west wing season six

Season Six

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N.S.F. Thurmont

Oh dear, poor Fitzwallace. I’ll miss his total lack of respect for the President’s opinion on anything military.
Farad is going to be annoyed if they don't have chairs as well. I don't own a table. If anyone came to me wanting to attend a peace summit, I'd be sadly ill-equipped
It’d have to be a bloody good watch.
Avenge it personally? A one man operation into the heart of deepest Palestine to seek out and viciously kill the men responsible for her husband’s death? They’d be interrupting him all the time to brief him.
How many languages does the Israeli Prime Minister need to use?
I'm not sure the passage about peacemakers is suitable material for a US Joint Chief
Locke! He got off the island!
Actually, it's a sure fire way to guarantee attacks on US citizens.
Oh George, telling the President to shoot first and find evidence later is not a wise thing to do.
Josh will find any excuse to argue with Donna’s inexplicably Irish photographer, anti-Semitism doesn’t really come into it.
Well, if you had two Nobel prizes what else would you do with them? Other than make an interesting cruet set.
They should have made some of them stand in the corridor
This will sound like a dumb question, but does America even have a nationwide radio station?
I really don’t think that dodgeball is what they do at peace summits, although if you replaced war with dodgeball then things would be a lot simpler.
I don’t understand. We've already seen this surgery once.
If Donna has the ability to write she'd be able to speak.
Even at death’s door, she mocks. Got to love it.
You know, the more decorated the general, the more prone they must be to overbalancing.
I like that Kate feels the need to clarify that she wasn't responsible for the bomb.
The President really had to force himself not to go down the road of the jelly mosque. I think they should build the jello mosque anyway.
I could be in charge of coming up with really stupid ideas. I think I'd be good at it
Palestinian roulette, surely?
Or Leo's going to have a tantrum right there in the situation room.
When I lose the ability to moan about Leicester's problems with defensive organisation then you'll know I've finally cracked
Kate should really have a pen of her own.
This would be such a bad time to have lost mobile reception...
Tragically unconsummated, but I have hopes for the last ever episode.
The relationship is mostly curtailed by Josh being totally oblivious. I think the workplace would be completely in favour of it
I'd have taken her for an obsessive stalker, but maybe that's just me...
Don’t give Donna brain damage! She already has to deal with Josh!
Thank god for Leo's basic medical translation.
Feckless what..? What did Toby just say?
Nurse Ratchet isn't all that worried about Josh killing himself with his phone
Shouldn’t Marine One be a boat? It sounds like a name that you’d give a presidential boat.
Compassion, thy name is Toby.
Does Will like helicopters?
Hello, unexpectedly muscled Will. Wow, athletic!Will! That was a surprise
What? Why on earth is Will doing that?
The lack of morning athleticism on Toby's part however, doesn't come as a surprise at all
Did Kate just try to get a quick look at Toby's underpants?
Poor assistant - her only job was to make sure the stationary was level, and she failed. For all of Debbie’s anal retentive attention to detail, I bet the first thing that the diplomats do is push the pens and paper around.

The Birnam Woods

What do they do until Noon?
Not that I mind, but why is Will in this meeting?
"Why isn't Leo here?" Because they have to leave one person in the west wing, otherwise the whole country will be being run by Ed and Larry
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Fishery Exportation is a fantastic title. Is it possible to export a fishery?
The message about fish?
Why would either of them care about Bartlet's credibility before their own?
I think Abbey could deal with them more effectively.
Can you say wanker on US television?
"It may be more productive..." I was just about to say that, only far less eloquently, and with more yelling
Josh in shorts! Josh in shorts! That's only the third time we've seen his legs, and one of those times he had a sucking chest wound.
I'm not sure the First Lady should be allowed in the policy basketball meetings. I know she's an intelligent lady but simply marrying the President shouldn't automatically give you the right to be in on these kind of decisions
Why on earth is the President attending the Jewish ceremony? That's going to piss off the Palestinians a lot more than unevenly laid out notebooks.
I assume the religious celebration sequence was meant to be contemplative and peaceful, but it comes across as worryingly sinister
They let Toby have a gun? And it's loaded? That really doesn't seem wise
What do the staff at Camp David do when there's not a summit there?
The sound editing on this show is bad enough without them drowning out (sorry!) the dialogue with poorly simulated rain
Yeah, the Swiss and all their Nazi gold are going to go down really well.
What kind of mad person has fluorescent lights in their bathroom? I look bad enough in the mornings, if I was illuminated by strip lighting I think I'd probably run screaming from the mirror
This episode hasn't had a single advert break
Leo seems worryingly unconcerned about the searing pain in his chest.
I know I should probably feel upset by the bizarre removal of Leo, but mostly I'm just feeling very confused...
They've tried to build aquatic history museums?
You'd really hope the security staff would be searching those woods regularly. They should have someone in charge of counting the staff on and off the helicopters so people don't get left behind

