to be very full for the next few days.
Keep saying that to yourself a few more times Mr. President, you might just believe it.

Manchester pt II

Um, America is not the envy of the world and America is not at peace with the world. The laughter was pretty much my reaction there too, I think even the chickens were giggling
Give Doug (whose presence is still unaccounted for) some pom-poms and he's turn into a bizarre Lex Luthor/Lana Lang hybrid. With the little gym skirt and the knee socks! Go Team!
Sam responds to the snake like an enthusiast
I bet Josh really has that polling data
CJ still worried about the snake
CJ is freaked by that snake, and Josh isn't really any happier. I bet it's a bit of baler twine and not really a snake at all
Josh slowly works up his anxiety level. Then climbs on the chair like a wuss
I like Bruno’s turn of phrase. While I applaud his morale inducing pitchfork policy, who the hell is this Bruno guy and where does he get off talking to these people about what they can do with their campaign like that?
Everyone must be really pissed that Stockard Channing has suddenly leapt to the head of the credits (Rob Lowe aside) after not being on them at all for the past two years
Hah, bring on the bizarre and often un-announced time shifts, I'm ready for them now! (Seriously, it would have killed them to go linear?)
That won't really be giving CJ the morale boost she needs right about now
The farm is quite pastoral, isn’t it?
"He really doesn't that much" just occasionally, and only in private
Josh is quite Freudian, isn’t he?
I don't think that CJ really wanted that cider much anyway.
"We don't talk about our marriages" and that's part of the reason why Leo doesn't have one any more
Does the Haitian guy need a pilot for that 'plane or does the USA have to provide that as well? You gotta like Bezan’s gall though
The President appears to have plenty of room up in New Hampshire
Can Leo boss Nancy around like that?
That joke was funnier when Bernard said it in the last season.
Is Leo going to tell CJ before Nancy briefs the press on Haiti?
The public needs educating. Desperately. About nearly everything
Veins seem to be popping up all over Doug’s head
Oh, right, this is where Bruno and Doug come from. This is unnecessarily confusing.
It’s such fun when Margaret shamelessly patronizes Leo. Bad Leo. Margaret thought that she had Leo so well trained in matters of diary organisation.
The President was listening at the door wasn't he?
That note from Margaret will be on Leo's desk tomorrow morning.
Eugh, it looks like someone sneezed red, white and blue all over the front of that school. Could you imagine British campaigns being run with that ludicrous profusion of flags? Somewhere there's a frustrated Democratic convention organiser who would love to use green in the colour scheme.
Never argue with a man with a tuba
I have no idea what that gesture of Toby's meant, but it just looked obscene
Ooof! Josh looks good in jeans
I love it when Toby starts to change the signs. He's going to sit there with his magic marker and do every single one of those signs isn't he?
They also like to produce green beans
Doug's going to get locked in a deserted broom cupboard soon. Probably the same one they stashed Mandy in for season two.
Because presumably Josh can't find his office on his own
“I got...” Josh proves Doug’s point
Josh quietly wishes they had sent the stripper. Donna wouldn't have let that stripper into the office and Josh knows it.
"Agriculture not his field" Ha! Sorry. That's turning out to be one hell of a big field, and I can't believe you laughed at the agriculture joke!
That "your people" had me worried for a second
Do you think they've ever been asked by a Presidential candidate?
Nice leather jacket
Is it just me or is Sam only a marginally better liar than Josh?
"Stretch my legs," Toby-speak for "I'm going to go and storm up and down the corridor for twenty minutes"
Well done CJ! Thank goodness somebody has the bravery to tell the President to put a sock in it.
“I was never supposed to win” So what? That’s akin to those moronic superstars who thing that coming out with “I never wanted to be famous” convinces anyone!
So it’s her fault he won?
That's a legitimate response from the First Lady to that inane statement from the President.
The staff gang up on Doug using synonyms.
Torpor's not that big a word
Sorry for the expense? And if he is, is he going to pay?
Well, Mr. President, it's about time, it's just a shame you had to drag everyone into a school room to say it
You just know that Sam and Toby are going to have arguments about punctuating that book.
What break? He’s given them nothing but hard work for weeks and then he belittles it to make smart arse remarks even Bruce Willis would turn his nose up at
Nice little echo of dialogue from the pilot there. It's always satisfying when they credit it us with a two year memory (the fact that I saw it on Monday notwithstanding)

