The West Wing

Season 4

20 Hours in America: Part I

1. Bartlet mentions President D'Astier of France. This is the name of the newly elected French president who is invited to a formal state dinner in the movie The American President (1995), also written by Aaron Sorkin.
2. Features a young John Gallagher Jr., who would later star in The Newsroom (2012) written and created by "The West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin.
3. Stockard Channing no longer receives top billing.
4. Donna quotes a woman who went on a shooting spree because it was a Monday. Later in the show they play the song about that event. Tori Amos sings the song " I Don't Like Mondays."
5. In most of the episodes involving Air Force One - the usual pilot for Air Force One is Col. Gantry - but in this episode, Bartlet (Martin Sheen) tells one of the secretarial candidates the plane is flown by an Air Force General, and in another scene - the General's voice is overheard.
6. While lost in Indiana, Josh (Bradley Whitford) mentions they could fly into Dulles, BWI, or LaGuardia. LaGuardia is a four-hour drive from D.C. and it would make little sense to fly there. D.C.'s third airport is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
7. Qumar is not a real country.
8. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
9. Tyler (John Gallagher Jr.) mentions changing time when "crossing from Unionville into Dearborn County," but Unionville and Dearborn County are about 100 miles apart.
10. Unionville, Indiana, where Jed (Martin Sheen) is giving his speech, is close to Bloomington, Indiana, an urban area where Josh (Bradley Whitford), Toby (Richard Schiff), and Donna (Janel Moloney) wouldn't have been stranded for long. There is also no passenger train station in Bedford, Indiana.
11. When one of the reporters tells C.J. (Allison Janney) about the Abbey incident, he claims the story came from The Milwaukee Sentinel. Milwaukee's newspaper has been named The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel since the two papers merged in the early 1990s.
12. After Bruno Gianelli says "The world was created in less time" than six weeks, President Bartlet responds, "And you'll tell us all how you did it." A nearly identical exchange takes place between Steve Jobs and Andy Hertzfeld in Steve Jobs (2015), which was also written by Aaron Sorkin.
13. Guest star John Gallagher Jr. who appears on this episode and the next later worked with Aaron Sorkin in a leading role in his HBO drama The Newsroom.
14. When Toby and Josh are headed to the airport, they are pushed an hour back because Dearborn County, Indiana does not observe daylight saving time. As of 2006, every County in Indiana observes daylight saving time. Only Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands do not.

20 Hours in America: Part II

1. In 2006, a freelance reporter was fired by NBC for copying sections of the Kennison State plot line for a piece intended to appear before the Kentucky Derby.
2. Bartlet (Martin Sheen)'s line - "The streets of Heaven are too crowded with angels" - was lifted from Tom Hanks' acceptance speech when he won the Best Actor Oscar for Philadelphia (1993).
3. When Toby and Josh are discussing governor Ritchie's intelligence on the train, Toby laments that Ritchie thinks Neville Chamberlain led Britain during WW2. Chamberlain did in fact lead Britain in WW2, but only for the first 8 months before giving way to Winston Churchill. However, the reference Toby makes is to Richard Chamberlain.
4. Lily Tomlin takes over the role of Martin Sheen's secretary. The role was previous played by Kathryn Joosten. Tomlin & Joosten would go on to play sisters on Desperate Housewives (2004).
5. Guest star John Gallagher Jr. who appears on this episode and the one preceeding it later worked with Aaron Sorkin in a leading role in his HBO drama The Newsroom.
6. Qumar is not a real country.
7. The Milwaukee Sentinel newspaper ceased to exist in April, 1995 when it merged with the Milwaukee Journal. The resulting newspaper, and the only daily paper in the city of Milwaukee, is known as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
8. Kennison State University is fictional. It is meant to stand in for the University of Iowa, which is a Big Ten school and is also known as the Hawkeyes. Kennison State University is said to be in Cedar Rapids, while the Univeristy of Iowa is located in Iowa City, IA, placing it in the Central time zone. Cedar Rapids, IA and Iowa City are about thirty miles from one another.
9. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Donna (Janel Moloney).
10. The President (Martin Sheen) refers to the President of France - D'Astier - which is the same name as the President of France that visits the White House for a State Dinner in The American President (1995).
11. Kennison State University is fictional. It is possible that it is meant to stand in for the University of Iowa, which is a Big Ten school and is also known as the Hawkeyes. Kennison State University is said to be in Cedar Rapids, while the University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, IA, placing it in the Central time zone. Cedar Rapids, IA and Iowa City are about thirty miles from one another. It is probably named after Lt. William Kennison, a naval officer during the Civil War. It is also possible that the name is a combination of Kenyon College (Allison Janney's Alma Mater) and Denison University, two mid-west schools known for their swim teams.
12. Toby (Richard Schiff mocks Ritchie for thinking that Chamberlain led England in World War II; but actually Chamberlain was Prime Minister for the first 8 months of the war, only making way for Winston Churchill after the Allied retreat from Norway.
13. Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) has worked in the White House for 3 years and 8 months.