Third Day Story

I still can't believe there aren't people combing those woods more often
If MI5 can trace people by their 'phones (well, they can in Spooks), then why can't the FBI or somebody track down Leo via his?
Is Foggy Bottom an actual place?
If Margaret doesn't know where he is, they should worry more I'm surprised Margaret doesn't have Leo electronically tagged.
"Look! We can make references to soy diesel cars! We may be a new writing team but we've seen all the old episodes!"
Oh Josh, he's never going to lose the tendency to hubris is he?
"They think it's a massive heart attack..." You can just imagine the slightly bemused security guards poking the body, "Well, whadda you think's the matter with him?"
Those three are in charge? Donna's not even there to make sure they don’t burn the place down.
Is it still casual day in the west wing?
I'm entirely in favour of fruit-related holidays
You can't deny a person doughnuts, it's an infringement of their human rights.
Abbey is so making that up.
Technically he quit
Unless the video they rented was porn; that wouldn't help.
I'm pretty convinced some people shouldn't be allowed to have any kids at all
I have never once had a meeting with free brownies
They make you take a swimming test to graduate from college? You have to be able to swim before they let you pass your degree?
Wouldn't Leo's replacement automatically be Josh?
I have a wonderful image of Will camping in the Oval Office
Is there a large export market for baguettes?
I don't quite get the link between Turkmenistan and Labradors
The President didn't take advantage of the processes in place for the VP to take over when he was shot; of course there's no system to replace Leo
"We need to discuss options"? So, not only has Abby managed to have her say in Middle Eastern peace negotiations, now she's including herself in the people who get to discuss what happens to Leo?
Donna should be able to requisition a nice young FBI agent to wheel her around
He brought her back to the office? Everyone else is letting him bring her back to the office?
"Going down like a cheap pair of salad tongs" is a wonderful phrase
Jeffrey Haffley is a very unfortunate name. Haffley's parents named him Jeffrey? That's just cruel.
CJ needs to keep those two on a leash.
I can understand Josh not thinking to tell people whom he plans to speak to, but what the hell is Toby's excuse? He's the Communications Director for god's sake!
Is Donna meant to be working?
Will? A fully fledged adult? Are you sure?
He's clinging to the idea of the floppy hat.
How many countries aside from Japan have tea ceremonies?
Isn't pointless glad-handing what the Vice President's for?
Banning marriage altogether is a wonderful idea.
Dog collar? *rendered momentarily speechless by the toga and the dog collar*
Pizza is real food! It has vegetables and meat and everything. It's a balanced meal
If it was a tree house, Toby and Josh would be bickering at the bottom of the rope ladder.
The Canadians use trained bears.
Toby's oddly obsessed with trees today
I love Josh's amazement that anyone would want to put him in charge
I'm fairly sure the President isn't expecting a good explanation at all
Why is Donna looking at a website about snow?
Renegade Elves!
You have to be impressed by the President's knowledge of ordinal numbers
It would never have occurred to me, which is why Leo had the job in the first place, but if anyone can ride herd on this mad bunch it's CJ

Liftoff

The thing that makes The West Wing great is the integrity of its political world. Therefore, excuse me while I have a tantrum about the complete stupidity of this storyline. A press secretary does not move to COS, particularly not one like CJ. She has no relationship with the Senate or Congress, a shaky relationship with the rest of the staff, a worryingly limited loyalty to the message of the administration, and an incredibly dubious knowledge of foreign affairs.
CJ, do your shirt up *before* you answer the door.
Is CJ going to have to reset her watch to military time?
I'd like them to rescue me from my house, not from a field a mile down the road.
Tell the Secret Service guy that there's a field about a mile away, he can pitch a tent there
Margaret is enjoying this so much.
Did CJ just announce she'd been working for the journalists?
Shouldn't they have sent the flowers to Leo at the hospital?
They're letting Toby do the briefing? Josh would be better.
Why are none of the press asking about her absolute lack of credentials for the job?
I'd end up circling the entire sheet. Like that
Say yes to mayonnaise
You are all very bad men. Shame on you
Will's had Wonder Woman fantasies?
"You make what you want." That's very public-spirited of the Georgian official
Nothing shows you care like half a tonne of uranium.
How has Donna managed to wriggle from her wheelchair to the middle of that row?
See, that's the type of press secretary you want.
What's the matter with ketchup on potatoes?
Jimmy Smits rocks. It's a crying shame that he's getting out of politics. I like Santos. I sense he may be reappearing.
It is an incredible snub for Josh, and this is the only time it gets mentioned.
Gail! I said "Gail!" in exactly the same way as CJ.
Leo practically ran the foreign policy of the government, is no one worried what's going to happen now that the President will have free reign?
Leave the poor guy alone!
CJ needed to be told that Josh and Will were her policy people?
How did he mispronounce New York?
Oh god, she's Ainsley light.
Why do they have a separate press secretary for media relations? Isn't that the essence of the actual press secretary?
I do like Charlie's direct approach.
I'm quite surprised the President let the spanking comment go
This is the second time Josh has mentioned elves in two episodes

