The West Wing

Season 2

In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part I

1. In the DVD commentary it is mentioned that when shooting the scene in which Donna learns about Josh's serious injury, Richard Schiff, instead of using the line in the script, told Janel Moloney, playing Donna, that "Bradley Whitford died", prompting her absolutely devastated expression in the scene.
2. The hospital set seen in this episode and part 2 are the same sets used in ER (1994).
3. This episode contains the highest number of guest stars than any other in the entire series.
4. Moira Kelly's character Mandy disappears from the show and no mention of her character is made beginning with this season.
5. Janel Moloney appears in the opening titles for the first time.
6. Sam Seaborn played by Rob Lowe works at Gage Whitney Pace law firm in the flashbacks. Rob Lowe's character in the The Lyon's Den (2003) also worked at the Gage Whitney Pace law firm, as did Kari Matchett's character, Mary Tate, on Aaron Sorkin's show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006).
7. In the context of a Presidential assassination attempt, there would appear to be a 'JFK-esque' element to the title, given the 'Lone Gunman' debates surrounding Lee Harvey Oswald.
8. Many of the details of this episode are inspired by the real-life attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. For instance, Reagan's injuries were not discovered until he started vomiting blood in the car while on the way back to the White House, he was taken to George Washington University Hospital, he was cracking jokes while being treated, a senior aide of his (James Brady) was more seriously injured with lasting effects, and there was a lot of confusion at the White House regarding who is "in charge" while the President was under general anesthesia.
9. There is a lot of discussion about the President not having signed a letter turning over power to the VP and so there was no one in charge. However the 25th Amendment provides for the VP and a majority of the principal officers of the executive branch (i.e. the Cabinet) to remove the power of the presidency from the President if he is unable to perform his duties. The VP would become the Acting President until the President submits a letter to Congress saying he is ready to reassume his duties.
10. When the vice-president and Leo (John Spencer) discuss the assassination attempt, Nancy McNally (Anna Deavere Smith) mentions the whereabouts of various cell leaders, "including Bin Laden", is unknown. This is the only time that he is mentioned directly in the show. Of course the 2001 World Trade Centre attacks did not happen in the West Wing world, although Al-Qe'edah itself is mentioned a couple of times during the 2006 election.
11. In a flashback to the office of then-Texas Senator John Hoynes (Tim Matheson), the Tennessee flag is on display.
12. Josh (Bradley Whitford) uses a Verizon payphone in New York City during a flashback set in 1997, before Verizon existed. At the time of the flashback, the payphone would either have had the insignia of Verizon's direct predecessor, Bell Atlantic, or assuming a delay in updating the signage, NYNEX (Bell Atlantic merged with NYNEX in 1997).
13. In this episode Anna Deavere Smith makes her first appearance as National Security Advisor Dr Nancy McNally. Anna Deavere Smith also had a role in the American president with Martin Sheen
14. This episode has the most guest stars out of any episode of The West Wing.
15. Previously on the West Wing spoken by Sam (Rob Lowe).
16. Bartlet (Martin Sheen)'s assassination attempt is almost identical to that of President Ronald Reagan's assassination attempt. Both Presidents are shot when leaving an event where they made a speech, both are waving at supporters, both are pushed into the car when they're shot, both don't realise they've been shot until they're in the car and the Secret Service Agents notices blood coming out of their mouths, and both make jokes to family, friends, and doctors to lighten up their critical situation, and both survive their attempts.
17. When the Secret Service busts in on the VP receiving the USC volleyball jersey, the press flashes reveal the blue backdrop only a couple feet beyond the patio doors.
18. The law firm where Sam Seaborn works is the John Wells Production building.

In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part II

1. During season 1 C.J given a goldfish by Danny. It turned out she actually liked the Goldfish crackers. In this episode when C.J is fired and is carrying her belongs into the house. In her box a package of Goldfish crackers can clearly be seen.
2. In the wake of the shooting involving 'President Bartlet', 'Toby Ziegler' and 'Secret Service Agent Ron Butterfield' meet to talk about security and the use (or non-use) of covered exits. In the background can be seen the building logo 'Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine'. This facility at George Washington University Hospital was established to recognize the Emergency Department's role in saving the life of President Reagan after the March 1981 attempt on his life. Elements in the story parallel the attempt on President Reagan, being initially unaware that he was shot, and leaving the scene of the shooting for the White House only to divert to the hospital.
3. The Dixie Pig restaurant seen at the beginning of the episode was a barbecue restaurant in south Alexandria, VA which closed shortly after the episode was filmed.
4. C.J. is shown working as a publicist before joining the presidential campaign of then-Govenor Bartlett. One of her clients is Roger Becker, who mentions his movie studio, Atlantis. Writer and creator Aaron Sorkin also used the mythical city's name for media-conglomerate Atlantis World Media (and its subsidiary, Atlantis Cable News) on his other television series, The Newsroom.
5. The Chevrolet Malibu parked in CJ's driveway in LA, presumably being driven by Toby, can also be seen earlier in the episode parked on the street in the Nashua, NH when Leo and Bartlett are talking. In the first scene in Nashua the car has a New Hampshire license plate but in the later scene the car has a California plate.
6. The closing scene, when Candidate Bartlett, Leo McGarry, and the Secret Service are leaving O'Hare International Airport, the scene takes place in terminal five of LAX. For those who have flown in and out of LAX, the major identifying signs are covered with Chicago Bears flags and Chicago tourism signs. Gates 50-53 are in the north half of the terminal.
7. When Josh (Bradley Whitford) and Bartlet (Martin Sheen) are sitting in the airport at the end talking, over the loudspeaker you can hear Martin Sheen calling Josh's plane.
8. The saying "It's the Economy Stupid" which was used by Bill Clinton when running for President in 1992, can be seen on the whiteboard during the scenes in the New Hampshire Campaign Office.
9. In one of the flashbacks, Josh (Bradley Whitford) uses a pay phone with a Verizon logo long before the Verizon brand name was created.
10. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
11. The scene at the airport was actually shot at LAX, not O'Hare.
12. In the next to last scene where Bartlet (Martin Sheen) is shaking hands as he walks down the terminal concourse, the camera crane is reflected in the chrome panels of the wall in the top of the screen.
13. This episode calls Bartlet (Martin Sheen) "Former" New Hampshire Governor, although his was still Governor in October 1997. Also in "The West Wing: Memorial Day (2004)" he is Governor which shows him in the Governors office in New Hampshire days after the 1998 election.
14. C.J. (Allison Janney) mistakenly says that the pistol issued to the Secret Service is named a .357 SIG Sauer. It is in fact named the SIG Sauer P226 which has been issued to the Secret Service since 1999, and is chambered in .357 SIG, a cartridge used by many law enforcement agencies.
15. We learn in flashback, that Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) joined the Bartlett campaign in New Hampshire as a volunteer after having broken up with her boyfriend, and that she had dropped out of the University of Wisconsin.