Ways And Means

I love the way that Babbish is lying in wait behind that pillar.
There seems to be a preponderance of bald people on TV recently.
Somehow, the little "Grand Jury in Session" light strikes me as incredibly funny, and I have absolutely no idea why
If the jury's grand, couldn't they have lighting to match? They're going to be in big trouble if anyone wants to write notes
Why doesn't Elizabeth have a middle name? Did she have to give it up when she got married?
I wince whenever I hear Sam's full name. He just doesn't look like a Norman.
Donna reminds me of Bitca just after one of her caffeine-fuelled all-nighters. Not the most cheery of sights.
Poor Donna! Whenever I do something complicated like that I always make a helpful list and the first ting I do is promptly lose it. This is eerily similar to the situation inside our house the night before my first driving test when I discovered I'd lost my paper license. And Josh is enjoying this way too much
Sam goes off to draft his "Josh wanted to be a ballerina" press release... Somehow I can tell that the ballerina thing is going to be a running gag in this episode. He'd look sweet in a tutu, don't you think? I would mock Josh, but somehow he has managed to produce an air of chastened embarrassment so my effort seems wasted
I've just noticed the picture of President Bartlet on the wall of the bullpen. Is this to help the staff remember who the guy in the strange shaped office at the end of the hall is?
You can just hear the cogs turning here.
Giselle! Josh is never going to say anything to Sam ever again.
Technically CJ, they're still in your office. You're the one that bounded out into the hallway.
Poor Bonnie, "Ray, Ray, Ray..."
Are they co-operating by drowning Rawlins in paperwork? Donna can barely comment on the contents of the 80 cartons and she sorted them
I bet it does work, Leo just hasn't figured out how to use the remotes yet. Perhaps being in politics removes your ability to operate electronic equipment, like becoming an R.E. teacher. "No!" shouts Leo, "Don't use that, I'm taking the adverts out of my Buffy tapes!"
Now let's see Bruno remember Margaret's name
They do know Sam's sitting right... Oh damn. Beat me to it. I love how Sam just seems to be office decoration during this argument.
That's what tax is about, if you can afford it they make you pay it
You don't think the A-bomb's a little extreme for Congress?
Trust the historian, fighting a war on any more than one front is a recipe for disaster. And don't invade Russia either. That's never worked.
That guy has a ridiculous dickie bow on.
CJ maturely refrains from punching the air and shouting YES!
This entire episode is just an exercise to see how many people the Bartlet administration can piss off in 42 minutes
No, that hair's lovely on him
The President is finicky about stationary too, I seem to be in very good company.
Well done Charlie. Charlie's just pissed that he has to do the typing now
Oxford, England, for a lot of Americans, that knowledge is exceptional
Those glasses are really good on Sam, but he should remember that the last time he was blase and arrogant about a meeting with a woman involved he got his arse kicked on National TV
Okay, I rarely (i.e. never) see any potential for het relationships on TV shows, but seriously, CJ and Babbish are meant for each other
What does Josh keep in his backpack? Everyone else seems to use a briefcase.
I like the idea of being in favour of fire
I'm surprised Mrs Landingham didn't have a lock on that box, and why am I not surprised that Mrs Landingham was in charge of the stationary cupboard?
It's all very well walking and talking in the West Wing, but they are in the street now, with cars. This is not a good time to not be looking where you're going
He is funny, Cliff that is. He's not joking about that, toner cartridges are like gold dust
Poor Donna, she can't date Josh because of the office relationship and she can't date this guy because he's a Republican. Politics is really screwing her love life up.
Where did that Spanish come from?
Sam ask! How can they do it?
That's a fantastic word, boondoggle
What did they say? A 50% chance of rain? The President is basing his decision on a weather report that basically says that either it will rain or it won't?
How did that get to the President? How many people did Sam tell? Blanket e-mail's a wonderful thing
That's a cool little box he keeps his veto stamp in. Probably made from the infamous wooden sword of St Patrick
Of course CJ is right, it's America, Americans love a winner and if you can come from behind then so much the better
I wonder who finally came through with the bottle opener?