The Hubbert Peak

This scene almost makes me feel a pang of sympathy for the car salesman. Josh has only gone there to recite facts.
If Toyota have a factory in Derby then they must have at least one in the US
It's the Canyonero!
I'm not sure Josh should be allowed to walk and talk on his cell phone simultaneously, let alone drive
Well, at least he didn't kill anyone.
CJ knows the joy of working in her jammies too!
"I'm looking for something to hurl..." One of those folders would do quite nicely
I'd be much happier paying taxes if I knew they were funding giant mine-sniffing rats
Maybe they didn't get bored, maybe they wised up to what was happening.
There should definitely be a graduated scale of mirth
I think we can safely bet the developing world won't be allowed to develop to the point where everyone has cars, for this precise reason.
Will's wearing a very ill-fitting suit
Reptiles have a deep desire to drive SUVs?
CJ has a supply of bicycle clips just in case.
Where's Toby's perky secretary gone?
Is there something wrong with Donna's arms? Why does she need an electric wheelchair?
Josh really should have learned his lesson with the internet by now.
I'd be incredibly disappointed at the lack of sushi
I love the idea of an official Government Department of Whimsy
Someone needs to tell Josh that going bald is not a boyish thing.
*very odd image of Toby in make-up*
I'm not all that sure about Bangladesh- although I'm not in an important position in the US government, so it probably doesn't matter too much
He kept his diary free for seven years?
Those two have been trading e-mail barbs for seven years, you can tell.
The only reason they're not made is that there's no demand.
Toby needs a smaller lectern
Toby? Hostile and pugnacious?
The sun man bought his own charts! With sticky symbols on!
They gave Leo Vicodin? Is that wise?
Should Leo be having full-fat cheese two weeks after a major heart attack?
Did ethanol man bring an ethanol hat?
What's with all the swapping of jobs this season?
Don’t take a job as a wind power advocate if you're not willing to put up with the jokes.
"Because improving fuel economy deserves more than a twenty minute debate" may be the single worst line I've heard on tv this week

The Dover Test

Oh, *vacant* I've had to rewind that three times to make sure the President wasn't saying "these buildings used to be bacon." I swear, the sound on this show gets worse every damn week
Donna expects politeness from Josh?
Won't Donna still be on painkillers? Should she be having wine?
We never do find out what they say if the Secretary of Agriculture actually is in the Roosevelt room.
Not so much a wise man as a man who states the bloody obvious.
Margaret has all these little rules that no one else knows about.
I like the idea of a job in which I'm expressly forbidden to run.
Leo needs a giant reachy-claw-thingy too
Has Josh ever looked for something himself?
I have to say I'm very fond of forceful!Will
Ram him in the testicles with your crutches, that's what they're for.
Why does Donna need those fluffy bits on her crutches?
Really, the last thing you need when you've just had both your legs amputated is to have to make polite conversation.

A Change Is Gonna Come

Oooh, Hoynes. He's always good.
Why do I never have clandestine meetings in darkened streets?
You won't get him Hoynes, Josh knows better and he better eight years ago
Josh has wisely followed CJ's example and delegated the terminally dull meeting to Toby. The terracotta warriors are fascinating. *And* they get to talk about food. This isn't a dull meeting at all!
I'd demand the gold star
Am I supposed to think the frisby came from somewhere else? There isn't another country in the world that could have wasted time inventing the frisby.
Shrimp *and* financial services, or financial services for shrimp? Because I can't imagine there's much call for the latter.
That ring tone is a joke right?
"Hence the surprise." Well, she's right. It would be a surprise.
Bernard! They've shut him in the cellar!
Charlie is going to have to don camouflage gear and storm whatever vault the flag is sequestered in, because Bernard is immovable
That's going to worry Josh all week now. As it will me... beef, lamb, pork, chicken, veal, rabbit...That's only six...horse? Deer, duck, goose. If you're counting beef and veal then you could count lamb and mutton twice.
I'd love to play Risk with the deputy national security advisor.
The Pogo-Stick approach still seems a good idea.
Well, even Patrick Henry had to have couple of days off
For one, horrible, moment I thought she was singing 'Karma Chameleon'
The last time this happened, Josh had a breakdown.
Leo's special match demonstration is incredibly pertinent. How on earth did he find out that you could do that?
Charlie brought back-up!
Didn’t Josh miss his underwear?
I could really go for a Penguin right now. *having chocolate withdrawal symptoms*
Josh is next to Luxembourg! Only Izzie will find that funny, but believe me, it is
I know it's a very serious issue, but it still seems rude to talk about it whilst James Taylor is playing for you.
If he'd completely lost the vision in his right eye he'd have spent the whole day walking into things
I think Josh should be allowed to be Josh.