College Kids

1. The "Rock The Vote" event shown at Cambridge, MA is aimed at encouraging young people to vote in the US general election. The band playing at the event, Barenaked Ladies, are all born and raised in Canada.
2. Qumar is not a real country.
3. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
4. When President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) is giving his speech in East Lansing, the Flag of Mississippi is clearly visibile on the stage. East Lansing is in the State of Michigan, and the Flag of Michigan is not visible anywhere during the scene.
5. Bartlet:And I don't yet know who set off the bomb at Kennison State.Kennison State University is fictional. In the previous episode, The West Wing: 20 Hours in America: Part II (2002), there are several similarities between Kennison State and the University of Iowa. This episode confirms that Kennison State is in Iowa. FBI Agent Casper also states that they have found suspects in Johnson County, IA, the same county where the University of Iowa is located.
6. Bruno Gianelli says to Deborah Federer that she has a funny name. One source of the name is the French word feter, which means "celebrate" (as in having a fete). In other words, her name is "one who celebrates," which is an apt name for a character played by comedienne [Link:nm0005499].
7. Ron Silver makes a comment to Donna and Josh saying Barnum Bailey and their sister Sue but it was actually Jed Bartlet who said this quote First in the lame duck congress

The Red Mass

1. The football game the President is watching is a CFL game between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Calgary Stampeders.
2. President Bartlet exclaims that people in Maine have always been iffy about him and he doesn't know why. Martin Sheen played the President in The Dead Zone, in which he is fated to start World War III using nuclear weapons, bringing about the end of civilization. The Dead Zone was written by Stephen King, who hails from Maine and sets many of his stories in Maine.
3. Qumar is a made-up country.
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Charlie (Dulé Hill).
5. The Bahji terrorist cell is not real.
6. At the end of the episode, the President asks CJ to move the press "off church grounds" so he can take questions. The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is an enormous structure at the center of a sprawling campus, and is also in the middle of Catholic University of America. The nearest spot "off church grounds" is a couple of hundred yards away and on the other side of Michigan Avenue. Under normal circumstances the Presidential motorcade would have to take him that distance.
7. The football game being played on the TV while the President (Martin Sheen), C.J. (Allison Janney) and Sam (Rob Lowe) talk about the debate format is a Canadian Football League game between the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Eskimoes. Both teams are from the province of Alberta and have been rivals for over sixty years. They also are consistent challengers for the Grey Cup (CFL Championship). At the time of the airing of this episode the Stampeders had just won the Grey Cup and the Eskimoes had achieved their 30th consecutive playoff appearance. The Quarterback (#12) for the Edmonton Eskimoes is Jason Maas which makes the game a contemporary of the time the episode was filmed as he played for Edmonton between 2000 and 2005.
8. There is no such thing as the "Medal of David." The closest equivalent would be the Jabotinsky Medal, or the President's Medal (first awarded 2012).
9. CJ tells the press corps that the Red Mass will take place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The actual Red Mass takes place at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.
10. The monogram on Sam's shirt--"sNs"--is incorrect. The large middle letter should be for his last name, therefore it should be "sSn." Only if the letters were all the same size should it be SNS. (His middle name had been established as Norman.)