On The Day Before

Being the new guy really sucks sometimes. That's impressively calm of the clerk, usually on your second week you're still trying to figure out where all the toilets are
No, pretend ties aren't the same, whether you pull them open like Tony Bennet or not
Josh is taking his life in his hands here. If he's annoyed Donna recently (more than usual anyway) then she could have easily strangled him with that bow tie.
I love CJ's dress. Wow, that is a gorgeous dress CJ's got on
Yet, it's a horrible suit on Sam, where's his black tie?
Yes, it's all food, and unlike the big French beefsteak tomatoes, it sounds gorgeous. That food sounded disgusting.
Do they have to witness the veto or do they just want to see the stamp?
That was a pretty much a fringedweller response to that dumb question - "It's a dress."
Open line? The White House phone bill must be astronomical. Or do you think they have Congress on Friends and Family?
If CJ is freaked by sodium then she should try and get her head around the Latin for lead, which explains why a plumber is so-called. I loved chemistry in school, there was always the chance that my fab teacher would let us make a big bang or a strange smell.
Charlie's heading into sign territory here "I really can't talk about it"
I love the big explanatory chart of Congress behind Sam. It's a bit like those maps of Europe you see in war films where little aeroplanes and tanks get pushed about by women with sticks.
Unemployed steelworker who's working three jobs?
Whenever I hear the term "splinter group" I think of the Judean People's Front. Splitters!
Sam had a basset hound? Or is he just pulling breeds out of thin air?
That's a yes, or sort of. The question is, is he headhunting Josh?
Oh, Sherri's screwed now (I'm assuming she's the kind of Sherri who spells her name with an 'i')
God, another sports metaphor.
How the hell is she meant to find time (or want) to call once a day?
Short list for what?
Of course they went to their own party first, it's their own party, why would they go anywhere else?
I didn't think they had any friends left!
I'm a bit confused - when did Charlie ever say that he wanted to be a lawyer? I thought he just wanted to go to college.
Or Josh could learn to stop fiddling with the damn thing and untying it
Oh yeah, go CJ! I love it when she does this.
Well, reminding the Levis that he has three children when they've just lost two probably isn't the way to go.

War Crimes

You know, I was idly wondering if there was a seating plan to the Press Room just before CJ chewed that guy out for sitting in the San Francisco Chronicle's place. Must because I've been working my seating plans out recently.
"Between two and four" so, three then
Nice to how well armed the average Texan churchgoer is.
Is being a really crap shot a crime?
Since when does Josh not say anything?
That's a nice shirt on Sam, it should be Sunday more often.
Go Abbey! Reject that retarded, misogynistic dogma!
Poor Charlie looks so uncomfortable at that "rushing water" comment
You know your day is going to be stranger than usual when you're serenaded by the President of the United States.
CJ killed the President's mood quite effectively there.
Leo's really not got the hang of who's serving who in that relationship has he?
Why the hell should Donna laugh, Cliff really isn't funny.
He's in the wrong chair again.
Toby never said that!
"Check it out" by yelling at Toby.
Penny? I thought it was a cent.
Hey, you ask anyone who works with a till, you always need more pennies. Our pennies circulate. Although, thinking about it you never see American prices set at $-99 do you? It's always $-95
Sam's stunned by that fact that inflation affects sweet shops too. Polos don't cost 10p a pack anymore either, or Highland Toffee bars. In fact, I'm not even sure you can still get Highland Toffee bars, I know you can't get proper candy Alphabet Letters, they're all sherbet now. I was amazed that the local leisure center lockers now use £1 deposits. I can remember using a 10p piece, although that was sixteen years ago.
Also because the President tends to make jokes about funny hats, and that never goes down well
You'd think that he would have been given a matching shield this time.
Toby is playing "If I can't see you, you can't see me".
CJ said "The jig is up!" I'm not the only person that uses that phrase Di, hah!
"Our own", okay, that's Toby's 'about to disembowel someone' face
What if they're a three hour trip away!
I'm not particularly attracted to Josh, him not being generic and all, but even I have to admit that he looks really good in those jeans leaning against the wall.
"Funnel people" I can see that being adopted as a fringedweller phrase. That one's a keeper. I was quite interested, and Sam makes a very cute funnel person
Josh was pissed with her but I suspect he's been busy since then and forgotten
Sam's sweatshirt is really quite dingy
I wish my computer would quack when I had email. My old work one did, and after a few days, it drives you insane
No, the little girl was eight.
Yes, but there are valid, non-violent uses for an axe, the only thing you can do with a handgun is shoot people
Now is not the time to shout, Josh.
God, Toby really knows how to make someone feel a complete heel doesn't he? Ever the consummate politician, I'd say "way to guilt them Toby", except I know he meant it
This penny thing has really been bugging Sam all day.
It is a dumb reason but don't put it that way
Rolling Thunder, another macho code name.
That piece of news is going to haunt Leo for the rest of his life.
"Why did you tell me that?" Duh, so he could win his argument.
Surely you can't be responsible if you didn't know what you were bombing
I love how the argument peters out when Hoynes and the President realise that they agree with each other.
If he hadn't made some smart arse remarks to Toby?
Of course it's not easy, Bartlet's a pain in the arse. I think it's because he's short, short people have to have bigger personalities to stop them getting trodden on in crowds