In The Room

Asking Penn and Teller to the Whitehouse is asking for trouble.
There, see?
Probably because shrimp aren't fish.
Josh just beat me to the transportation joke
I'm not sure anyone called "Arnie' should be allowed to be a diplomat
It's worrying that he only wants to get things done now, rather than in the previous eight years.
That man has a spectacularly boring voice
The Surgeon General has very unmilitary hair
Josh only makes things worse for himself.
Surely if Charlie is a scheduler, then re-scheduling meeting is not just something he's allowed to do, it's his entire raison d'etre
Wouldn't you just love to be a reporter for Magician's Monthly?
That's some gorgeous-looking airline food
I'd vote for a politician who used the slogan "He's not stupid."
"We make him the President we need him to be..." and Josh and Will effectively run the country? I could probably get behind that
Once again it's proved that there isn't anything that can't be improved by the sudden appearance of Alan Alda.
Josh doesn't even buy his own shoes
I try never to trust children or animals. Or machinery of any kind
He could eat with his feet.
I'm not sure even Alan Alda could convince me to be a Republican.
I've never felt the need to call anyone over a headache
Will spends an awful lot of time in Josh's office
Okay, I'm truly confused now. Did a Democrat just step down so a Republican would have a better chance of running?
Considering Donna's historical voting trauma, it's probably best she does try and vote for Vinick.
The pilot has a wonderful voice for late-night radio
It was just two scientists messing around? Is anyone else getting a vision of south Korean versions of Zelenka and Mckay?
You'd think they'd invest in a better presidential wheelchair. I'd be demanding my wheelchair was motorised

Impact Winter

Let's hope Josh never has to leave politics. His timing is all out.
Alliteration is important in a catchphrase.
I miss Krispie cake!Will.
Toby knows the President can hear him, right?
Surely the things which specifically involve sitting down are the things he's best equipped for?
I don’t understand why, if Leo is still a major character, there was any need for the bizarre round of musical chairs at the beginning of the season.
I used to know the German for hydraulic suspension, and many other exciting technical terms due to many mis-spent afternoons watching motor racing on RTL
What would happen to you if you dropped the President?
I bet Toby is so glad he sent the press away.
Josh is just the kind of person who can assimilate the use of 'big' as a scientific measurement
Poor gay scientist!
Can he hit, or would he have to order Curtis to do it?
I don't think it does give new meaning to the phrase at all
The gay scientist's world seems remarkable similar to Josh's world in so many ways
Josh needs his own pet candidate.
Josh would so dearly love to be the kind of man who smokes cigars atmospherically in a shady back room
Margaret, as always, cuts right to the important issues.
Curtis looks petrified.
They made a list! Dan seems like the kind of guy you'd need around.
Thinkers maybe, but not Will and Josh.
She quit! I am both devastated and incredibly proud.
They probably don’t have cardboard cut-outs of the US president in China.
Josh's world has ended, even if no one else's has.
Leo's not being very sympathetic.
Santos! Yay!

Faith Based Initiative

Another Sports Night star appears. It took me ages to place her, but it's Rebecca with different colour hair.
How many politicians do wear cowboy boots?
He's so clearly thinking about it
So, basically, CJ is being accused of being gay because she's tall?
Oh Josh, he should just keep his mouth shut.
Notice the way Kate doesn't actually say where Uzbekistan is.
I didn’t realise this was written by Bradley Whitford. He should write more, it's very Sorkinesque.
What did Curtis do before he became fully employed lifting the President
I think we should get to see Curtis eat a pie.
Even Toby regrets taking Donna for granted.
I do like the idea that Josh may have to 'resort to being a man.'
Marta may actually make Josh wear bells.
'Goddess' magazine? That's almost as cool as Magician Monthly
Why does she have to say anything at all?
Will stole Donna!
Will is so doing this to piss off Josh.
I can't imagine Josh with a switchblade somehow
I want to see the President kicking the Joint Chiefs. "Oh, I'm sorry. It was an accident, I couldn't help it..."
It's an obvious joke, but still incredibly funny.
Just one meeting Josh, and she'd still be with you.
I hate to be nerdy about this (well, I don't at all really) but storing the country's major foodstuff is incredibly important
Josh shouldn't mock the alphabetising. It's amazing how time consuming non-alphabetised filing systems can be.
"Didn't go out the window with the first Village People album..." although don't you rather wish it had?
Giving up because it's stupid should be an imperative.
Alternative salmon products? What kind of products can you make from a salmon other than salmon?
Does Toby regularly walked around town with a sick chicken?
"While sky-diving over Mexico." That's way cooler than a story about being gay
I wonder what made CJ think Leo was, in any way, the person to speak to about this.
"This is why they make you take vows," is a beautiful sentiment.
You know, the 'natural use of women' line would be concerning me as much as the homophobic sentiment.
Go CJ! That was a lovely speech.