Debate Camp

1. Nicole Lyn who played Stacy, the intern, married Dulé Hill, Charlie, in 2004. They were together 8 years before their divorce in 2012.
2. Qumar is a made-up country.
3. The Bahji terrorist cell is made-up.
4. The Secretary of Defense makes a reference to putting CTU on alert. This is the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit depicted on the TV series "24".
5. In this episode at 05:50 CTU is mentioned, the Counter Terrorist Unit: an intelligence and law enforcement agency in the United States of America which does not exist in the real world but plays a central role in the TV show 24 (2001). Jack Bauer was a Special Agent at CTU Los Angeles. It should also be noted that actor Michael O'Neilll, who plays Secret Service Agent Ron Butterfield, also starred as CTU Director Richard Walsh on Season 1 of 24.
6. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Sam (Rob Lowe).
7. During the electoral math scene, President Bartlet (Martin Sheen)'s name is (supposedly) spelled wrongly as 'Bartlett' on the electoral map board.
8. When Amy (Mary-Louise Parker) is at dinner, Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D is heard playing.

Game On

1. President Bartlet's answer about the death penalty at the beginning of the episode is taken (almost verbatim) from the answer Governor Michael Dukakis gave during a 1988 presidential debate against then-Vice President George H.W. Bush.
2. This episode marks the first appearance of Joshua Malina in the West Wing. He previously appeared in all episodes of Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night (1998).
3. The character of Will Bailey's half sister is named "Elsie Snuffin". This is a reference to real life actress Elsie Sniffen (who later changed her name to Kayla Blake), who had a recurring role as Kim in Sports Night (1998), also written and created by Aaron Sorkin. Executive producer John Wells was also a supervising producer on the series China Beach (1988), where Sniffen appears in at least one episode.
4. The bar where Sam meets Will Bailey in Laguna Beach is called The White House.
5. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
6. Joshua Malina makes his West Wing debut in this episode.
7. During the first "two-minute session" with the President (Martin Sheen), Toby (Richard Schiff) asks a question remarkably similar to a real world event concerning Democratic Presidential Candidate Michael Dukakis. Dukakis was asked if he would support the death penalty in the event that his wife were raped and murdered; he responded almost identically to the President's faux answer. The response from the public was exactly as Toby said it was: Inhuman.
8. Both Qumar and the Bahji terrorist cell are fictional.
9. Sam comments on a speech Will Bailey wrote for Governor Tillman of California. Governor Tillman would finally appear in the Season 6 episode "La Palabra".

Election Night

1. The time appears to be the same in California and Washington, D.C.
2. When Donna (Janel Moloney) is outside the polling place trying to find a voter to switch ballots with, the opening shot shows a tall sky scraper in the background. No building of such a height exists in Washington, DC due to height restrictions on buildings there.
3. When Donna (Janel Moloney) meets LCDR Jack Reese (Christian Slater) outside the polling place, he is in violation of Navy uniform regulations by being outdoors without wearing his cover.
4. The West End Library is an actual polling place for the District of Columbia - however the opening scene was not filmed in the library.
5. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
6. While there is a Grace Episcopal Church in Manchester, NH, there is not a "First Emmanuel Episcopal Church," nor is Grace Episcopal a polling place for Manchester.
7. The Secretary of Agriculture is actually 8th in the line of succession to the Presidency.

Process Stories

1. The US Navy banned smoking on all of its submarines in 2010. Before that though, there was only one designated place on a submarine where a sailor could smoke, referred to as the "smoking pit, which was usually down near the engine room. Jack (Christian Slater)'s reasoning for a $400 ash tray (that it prevents shattered glass from "flying into the eyes of the navigator and the officer of the deck" if there was a torpedo hit) makes no sense, because smoking up near the navigator or officer of the deck would not be permitted in the first place....only down in the smoking pit. The episode was filmed in 2002 so would be correct.
2. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Donna (Janel Moloney).
3. There is no such radio station as WNKW (although it is near the top of "fictional radio stations" used in TV); nor is there an FM radio station that airs "oldies" programming in the DC area.
4. The Maryland 5th Congressional District (the district represented by Andy Wyatt) is currently represented by House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer.
5. When Leo & Jordan (John Spencer & Joanna Gleason) are dancing the song playing is Somebody to Watch Over Me. This song was also featured in Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) where she played Gov. Gertrude Lang.
6. President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) tells Abby he won both North and South Dakota, and then refers to them as "The Badlands". One of Martin Sheen's earliest starring roles was in Badlands (1973).

