"Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo
The President's (Martin Sheen) administration could be brought down by the tiniest oversight as Bartlet secretly summons chief counsel Oliver Babish (Oliver Platt) to discuss how his failure to divulge his multiple sclerosis condition could be a criminal violation of full disclosure -- which would give his enemies enough ammo to destroy him.
Meanwhile: a fuming Toby (Richard Schiff) orders C.J. (Allison Janney) to smoke out the insider who leaked vital information on the President's reversal on school vouchers; Sam (Rob Lowe) feels queasy when he learns that an aging oil tanker is leaking onto the coast of Delaware causing an ecological disaster -- and he could be liable since he brokered the deal for the behemoth in his previous position as a lawyer at Gage Whitney (see In the Shadow of Two Gunmen - Part I) while aware of the needed repairs; Josh (Bradley Whitford) clashes with a questioning Donna (Janel Moloney) as the U.S. prepares a huge cash loan to prop up the collapsing Mexican economy again. Charlie (Dule Hill) and the President reach an agreement about how they will handle any questions Charlie may be asked.
Summary
Opening - Office of the White House Counsel
The new White House Counsel, Oliver Babish, is in his office in the White House. He is getting ready to leave for the day before going on a business trip the next day. A call comes in from Leo saying the President and Leo are on their way down to his office. Oliver turns around and walks back into his office.
Leo comes to get the President, who doesn't want to go to see Babish - but Leo makes him go. The two walk down to Babish's office and the President asks him to advise him on if he has broken any laws because of the MS.
Act I
Josh is in the office dealing with Mexico's economic collapse when Toby arrives. He is in a foul mood over a quote that appeared in the paper from an anonymous White House staffer. Josh goes into the Roosevelt Room to meet with the staff to find money to help bail out Mexico.
In the Press Room, C.J. is deflecting questions about the quote that has Toby in a mood -- a senior White House Official is quoted saying the President is willing to compromise on school vouchers. C.J. moves on to relate the story of an oil tanker that has run aground off Delaware. Sam overhears C.J. on the TV in his office and realizes it is one of the ships that he was helping a company to buy when Josh came to get him to work on the campaign.
Toby meets C.J. outside the Press Room to talk about the quote. He is livid and wants the person in his office. C.J. doesn't know who it was. Sam comes to see C.J. about the tanker and asks if the crash may have had anything to do with the navigation or steering systems.
In the White House Counsel's office, Babish is questioning the President on the nature of the disease. Babish reminds the President that he doesn't enjoy attorney-client privilege with Babish as he is White House Counsel and not the President's personal lawyer. Bartlet understands and allows Babish to continue.
Act II
Josh is running the meeting on the Mexican economy and sees Toby yelling at staff in the Communications Bullpen. He leaves to go to his office for a moment and walks with C.J., who asks him about the leaked quote and how to find the person, given Toby's mood. Sam meets with a representative of the Coast Guard to talk to her about the tanker.
Babish and the President continue their conversation, when the President leaves to make a call. Leo asks Babish what he thinks -- but Babish is only just getting started. Leo and Babish continue to talk about the President's MS.
C.J. begins meeting with White House staff to try and identify the individual who gave the quote. Sam comes to see Ainsley to talk about his possible culpability in the tanker spill.
Act III
Outside the Oval Office, Charlie is filling out forms for his application to Georgetown. He realizes that the health form asks about the medical history of one's parents. He asks Margaret to see Leo right away and to tell him that "it's about an old friend from home" -- a code phrase that indicates an emergency.
Leo comes back to his office and Charlie tells him about the form. Leo asks how Charlie knows about the President. Charlie doesn't answer Leo's question directly, only saying that if you are under 18 when you start college, you have to have a parent's signature on the health form. Leo asks Margaret to get him copies of all of Zoey Bartlet's Georgetown admission forms.
Act IV
Josh and Donna prank C.J. on her investigation to find the person who gave the quote, as does another staffer, which leads C.J. to go to Toby and tell him that he needs to get over this. Leaks happen and finding the source is not the issue, C.J. tells him. Toby acknowledges this and says he just wants to be prepared for the big issues, to which C.J. responds by asking if there are bigger issues out there. Toby denies that there are, but C.J. (correctly) guesses that Toby is lying to her.
Charlie and the President talk about the President's illness. Charlie tells the President that Zoey had asked him to watch for certain physical signs so he could tell the First Lady. The President makes it very clear to Charlie that he is not to lie ever, at all, in regards to what is going to happen, and that if he does, they are done.
Oliver and the President talk in the Oval Office, where the President tells him about the form. He then asks Babish if he is going to quit, and if so, to do it now so that it doesn't look like his lawyer bailed on him when it got tough. Babish agrees to stay, but only if the President agrees to do whatever Babish tells him to do and that the new slogan for the White House in response to this is going to be, "Bring it on!"
Quotes
- President Bartlet: It's really not even . . . I don't want you to even worry that much about it.
- Leo: Sir?
- President Bartlet: I'm easing in.
- Leo: Okay.
- President Bartlet: Well, Oliver, it really boils down to this. I'm going to tell you a story and then I need you to tell me whether or not I've engaged 16 people in a massive criminal conspiracy to defraud the public in order to win a presidential election.
- [Oliver Babish grabs "the big hammer" and smashes the dictaphone sitting on his desk]
- Oliver: Okay
- Leo: So what do you think?
- Babish: I am nowhere near to being able to answer that question.
- Bartlet: You're going to be subpoenaed. I'm confident in your loyalty to me. I'm confident in your love for me. If you lie to protect me, if you lie just once, if you lie just a little, if you lie because you can't stand what's happening to me and the people making it happen, if you ever, ever lie - you're finished with me. You understand?
Cast
Starring
- 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 Jed Bartlet
Special Guest Stars
Guest Starring
- Jacqueline Kim as First Lieutenant Emily Lowenbrau
- Robert Curtis Brown as Jamie Hotchkiss
- Kathryn Joosten as Mrs. Landingham
- NiCole Robinson as Margaret Hooper
- Scott Lawrence as Congressional Staffer
- Michael Mantell as Congressional Staffer
- Eric Stonestreet as Staffer #1
- Scott Atkinson as Staffer #2
- Jossie Harris Thacker as Staffer #3
Co-Starring
- Melissa Fitzgerald as Carol Fitzpatrick
- Kim Webster as Ginger
- Devika Parikh as Bonnie
- William Duffy as Larry
- Peter James Smith as Ed
- David Ackert as Babish Staffer
- Trace Beaulieu as Cal
- Charles Noland as Reporter Steve
- Kris Murphy as Katie Witt
- Randolph Brooks as Arthur Leeds
- Timothy Davis-Reed as Mark O'Donnell
- Shishir Kurup as Zach