Opposition Research

Oh bless, Santos thinks politics is about morality.
Really, Josh shouldn't be in charge of map reading.
What is the point of decaf coffee? You'd think most politicians would be immune to the effects of caffeine
180 days of school? Why did we never have 180 days of school? I think I had more than 180 days of education at University
The flood insurance joke was sadly underappreciated
They've got a lifesaver and tent, I bet the other candidates haven't got that.
Notice that Josh doesn't take part in the 'exercise in humility'.
Josh already has the flow chart written.
Toby would want to be there, though.
No amount of political sense can complete against the power of cheap tat.
Did Santos bring his own blackboard?
The Council On Foreign Relations doesn't sound like a particularly fit group of people
I'm not sure Josh is capable of unfurrowing
I'm pretty convinced 'unmucked' isn't a word.
Of course Russell would have cardboard cut-outs. I wonder if somewhere there's a cardboard cut-out of Will I could have? I do love the slightly sinister giant cardboard Bingo Bobs
Cleverly timed to put Josh off his stride completely.
Oh, it's so a thing.
Are the dwarves volunteering to be tossed? Bounding through hoops in a harness sounds kinda fun
Whenever Josh leaves Washington he breaks out in hives. He's not enjoying this at all
"Presidential wine tasters" really makes them sound pathetic
It's quite clearly Josh's campaign
Now would not be the time for a joke. I'm curious to know what joke Santos would have made then
Hubris, thy name is Will.
Ah, so that would be a proper, very important job.
Josh has mittens!
I'm not sure Josh should be allowed to play with matches.

365 Days

"We were aiming for pith... and we also didn't want our guy to collapse of exhaustion half-way through."
"Because it's his last." And also, apparently, his shortest
Yes, but Margaret didn't want the Marine Marching Band for Leo
There's such a fine line between self-loathing and humility.
Did CJ say Coca or Cocoa? There's a very important difference. For the record I'm against projects that seek to eradicate cocoa in any way
Does the special secretary for low grade conflicts get promoted to high grade conflicts if they do very well?
Toby just wants to watch the spanking
It really comes to something when even Larry and Ed can't stay around for your meeting.
That Bolivian guy doesn't actually sound too bad.
This is the point where the channel showing The West Wing suddenly changed to broadcasting CNN instead for no apparent reason so I don't have the rest of this episode, or the one after.
Maybe they should call it a bagel.
Leo's getting a sympathy date from the deputy national security advisor?
I'd have gone with the tower.
Maybe they just like autumn colours...
She has a specially positioned box!
The UK equivalent of flyover states would be Crewe and Rugby. Change-at towns.
Leo should be home watching the TV at six.
See, now we get to the bottom of it; Toby is pissed at Will.
I don’t know what Charlie is pleased for, it's not a well written line.
Kate just had a rant attack! I have those too.
They need to speak more slowly, Leo can't be getting these down.

King Corn

I doubt they have the mallet-wielding service; it's only a Holiday Inn
They're still focussing on New Hampshire?
If Donna hadn't been there, Josh would be sleeping in the corridor.
Don’t answer it!
That's not very environmentally helpful.
What if you don’t have any concealing clothing, will they order you to wear a long wavy coat as well?
The presidential race needs more folk songs.
Does Josh know that's an automated voice?
See, you need to organise these things the night before, to prevent such things occurring.
They have an actual plane?
Wow, they have an actual pilot!
Vinick has a member of staff whose sole responsibility is to cover him with an umbrella.
Parents know sod all about education, some of them can barely handle parenthood.