Swiss Diplomacy

1. This was the second of only three episodes to not have a writing credit for Aaron Sorkin during the first four seasons, the others being season one's The West Wing: Enemies (1999) and this season's The West Wing: The Long Goodbye (2003).
2. Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford ) calls Donna Moss (Janel Moloney ) "Lulu" after the film To Sir, with Love (1967), Sidney Poitier was actually one of the first choices to play President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen ) but his fee was considered far too high so he didn't get the role & it went to Sheen.
3. The joke "He doesn't want the best, he wants you" has been adapted for use in Sorkin's show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
4. The line said by Senate Minority Leader Tripplehorn, "I'd like you to be for me, Josh. Not because you're good at what you do, but because of your beliefs," was originally said to writer Eli Attie by real-life Democratic House Minority leader Dick Gephardt (Richard Gephardt).
5. For the scene when Josh (Bradley Whitford) goes to Capitol Hill to visit the Minority Leader (Senator Tripplehorn (Geoff Pierson)), the filming location is actually Los Angeles City Hall.
6. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
7. It is stated that heart and lungs are en route from the Middle East to Europe to the United States, but the life of a heart outside the body is only 3-4 hours.
8. Leo (John Spencer) corrects the President for saying K2 was in Pakistan; but he is correct - it is on the China-Pakistan border.

Arctic Radar

1. During his discussion with Leo (John Spencer) about the pilot, Bartlet (Martin Sheen) mentions firing the Ambassador to Brazil, but in The West Wing: Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics (2000) he actually fired the Ambassador to Bulgaria.
2. President Bartlett asks Leo if adultery is illegal under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and Leo answers that it is not. In reality adultery does in fact violate Article 134 of the UCMJ.
3. While adultery is not a specific offense under the UCMJ, it is prosecuted under Article 134 (the general or "catch-all" article) for actions contrary to good order and discipline.
4. During Josh (Bradley Whitford)'s rant to the staffer at the end of the episode he makes a reference to "favourite galaxies" in the Star Trek Universe, but every Star Trek series takes place in our Milky Way Galaxy. Ironically, however, this piece of trivia proves Josh's point.
5. "APEC" is the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
6. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Sam (Rob Lowe).
7. The President (Martin Sheen)'s cabinet resigns before the beginning of a second term as a formality - resignations are usually not accepted, though there is traditionally turnover between the two terms of a single presidency.
8. During the scene in the Oval Office where President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and Leo (John Spencer) are debating adultery in the military Leo references Bartlet firing the US ambassador to Brazil for having an affair in the episode The West Wing: Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics (2000). He is referring to Ken Cochran (Lawrence Pressman) who was actually the US Ambassador to Bulgaria, not Brazil.
9. "Fear itself" is from Franklin D. Roosevelt's first inaugural address, not his second, as Toby (Richard Schiff) suggests.

Holy Night

1. Toby's father looks at a framed newspaper clipping on his office wall. This particular newspaper photo was used as a plot device in the first season when Sam and Toby are sent to rescue the Supreme Court nomination from jail.
2. The Yale Whiffenpoofs, whom Aaron Sorkin is a big fan of, perform.
3. C.J. (Allison Janney) gets a goldfish pin, a reference to Gail.
4. First episode in which Joshua Malina appears in the opening credits as a principal cast member.
5. There is a snow globe in C.J. Cregg's fish bowl.
6. This episode had Toby (Richard Schiff) born December 23, 1954. Based on this series being in real time and first aired on Dec. 11, 2002, Toby would be turning 48. However, in Enemies Foreign and Domestic, first aired May 1, 2002, Toby declared that he was 44.
7. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
8. Josh (Bradley Whitford) comments to Leo (John Spencer) that Donna (Janel Moloney) is spending the holiday with Jack Reese (Christian Slater) at the Washington Inn - it is likely he is referring to the Inn at Little Washington.
9. Toby (Richard Schiff)'s full legal name was given as "Toby Zachary Ziegler" while being subpoenaed during the investigation into the president's withholding of his multiple sclerosis (Ways and Means). Yet, during his deposition with Freedom Watch, Toby states his full name as "Tobias Zachary Ziegler."
10. C.J. (Allison Janney) claims that Scrooge was a nice guy, until something happened with Mr. Fezziwig.
11. When Toby (Richard Schiff) returns to his office and finds Julie looking at one of the newspaper clippings on the wall - it is the same newspaper that is in the Westley Police Station, when Sam (Rob Lowe) and Toby go to get Judge Mendoza (Edward James Olmos) out of jail (The West Wing: Celestial Navigation (2000)).
12. Toby (Richard Schiff) says: "You've been convicted of multiple felonies. You think the U.S. Secret Service lets you walk around this building unescorted? You can't. You're a threat to the President." Toby's office is 63 feet from the Oval Office. There are no Secret Service officers stationed outside Toby's office at this time.
13. When Will is meeting President Bartlet for the first time, on Charlie's computer is a post-it with the sketch from the leprechaun in the video from Crichton, Alabama. This video went viral around the time this episode aired.