The Midterms

1. Right after President Bartlet reels off a list of Bible quotes to Jenna Jacobs to illustrate their inapplicability, Sam Seabourn takes a crab puff from her. This is not an isolated gesture of stealing food; Leviticus 11:10 indicates that shellfish are an "abomination", so Sam's action in effect continues the President's argument. Also, Jacobs is wearing a brooch shaped like a crab on her lapel.
2. President Bartlet criticizes a religious fundamentalist radio talk show host named Jenna Jacobs with his detailed knowledge of scripture. The segment was adapted from a famous Internet chain letter allegedly sent to Dr. Laura Schlessinger, on whom the Jacobs character was based, and several of Bartlet's questions are identical to the questions posed in the letter.
3. At the dinner party CJ (Allison Janney) mentions shock jock Howard Stern. Allison Janney played DeeDee, Howard Stern's former boss at WWDC in the movie Private Parts (1997).
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Charlie (Dulé Hill).
5. Sam (Rob Lowe) reveals that James Denton went to Oberlin. That college does not have Greek life, so Jordan could not have possibly belonged to an all-white fraternity.
6. As President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) rebukes Jenna Jacobs (Claire Yarlett) for sitting while the president stands, a woman in the background can be seen sitting at a table.
7. This episode clearly dates the events of the previous episodes as having taken place the previous week in August 2000. But in the Series Two Episode The West Wing: 17 People (2001) Toby says these events happened in May.

In This White House

1. The number that displays on Ainsley's caller ID when the White House calls is (202) 456-1414. That is the real world telephone number of the White House switchboard.
2. President Bartlet is drinking from a Dayton Flyers mug. Martin Sheen was born in Dayton, Ohio, home of the University of Dayton Flyers.
3. The theme tune used for the fictional TV series "Capital Beat" is the same one used for the real "ITN News at 10" in the UK.
4. In CJ's fish bowl is an elephant, the symbol for the Republican party. Obviously, a correlation to Ainsley being a Republican.
5. This is the first of 3 appearances of Ted McGinley who also has appeared in another Aaron Sorkin TV show. The first being Sports Night as Dana's Lawyer boyfriend Gordan. In the West Wing he appears in a recurring role as a news anchor for Capital Beat.
6. First appearance in the series of Emily Procter playing Ainsley Hayes.
7. In the fishbowl on CJ's (Allison Janney) desk for Gail, the fish Danny (Timothy Busfield) gave to her in an earlier episode, there is generally an item placed in the bowl relating to the plot of the episode. In this episode, there is an elephant, likely because the episode is centered on Ainsley Hayes (Emily Proctor), a Republican whose party mascot is an elephant. In addition, during the scene where CJ (Hanney) is hesitant to ask Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) a question, the elephant is facing to the right in one shot and to the left in the next. This could be a continuity mistake or it could be indicative of Ainsley's (Proctor) transition in the episode from a negative outlook of the White House to a positive one, a transition of a right-wing Republican willing to work with a left-wing administration.
8. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
9. There are 17 places called Kirkwood in the United States, in the following states: CA, DE, FL, GA, IL, KS, KY, MD, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, SC, TN, WV. There is in fact no Kirkwood Oregon.
10. When Ainsley (Emily Procter) gets her caller ID working and the number comes up and she recites it - "202-456-1414" - this is actually a number for the White House.
11. Kuhndu is not a real country.
12. The language spoken by Pres. Nimbala (Zakes Mokae) is Setswana. It's an official language in South Africa and Botswana.
13. In the last episode, "Midterms," it ends with President Bartlett dressing down a conservative radio commentator, who happens to be sitting at a reception. "One last thing, while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tightass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits." The phrase "in this building" is very akin to the title of this episode "In This White House," in which President Bartlett demonstrates that in his White House, while he is vehemently opposed to ignorant tightass Republicans, he welcomes smart civic-minded Republicans.
14. During the previous episode, President Bartlet excoriates a smug and prissy radio talk show host for (among other things) not standing up when he stood. However, in this episode, after Bartlet, Josh, and Toby have met in Toby's office, Bartlet stands to leave and neither Josh or Toby stands with him (although the rest of the office suite does conspicuously stand). This may have avoided the President's wrath as he was in casual attire and had just shocked them with a piece of news.
15. During the scene on Capitol Beat, host Mark Gottfried (Ted McGinley) asks "why is this bill better than the Republican package the president vetoed?" But in the season 3 episode "The West Wing: Ways and Means (2001)", it is stated that the President has never vetoed a bill before.

And It's Surely to Their Credit

1. When Sam is trying to convince Josh to sue the white supremacists who shot him, Sam lists several court cases, including Brown v. Invisible Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan., Vietnamese Fisherman's Association v. the Knights of the KKK, and Donald v. United Klans of America. These are all real court cases brought and won by the Southern Poverty Law Center (a Montgomery, Alabama-based civil rights organization) against various racist, anti-semitic, and anti-immigrant groups on behalf of people (or survivors of people) who had been victims of those groups.
2. The title of this episode is taken from song "For He is an Englishman" (which is sung by the cast in the final scene of the episode) from Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta H.M.S. Pinafore. The actual line reads: "He is an Englishman/for he himself has said it/and it's greatly to his credit/That he is an Englishman".
3. This is the second episode of "The West Wing" to have a character named Tribbey - in the first season episode "The West Wing: He Shall, from Time to Time... (2000)", Tribbey was the name of the minister of agriculture who was picked to sit out the State of the Union.
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Sam (Rob Lowe).
5. Despite everybody's insistence that all of Gilbert and Sullivan's plays are about duty, the operetta H.M.S. Pinafore, which is frequently referred to in this episode, is mainly about differences in social class.
6. The words "Donna's Birthday" appear on Josh (Bradley Whitford)'s blackboard, implying her birthday was around the time the episode was set.
7. John Larroquette is correct in his statement that The Pirates of Penzance is about duty. The full title of The Pirates of Penzance is actually The Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty.
8. General Barrie (Tom Bower) is identified as the outgoing Army Chief of Staff and is depicted as a three-star general. However, all chiefs of staff for the Army and Air Force; the Chief of Naval Operations; and the Commandants of both the Coast Guard and Marine Corps all hold flag ranks (general or admiral) of four-stars. Historically, this was not always true, but it has been for the better part of the last century. Goofs involving military protocol, units, and hardware are common on The West Wing.
9. Many of Aaron Sorkin's scripts contain references to the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan. In this episode, Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) says that he was recording secretary of the Princeton Gilbert & Sullivan society, and many of the regular characters welcome Ainsley Hayes ('Emily Procter') to her new office by decorating it with G&S posters and singing "He Is an Englishman," from "HMS Pinafore," to her. The title of the episode alludes to a line from "Pinafore," although the actual line is "And it's greatly to his credit." ("For he himself has said it/ And it's greatly to his credit/That he is an Englishman!")