The Wake Up Call

CJ has the unenviable job of trying to tuck the president into bed and read him a story.
I think that's why CJ was offering Curtis.
Constitutional Writer must be an excellent job
Pledging allegiance to the supreme soviet does simplify things.
I'd be more pissed if someone woke me to talk about a guy they met in bar. Yeah, but you could hang up on them and go back to sleep
They just drifted into Iranian airspace? Surely if you were flying anywhere close to Iran you'd be extra careful about not drifting anywhere
That should be the UK desk, not the Great Britain desk, unless they have a separate desk for Northern Ireland.
It was six miles off course after thirty minutes and nobody thought to give the pilot a call and let him know that? I'm never flying again.
Their spy planes have 'spy plane' written on them? That's not very stealthy.
Yes, Leo was focussed on international good faith, not breasts. That was probably the highlight of Leo's entire year
Three people, or three of CJ?
Where do they get these English accents from?
I don't know if it's a deliberate shift in the way she's being written, but I'm disliking Abby Bartlett more and more every time I see her. And I have a feeling I've written that before. Abby does understand who her husband is doesn't she?
Geraldine! I wonder if there ever was a Gerald
Maybe he could give it to the mother of his children.
Kate's a CIA agent, surely she's learned how to silence someone without leaving any marks?
Prime Ministers don't unify anything. Have they considered just finding someone really cool and making them King?
Did Ed and Larry just come in to Toby's office with a report about carp? *Convinced she can't have heard that right*
Surely it would be easier just to work up and down the rows
I'd settle for a chocolate heart. Which is probably why I don't have a career in investigative journalism
If I had an Air Force I'd be proud of it too
Poor Leo, that could have been his meeting. Watch how he has to forcibly drag his eyes away as he follows CJ up the corridor
"Hoynes, Bennet, Walken..." and notably Santos isn't in that list
Surely people who can speak the enemy language are an asset in wartime? I don't think Nebraska completely thought that one through

Freedonia

Wouldn't it be worrying if Will had tried to write on a wooden egg?
They don’t really address *why* it's called 'politics and eggs'.
It's ability to catch fish and balance balls on the end of its nose?
I guess it's more of a theoretical ad right now
Josh is certain in his knowledge of the dwarfs.
There had to have been a head dwarf, otherwise the whole dwarf organisation would collapse
I love the spangly Bob Russell Star Bus
You get the feeling Will threatens to show Bingo Bob the Colorado ad on a regular basis
I love the idea of opinion makers. I could be an opinion maker. Look, there's one right there!
I think a giant wooden horse would be more effective.
Oh, he's so going to regret mentioning chickens.
Where exactly do you go to get volunteers that come equipped with giant chicken suits?
It's never too cold for ice cream.
I think I'm going to make it my aim in life to get a job that involves briefing chickens. "No excessive flapping of the wings" is the number one phrase you'd never expect to have to say during a career in professional politics.
Matt Santos in stockings doing a runway walk? Is this show actually trying to kill me
You'd think the Secret Service would stop giant chickens.
Not engaging a chicken is pretty rudimentary life stuff. Donna's parents should have taught her that.
Josh is unsurprisingly passive when tied to a chair. Any sensible person would have run as soon as they heard the tape.

Drought Conditions

Toby I can just see Toby learning to knit, and giving everyone at the White House poorly made scarves for birthdays.
Wow. Santos has an alarmingly good voice. He can't be that handsome and talented (not to mention bizarrely youthful) *and* be able to sing without also hiding a portrait somewhere
Please kiss him... I would pay an alarmingly large amount of good money to see those two kiss
This is me looking through my wardrobe in the morning. Except I don’t have a Margaret to patronise me whilst I do it.
"That is in fact the case..." Very few people get far by being sarcastic with Toby
Lack of Josh should be a medical condition.
Well, it's important to ask the question.
Why doesn't CJ put her jacket back on? That seemed largely unmarked
"Depantsed" is a fantastic word
I'd fake meetings for normal M&Ms, let alone the ones with the POTUS Seal on them.
But Cliff's a *good* Republican
Margaret was close enough to feel Josh vibrating?
How can Charlie put the guy on the list if he doesn't know his name, 'fit guy with high forehead'?
Kate speaks from experience.
If Josh and Donna's relationship was about to change, it would seem entirely correct it happen in a White House cleaning cupboard.
Sam! Sorry I get excited by random mentions of Sam
Packaging? Like themed wrapping paper? Novelty jiffy bags?
It's a problem when the Vice President inhales and exhales?
Ovaltine
Alfalfa's not a monsoon crop
Toby can't get out, it's his office
There's something oddly touching about Toby's penny story
Okay, that was superb. Grown men fighting is always good, but if they're wearing suits and fighting like seven year olds all the better.
One of *those* nights? Oooh! That suggests they've had nights when they've been drunk and forgotten that they work together.
Are there any women in this White House who don't look stunning in evening wear?
Now that's the starting of a beautiful friendship.

