A Proportional Response
From West Wing Wiki
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| Season: | 1 |
| Episode: | 3 |
| Written By: | Aaron Sorkin |
| Directed By: | Marc Buckland |
| Airdate: | October 6, 1999 |
| Guest Stars: | John Amos Renée Estevez Janel Moloney Suzy Nakamura Timothy Busfield |
Still seething over the downing of an fully loaded American jet in the Mideast, a vengeful President Bartlet overrules the joint chiefs' plan for a "proportional" military strike and demands a more severe attack that would result in thousands of enemy and civilian casualties. While Leo and other advisers try to cool off the Commander-in-Chief, Press Secretary C.J. scolds a wayward Sam over his potentially explosive private crusade to rescue a well-known call girl from her profession. Feeling overlooked during the hubbub surrounding the military options, Josh interviews a shy African-American teen as a potential personal aide to the President.
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[edit] Summary
President Bartlet learns of a Syrian attack on an American airplane carrying Morris Tolliver, the President's personal physician, en route to Jordan. The Joint-Chiefs present the President with a military response--four targets in Syria, including Syrian Intelligence. The President's personal connection with one of the victims leads him to question the value of this option and ask the Joint Chiefs for a plan for a 'disproportionate' response that would make other nations fear total annihilation should they harm Americans.
C.J. confronts Josh, Toby, and Sam about being left out of the loop about the existence of a relationship between Sam and a call girl. White House reporter Danny Concannon brings the story of Sam Seaborn and Laurie the call girl to C.J. Cregg, and CJ convinces him to drop the story.
Josh Lyman interviews Charlie Young for the position of personal aid to the President.
As President Bartlet prepares for his television appearance to inform the American people of his decision to attack Syria in a manner proportional to the loss of thirty lives, Charlie makes his first contribution to the Bartlet Administration--locating the President's missing glasses.
[edit] Cast
[edit] Starring
- Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn
- Moira Kelly as Mandy Hampton
- Dulé Hill as Charlie Young (uncredited)
- Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg
- Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler
- John Spencer as Leo McGarry
- Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman
- and Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet
[edit] Special Guest Star
[edit] Guest Starring
- Renée Estevez as Nancy
- Janel Moloney as Donna Moss
- Suzy Nakamura as Kathy
- Timothy Busfield as Danny Concannon (uncredited)
[edit] Co-Starring
- Kathryn Joosten as Dolores Landingham
- NiCole Robinson as Margaret Hooper
- Rose Rollins as Suzanne
- Kim Webster as Ginger
- Devika Parikh as Bonnie
- Chad McKnight as Staffer #2
- Jack Montoya as Floor Manager
- Ivan Allen as Roger Salier
- Jana Lee Hamblin as Bobbi
- Victor Love as Mike
- Mindy Seeger as Chris
- Andrew Shaifer as Reporter #4
- Marvin Krueger as Officer #1
- George McDaniel as Officer #2
- Christopher Kriesa as Officer #3
- Hunter von Leer as Officer #4
- Laura Innes as Reporter (uncredited)
[edit] Trivia
In the movie The American President (written by Aaron Sorkin) President Andrew Shepherd says "Someday someone's going to have to explain to me the virtue of a proportional response." In this episode, President Bartlet asks "What's the virtue of the Proportional Response?".
[edit] Goofs
Right before they introduce Charlie to the president, Sam Seaborn is wearing glasses in one shot, is without them the next, and then has them on again. [1]
For most of the scene between Admiral Fitzwallace and Leo McGarry in Leo's office, Admiral Fitzwallace's ribbon board on his uniform is upside down. At the end of the scene, the ribbon board is correctly placed.
[edit] Quotes
- Toby Ziegler: How the hell did I get into trouble?
- Josh Lyman: Today? All you had to do was get out of bed.
- Leo McGarry: Let's do this right.
- Josh Lyman: Not much chance of that.
- Josh Lyman: So how do we tell 'em what we know without telling 'em what we know?
- C.J. Cregg: Well, we don't know anything so that shouldn't be hard.
- C.J. Cregg: Admiral Fitzwallace is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Leo McGarry is White House Chief of Staff, I'm your host, C.J.. Let's play our game.
- Toby Ziegler: Ordinarily we get help from inside Syrian intelligence.
- President Bartlet: So what's the problem?
- Toby Ziegler: We just blew up Syrian intelligence.
- President Bartlet: Oh, for God's sake. Somebody get on the phone to CNN and find out if we hit anything.
- Donna Moss: Is it possible that there's a situation involving Sam, a woman, and C.J. being denied information about something?
- Josh Lyman: Ok. Here's what I'm gonna do.
- Donna Moss: Hide in your office?
- Josh Lyman: No. I'm not gonna hide in my office. I'm gonna go into my office and devise a strategy. That is what I do. I'm a professional. I'm not a little boy.
- Donna Moss: Hmm. That's the spirit.
- Josh Lyman: But if she calls, I'm at the dentist. I'll be back in an hour.
- Donna Moss: [smirks] Got it.
- [Josh walks into his office and C.J. is already there]
- C.J. Cregg: Wow, are you stupid!
- Mandy Hampton: [from Josh's office] Josh, your office sucks.
- Josh Lyman: [to Donna] I don't understand it. Why can't you tell me that there is a person in my office?
- Donna Moss: Hey, the first time I didn't know. The second time, I didn't care that much.
- Leo McGarry: It's not nothing, it's what there is. Two, high-rated military targets.
- President Bartlet: Which they'll rebuild in six months.
- Leo McGarry: Then we'll blow 'em up again in six months, we're getting really good at it!
[edit] References
"The West Wing" A Proportional Response (1999)
