BARTLET FINDS LITTLE REST WHILE C.J. HELPS IMPRISONED REPORTER -- President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) consults a a psychiatrist (guest star Adam Arkin, "Chicago Hope") for a troubling sleep disorder -- and gets a sobering personal assessment -- while C.J. (Allison Janney) lobbies hard to help secure the release of a White House reporter who's been taken hostage on assignment in the Congo. Elsewhere: Toby (Richard Schiff) knows he will be visited by his irate ex-wife (guest star Kathleen York) when he writes an inflammatory speech that condemns Islam for fanaticism; Sam (Rob Lowe) asks Republican lawyer Ainsley Hayes (guest star Emily Procter) to review a proposed act that calls for payment of U.S. back dues to the United Nations in exchange for special requests; Donna (Janel Moloney) is stunned when she is offered a prestigious and well-paid new job outside the White House.
Summary[]
Opening - Friday, 10:05pm[]
Dr. Stanley Keyworth is sitting in the lobby of the West Wing when Josh comes to get him. Josh puts Dr. Keyworth's bags in his office and comes back to start giving Stanley a tour. Stanley repeatedly asks Josh if they should go somewhere to talk (he is under the impression he is there for Josh). They bump into Sam, who asks (as had the driver who brought him to the White House) if he knew anyone on the flight. Stanley asks Josh why that question? - They continue walking around, going up into the residence and into the President's private study. Leo arrives and asks Stanley if he knew anyone on the plane. Stanley asks Leo why he is there and from behind him - the President asks, "Dr. Keyworth, did you know anyone on the plane?"
Act I[]
Now that Keyworth understands why he is there - he and the President talk about the President's problem, in that he has not been able to sleep for the past four nights. Keyworth tries to impress upon the President that he is not an expert in sleep disorders - but the President tells him that they know him and this needed to be handled delicately - with the election and the MS disclosure, etc.
Down in the West Wing, C.J. is giving her last briefing of the day, when a newspaper editor, Leonard Wallace, comes to her to tell her that he is missing a reporter, Billy Price, who has vanished from the capital of the Congo. C.J. and the editor start making some calls to try and find out what might have happened to him.
Toby is in Leo's office, where Leo is reviewing the draft of the speech the President will deliver to the United Nations on Monday. Toby is visibly nervous over how Leo will react and how the speech might be accepted when delivered. Leo likes the speech and tells Toby so. Leo then asks Toby about the night of the Iowa Caucus, if Toby had a conversation with the President. Toby says yes but tells Leo it was personal - Leo remarks the President appeared upset after it.
As Toby leaves, C.J. comes to see Leo to talk about the missing reporter. They are going to meet with the Congolese attache, who is on his way to the White House. In the Communications Bullpen - Sam greets Ainsley who was paged to return to the White House - he needs her to review a piece of legislation they plan to drop into the UN Speech.
In the residence, Dr. Keyworth and the President have been going back and forth about the various factors that affect sleep - and arrive at psychological factors.
Act II[]
Donna is at a bar meeting with an old friend, Casey Reed, who is starting up a new online news service. He offers her a job as an issues director for the new start-up. He makes her a very attractive offer.
Back at the White, House, Sam gets into a discussion with Celia Walton, a government staffer sent over to help with Communications. She comments to him that the comments he made to Ainsley were rude and inappropriate.- which gets him thinking about the comments.
Congresswoman Wyatt (Toby's ex-wife) arrives to talk to Toby about the speech - in which there are passages that she and several other members of the House International Relations Committee take issue with. Sam decides to leave when Toby returns and goes into his office to face Andy. She lays into him on the speech denouncing Islamic "fanaticism."
In Leo's office, C.J. is talking about the missing reporter, whose wife is now at the White House and waiting in C.J.'s office. The Congolese Attache arrives and C.J. gets after him, asking how much money and where does it go to get Billy Price back. The attache turns back to Leo, telling him he can't talk to that woman. Leo repeats C.J.'s question.
Act III[]
Donna returns to the office - Josh questions where she has been. She tells him about the job offer. He can't offer her anything to dissuade her - she is thinking about the offer.