The Lame Duck Congress

1. The incident with the Ukrainian politician is based on an anecdote told by Republican consultant Marlin Fitzwater (who was also a consultant to the West Wing), about Boris Yeltsin's first visit to the White House. Yeltsin was a member of the Russian Parliament at the time, and he wanted to meet President Bush, but the president thought Gorbachev would take offense if he received Yeltsin in the Oval Office. "Yeltsin refused to come in the building, in effect, unless he could meet the president," Fitzwater recalls. A compromise was struck: Yeltsin agreed to meet Bush in the national security adviser's office, "so he could say he met the president and we could say he never got into the Oval Office."
2. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
3. Senator Tony Marino (Mike Starr) states that he had ten weeks of his term left to serve after being voted out in the general election: US elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November and a Senator's term expires on January 3. If Senator Marino had ten weeks of his term left to serve after being defeated in the election, he would have been defeated in late October not early November.

The Portland Trip

1. Ainsley tries to get a can of Fresca, but they do not keep Fresca in the building. According to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Lyndon Johnson loved the soda Fresca so much he had a fountain installed in the Oval Office that dispensed the beverage, which the president could operate by pushing a button on his desk chair.
2. The phrase 'permanent revolution' is most closely associated with Leon Trotsky, not Zedong Mao, as Toby (Richard Schiff) and the President (Martin Sheen) claim.
3. As punishment for making a joke about Notre Dame, CJ is asked by the President to sing all five verses of the "Notre Dame Fight Song" to the press corps. The Notre Dame Victory March has only one verse and a refrain, is arguably the best known college song in the world, and no ND alumnus would refer to it as anything other than its correct name - particularly any alumnus as persnickety about details as President Bartlett.
4. In the President (Martin Sheen)'s study, a laptop is open that shows which parts of the world are in daylight and night. The North Pole is shown to be in daylight. The North Pole is only in daylight between the vernal and autumnal equinoxes (between late March and late September), whereas this episode takes place at some time in November when the North Pole would already be in darkness.
5. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Toby (Richard Schiff).
6. The President (Martin Sheen) claims that Zedong Mao took a lot of long flights. Actually, he never flew, as travelling by plane would leave him vulnerable to assassination attempts. He preferred using an armoured train.
7. The gay Republican Congressman may be an acknowledgment of the real organisation called the Log Cabin Republicans. It is for gay Republicans to lobby for gay rights within the party.
8. As noted, this episode takes place in November sometime after the midterm elections and before Thanksgiving. In the year 2000, when the episode aired, Notre Dame did not play Michigan. The Notre Dame-Michigan game, when it is played, is typically scheduled in September.
9. When Charlie (Dulé Hill) hands C.J. (Allison Janney) the lyrics of the "Notre Dame fight song", Jed (Martin Sheen) tells C.J. she will lead the press corps in singing all five verses. The Notre Dame Victory March has only two verses and a chorus. The two verses are sung together, though they are often omitted and the chorus is sung alone. Jed is likely having a joke at C.J.'s expense, and the lyric sheet contains the two verses.
10. Although the episode occurs after the midterm elections in November (heavy coats worn by characters and comments by Leo (John Spencer) confirm the season), an upcoming Notre Dame-Michigan football game is a recurring topic of the episode. Since the renewal of the rivalry in the late '70s, the Notre Dame-Michigan game has always been played in mid-September and is usually either the first or second home game for each school.
11. At the beginning of this episode, White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) is wearing an Ohio State "Block O" pin on her coat's lapel. This is a connection to her character's fictional and Janney's actual birthplace of Dayton, Ohio. In addition, the President (Martin Sheen)'s alma mater Notre Dame is playing Michigan in football that week, and Michigan is Ohio State's arch-rival.

Shibboleth

1. Shibboleth is used in modern parlance to mean any language usage that signifies a social or regional origin. The use originates from a story in the biblical book of Judges, in which one clan rooted out spies from another clan by asking them to say the Hebrew word, which both clans pronounced differently. The actual meaning of the Hebrew word is "an ear of grain."
2. When President Bartlet asks the Chinese man seeking religious asylum whether he can name any of Jesus' (12) apostles, he lists only 11 names. Technically, this is not incorrect: two were named James.
3. When meeting with President Bartlett, the leader of the refugees says "for we hold that man is justified by faith alone." This is meant as a reference to Romans 3:28. However, the word "alone" does not appear in the original Greek. It was added by Martin Luther when he published his German translation in the 16th century. The only place in Scripture where the words "faith alone" are found is James 2:24, "see how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone."
4. Toby says that Josephine McGarry had been Superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools, which had shown "some of the highest standardized test scores in the nation". Comparing primary and secondary school test score across states is somewhat difficult, as states have widely varying testing systems. However, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores for 1995-96 shows Georgia in 50th place out of 51 districts (50 states plus District of Columbia). In 2000-2001 (this aired in 2000), Georgia had risen all the way to 49th. 1999 also saw the appointment of Dr. Beverly Hall as APD Superintendent. Hall was indicted in 2013 in a high-profile investigation into cheating in the APDF on standardized tests.
5. The man representing the Chinese refugees names only 11 of the 12 apostles. "Peter, Andrew, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, Thaddus (aka Jude or Judas), Simon, Judas (Iscariot), and James." The oversight is understandable because there are two apostles named James: James, son of Alpheus (aka James the Less) and James, son of Zebedee and brother of John.
6. Title: Shibboleth is any language usage indicative of one's social or regional origin, or more broadly, any practice that identifies members of a group.
7. Ironically enough, Toby (Richard Schiff) tortured history when he complained about torturing history. Jamestown was incorporated in 1607, which was the seventeenth century, rather than the sixteenth, as Toby claimed.
8. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Donna (Janel Moloney).