Guns Not Butter

1. The episode title refers to a common economic model that gives an example of how a country can apportion limited resources on either defence (guns) or production of domestic goods (butter) or a combination of both but to increase one you need to reduce the other
2. Toby (Richard Schiff) notes that C.J. (Allison Janney) was the focus of intercessory prayer "a few months ago". In fact the prayer was first mentioned in an episode that took place a few months earlier. but the events in question occurred during a flashback. The prayer happened the week of the first inauguration, four years earlier.
3. In the airport scene, Donna walks past an extra holding a sign that reads "B. D'elia". The episode was directed by Bill D'elia.
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Charlie (Dulé Hill).
5. When the President (Martin Sheen) calls Josh (Bradley Whitford) Maxine, he refers to Hallmark Cards character Maxine, known for demanding people to agree with her.
6. President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) goes over to the crowd to "work the rope line" and shake hands. Normally, there would be Secret Service agents surrounding him, including one right behind him literally holding onto the president's belt. That is known as the "body man", and his job is to make sure the president isn't pulled into the crowd. However, there weren't any agents around him at all, including a "body man".
7. When Donna (Janel Moloney) is in the airport trying to find Senator Hardin, an announcement comes over the intercom announcing "Delta flight 378" from Atlanta. Delta flight 378 from Atlanta lands in Nassau, not Washington D.C. Similarly, Donna states that the district office said Senator Hardin was on Delta 15. Delta flight 15 runs from Atlanta to Salt Lake City.
8. There are some cows and goats in Gail's fish bowl.

The Long Goodbye

1. When C.J. first meets her father, he says he's feeling blue. The album he's playing in the background is 'Kind of Blue' by Miles Davis.
2. Allison Janney's character of C.J. Cregg returns to her hometown of Dayton, Ohio for her high school reunion. Janney's real-life hometown is Dayton, but in the episode, her character is stated as attending West Dayton High School. There is no West Dayton High School in Dayton, and the episode itself was actually filmed in Chicago. The producers originally wanted to shoot the episode in Dayton but found it more cost-effective to shoot in Chicago.
3. Both Allison Janney and Martin Sheen were born and raised in Dayton, OH. Rob Lowe was raised there as well having moved to the city as a small child.
4. Was shot on location because a small fire had burned parts of the set.
5. John Spencer appears in the background of one scene in the role of Leo McGarry, but he does not talk.
6. When her father suggests they go fishing, C.J. (Allison Janney) says "It's February," but this episode takes place before Bartlet (Martin Sheen)'s second inauguration (which should be on January 20th).
7. This episode features the fewest members of the main cast to appear in an episode to this point in the series, at three. It is also the first episode of the entire series to not feature Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet.
8. At one point while talking to her step-mother about her father's situation, C.J. asks, "What about reciprocity?" C.J.'s father is played by Donald Moffat, who also played President Bennett in Clear and Present Danger (1994), which was about the ramifications of the President and his staff's secret military operation named "Reciprocity."
9. Suburban Chicago played the character of Dayton, OH, with scenes shot in Oak Park and Elmwood Park, IL.
10. C.J. Cregg grew up in Dayton, Ohio as did Allison Janney who portrays her.
11. CJ works with the President as the White house press secretary and her father, played by Donald Moffat, has also played the part of the President in Clear and Present Danger.
12. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Toby (Richard Schiff).

