"Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J.
Will Bailey's (Joshua Malina) work on the inaugural address makes quite an impression (as does the foreign-policy doctrine it espouses), and Danny Concannon's (Timothy Busfield) reporting makes quite a splash.
Donna (Janel Moloney) reveals herself as the source of a quote that implies that the White House isn't very loyal to people in uniform, which puts her on the outs with Josh (Bradley Whitford).
Meanwhile, Charlie's (Dule Hill) luck in finding a Bible for Bartlet's (Martin Sheen) swearing-in isn't improving, although he manages to find a Gideon Bible from a motel just in time.
At one of the Inaugural Balls, Josh realizes that Reese, not Donna, was the source of the quote and that she was lying about it to protect him. He, Toby (Richard Schiff), Charlie, Will and Danny rush to Donna's place and convince her to come back to the ball with them.
Back at the ball once more, the staff gather as Will is formally hired as Deputy Communications Director and Senior Counselor to the President.
Summary
Opening - Thursday, Three Days Before Inauguration
Toby summons Will to his office (by throwing the ball at the window between their two offices) and asks him about the conversation Will had with the President the night before (Why is a Kundunese life worth . . . ). Will tells Toby it was a casual conversation - Toby stammers there are no casual conversations with the President of the United States. Will has finished the language, which Toby comes over to listen to - it is non-confrontational. Will is disappointed - Toby is satisfied. Will points out the occasion when Toby convinced the President to rewrite the State of the Union with 24 hours to go - Toby tells him that was a long time ago.
Act I - Friday Night
C.J. is giving a briefing and Kundhu is at the top of everyone's list. Danny follows C.J. out to her office and they talk - first and briefly about Shareef, then about rifts between the White House and the Pentagon. Danny also mentions that two Executive Orders, 11905 and 12333, were rescinded and asks who a researcher could talk to about that - the Executive Orders were the ones rescinded before Shareef was killed.
Josh, Will, and Toby are going over the final draft of the speech. Josh has some minor suggestions. Josh and Toby decide to go out and invite Will - who declines, to stay and do the changes. Toby tells Josh that Will is upset about the foreign policy section. Will shows his frustration by throwing a ball at the window (like Toby) - and the window shatters.
In the Oval Office, the President tells Charlie that he has changed his mind again about his bible - but now he can't use the Washington Bible - because it can't be brought to Washington in time. The President exits to the portico where he finds Leo, who tells him that he didn't rescind any orders and Leo was able to look C.J. in the eye and tell her that - so she could do the same to Danny.
The President arrives in the residence and wakes Abbey - who tells him to come to bed. He says he is going to read for a bit. At a local DC Nightclub - C.J., Toby, and Josh are talking about whether the US should get involved in Kundhu. Back in the residence, the President happens upon the Laurel and Hardy movie, Babes in Toyland, and the scene with the Wooden Soldiers, and it appears to inspire him - he picks up the phone to summon Leo.
Act II
Josh, Toby, and C.J. are still at the club, when C.J. announces that she needs to go back to the White House - Danny has written something about the infighting that includes a quote from an "unnamed White House source." Almost simultaneously - both Josh and Toby's pagers and cells begin to vibrate - they also need to return to the White House - it's the inauguration speech. Toby tells Charlie on the phone to have the White House "use its resources" to summon Will.
C.J. gets back to the White House and starts in with Danny - who is just as angry as her about the "unnamed White House source" but he won't tell her the name of the researcher nor confirm that it was Donna who is the source. Donna then calls C.J. on the phone and she goes into her office to talk to her.
Josh and Toby are waiting outside the Oval Office - and talking about what has happened, when Will arrives. Toby looks at him and tells him this is all his fault. C.J. arrives to tell them about the article that is coming out in the Washington Post. Before she can tell them - they are called into the Oval Office, where the President declares they will be "for freedom everywhere - and they will create a doctrine of humanitarian relief around the world - starting in Kundhu.
After leaving the Oval Office - C.J. tells Josh and Toby about the quote in the article and that Donna has admitted to making it - Josh is angry, but can't focus on it right now - nor can C.J. Back in the Oval Office - the President and Leo talk about this new doctrine and how the killing of Shareef may factor into the equation.