Galileo

1. The "Norwegian weather balloon incident" the President mentions to the Russian ambassador is based on a real incident in 1995 known as the "Black Brant Scare". Norwegian notifications on a scientific rocket launch were not passed on in the Russian command and control system, and an early warning radar station incorrectly identified it as a submarine launched Trident missile. As a result, Russian forces briefly entered the highest state of readiness, one step away from nuclear retaliation.
2. President Clinton allowed use of his President's Box at the Kennedy Center for scenes in this episode.
3. The role of the secretive Russian ambassador is played by Londoner Charlotte Cornwell, the real life sister of celebrated Cold War spy novelist John le Carré.
4. The storyline about President Bartlett not liking green beans was inspired by President Bush Sr who famously banned broccoli from the White House
5. This episode talks of a Galileo 5 mission to Mars. In truth, there has only ever been one Galileo mission, to Jupiter and its main satellites.
6. In the Situation Room, a photo of former President Bill Clinton can be seen on the wall. This is interesting because there is no indication that Clinton was ever President in the West Wing Universe, and many consider the Bartlet Administration to be a revisionist telling of Clinton's.
7. Leo (John Spencer) describes the power plant as being located in "Oblast region". "Oblast" is a Russian word meaning province or region.
8. Rob Lowe plays hockey and also starred in the film "Youngblood" about a young hockey player. His argument with Mallory (Allison Smith) shows Sam Seaborn's attitude about the game and that he clearly enjoys it.
9. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Charlie (Dulé Hill).
10. Leo (John Spencer) tells the President (Martin Sheen) the name of the Icelandic Ambassador is "Vigdis Olafsdottir" and tells the President that "He" (Iceland's ambassador) is very excited about meeting the President. However, Icelandic Surnames are generally Patronymic, or Matronymic in some cases, and the surname "Olafsdottir" literally means "Olaf's Daughter". Vigdis is also a woman's name.
11. Dioscorea is the scientific name for the genus including the yam. The word is, in fact, Greek. The yam's genus was named after Pedanius Dioscorides, who was a Greek physician, though, as he was a Roman citizen, his five-volume book of drugs (c 77 AD) is known by its Latin translation, De Materia Medica. This work was used up through the 15th century with additions made to it over the centuries. It is a different plant from the sweet potato, which is sometimes called a yam in the US and is more commonly consumed as part of the Thanksgiving Day feast. Sweet Potatoes (Ipomeoa batatas) are native to the new world and thus there is no Latin word for sweet potato. Ipomeoa is Latin but means "resembling bind weed" and batatas is the Taino word for sweet potato.
12. While trying to show Sam (Rob Lowe) as a consummate writer, rewriting the words of the NASA communications guy, there is, somewhat ironically, a grammatical error with "You, me, and ...." as the subject of the sentence, when it should be "You, I, and...."
13. CJ (Allison Janney)'s fishbowl has red rocks on the bottom. A reference to the Mars mission that is one of the sub plots of the episode.
14. Leo McGarry (John Spencer) tells the President of Iceland's Ambassador, Vigdis Olafsdottir, that "he's very excited to meet you." But Icelandic surnames are formed from the father's first name plus "-son" or "-dottir", so a name finishing in "dottir" is always a woman's name. Also, Vigdis is a female forename.
15. The name of the Icelandic ambassador "Vigdis Augustdottir" is a female character from the Book "Red Storm Rising" by Tom Clancy. In the book Muslim terrorist destroys a Sovjet oil refinery and starts ww3.
16. Leo asks Toby and Josh to learn how postage stamps are selected. One of the guest stars of this episode is John Carroll Lynch, who appeared in Fargo (1996) as the police chief's husband, whose painting is considered for a stamp.

Noël

1. Yo-Yo Ma plays a cello piece. Instead of miming the motions of the song to recorded music, however, he actually played the song for each take. According to director Thomas Schlamme, this amounted to playing the song about 45 times.
2. On the DVD commentary for this episode, Aaron Sorkin recalls that during a break from the filming of Yo Yo Ma's performance scene, in an attempt to help his performance and "get into the rhythm" of the scene, Dulé Hill (who plays Charlie) started to tap dance to the cello piece. Hill is a highly accomplished professional tap dancer who has performed with Savion Glover and other tap luminaries.
3. The subplot about the lady who recognizes the painting, although fictional in its particulars, is based on truth in some ways. Bernard, the protocol officer, tells C. J. that the painting author was Gustave Cailloux ( fictional painter, not to be confused with real artist Gustave Caillebotte ). The painting discussed is "The Etretat Cliffs after the Storm" by Gustave Courbet ). The Nazi element of this storyline is based in fact; many pieces of art that had been owned by Jewish families before World War II were looted by the Nazis before their owners had been sent off to concentration camps, as had happened to the lady's family in this episode.
4. During the initial briefing on the rogue pilot in the Situation Room, a general mentions scrambling F-16's out of "Edwards". Edwards Air Force Base is a massive operational air base in Edwards, CA, in the Mojave Desert. It is one of the largest air bases in California, but is most notable for historical flights including Chuck Yeager's breaking of the sound barrier in 1947 as well as the location of the first landing of any space shuttle in 1981. It is also the home of the Dryden Flight Research Center, the Air Force Flight Test Center and the Air Force Rocket Research Laboratory. However, Edwards is primarily a test and training facility and would be unlikely to have armed F-16s available for missions such as this.
5. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
6. When Josh (Bradley Whitford) talks to Sam (Rob Lowe) in his office, there is a Christmas stocking on the wall beside the chalkboard. Twenty minutes later, when Leo (John Spencer) is there, the stocking has disappeared.
7. This takes place in December 2000.
8. The suicide crash story line refers to an incident in 1997, where an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot unexpectedly broke formation, turned off his transponder and radio and continued in apparent controlled flight for hundreds of miles before impacting a peak in Colorado.