Gone Quiet

They obviously woke Nancy up earlier with the bad news
Is Andromeda a planet? I thought it was a star. It's a galaxy, although I like the "and they think we're doing a good job"
That sounds pretty damn prepared to me
That was a practiced swing of the jacket.
Military hardware for dummies - "Sea Wolf Class, or big." Sea Wolf, what a stupid name. Put a wolf in the ocean and I'll show you a dead wolf.
Right Said Fred? Where the hell did that come from? Has CJ gone mad whilst we weren't looking?
No, it was deeply comical heart surgery with lots of slapstick and jokes about rib spreaders
Why is he saying "liberal" like it's a bad thing?
Yep, seriously, gone totally insane
Toby goes whack into his invisible wall again.
Oliver has clearly been going on dates with women he's really pissed off
I share Toby's highly restrained "not wild about musicals", hopefully masking some equally shared deep hatred
Sam finally gets it!
Technically, they've lost it just outside North Korea
After America, China, and Russia?
Don't you wish that you could have seen the incident with Donna and the seniors?
They really don't have an answer do they? Although, luckily, President Bartlet actually has genuine reasons for wanting to be President (mostly all the stuff he said to the dead Mrs. Landingham) so I think he'll be fine.
They're the NEA, what the hell else are they there for?
I love how both Sam and Toby, ostensibly communication experts, are either speechless or resort to grunting here.
You've got to love the head banging. It's nice to know that someone as powerful as the President can feel that bad sometimes. The President's reached the point I used to reach about a quarter of the way through our (compulsory) triple Accounting lecture. That bit when your head melts and your brain starts to trickle out of your ears
He doesn't want to be President, Toby corrected many placards to explain that "Bartlet is the President"
Yeah, but don't put your face on a penny because Sam will want to destroy it.
If they were selling tickets they could probably get an endowment for it too
I'm with Sam on that one, it's a scam
Well Bruno, why didn't you say that in the first place?
Our school was like that, and we had rats under the floorboards too. They gassed them all when they took the old (WWII) wooden blocks down (in about 1992) and there were so many that the builders had to collect them in buckets
By now the President must want to do a Mandy and beat that guy to death with his shoe.
Okay that seemed a really odd place to end. He didn't say "fuck knows" or something similar and E4 cut it out?