A Good Day

Children! They're giving Toby children!
Not one of his favourite people apparently
Can they award two Nobels in the same area?
I love that they're calling it the 49th Parallel.
They let the Fish And Wildlife Advisor into the sit room? The guy from Fish And Wildlife has been waiting for this day his entire life.
Ooh! Political subterfuge!
You'd think Will's credentials would mean he could advise on proper wars, not just the ones with Canada.
*Slightly embarrassed* That was me when I was twelve. Except my teachers knew better than to let me anywhere near someone of influence. They're the kind of kids who expect to actually learn things on a field trip
It's much tidier than when it was Josh's.
"Why don't you give Josh and me a minute. Take your time..." There really is a definite Josh/Santos thing going on here. The sexual chemistry is reaching almost Smallvillian levels
Personally, I'd have gone with Operation Maple Leaf.
He's a wonderfully humourless military advisor
An effigy of what? Please tell me it's a moose.
Wow, they actually do have a secret plan to invade Canada.
The Mounties are there!
Josh is firmly resettled in the big chair
Hang on, he can't afford to rent in D.C. on his salary, but Santos could pay off a mortgage in three years with his?
Oh bless, they should at least give him a mattress.
The kids wouldn't be nearly as impressed if they knew Toby was just doing this so he doesn't have to tango in public
Being able to make economics jokes is a sure sign of good health
Surely you need to ask the Vice President before you use his office for a sleepover?
I want to be someone's Official Chicken Fighter
Poor Santos is in a kind of hand-shaking fugue state
The Canadian Ambassador's just thrilled to have something to do
I guess it's more of a Northern Front. Or a Southern one.
They've got a secret knock and everything...
I'd like to see a strategy involving squash the vegetable.
That was a fantastic episode

La Palabra

Ooh, I could do with some little bacon things right now.
There they go with the sultry looks again.
Santos truly is Bartlet's heir if they're mentioning the big hats.
Santos has an employee who's job it is to escort scary members of the public out of his way.
I feel the world is sadly low in coded produce
I bet he doesn't make that pinging noise cash registers make.
Well, she did ask for a new job.
How do you get a driving license if you're an illegal immigrant? I had to produce all sorts of documentation to get mine
Burn? Cross?
Ooh, rumpled, sleepy! Will.
I think I'd vote for someone who continued campaigning from a gurney
Will's mustered an impressive level of sarcasm for 3am
He mortgaged the house without even asking his wife!
They tried to sneak semi-naked Josh under the wire.
That guy so thinks it's about the messy room.
Well, that's just lost the important pretzel salesman vote
They seem very surprised that a man who lost his job for having an affair was making sexual advances
Accusing the ex-Vice President of shaving his legs probably would be front page news.
Are we supposed to think Donna did know about the story?

Ninety Miles Away

He called him at 5.13am to talk about Hemmingway?
I think Leo may have been spending a little too much quality time with his whiteboard
Oooh, summer casual Leo!
There's a house with six-toed cats? Why have I never heard about the house of six-toed cats before?
Okay, the very fact this script required a shot of Fidel Castro bathed in shadow should have warned them something wasn't right
Leo seems to have had an awful lot of free time to read in. And fishing? Leo reads fishing books? Surely reading about fishing is in fact more pointless than actual fishing
I've never read Hemmingway. I've seen many fine adaptations of his work featuring Gary Cooper and jokes about cheese, but I've never actually read one. *Adds Hemmingway to library list*
I'm rather worried that hypochondria might be fatal...
The West Wing really needs to steer clear of foreign relations stories.
If they're subterranean, why is he examining the walls?
Charlie should have been slightly more worried by the apparent crack in the foundation of the building
Well, at least he's dedicated to his job.
Toby's superb at this briefing lark
Technically she still *shouldn't* know Leo's in Cuba
I can't help but feel that this promotion of Charlie's isn’t all it's cracked up to be. In his last post he'd have been fielding calls about secret talks with Cuba, now he's meeting the bug guys. You know you've come down in the world when you're handed a cricket in a jar
Charlie has absolutely no answer to that question
How do you search a shoe?
Well, that's informative
"Kill the damn bugs" And pass up on all that vital information about the scent of former Presidents? How could you not want to know that?
Is Guatemala known for sounding like a political rally?
Ah, the whole episode is a metaphor for Leo trying to fix his past mistakes.
I think this is the first ever West Wing episode I don't really understand.