The Leadership Breakfast

1. Josh and Sam try to light a fire in a White House fireplace only to find that it is only decorative when they set the fire alarms off. In January 2009, life imitated art when the Obama administration's new Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Peter R. Orszag, tried to light a fire in a fireplace in his office that filled other office suites with smoke and set the fire alarms off.
2. Leo asks Josh to "go to Ben and Sally's for dinner tonight" which presumably refers to Ben Bradlee, former Executive Editor of the Washington Post and his wife Sally Quinn, an author and journalist.
3. During preparations for the White House breakfast, President Bartlet tells his staff it's no big deal and 'I don't have to be Officer Krupke,' which is a reference to the beat cop in the 1957 Broadway musical and subsequent movie version, West Side Story (1961), which include a musical number sung by the Jets titled 'Gee, Officer Krupke!'
4. Staffer Larry (William Duffy ) and Staffer Ed (Peter James Smith ) appeared in the pilot episode where they were noted as Congressional Liason #1 and #2. William Duffy was first credited as Bill Duffy.
5. Dulé Hill (Charlie Young) & Corbin Bernsen (Henry Shallick) also worked together on Psych (2006) as Burton Guster & Henry Spencer respectively.
6. The fireplace whose flue had purportedly been welded shut for 100 years was ablaze with a roaring fire several times in Season One.
7. Felicity Huffman appears as a guest after starring in Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night.
8. It is mentioned in this episode that the 107th Congress is about to have its first session. At the time of the original broadcast the 107th Congress had in fact just started. In the alternative world of The West Wing congressional elections are concurrent with the real ones. The presidential elections, however, are not.
9. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
10. This was the last episode to air during the Bill Clinton administration.
11. The fireplace, while located in the Mural Room of the West Wing, was purported to be a favourite of President Andrew Johnson. However, the West Wing had not yet been constructed at the time of Andrew Johnson's presidency.
12. In the episode Sam (Rob Lowe) and Josh (Bradley Whitford) are starting a fire and Josh says, we aren't burning Benjamin Harrison's log cabin. Years later on Parks and Recreation, which both actors appeared on, there is a later episode about Harrison's log cabin

The Drop In

1. Bartlet gives a speech to the Global Defense Council, a fictional environmental lobby group that was central to the plot of The American President (1995), also written by Aaron Sorkin.
2. When Bartlet finally does the credentials ceremony to make Lord John Marbury the British Ambassador to the U.S., he says, "John, let me explain why you've been waiting. I have to see people in the order in which they arrive, and you got beat by Argentina." This was a reference to the 1982 Falklands War, in which Argentine military forces invaded and laid claim to the British-owned Falkland Islands (which lie off the southern Argentine coast). The war, which was the culmination of a centuries-long dispute over the islands' sovereignty, ended in British victory, the deposition of Argentine President Galtieri, a 1983 victory for England's Thatcher government, and almost 1000 total soldiers killed from both sides.
3. The first episode to be aired during the George Bush Administration.
4. President Bartlet says to Lord John Marbury "(...) you got beat by Argentina". England was eliminated by Argentina in the prior Worl Cup (Soccer). Also Argentina resisted two invasion of The British Army on 1806 and 1807. Argentinian troops lost the resistance from British armed forces when they invaded the Falkland Islands on 1982.
5. The fictional arson the characters discuss is a reference to the 1998 arson of a Vail Ski Resort development, carried out by the Earth Liberation Front. The ELF was considered, at the time, to be the largest domestic terrorist threat in the United States.
6. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
7. Marbury (Roger Rees) is presented to the President as the ambassador from Great Britain instead of the ambassador from the United Kingdom.
8. The GDC (Global Defense Council) is the same organisation that employed Sidney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening) in the Aaron Sorkin film, The American President (1995).
9. The ICBM intercept missile test failed by a distance of 137 miles. Caesium-137 is a radioactive isotope of caesium which is formed during nuclear weapons detonations.
10. CJ (Allison Janney)'s fishbowl has a missile half buried in blue rocks that look like the ocean. A background story is about a missile defense shield that failed and the missile landed in the ocean.

Bartlet's Third State of the Union

1. Bartlett stopping to tie his shoe was improvised by Martin Sheen
2. According to the news announcer at the beginning of the episode: Edgar Finney is the Doorkeeper of the House. The office of Doorkeeper was abolished in 1995 during the 104th Congress.
3. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
4. Normally the President of the United States is ushered into the House chamber by a group of Congressmen and Senators. In the show - Bartlet (Martin Sheen) arrives at the door of the House chamber unescorted except for Presidential staff.
5. The title implies that this is President Bartlet (Martin Sheen)'s third Sate of the Union. State of the Unions are given every year except the first year in office. So while this might be the third year in office, this would have been the second State of the Union.
6. Mickey Troop (Tony Plana), who advises the President on the Colombia crisis, is the Secretary of State.
7. The theme that plays during the opening of the live Capitol Beat segment from The White House is also the old theme for the British ITN nightly news show.

The War at Home

1. At the beginning of the episode the President says to Leo "George Bernard Shaw said 'you don't live longer, it just seems longer.'" They then debate if it was really Shaw who said it. The correct quote is by Sir Clement Raphael Freud who said "if you resolve to give up smoking, drinking and loving, you don't actually live longer; it just seems longer."
2. Martin Sheen starred in the film The War at Home (1996), which was also directed by his son Emilio Estevez.
3. Gottfried (Ted McGinley) omits Ainsley Hayes (Emily Procter) from his list of people he thanks for appearing on the live State of the Union aftershow broadcast seen in the previous episode, despite her appearing on at least two segments.
4. At the end of act I, as the president (Martin Sheen) plays chess outside, he makes 2 consecutive moves with the black. This appears just before he tells Leo (John Spencer) that Abbey (Stockard Channing) is mad at him.
5. Sam and Ainsley have a running joke about her embarrassment over her first encounter with President Bartlet in the preceding episode. When she refers to "the humiliation that I've brought upon myself and my father," he observes she's got her "own little Euripides play" going. At another point, he refers to "your family and the House of Atreus." One of the great tragedians of ancient Greek drama, Euripides (c. 480 - 406 BC) wrote a number of plays based on the mythology of the House of Atreus, whose sons were Agamemnon and Menelaus. Collectively known as the Atreides, the stories associated with these two kings and their descendants and lovers (for example, Iphigenia, Cassandra, Electra, Orestes, and Helen of Troy) inspired many subsequent writers, plays, and of course, films. The Dune (1984) series of novels by Frank Herbert purport to tell the story of the House Atreides, set in the far future, but whose characters claim to be descendants of the ancient Greek House of Atreus.
6. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Sam (Rob Lowe).

Ellie

1. President Josiah Bartlet tells his daughter, Ellie, played by Nina Siemaszko, "The only thing you ever had to do to make me happy was come home at the end of the day." The first season finale of Sports Night, titled Sports Night: What Kind of Day Has It Been? (1999), featured Nina Siemaszko as a nanny. In the episode, Casey McCall, played by Peter Krause, tells his son Charlie "The only thing you have to do to make me and your mom happy is to come home at the end of the day." Aaron Sorkin created both series, and wrote both episodes.
2. First appearance of Toby's "Pinky Ball".
3. The film mentioned in the episode - "Prince of New York" - is a fictional creation. As is the Family Values Leadership Council which opposes it.
4. First appearance in the series of Mary Kay Place as Dr Millicent Griffith.
5. First appearance in the series of Nina Siemaszko as Ellie Bartlett.
6. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Sam (Rob Lowe).
7. The Family Values Leadership Council which is opposed to the movie "Prince of New York" does not exist. However, it does sound extremely close to a real council called Family Research Council.
8. The movie "Prince of New York", which is described as "an updated version of Dostoyevsky's The Idiot which tells the story of a Christ-like epileptic young man who embodies goodness, but encounters sex, crime, and family dysfunction, does not actually exist.
9. Flat Stanley appears about 15 minutes into the episode in a scene where CJ and Sam are having a conversation in the bullpen.

Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail

1. Josh mentions to Sam that Lincoln signed a pardon on April 14, 1865, the same day he was shot. Until over a decade after this episode was filmed, historians thought this was true. However, in January 2011, Lincoln researcher Thomas Lowry admitted that he had altered the date of the pardon (which he had "discovered" in the permanent records of the U.S. National Archives) from 1864 to 1865 so that it would seem more historically significant.
2. Not only is the Andrew Jackson block of cheese story a true one from the real Jackson Administration, but several years after this show went off the air, President Obama also added a real "Big Block of Cheese Day" to his administration's schedule. On January 24, 2014, the Obama White House announced that in the spirit of both Andrew Jackson and the television program "The West Wing," they would host a real version of the show's "Big Block of Cheese Day," in which White House officials would be available to answer questions from ordinary Americans (albeit online instead of in person, as the "cheese day" meetings were on the show). This announcement was kicked off by a video, posted on the White House's official website, that featured "West Wing" stars Bradley Whitford and Joshua Malina and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. The first real Big Block of Cheese Day took place on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. On January 16, 2015, the White House announced that they would again be holding a Big Block of Cheese Day. This time, the video announcement (titled "Big Block of Cheese Day Is Back, and It's Feta Than Ever") featured White House Press secretary Josh Earnest and West Wing cast members Bradley Whitford, Joshua Malina, Mary McCormack, Dulé Hill, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, and Martin Sheen. The video described the event as "like Reddit, but without the weird stuff."
3. The title comes from a lyric in Don Henley's song "New York Minute". ("Lying here in the darkness/I heard the sirens wail/Somebody going to emergency/Somebody's going to jail") It plays in the beginning in Sam's Office.
4. The cartographers that come to meet with C.J. about changing the official map of the world bring her a copy of the Peters map introduced in 1974 by Dr. Arno Peters.
5. The traffic nightmare that Leo McGarry tries to avoid references Dupont Circle. The poor traffic is referenced throughout The West Wing universe as well as being a plot device in Aaron Sorkin's film The American President (1995).
6. Clark Gregg makes a guest appearance in his second Sorkin TV Show after appearing in the last couple of episodes of season 2 of Sports Night.
7. The map in the situation room appears to be a Peters Projection.
8. In the meeting with the WTO protesters, Toby calls the leader Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn was a Russian novelist, historian, and short story writer. He was an outspoken critic of the Soviet Union and its totalitarianism and helped to raise global awareness of its Gulag forced labor camp system. He was eventually sent to a labor camp and exiled from Russia in 1974 before having his citizenship restored in 1990.
9. Stephanie's grandfather was named Daniel Gault. In reality, Daniel Gault was a three-term member of the Oregon State Legislature between 1870 and 1905. He passed away on April 20, 1912 in Cottage Grove, Oregon at the age of 65.
10. When Sam (Rob Lowe) is sitting in the mess hall throwing the sugar packets into the pot, a group of people (presumably the camera crew, as their movements are in sync with the camera's position) can be seen in the reflection of the hung posters/paintings on the wall.
11. This is a Big Block of Cheese Day episode.
12. Music: Don Henley, "New York Minute"
13. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
14. The plot point involving Sam Seaborn's father having had an affair for 28 years is a mirror to the first-season episode of Sports Night (1998) titled Sports Night: The Sword of Orion (1999), in which Jeremy discovers that his father has had an affair for 27 years. In both episodes, the character embarks upon an investigation to discover the truth behind an incident in the past. The investigation is eventually revealed to be a metaphor for the character's lack of understanding about his father's actions and how the infidelity has affected his outlook on life. Both shows were created by Aaron Sorkin.

The Stackhouse Filibuster

1. The flag hanging behind senator Stackhouse is the Norwegian flag, as first flown in 1899, six years before Norway gained its independence from Sweden.
2. The ability to yield to a question without ending a filibuster was an important plot point in the classic film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
3. When recounting the story about being yelled at by an intern from the GAO, Sam (Rob Lowe) calls it the General Accounting Office. The entity is now known as the Government Accountability Office, with that change occurring in 2004 - some three years after the original air date of this episode.
4. Senator Stackhouse (George Coe) appears to be a left-leaning Democrat in this episode, but previous mentions show him leaning to the right in opposition to the President (Martin Sheen). The West Wing: In This White House (2000) mentions Stackhouse as one of the men Capital Beat tried to get to speak on the right in opposition to Sam (Rob Lowe), before they went with Ainsley Hayes (Emily Procter). "Mandatory Minimums" also shows him on the right of the issue.
5. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Donna (Janel Moloney).
6. In the scene where Josh (Bradley Whitford) is writing his e-mail to his mother (and thanks her for the shoes), you can see the text of his e-mail jump rapidly to include new paragraphs much faster than he types. When he turns from his conversation with Donna (Janel Moloney) to begin seriously writing the e-mail, the text has shrunk to only one paragraph.
7. President Bartlett, while talking about what grandfathers will do to protect their grandchildren, complains that "there's no holiday for us." Grandparents Day has been a U. S. national holiday since 1978,occurring on the first Sunday after Labor Day annually.

