The West Wing Transcript Archive


STORYLINE INFORMATION

SEASON ONE | SEASON TWO | SEASON THREE | SEASON FOUR | SEASON FIVE | SEASON SIX

source: NBC


7A WF 83429
Original Air Date: September 24, 2003

SEASON PREMIERE RESUMES FROM LAST YEAR'S FINALE AS SEARCH GOES ON FOR PRESIDENT'S ABDUCTED DAUGHTER WHILE RIVAL AGENDAS CLASH; JOHN GOODMAN and ANNABETH GISH GUEST-STAR -- Resuming from last season's cliffhanger, the world watches the desperate search for the President's abducted daughter while rival administrations form an uneasy alliance as they weigh options that might include a preemptive military strike at terrorist targets -- a move that could doom the victim. After President Bartlet invoked the 25th Amendment, House Speaker Walken (guest star John Goodman) addresses the nation after the news breaks about Bartlet's assassination of a Qumari terrorist leader last year, more anti-American violence occurs overseas and the weary President gathers his family at the White House -- but faces losing their respect after news reports of the Qumari incident. Annabeth Gish guest stars as Elizabeth, Bartlet's oldest daughter.


THE DOGS OF WAR
Original Air Date: October 1, 2003

TENSE BARTLET AND WORLD AWAIT WORD OF HIS KIDNAPPED DAUGHTER WHILE PRESIDENT DECIDES TO ATTACK QUMAR; JOHN GOODMAN GUEST-STARS -- The international crisis concerning the terrorist abduction of Bartlet's daughter Zoey reaches critical mass as Walken (guest star John Goodman) presides over the bombardment of Qumari terrorist camps while the kidnappers issue a 24-hour deadline for the unlikely removal of American troops from Qumar. Elsewhere, Josh fumes over his perceived notion that the Republicans will exploit and push forward their own legislative agenda while Toby visits his newborn twins -- even as he oversees the drafting of two presidential speeches that hinge on Zoey's fate.


JEFFERSON LIVES
Original Air Date: October 8, 2003

FIREWORKS AND CONFIRMATION OF VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE LIGHT UP WHITE HOUSE: WILLIAM DEVANE GUEST STARS -- As a White House Fourth of July ceremony nears following a harrowing chapter in the nation's history, Bartlet endures the painful process of nominating a proper candidate for vice president -- but his first choice is his secretary of state (guest star William Devane) who faces a nasty uphill fight for approval. Elsewhere, Amy champions the reclusive First Lady's violence prevention provisions for an upcoming bill while Abbey withdraws from her husband after the Qumari assassination is exposed. In addition, a frustrated Josh reacts when confronted by Amy, and Donna is appalled by the new intern Ryan.


HAN
Original Air Date: October 15, 2003

NORTH KOREAN PIANIST PUTS PRESIDENT IN A BIND WHEN HE ASKS TO DEFECT FROM CRUEL NATION -- A renowned North Korean pianist is greeted in the White House for a solo performance but the formalities hit a sour note when he slips a message to the President stating that he wants to defect -- and despite C.J.'s passionate argument, others counsel Bartlet that doing so would endanger crucial ongoing negotiations with the nation. Also on the front burner, is the backstage campaign to get the President's choice for Vice President (Guest Star William Devane) unanimously approved by both houses of Congress -- but there's one holdout whose nay vote could embarrass everyone. In addition, Toby and Will get playful while composing a speech and Donna takes her Midwestern aunt and uncle for a tour.


CONSTITUENCY OF ONE
Original Air Date: October 29, 2003

JOSH GETS PUFFED BUT PRODS FOR SENATOR'S KEY COOPERATION IN MILITARY ISSUE; TOM SKERRITT, GARY COLE GUEST STAR -- After Josh is hailed as the "101st Senator" in a newspaper profile, he butts heads with a conservative Idaho Democratic Senator (guest star Tom Skerritt) who withholds out his approval of a backlog of military promotions to secure an expensive but faulty missile launcher to be built in his home state. In the back corridors, Will gets a flattering offer from the newly approved Vice President (guest star Gary Cole) while C.J. runs afoul of Leo's temper when she does not stick to the administration's scripted line on an EPA report on coal-based energy. Likewise, Amy earns the President's wrath when she pushes for funding of the First Lady's agenda on violence prevention while Toby pieces together a message calendar to stay on point during Bartlet's second term.