The Indians In The Lobby

CJ's going to regret asking about Camp David, I can tell.
Who runs the President's farm whilst he's being the President?
The President doesn't argue with his wife, he just tortures the people around him instead
Oh well done CJ! I know I would have cracked long before now. I had an experience not unlike CJ's, watching an example of Chinese New Wave cinema (this bodes ill by itself, as does anything dubbed 'new wave' or 'neo-realism' if you're Italian and have to be different). It was called 'Sacrifice Of Youth' and during which we lost the will to live. We survived only because of the ad breaks every 20 minutes
Hell, buy a goose
Indian Indians or Native American Indians?
Josh just made CJ's hate list.
No dear, Rome, France. Of course Rome, Italy!
That "si" was the sum total of Josh's Italian wasn't it?
When was the last time we saw Toby read the newspaper in his office on a weekday? Usually he's too busy picking at Sam's punctuation or yelling at somebody stupid.
No Toby, you chewed Sam's rug and he's waiting for you to come out so he can smack you on the nose with his roll of paper
Because calling them poor is going to make them feel better.
Well, the mind does start to go at that age
A degree in room identification? Presumably you'd pass just by showing up in the right place for the exam
I can just see Josh sitting forlornly on a stranger's doorstep in Connecticut wondering where his mother is.
Yeah, but look at who's laughing now.
How does Sam know that? Is he plugged into the national air traffic control grid? I think it's like my Dad and the train timetable, they just know
They FedEx-ed him to Rome? Did they get guaranteed next day delivery?
That terrible moment in a conversation when you realise that you're actually the best qualified person there. It makes you wonder just how much bullshit everyone else must be talking
What would "Indians in the lobby" be code for? Is it like 'Arrrggghh' meaning 'your wife is big hippo' or 'extra boiling oil please' depending on where you are?
Charlie is grabbing for a lifeline there.
Nice try Toby
That won't work, the people will get mugged for the mobile phones
Oysters? Blech.
Both, then you have squishy stuffing from the bird and crispy stuffing balls as well. Although crispy stuffing balls are the best
Toby got off lightly on the turkey front. This is the only way to deal with the President, just make sure that you have even more useless information at your fingertips than he does
It doesn't sound good, it sounds hideous. That thing that the famous French chef cooked sounded gross too. I don't think the President knows anything about food
There are people out there who are against fixing potholes?
This type of useless but strangely invaluable information is why Charlie was hired in the first place.
Shouldn't the Italian charges de affaires (and I know that was spelt incorrectly!) have an Italian title, not a French one? Yeah, I know it's a diplomatic standard and everything, but it just sounds wrong.
Has the Italian guy tried Amazon?
Josh is eternally grateful that he won't have to pronounce that surname again
I love the way that the (arguably) most powerful nation on Earth has different laws in different parts of the landmass, and can't reach a consensus on little things like the death penalty.
Oh god. I laughed at Sam's statistical analysis joke. Oh god
You know, I always wondered how you used the abacus for complicated sums. Give me my fingers and pen and paper any day. Or if you want the sum in a hurry, a calculator.
Just because he doesn't have the vocabulary to express himself without sailing metaphors
Bruno put in his place in one easy movement.
If Leo won't do it, has she tried asking the President? It's not like he anything better to do, other than bother the Butterball hotline
I love the President's prank call.
Toby's not allowed to fire paintballs, I bet Sam bruises. Toby's being mean, pacing helps people think. Has he tried paperclips and an elastic band?
Josh seems to have a lot of important illicit meetings in airport lounges
Neat bit of advertising for Starbucks in the back of that airport shot.
That's a long time for that bartender to pour that ginger ale.
What did he think "fromage" meant?