Sam comes to see Ainsley, who is reviewing the legislation - he asks her about the comments he made and if she was offended by them.
Andy is continuing to harangue Toby about the language in the speech. She has brought some language that she and several other congressmen would like to see inserted.
C.J. comes back to see Wallace and Billy Price's wife who tells them they are working some back channels to see if they can find Billy. Later, Donna brings a cup of coffee to Billy Price's wife.
Dr. Keyworth and the President continue their conversation - Stanley asks about stress. Stanley asks what happened four nights ago (the night the President and Toby had their fight). Stanley tells the President that he has been constantly trying to overachieve. He tells the President they have been talking for two hours and they are done for the night.
Ainsley comes to the bullpen to tell Sam that he needs to rework a section of the speech. Celia comes into the bullpen and Ainsley, Sam, and Celia, joined by Charlie, Ginger and Bonnie talk about Sam's comments. Ainsley tells Celia to let it go.
Donna leaves C.J.'s office and comes back into the hall with C.J. and Wallace. Josh comes from his office to tell them that he has received word that Billy was killed in an ambush and the American Embassy will retrieve the body. C.J. and Wallace go into C.J.'s office to tell Billy's wife that he is dead. Donna and Josh watch from the hall and his office, respectively.
Cast[]
- Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn
- Dulé Hill as Charlie Young
- Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg
- Janel Moloney as Donna Moss
- Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler
- John Spencer as Leo McGarry
- Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman
- and Martin Sheen as President Bartlet
Special Guest Stars
Recurring cast
Guest Starring
- Kathleen York as Andy Wyatt
- Alanna Ubach as Celia Walton
- Carmen Argenziano as Leonard Wallace
- Nancy Cassaro as Janet Price
- Basil Wallace as M'Konin Loboko
- Paul Fitzgerald as Casey Reed
Co-Starring
- Kim Webster as Ginger
- Devika Parikh as Bonnie
- Timothy Davis-Reed as Mark O'Donnell
- Kris Murphy as Katie Witt
Quotes[]
- 〉 Dr. Keyworth – Mr. President. If you were any other patient -
- President Bartlet – Say what you'd say to any other patient
- Dr. Keyworth – I'd say “Screw around if you want. But it's your money, it's about to be my money and I sleep fine”〈
- 〉Charlie – Yeah. I don't know what's happening to my life
- Sam – Listen, I can tell you're down in the dumps, but let's talk about me〈
- ―Women's Basketball
- 〉I don't remember having to explain to Italians that our problem wasn't with them, but with Mussolini! Why does the US have to take every Arab country out for an ice cream cone?! They'll like us when we WIN!〈
- —Toby Ziegler
- 〉 Dr. Keyworth – We've been here for two hours. It was a double session. We're done for the night
- President Bartlet – Stanley, I hate to put it this way, but I'm me, and you're you, and we're done when I say we're done
- Dr. Keyworth – No. [pause] I think you could use some assistance right now, sir. Use me, don't use me, but all I can offer you is this: I'll be the only person in the world, other than your family, who doesn't care that you're the President. [pause] Our time is up〈
Trivia[]
- Purportedly as a new hardline of foreign policy, Toby has written a speech to be given at the UN conflating Islam with fundamentalism/terrorism.
- Sam is a walking misogynist HR disaster in this episode, not only making a temp employee feel uncomfortable by making lewd remarks to Ainsley, but also demeaning Charlie's sister (who's not even present!) to Charlie solely because of her gender.
BACKSTAGE
- Joshua Malina and Hrishikesh Hirway of the podcast, West Wing Weekly, note that Toby's statements on Islam in this episode are starkly out of character.[1]
CONTINUITY
- When Donna talks to Josh about the job offer in Act III, a Peters projection map can be seen in Donna's cube. This is a hat-tip to the discussion of maps at the previous Big Block of Cheese Day[2].
Music[]
- destiny (feat. sia & sophie barker) | ZERO 7
- donna meets with casey reed
Links[]
Notes and referencs[]