DISASTER RELIEF
Original Air Date: November 5, 2003

JOSH IS IN WHITE HOUSE 'DOG HOUSE' WHILE COMPASSIONATE BARTLET CAN'T LEAVE DEADLY OKLAHOMA TORNADO RECOVERY -- Josh fears the worst after a political miscalculation costs the Democrats dearly as the President is pre-occupied with a killer tornado in Oklahoma and flies there to lend his support but his compassion overrules good judgment and he stays longer than planned. Meanwhile, a worried Leo has several crises back home that need the president's immediate attention. Donna keeps an eye out for Josh's welfare after he becomes Washington's latest persona non grata.


SEPARATION OF POWERS
Original Air Date: November 12, 2003

As the President's staff wrangle with Speaker Haffley (guest star Steven Culp) over the pending federal budget, Toby dispatches former Supreme Court clerk and personal friend Joe Quincy (guest star Matthew Perry) to check on the condition of the stricken Chief Justice (guest star Milo O'Shea) -- an ancient Supreme Court icon who has Washington wondering if he will finally step down. As the clock ticks on a new budget, hard-charging Angela (guest star Michael Hyatt) faces a mighty challenge as she tries to hammer out an agreement that could compromise Bartlet's campaign promises. But the President is also focused on a crucial national TV interview that Zoey (guest star Elisabeth Moss) has agreed to tape with a well-known newswoman with a knack for exposing raw emotions.


SHUTDOWN
Original Air Date: November 19, 2003

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS SHUT DOWN OVER BUDGET CUTS -- AND PUBLIC BLAIMES A STUBBORN BARTLET A disastrous fiscal crisis looms when the Federal government is shut down after the President engages in a war of wills between the powerful G.O.P. House Speaker (guest star Steven Culp) over an extra two percent in budget reductions that would trim many of Bartlet's key social programs -- and the Democrats are blamed because of opinion polls. As Leo, Josh and Toby send everyone home, they remain uneasy as the President refuses to compromise -- until he arrives on a bold plan to personally and publicly challenge the Republicans in the halls of the Capitol. Meanwhile, Abbey suddenly reappears from her self-imposed exile for a State dinner that she might have to cook herself.


ABU EL BANAT
Original Air Date: December 3, 2003

BARTLET IS VISITED BY THREE WISE DAUGHTERS AT CHRISTMAS WHILE CHRISTIAN WORKERS ARE JAILED IN SUDAN -- The festive Christmas spirit at the annual White House tree-lighting is dimmed when the President learns that Christian relief workers have been jailed in Islamic northern Sudan while he welcomes his three headstrong daughters -- including the returning Zoey (guest star Elisabeth Moss) -- and is surprised to learn that his son-in-law (guest star Steven Eckholdt) wants to run for Congress in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, when the licenses of some doctors in Oregon are suspended after they administer drugs in an assisted suicide, Toby tries to keep the administration from being bogged down in a debate -- and clashes with Will when he tries to convince the Vice President to address the political hot potato.


THE STORMY PRESENT
Original Air Date: January 7, 2004

BARTLET DRAWS GRIM TASK OF ATTENDING EX-PRESIDENT'S FUNERAL DURING SAUDI ARABIAN CRISIS -- Bartlet clears his schedule to attend the funeral of a former President whose conservative views often clashed with his own while he monitors a potential firestorm in Saudi Arabia as freedom protesters threaten civil war and surround a worker's compound that includes dozens of Americans. Elsewhere, Josh mediates a post-Civil War fracas between a representative from North Carolina who demands that her Connecticut counterpart return her state's copy of the Bill of Rights -- stolen long ago by a Union soldier -- and C.J. is flustered after meeting a Pentagon scientist whose security innovations could threaten privacy. En route to the funeral, Bartlet shares sobering thoughts with two other men who appreciate the weight of the Oval Office -- Speaker Walker (guest star John Goodman) and ex-President Newman (guest star James Cromwell).


THE BENIGN PREROGATIVE
Original Air Date: January 14, 2004

WILL BARTLET BE IN A PARDONING MOOD BEFORE THE STATE OF THE 'UNION' SPEECH? GABRIELLE UNION AND MARLEE MATLIN GUEST-STAR -- As the State of the Union speech nears, the President ponders a lengthy list of prisoners eligible for pardon -- but he must weigh the political implications of "the benign prerogative" -- while Charlie befriends an attractive young woman (guest star Gabrielle Union) and shares insider tidbits until he learns that she will begin the White House beat as a reporter. Elsewhere, Toby takes the heartland's temperature by joining pollster Joey (guest star Marlee Matlin) on a mall polling tour that could affect the language of the upcoming speech. In addition, the First Lady vows to be more pro-active in influencing her husband while Bartlet entertains a Colorado couple whose fundraising efforts also include an impassioned plea.