17 People

1. According to Aaron Sorkin, the reason this is set entirely within the West Wing was due to financial reasons.
2. The 17 people in the title are the First Lady, Elizabeth Bartlet-Westin, Ellie Bartlet, Zoey Bartlet, the President's brother John, Dr Herman Virkman, Vice President John Hoynes, Admiral Fitzwallace, Leo McGarry, Dr David Lee, 5 other doctors and radiologists, Toby Ziegler and of course President Bartlet himself.
3. This episode has the smallest number of additional guest stars than any other episode in the entire series, namely just Emily Procter.
4. Allison Janney (C.J. Cregg) does not appear in this episode - one of the rare times that one of the actors in the opening credits is not an episode of the series.
5. The episode finishes in the same way as 'The Godfather Part I'. Charlie is also seen earlier reading a biography of Francis Ford Coppola, director of 'The Godfather' trilogy.
6. While working on the speech for the White House Correspondents Dinner, Sam refers to Ainsley as Phyllis Schlafly. Schlafly was known for her staunchly conservative social and political views, her opposition to feminism, and her successful campaign against the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
7. Allison Janney (C.J.) was originally in this episode but had to be written out when she had to fly to London, England to film extra scenes for The Hours.
8. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
9. When Toby (Richard Schiff) refers to the shooting in Rosslyn, VA, he mentions it took place "last May" while in the episode The West Wing: The Midterms (2000), the shooting was clearly indicated to have taken place in August.
10. With only three actors in the Special Guest, Guest and Co-Starring credits, it has the smallest guest cast of any West Wing episode.
11. Toby (Richard Schiff) asks Leo (John Spencer) if dropping Hoynes (Tim Matheson) as Bartlet (Martin Sheen)'s running mate in the 2002 presidential election is being discussed. This is one of only two times in which The West Wing references the year in which the story is taking place. The other was in the Season 1 episode Mr. Willis of Ohio in which the manner of the 2000 Census is being discussed when it had been previously established that they had been in office for two years, or 1998. The West Wing never addresses why presidential elections take place in different years than in the real world, although one potential explanation would seem to be simply to make direct correlation to genuine campaigns (on a time basis) impossible.
12. In Ainsley (Emily Procter)'s final retort to Sam (Rob Lowe) in opposition to the ERA, she incorrectly refers to the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution as "Article 14".
13. During the scene where he is giving Donna flowers, Josh calls her "an hysterically funny person." He then asks her if she noticed that he used "an" there properly, to which Donna smiles and says, "Yes, I did". Grammatically, however, this is incorrect; Josh should have used "a hysterically" because of the faint consonant sound made by the 'h' in hysterically. 'An' is properly used in front of consonants where the consonant makes no sound, like 'hour' or 'honorable'. It is possible, however, Donna was agreeing with Josh because of the sweetness of his gesture, making this 'an' honest mistake.

Bad Moon Rising

1. This episode marks the second mentioning of the "secret pumpkin." The first is made by Sam Seaborn in the very first episode and references Alger Hiss. In this episode Donna mentions it in reference to Whittaker Chambers. Chambers and Hiss were suspected Soviet spies, and Chambers hid film from Hiss in a hollowed out pumpkin.
2. CJ's fishbowl has an oil pipe. This is a reference to the plot about an oil tanker leaking oil.
3. After CJ's first unsuccessful interrogation, she asks Carol how many more of these she has. Carol replies "1,138," a reference to George Lucas' 1971 film "THX 1138" in which interrogation is a main plot element. This number also appears in all of George Lucas' other works including Star Wars.
4. Charlie (Dulé Hill) states that because Zoey (Elisabeth Moss) was under 18 when she started college, she would have needed a parent's signature on her medical history form. However, in early season 1 Bartlet (Martin Sheen) himself states that Zoey is 19 years old, and she hasn't yet started college. Therefore, she would have had to fill out her medical history form over a year in advance for her to need a parent's signature.
5. CJ (Allison Janney)'s fishbowl decoration changes 3/4 of the way through the episode. Now it is a $100 bill. This is about the sub-plot about bailing out Mexico with money.
6. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
7. CJ (Allison Janney)'s fishbowl has a piece of pipe with some black fluid coming out of it (fake of course). A sub-plot of this episode is about an oil tanker running aground and leaking oil.
8. Leo (John Spencer) and Oliver (Babish) (Oliver Platt) were both born in Chicago, Illinois.
9. In The West Wing: Mr. Willis of Ohio (1999), during the President (Martin Sheen)'s kidnapping speech, Zoey (Elisabeth Moss) pointed out that she was starting college in a month and that she was 19 years old. In this episode Charlie (Dulé Hill) states that Zoey was 17 when she applied for college and her health form required a parent's signature. She would have been 17 when she applied to college and 19 when she started attending. It is also said in that episode that she is starting Georgetown in the spring, leaving at least a semester if not more (say, since she was still 17) in between graduating high school and starting Georgetown. She may have started at a different university, perhaps one that didn't give her the college experience she wanted. It is unlikely that she was held back enough to graduate high school in January at 19.
10. Cameo: Eric Stonestreet ("Cam" in Modern Familly) as White House Counsel Staffer.

The Fall's Gonna Kill You

1. The agricultural poll pretense for bringing in Joey Lucas (we're eating more beets) is another tribute to Doonesbury. When USA Today was in its infancy, Doonesbury poked fun at it and its use of graphs and "We're eating more beets!" was a line in one of the strips. It's also the title of the collection in which the series is found.
2. It is revealed that Abbey Bartlett (Stockard Channing) graduated from Harvard Medical School, and is board certified in internal medicine and thorasic medicine.
3. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
4. The title of this episode comes from one of the most famous lines spoken in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" from 1969. Pursued by the "super posse," Butch and Sundance end up trapped on a rocky mountain outcropping, with the posse closing in. Butch proposes that instead of fighting they jump to the river far below, assuming the posse members won't make a similar daring leap. Sundance initially refuses and finally admits that he doesn't want to jump because he can't swim. Butch responds, "Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill ya."