In God We Trust

I refuse to live in a world in which 'electability' is a real word
I like the idea of selecting a V.P. by how funny they are
General Hammond! It's very strange considering General Hammond as a reverend.
"Senator Vinick won some more." That's a superbly comprehensive grasp of the political system
Well, that's optimistic.
So was Annabeth trying to wake Toby up or let him sleep?
I had a maths teacher like that. I swear she's the reason I still can't do quadratic equations
Charlie's moustache is incredibly frightening.
Does that guy think he's being subtle in any way? "Pick me! Pick me!"
If they're looking for big mailing lists they should contact the guy who sends the erection spam e-mails.
A large part of the presidency seems to involve sitting in a chair while people argue around you as if you're not there
Bruno! Bruno swapped sides!
Bruno says that like being all things to all people is a good thing.
That's quite a small, well-managed herd.
I'm sure the Democratic Convention would be a lot more popular if they actually did attack each other.
I wonder what those secret service guards think about when they're just standing there staring into mid air.
Just look at all that ice cream! I want giant sized tubs of ice cream! I could live on coffee ice cream
What's the point of a religious text if you can't take it literally?
I think I'd stick with the coffee.
Oooh! Pistachio! I'm sorry, my appreciation of the deeper moral and political themes of this episode appear to have been completely undermined by the sight of all that ice cream
I resent being made to grudgingly respect a republican.

Things Fall Apart

I was distracted for a moment and then Will mentioned contraception.
I find it very disturbing that you can receive text messages in the White House.
That's not going to be the proposition I'm hoping for is it?
They're making out with all their campaign staff in the adjoining room?
Why would you need to be elected for dogcatcher? What would be your campaign slogan? Josh was so wonderfully ready to believe the Dog Catcher story
Kate made that sound like something went wrong with their air-conditioning.
There was an exploding donkey and we didn't see it? Why didn't we see the exploding donkey! I'm basing my enthusiasm on the assumption the it wasn't a real donkey exploding. That I'm quite happy not to see
How does a space station spring a leak?
I'm trying very hard not to find the "Sometimes I Hit London" joke funny
That sparkle between these too isn’t going away, is it? It's really not, is it?
Josh sits back and appreciates Donna using political speak.
"Had a good teacher." Josh likes to think that was him
"Evening Charlie." Is it possible to die of awkwardness?
It would be a fabulous film. It should star Gary Sinise.
The Stargate programme?
No! CJ used the W word!
I need to be vexed more often.
He's sending Leo to babysit, isn’t he?
I think that counted as skulking
The astronaut thing is definitely a trump card in sibling rivalry. And I thought having a sister who's provided grandchildren was pressure enough.
Leo's considering if they could fit a play pen in the Mural room.
I do love Will's deliberate stalling.
There's not going to be a single name on all three of those lists
Maybe Leo should consider calling a nap time.
Charlie almost ended up getting married by accident.
The laughter was a mistake
Santos is desperately trying to think of anything he could learn from a guy who voluntarily wears cowboy boots.
Wow, there's a lift sex story waiting to happen. And yet, still the West Wing fic world is completely without Josh/Santos lift sex. How is slash this obvious not being written?
The leak was Toby wasn't it? You can tell because they're trying to make us think it was CJ.

2162 Votes

956 is almost 1000. It's 95.6% of 1000
Will shouldn't have mocked the coin
You can't do rock, paper, scissors with three people.
You'd think that when they've gone to all that trouble to arrange the floorshow they could have found time to oil the doors
Kate despairs of the security in the West Wing.
More Presidents should resort to kicking people in the knees
Ah, he's mad because he's had to field calls from the French
There's really only one person who thinks his opinion counts more than the President's and he was just put in charge of the investigation.
Wow, I'd forgotten what josh was like when he's all commanding.
There are quite a lot of people who would have difficulty carrying out the clapping part.
I'm pretty sure that's exactly what Toby was planning. He'd even bought a clipboard
The V.P. generally isn’t in favour of thinking.
I resent the implication that agriculture is boring
Baker's not surprised in the slightest
Why aren't Will and Donna on the phones like Josh?
It was the offer of the Elvis chapel that swung that one
I think they're going to shoot the Russian and claim he accidentally spiralled off into space. "Cosmonaut? What cosmonaut?"
I think Josh is going into meltdown. Leo's butting into Josh's quiet space
I'd pay to watch fiery people jumping up and down.
Josh has been sitting on the floor for hours. Leo's there two minutes and he manages to find a chair
Santos is definitely planning something
They do have little foam hats shaped like the Hoover Dam!
This sounds very much like a gorgeously highbrow speech from Santos, but it's actually a shameless appeal to petty bureaucrats to make them think they have power
They've built the entire season around the fact Leo isn’t capable of being Chief of Staff because of his heart attack, and now they're making him V.P. candidate?
Josh can be very classy sometimes
It's hard to hold triumphantly raised hands with someone that much taller than you are
That was a superb way to end a season.

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