SLOW NEWS DAY
Original Air Date: February 4, 2004

THE WHEELS COME OFF TOBY'S SECRET MISSION TO SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY AMID ACRIMONY -- Toby convinces the President to secretly sanction his solo effort to make history by reforming Social Security but his efforts to recruit a Republican Senator and a Democratic cohort are leaked -- forcing the administration to back-pedal while Josh and Leo are left clueless and stewing. Meanwhile, an equally ignorant C.J. parries with a reporter who is ready to print all the backstage details. In addition, the female staffers complain to Josh about the new hire -- a mysterious, seductively dressed woman assigned to Toby.


THE WARFARE OF GENGHIS KHAN
Original Air Date: February 11, 2004

NEW SECRET MEMBER OF NUCLEAR BOMB CLUB HAS BARTLET SEEKING ANSWERS - AND TAKING ACTION -- When the flash of a secret nuclear detonation is detected over the Indian Ocean, the President scrambles his inner circle to investigate which nation now has weapons of mass destruction -- and since conventional thinking favors Iran, Bartlet orders bombers into the air to destroy that nation's most likely uranium-enriched targets. Elsewhere, Josh tongue-lashes NASA eggheads on the future of space exploration until he is introduced to the wonders of heavenly bodies by an attractive female administrator. In addition, C.J. fumes when a combative TV talk-show host denigrates her on the air.


AN KHE
Original Air Date: February 18, 2004

BARTLET O.K.S ATTEMPTED RESCUE OF DOWNED PILOTS IN NORTH KOREA AS LEO RECALLS HIS NEAR-DEATH IN VIETNAM -- When five crew members of an airborne Thunderchief are shot down by North Korean jets near the hostile country, Bartlet dispatches an elite Navy SEAL team to retrieve them -- prompting Leo to to remember his own harrowing experience when he was downed as a pilot over North Vietnam. Leo's good friend and fellow flyer, Ken O'Neal, saved his life and now is under fire for allegedly paying bribes to defense contractors to obtain military contracts. Meanwhile, C.J. accepts the challenge of dueling on live television with an opinionated and conservative talk show host (guest star Jay Mohr); Josh fumes when he briefs the President about a contested tax cut for stay-at-home mothers and is undercut by the brash young Ryan (guest star Jesse Bradford), and the Commander in Chief balks at posing for his official portrait.


FULL DISCLOSURE
Original Air Date: February 25, 2004

WHITE HOUSE STUNNED BY FORMER VEEP'S EMBARRASSING ALLEGATIONS IN TELL-ALL BOOK -- The Bartlet administration reels from press leaks that ex-Vice President Hoynes (guest star Tim Matheson) is preparing a tell-all book that will embarrass the President and Leo as the Veep plans to make his own run for the White House. The news flash first stuns C.J. live on the air as she jousts with acerbic pundit Taylor Reid (guest star Jay Mohr). Elsewhere, while Josh welcomes Washington's mayor (guest star James Pickens, Jr.) to the White House to discuss school vouchers, Josh also faces a political firestorm when Ryan (guest star Jesse Bradford) proposes closing a military base in a district belonging to a powerful Congressman. Toby parleys with trade union bosses who get hung up over import safeguards for brassieres.


EPPUR SI MUOVE
Original Air Date: March 3, 2004

POLITICS SHED UNWANTED LIGHT ON BARTLET'S SCIENTIST-DAUGHTER WHILE FIRST LADY CAVORTS WITH THE 'SESAME STREET' MUPPETS FOR A PSA -- The President explodes when a rival conservative congresswoman (guest star Cherry Jones) seeks to torpedo funding for a controversial medical study by the National Institute of Health by exposing the fact that Bartlet's daughter Ellie (guest star Nina Siemaszko) is working there as a scientist. Meanwhile, as Toby searches for the internal White House leak that led to Ellie's press scrutiny, Josh works to convince an old college friend (guest star Michael Gaston) to stay the course for his blocked confirmation as a judge on the 6th Circuit federal court. Elsewhere, C.J. urges Abbey to increase her public profile as the First Lady and a working doctor. Part of her plan includes educating children about medicine via a public service announcement with Big Bird, Elmo, Rosita and Zoey.