The Women Of Qumar

Apparently not. You can understand that CJ might not be on top of a story in a newspaper that nobody can remember the name of.
Toby doesn't seem to know much here. The highly informed White House staff at work again
Do the military use acronyms instead of, you know, actual words?
CJ would have remembered all that
So just don't do the thing that makes you feel guilty, dumbass. I teach eleven year olds who could tell you that.
I'd just like to start tonight's feminist ranting by saying that I find the scene where the President and Leo are worried about how CJ will feel about the arms deal completely infuriating on several levels. First of all, how dare they insult CJ's professionalism by suggesting that she would act in any manner other the appropriate one in front of the press? We all saw Josh Lyman, Master Politician, go down in flames in front of the "Socratic wonder that is the White House Press Corps" so they should bloody well back off. Second of all, if they are worried that CJ (and any other woman on the staff) will have a problem in selling lethal weapons to a regime that subjected half of its population to daily torture and abuse, then maybe *they* should be worried about it too. Thirdly, rather than wonder about her opinion, nobody in the show actually asked her. Told her it was happening yes, but gave her no chance to express her opinion.
Somehow the first lady is so much more menacing wheeling about the halls like that. It gives her that nice Bond villain touch
A downer cow, that's the cow that never gets invited to all the other cow's parties because it ruins the mood.
"UK tests" well, at least we're the world leaders on something
"Somebody needs to teach me about this" says Leo, as he gets up to leave so nobody can
There isn't a real Qumar, but there are many places just like it.
Oh, sooner or later CJ's going to blow and it's going to be good when she does.
Did the vest market sue Clark Gable?
I can see the President manning that checkpoint quite easily actually.
A big yay for all the medieval history that suddenly appeared in the middle of this episode. God, I miss university.
He could study those things, but then he'd know nothing about his own country
CJ must be frustrated in an administration like this.
As a true life addition to what CJ just said, there is a country in Africa where a woman is imprisoned and likely to be executed for having a child out of wedlock. At the same time this country will be hosting Miss World
Josh being the definition of a fish out of water in the WLC lobby. I was just waiting for Josh to do something stupid in that foyer, and I'm slightly annoyed that he didn't.
Oh, I hate *her* on sight. "Special J"? What the hell gives her the right to give him such a stupid nickname? Just because you have a god given right to be stupid doesn't mean you should avail yourself of it ("Special J") or that you should assume that all people are more stupid than you ("I'm kidding it was a conference call")
I would have taken her up on the shrimp, just to see if she had any
"Let me know where you are" Oh, he's in Washington.
The Washington Times must have bought a dictionary
With Sam's track record for injuring himself, I wouldn't tell him to do that.
And Donna subtly influences international affairs.
And quickly, Leo whips out his easel and palette. And into a big floppy beret and a smock
On the plus side, pig farmers will never have had it so good. And revenues at KFC are probably going to go through the roof.
But not for the fish.
Poor Charlie
I'm sure that Josh is very repentant about that Rotarian joke.
If his Dad's an elk, then where's Sam hiding the antlers?
The poor veterans have absolutely no idea what point CJ's trying to make here. Hooray! It's a lonely war, but CJ's waging it all the same. CJ is getting this out of her system a) where it will do the most good and b) before she has to go and be professional and detached about it in the press room
Fringedweller state of mind, when we know there's a joke in that scene somewhere...
They forgot to bring a lot of things from Britain, but they did remember the big hats.
President Bartlet is getting a kick out of being called the High King.
I like their attitude, just coming out for the law, not actually doing anything to get it passed
It's a good argument, CJ. It's a damn fine argument, unfortunately it's rubbish. Information only helps if people listen to it, in this case they would just hear "mad cow" and panic. It happened over here with the petrol thing, and I can't see America being any more sensible and restrained
Good man Charlie
Surely prostitution isn't entirely a women's issue?
I know Josh well enough to know that he'll get hit over the head whether he wants to or not
Josh should be dating Donna, not getting interested in water-bomb throwing heinous bitches like her. I'm sorry, but I'm really not very partial to her already.
Oh poor CJ, it's taken her all episode to get to this point, and telling Nancy plainly and simply "They kill the women" is far more effective than any long winded speech. How any country that has any pretensions to democracy could do that really angers me, and what makes me more angry is that I know that mine has done it. Okay, so I have a slight counterpoint on this. I don't for a second disagree with anything either CJ or Tobin are saying, but on the other hand, surely the best way to deal with a place like Qumar is to get as many people from the Western world in there as possible. Build American airbases, American landbases, hell, build American McDonalds if you have to and give the Qumaris (or whoever) whatever they want until they let you do it. Expose them to Western attitudes and Western women and get these attitudes changed from the inside out. You can't just walk up to a country and start making demands about the way they live (see how well that's worked for the US recently) and they're never going to allow campaigners across the borders. Using the military as cultural ambassadors may be the only way you'll ever make things better, and that opportunity is more than worth handing over a couple of F-15s and a few missiles. Americans can be relied upon to look after American interests first and it's naive of anyone to expect them to do otherwise, although the moral point about the guns I completely agree with. They do beat and kill the women and it's not right, its not fair and it shouldn't be allowed; however, if you impose your will on someone without their consent then that is tyranny. It makes no difference if your actions are for these peoples benefit or of you just don't like them. It is still tyranny and if a democratic government wants to embark on that kind of thing it is going to have to change all its letter headings
God she's good. This episode was a gift to CJ's character, highlighting her professionalism in a situation where every part of her was screaming "I hate this!" I love Toby's curious hand gesture at the end of the episode, I assume it means "My heart goes out to you."
This episode has had the same effect on me that a Sherri S Tepper novel usually has. It just makes me want to grab a head of state somewhere by their lapels and yell at them until they cower in a corner of their office in sheer terror. Rah.

Bartlet For America

It sounds like Josh has to have a babysitter whenever Leo is out of the office. Mind you, that probably isn't a bad thing.
Well, yes, actually.
I can just see the transcribers for all the seventeen countries scribbling furiously.
If people are lying now then having them take an oath is not going to make a difference and you won't know if they're lying or not. Yeah, but if you can prove they're lying under oath, you can prosecute
Ooh, non-linear structure! Tobin must be thrilled
Yay! I love Mrs. Landingham, that woman has so much and yet so little respect for Jed Bartlet. They've missed writing for Mrs Landingham haven't they?
Jed shouldn't take this the wrong way, but Leo's far too clever to want to be President
Leo, the Master Politician at work in the hearing.
That's an honest admission from the FBI guy to Donna.
Good on Edith, you go run the country. Her husband was probably crap at it anyway
Oh, that's a nice sweater on Sam. Ok, I had a warning about Sam looking 21, but Holy God!!!
You know, I can just see a window br...oh, it just did. Nice to know I haven't lost my touch.
Her husband has yet to mention to anyone that he has multiple sclerosis, presumably they'll get to that part soon
Now that's a well-used address book.
The guy from Pennsylvania is such a creep
"My brain works differently." Tell us about it, Leo. It's what makes us special.
So this is why Hoynes is the Anti-Christ
Quick on the uptake too "Are you telling me you have MS?"
That's it, Josh, piss off the highly-trained FBI agent by calling him a woman
"There's no amount of money, manpower or knowledge that can equal the person you're looking for being stupid." Bit of a life-defining statement for law enforcement there
Whisky dear, not Scotch
Oh, Leo
I'll tell you who he is, Cliff Calley is a good man and one who gives a political party the type of name it should have rather than the name it has now. Ah, the obligatory 'Cliff is a good guy despite being a Republican lawyer' scene
Just when Leo had got himself all fired up
It seems that Leo's lawyer is suffering from Diminuendo's Disease too, when you blank out the date of Christmas.
Spelled his name right too
I bet that frame was a bugger to find. Poor Charlie.