18th and Potomac

1. When Sam walks into the conference room late in the episode and says "I want to state right here, right now, in terms so plain and clear as to command their assent . . . " he is paraphrasing Thomas Jefferson's explanation for the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson stated its purpose was ". . . to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent . . ."
2. This is the first episode that President Barlett calls Mrs Landingham by her first name (Dolores). The only other time this is seen is in a flashback in a later episode.
3. The episode first screened in Australia on the evening of 11 September 2001. A newsflash reporting the events then unfolding in New York was briefly broadcast in the penultimate commercial break.
4. When talking about what the Haitian military has the advisor says, "2 Bradleys with 120 mm cannons." The Bradley fighting vehicle carries a 25mm cannon. The M1A1 tank carries a 120mm cannon. It is also unlikely Haiti would be able to buy either.
5. There has been no army in Haiti since early 1995 to launch such a coup - the army was disbanded following the American invasion in the fall of 1994. Second, the National Security Advisor tells the Chief of Staff that there are "37 Marines armed with M-14's" guarding the embassy. I served at that embassy at the time the episode aired (and was consequently curious to see if I would be "rescued") and can assure you that, while we had a great group of young Marines, there were nowhere near 37 of them and their standard weapons were pump action shotguns. Most of the security force was, in fact, unarmed locally hired Haitians.
6. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
7. When the President (Martin Sheen) asks who the U.S. is using to negotiate in Haiti, Leo (John Spencer) tells him the Canadian Ambassador. During the Iranian hostage crisis, the Canadian Ambassador harbored several Americans who escaped from the U.S. embassy, depicted in the 2012 movie, Argo.
8. When Leo calls the State Department, he says they will need to invoke "1070 at OAS". OAS is the Organization of American States, a division that partners with other nations in the Americas to promote peace and cooperation. Leo mistakenly refers to Resolution 1080 as 1070. Resolution 1080 allows for the intervention of member nations into another's affairs if a legally held election has been subverted through a coup d'etat or some other form of revolutionary movement. Leo should know this.
9. In the episode, Joey Lucas (Marlee Matlin) says that "we are eating more beets" at the conclusion of her report on the opinion poll. Garry Trudeau, a famous political cartoonist who has lampooned the real world President and White House, once had a collection of his comics collected in a book entitled "We Are Eating More Beets", some of which include cartoons on the Ronald Reagan/George Bush White House and what was part of the Presidential cover-up of that time period.
10. The only "18th and Potomac" intersection in DC is at 18th St SE and Potomac Ave SE. It doesn't have a traffic light, it's in the Southeast quadrant of DC (The White House is in the Northwest quadrant), and, to convey a sense of what that neighborhood's like, just a block away is the DC Jail. So it's extremely unlikely that Mrs. Landingham would have had a reason to drive through this intersection after picking up her new car and then heading back to the White House to show the car to the President (Martin Sheen) (who told her he'd like to see it and "kick the tires").
11. Pump Action Shotguns aside, the Marines would not be armed with M-14s. The M-14 was replaced as the standard individual weapon by the M-16 in the early '70s.
12. The screening of '18th and Potomac' was first shown in Australia on the evening of September 11 2001. A newsflash about the two aircraft hitting the World Trade Centre was broadcast in the last commercial break. The remaining ten minutes of the West Wing was then screened, which coincidentally involved the unexpected death of a major West Wing character.
13. As Deaf pollster Joey Lucas starts to report polling results to the president and senior staff members during the secret meeting in the basement, President Bartlett interrupts her to ask if anyone in the room knows Kenny's last name. However, in S1-E14 " Take This Sabbath Day", Josh Lymon introduced Joey Lucas and her interpreter Kenny Thurman to the president as he roamed the halls of the White House contemplating whether or not to pardon a deathrow inmate about to be executed.
14. The code to get into the room is "Sagittarius", which is why Josh (Bradley Whitford) reacts to this word from Donna (Janel Moloney) later.

Two Cathedrals

1. The President's tirade in Latin at the end loosely translates as: "Thank you, Lord. Am I to believe these things from a righteous God, a just God, a wise God? To hell with your punishments! I was your servant, your messenger on the earth; I did my duty. To hell with your punishments! And to hell with you!" The sentences, "Cruciatus in crucem. Eas in crucem", literally translate as "To a cross with your punishments. To a cross with you." So an idiomatic translation of the last might be "Go crucify yourself."
2. The role of Bartlet's father was played by series producer and writer Lawrence O'Donnell. Originally just drafted in to help out at a table read, director Thomas Schlamme found O'Donnell's interpretation of the President's father to be so interesting that he eventually offered him the role.
3. When Martin Sheen appeared on Inside The Actors Studio, host James Lipton told him that this episode was "one of the best episodes in the history of American television".
4. While reviewing plans for the President's news conference, Toby says, "The President taped an Easter message that looked like it was lit by Ed Wood!". Edward D. Wood Jr. is considered to be one of the classically bad directors of all time, his films include Bride of the Monster (1955) and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959).
5. Kirsten Nelson who plays Young Mrs. Landingham would later go on to star as Karen Vick in the TV show Psych (2006) where Dulé Hill, who plays Charlie Young in this series, stars as Burton 'Gus' Guster. In Psych, Corbin Bernson stars as Henry Spencer, he also makes an appearance in The West Wing season 2 episode 11, The Leadership Breakfast, as Henry Shallick. He also portrays Shallick in bartlet's third state of the union
6. In the flashbacks a young Jed Bartlett is seen as a student at a school where a younger version of Mrs. Landingham is seen as an adult working for Bartlett's father. In reality Martin Sheen who plays president Bartlett and Kathryn Joosten who play Mrs. Landingham, the president's secretary, were only born a year apart. Kathryn Joosten was born in 1939 and Martin Sheen was born in 1940.
7. Music: Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits
8. Due to security concerns, the President (Martin Sheen) would not likely walk to his seat in the cathedral down the main aisle. He would likely be brought in a side entrance - after everyone has been seated. The same for the end of the service - the President would leave first before anyone else would be allowed to leave.
9. In the closing scene - the President (Martin Sheen) is traveling to the Press Conference, as a custodian finds the cigarette butt on the floor of the cathedral - the motorcade passes by. The motorcade would not pass the cathedral on its way from the White House to the State Department.
10. The song played at the end of the episode is "Brothers In Arms" by Dire Straits.
11. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Josh (Bradley Whitford).
12. In the beginning part of the episode the President (Martin Sheen)'s motorcade heads northwest on Pennsylvania avenue with the Capitol in the background when the President is in transit to the National Cathedral. The motorcade would not travel by the Capitol on its way from the White House to the National Cathedral.
13. When Margaret (NiCole Robinson) hands Leo (John Spencer) a note he puts on his glasses to read it. In the next scene he puts his glasses on again.
14. Bartlet (Martin Sheen)'s motorcade to the State Department press conference passes the National Cathedral in a path so leisurely that it staggers the imagination - minimally a seven mile trip, rather than the actual one mile direct distance between the White House and State Department.
15. Before President Bartlet's press conference, C. J. instructs him to take his first question from science journalist Lawrence Altman because that will allow the press conference to start with a discussion about MS rather than one about reelection. Bartlet chooses to answer another reporter's question first instead, but there is a shot of a reporter meant to be Altman. Lawrence K. Altman is a qualified medical doctor and, since 1969, a New York Times reporter on medical and scientific issues; although he was portrayed by an actor (Alfred L. Hurwitz ) in this episode, the real Altman did write an October 9, 2001, New York Times article about the MS story line in the context of real-life presidents who have chosen to disclose or to hide health issues.
16. Only episode in the series where they show a young Jed Bartlet in a speaking role, although Emilio Estevez (real life son of Martin Sheen) did portray a younger Jed Bartlett in family film footage shown on the hospital television behind Toby Ziegler in season 05 episode 01