THE SUPREMES
Original Air Date: March 24, 2004

TORNADO OF POLITICAL FUROR AND INTRIGUE ENGULFS BARTLET WHEN HE MUST NOMINATE NEW SUPREME COURT JUDGE -- EMMY AND TONY AWARD WINNER GLENN CLOSE GUEST STARS -- When a Republican Supreme Court justice suddenly dies, the Bartlet administration scrambles to find a worthy replacement and the halls are flooded with candidates -- but the President senses that the process is a political minefield until Josh hits upon a wild plan that could open the door for an unthinkable liberal (guest star Glenn Close). The game continues as potential judicial nominees are marched in and out, some serving only as press decoys, but everyone gets curious when the President meets with a bright but conservative judge (guest star William Fichtner).


ACCESS
Original Air Date: March 31, 2004

C.J. IS 'FULL-COURT' PRESS SECRETARY FOR A DAY WHEN TV DOCUMENTARY CREW TAGS AFTER HER THROUGH CRISIS -- C.J.'s every move is recorded by a TV documentarian as a crew follows her through a "typical" day for a program on White House press secretaries past and present, but the presence of outsiders adds stress when a crisis involving a terrorist shootout with the FBI has a smiling C.J. trying to keep a lid on the story. Meanwhile, C.J. supervises her team as they prepare for a formal papal visit with the President and dodges hardball questions about the imminent future of the current FBI director.


TALKING POINTS
Original Air Date: April 21, 2004

MARY McCORMACK GUEST STARS IN THE FIRST OF A FOUR EPISODE ARC AND JOSH FEELS PRESIDENT HEADS TO DICEY TRADE SUMMIT On the eve of President Bartlet's visit to a controversial trade summit in Brussels, Josh feels torn when he learns the free-trader Bartlet will reverse his position about sacrificing American jobs to foreign lands -- while C.J. takes out her frustrations with a new FCC ruling allowing multimedia companies increased ownership of TV stations. As the administration fights to spin the job-loss fallout, Donna tells Josh about her dissatisfaction with her limited role on his staff. In the midst of it all, Kate Harper (guest star Mary McCormack) steps in as the brash new Deputy National Security Advisor.


NO EXIT
Original Air Date: April 28, 2004

POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION PUTS WHITE HOUSE IN LOCKDOWN MODE -- AND PROVIDES STRANDED STAFF After a black-tie dinner, the President and his staff are locked down [in] the White House when a foreign substance is detected inside, forcing an odd coupling of peole who are forced to occupy small rooms where they share personal reflections -- and some turn confrontational when Toby accuses Will of backstabbing Bartlet. As the inspection continues, the President, Fiderer and Charlie submit to intense inspection while in other corners, C.J. has strong career advice for Donna and Josh queries security adviser Kate (guest star Mary McCormack) on why his joke was deleted from the Chief's speech.


GAZA
Original Air Date: May 12, 2004

DEADLY BLAST ENGULFS DONNA AND FACT-FINDING CONGRESSIONAL TEAM IN DISPUTED GAZA STRIP -- A fact-finding tour to the hotly disputed Gaza Strip includes Donna, Admiral Fitzwallace (guest star John Amos) and a few congressmen as they sort through the thicket of rival issues between the Palestinians and Israelis -- but the killing fields soon claim some of the delegation when a deadly bomb shatters their vehicle and has the President considering targets for military action. In flashbacks, Donna is atttracted to a dashing British photojournalist (guest star Jason Isaacs) who opens her eyes to his graphic world of recording mankind's most heinous acts of violence.


MEMORIAL DAY
Original Air Date: May 19, 2004

IN SEASON FINALE, GAZA SLAYINGS OF KEY U.S. OFFICIALS MIGHT DRAG FUMING PRESIDENT INTO UNENDING CYCLE OF VIOLENCE - In the season finale, events in the tinderbox Gaza Strip spin out of control after the murders of high-ranking U.S. officials and back home the angry President weighs appropriate military action. A strange undertow of intrigue finds a wary Josh meeting with a mysterious foreign operative while tending to Donna who is fighting for her life.


TOP


Home | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Email