H. Con-172

That was some quiff on the guy in the old painting, pre-dating Elvis by a few hundred years.
You'd think that they would pick guards that were the same size.
Leo had Rodney the Marine to overawe people, Cliff has to make do with a couple of cops he's hauled in from the street
They should have seen Leo's grand exit coming a mile away.
Sam has a war room? They don't let him go in there by himself, do they?
Late night CJ?
I never knew that either
I love the way that they shot the miniature golf joke (now there's three words you'd never expect to see together), with CJ and Toby hiding behind the lamps.
Toby and the President playing miniature golf. I think we should all take moment to savour that image
I'm amazed that this book isn't making Josh/Donna allegations.
"Damn," thanks for the support Josh, the women of the America salute you.
Josh is asking relationship advice from Toby? Although it is comical to see him grab at straws there. If he's wondering about Amy, the first thing that Josh needs is a chemical suppressant for his hormones, followed by a heavier workload
Either that's a fake, or Charlie's salary has rocketed in the past few months
No, Charlie will have it framed. After last week's gift, he's probably got the name of a professional on file somewhere.
Margaret doesn't seem to like Jordan much.
Therefore holding Bristol, Tennessee up for the condemnation it truly deserves
I'm guessing her and Leo's date didn't go well
Malcontent, oh nice word.
Oh love him, Sam really does have a bee in his bonnet. Great, now I have the image of Sam in an Easter bonnet. Not much else, mind.
Toby discovering the definition of a circular argument, "it doesn't recognise Israel"
The President's favourite movie is 'The Lion In Winter'? Excellent taste! I love 'The Lion In Winter', despite the fact that I fell asleep during it the first time Bitca pinned me down and made me watch it.
Ok, I'll allow Josh to have this silly romance thing with Amy if it means that Donna can ruthlessly take the piss
Late dates may seem exciting and sexy, but they just mean that you're grouchy and irritable next day in work.
Jordan determinedly hanging on in there to make her point.
He would, but his video is broken.
That or the forecast was wrong
Ooh, clandestine meetings in a library. I'm ashamed to say that I always wanted one of those. Given the number of times I've been lost trying to find stacks in a library I know, I don't fancy Donna's chances of actually meeting anyone tonight
That was an unfortunate turn of phrase considering their previous relationship
Now whenever the President says something CJ doesn't like, she can come back with the underwear comment. I really didn't need to be thinking about the President's underwear at this time of night
How much trouble if Cliff going to get into for this? Actually not much, since it's perfectly legal and his bosses want him to do it. It's Donna who should be worried
The President's right, it's ridiculous
Not the most ringing support from Charlie then. "Hunh?"
Charlie's helpful "Huh?"
But surely Josh wanted to be a ballerina?
I don't even want Josh and I hate her with a passion
Also, she has an alcoholic drink with a straw in it which is a sure sign of wussy and pathetic evil
I see Josh's strategy. It works out that the woman wakes up next to him, rolls over, but when she thinks 'what the hell happened' she's thinking about the conversation they had the night before
No, because Sam isn't in the room.
You can just see Sam walking the halls of the West Wing one January morning at 3.30am - "Hello? Anyone here? I'm so lonely!"
Ah, the mess set. Built for the special episode and never used since, until now.
No, I'm pretty sure that the President would take some pleasure running up and down the halls of the West Wing yelling "I'm censured! I'm censured!", if only to annoy the Republicans.
Sam is really obsessing over hiring this guy, isn't he.
CJ has a sudden attack of 'West Side Story'
I swear to god, it's not my hormones talking, but that vile slapper is going to break his heart
There's something wrong with my TV, meaning that a green light is cast over the bottom third. Amy, in that light, looks just like the evil witch she is.
You can always depend on your best friend to completely catch you out and infuriate you.