United States Capitol - Sunday - Inauguration Day
As the sun rises on Inauguration Day - the President and First Lady are talking in the limo on the way to the Capitol - she is surprised that he has come up with this new doctrine because of Laurel and Hardy - but there it is. Arriving at the Capitol - Charlie tells the President the Washington bible hasn't arrived - so Charlie runs off to find one in the House Library.
C.J., Toby, Will, and Josh are talking about the speech (Will has thrown up several times) and the article in the Washington Post as Charlie runs by with a bible in his hand.
Act III
At one of the Inaugural Balls - Toby and Leo are talking about Will - Toby wants the President to appoint Will as his Deputy. Leo is surprised and asks about Sam - Toby says to appoint him as Senior Counselor. Leo says he will advise the President. Across the room, Josh and Danny talk about the article, which Danny produces for Josh to read. Josh realizes that Donna didn't give the quote - she was covering for Jack.
Josh takes Danny, Charlie, Will, and Toby off to find Donna at her apartment. They throw snowballs at her apartment window to get her attention - and Josh yells at her to come downstairs. The two of them talk and she tries to defend Jack - but Josh tells her that she needs to put it past her and come to the balls with them.
Act IV
C.J. and Leo are talking about things she is hearing about the Shareef problem - when Charlie comes up and says the President is looking for them.
In another room, the Senior Staff is gathered with the President and First Lady. The President makes remarks about the creation of the Bartlet Doctrine and then appoints Will as Deputy Communications Director, much to the younger man's utter shock. The President is then handed a note - he turns back to the staff to tell them that US forces are on their way to Kundhu.
Goofs
- CJ refers to "Zaire" at a press conference, but the country changed its name to "Democratic Republic of the Congo" in 1997.
Inauguration Day is never on a Sunday. If the 20th of January falls on a Sunday, the president is sworn in, in private and the ceremony is held on the 21st. This is by tradition, having happened on at least 5 occasions in the country's history, the most recent in January 2012 when President Obama was sworn-in in a private ceremony on Sunday and then a second time at the Inaugural ceremony on Monday.
Quotes
- Will Bailey: Hi.
- Toby Ziegler: This is entirely your fault.
- Will Bailey: He came in the office.
- Toby Ziegler: You like Europe. He likes Europe. You could have talked about Europe.
- Will Bailey: That wasn't the subject.
- Toby Ziegler: Then make it the subject. He says, "here's this El Salvador speech I gave a long time ago," and you say?
- Will Bailey: "I like Europe?"
- Toby Ziegler: Yes.
- Josiah Bartlet: We're for freedom of speech everywhere. We're for freedom to worship everywhere. We're for freedom to learn... for everybody. And because, in our time, you can build a bomb in your country and bring it to my country, what goes on in you country is very much my business. And so we are for freedom from tyranny everywhere, whether in the guise of political oppression, Toby, or economic slavery, Josh, or religious fanaticism, C.J. That most fundamental idea cannot be met with merely our support. It has to be met with our strength. Diplomatically, economically, materially. And if Pharaoh still don't free the slaves, then he gets the plagues, or my cavalry, whichever gets there first. The USTR will go crazy and say that we're not considering global trade. Committee members will go crazy and say I haven't consulted enough. And the Arab world will just go indiscriminately crazy. No country has ever had a doctrine of intervention when only humanitarian interests were at stake. That streaks going to end Sunday at noon. So, if you're on board with this, what I need you to do....
- President Bartlet: Okay. You know what? Washington didn't bring his own Bible, he just assumed one would be provided, which, frankly, isn't unreasonable. Guy wants you to swear an oath on a Bible, he ought to be packing a Bible. Washington had someone get one from across the street.
- President Bartlet: There's a promise I ask everyone who works here to make: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world. Do you know why?
- Will Bailey: It's the only thing that ever has.
Cast
Starring
- Stockard Channing as Abbey Bartlet
- Dulé Hill as Charlie Young
- Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg
- Joshua Malina as Will Bailey
- 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 Jed Bartlet
Special Guest Star
Co-Starring
- Melissa Fitzgerald as Carol Fitzpatrick
- William Duffy as Larry
- Peter James Smith as Ed
- Charles Noland as Steve
- Kris Murphy as Katie Witt
- Timothy Davis-Reed as Mark O'Donnell
- Ron Ostrow as John
- David Goodman as Bert
- Jacqueline Harris as Cynthia
Template:Season 4