100.000 Airplanes

Okay, Sam looks like he's about to completely come apart. You get the feeling he'd rather spend the speech hiding in the bathroom, dashing out every two minutes because he just has to know what's going on then running back in to hide again
That's Lisa? Sam's Lisa?
That seems like a pretty logical system.
My god, Rob Lowe is gorgeous.
Oh dear, what has Josh done?
That's a nice way to enter a room.
I didn't see Sam as a whisky drinker somehow.
Sarcastic notes, probably, knowing that President.
That's really is ineffectual whiteboard use. They need one of the fantastic interactive boards that I have. All hail the whiteboard! Saviour of lessons!
Ooh, I feel a flashback coming on. Oh god, unannounced time jumps. Still, bring it on. I'm ready for it. Aaron Sorkin's Disease, congenital inability to tell a story by starting at the beginning.
Don't be facetious Leo, CJ was asking a genuine question
Subscriptions for each member of congress, or just one copy that they have to pass around?
Damn, I missed what was said between Sam, Josh, Toby and CJ until the polygraph gag because of a false window leakage alarm.
Yeah, funny Josh
CJ doesn't have a very high opinion of the young women of America, thinking they'll vote for the President because they fancy his speechwriter, however cute said speechwriter might be. CJ wants to give Sam to the young women of 'Vanity Fair'? She does want him back doesn't she? You can understand why the women of Vanity Fair would want him. Mmmm.
Maybe Sam didn't marry Lisa because he was allergic to her hair dye. I thought they didn't get married because he quit his high-flying job and ran off with Josh to get the President elected
Gagh! Time jump! Still, I was ready.
Sam's never done working
"173" Toby just has this information to hand? Particularly since he didn't know what the commandments were a couple of years ago. Toby was just throwing out random numbers there.
Why does Toby suddenly need pie to think? Pie always helps me think. As does cheesecake. In fact, I do some of my best fringedwellings after cheesecake.
Toby reorients himself after talking to Donna
Toby looks like he's suffering from chest pains, and now that Toby's spoken to him, so does Josh
Where was Abby at that dinner party? Couldn't her helper get her up the steps in her wheelchair?
I love the way it takes a while for that statement to slowly filter into the President's brain
The President marshals his medical forces
How could any woman not love Sam?
You could say that in ten years you'll have a cure for cancer, but people will be counting the days. Say 20-30 and give yourself a decent margin for error
Didn't Emily's List specifically raise money for women candidates?
So she just gives Josh leave to sit there and ogle
I wouldn't say charm, really.
I've got two legs from my hips to the ground and,/When I move them they walk around...
Trust me Charlie, 'moose' is better. 'Moose' is the best sign. I love the sign for stink.
Charlie's entire job revolves around deciding whether or not the President is serious!
Yeah, but only just. Kennedy was speaking in 1960 and they made it in 1969, but that was only because Russia was trying to do it too. If they hadn't been in the space race then there wouldn't have been a race.
Now? Some of these people are attempting to have lives and Toby will never be able to find pie at this time of night
How dare she slap Josh around the head? Donna should push her down a flight of stairs.
I wonder who cleans the Oval Office? How high is their security clearance? Is it higher than that of the lunch ladies in the SGC? Or does your level have to be so ridiculously high that the President has five star generals vacuuming under his desk?
There's no reason why they can't tell people about the cancer, they just can't do it now
They've got Sam and Toby writing the speech, of course they'll do it well
Josh managing to get his nose right in CJ's cleavage when he hugs her
Toby dances?
I like Sam's "okay". Grab him and throw him on the sofa CJ, you might not get a second chance.
Ah ha! I've watched this twice, and in the end had to get Lizard to point it out to me, but finally I've found the bit where the airplanes come in. How did you not get the reference, Di? I have no idea how I missed it, I was probably proof reading this, or rescuing my fish from the cat, or typing up the updates page, or just staring gormlessly at Sam and not paying a blind bit of attention to what he was actually saying...
Heh hem. Rutherford was British...
That was a very pretty speech, but "the full resources of the federal government"? I heard somewhere that roughly twice as many people suffer from heart disease as suffer from cancer and researchers in this area get about half the funding that cancer gets. There are thousands of other diseases and conditions that are neither heart complaints nor cancer and as their public profile is negligible their research funding is much less
He'd backed that up, right?

on to episodes 12-22

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