Inauguration: Part 1

1. The Equatorial Kundu story line and its atrocities are based on several real life African civil wars, notably Rwanda (1990-1994), Sierra Leone (1991-2002) and Mozambique (1977-1992).
2. When Donna is describing the uniform Jack will be wearing she refers to the pants having 13 buttons. Dress Blue pants do have 13 buttons, but only for enlisted personnel, not Officer's uniforms.
3. At one point, President Bartlett asks on the Jonathan Edwards bible in Northampton, Massachusetts. While Jonathan Edwards preached in Northampton, his bible is now housed at Yale University. The bible shown in the show is a large illuminated manuscript in multiple languages, but the real bible is much smaller (at least in length and width). It is known as "the blank bible" because it's composed of a copy of the King James bible sliced to individual pages and then rebound between the pages of a blank notebook so that extensive notes could be made.
4. Kuhndu was first mentioned in "The West Wing: In This White House (2000)" when the president of Kuhndu visited to discuss AIDS medication with the drug companies. In this episode Bartlet (Martin Sheen) states that when he got his briefing memo he had to reach for an atlas. So Kuhndu may be a different country from the Republic of Kuhndu.
5. If you look carefully at the teleprompter after President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) says, "We're being candid, at least," the word "obliged" is misspelled "abliged."
6. The Republic of Equatorial Kundu is a fictional African country.
7. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Toby (Richard Schiff).
8. Donna (Janel Moloney) says "I'm not Gidget," referring to the boy-crazy teenager who was popular 1957-72 (Gidget (1965)), so an oddly dated reference for her (born 1974) to make.
9. Donna (Janel Moloney) makes repeated reference to thirteen buttons on Jack Reese (Christian Slater)'s dress blue uniform trousers, which is incorrect. Jack Reese is an officer, and an officer's dress blue and formal dress blue uniforms have one button and a zipper. Only enlisted personnel have a dress blue uniform with thirteen trouser buttons.
10. Will Bailey (Joshua Malina) says to the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs that Article I of the Constitution only gives "some Presidents" power over foreign policy. Article I deals with the Congress. It is Article II that gives the President such powers.

Inauguration: Part 2 - Over There

1. CJ (Allison Janney) refers to "Zaire" at a press conference, but the country changed its name to "Democratic Republic of the Congo" in 1997.
2. Besides the series always being in the off-years from the real presidential elections (the series' presidential elections are held in 2002 and 2006 and stated as such years), the inauguration ceremony/address/parade/balls are held on a Sunday. In reality, if January 20th falls on a Sunday, the president takes the oath of office as constitutionally required, but the ceremonies are held the next day. This happened in reality in 2013 with Barack Obama's second inaugural.
3. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
4. 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 Barack Obama was sworn-in in a private ceremony on Sunday and then a second time at the Inaugural ceremony on Monday.
5. Kuhndu is a made-up country.
6. Qumar is a fictional country.
7. According to Toby (Richard Schiff) his office is 63 feet from the Oval Office, so the Secret Service should come running into the room from the sound of Will (Joshua Malina) shattering a pane of glass.

The California 47th

1. The president says "the right to privacy is a value," a callback to The West Wing: The Short List (1999) when Sam was talking about the potential of possible Supreme Court nominee Peyton Cabot Harrison III and said the right to privacy was going to be a big issue in the future.
2. Air Force One is unlikely to land at a commercial airport (SNA is the airport code for John Wayne Airport) if a military option is available (as is Los Alamitos).
3. Kuhndu is not a real country.
4. CJ (Allison Janney) makes a big deal about some miscommunication between AF1 and the CHP, stating Interstate 5 has been closed (presumably for the motorcade) and the CHP thought they would land in Santa Ana when they are supposed to land in Los Alamitos. Despite this comment from CJ, later in the episode Sam mentions airport traffic at John Wayne being on hold, implying AF1 landed there. Also, getting to Newport Beach from Santa Ana or Los Alamitos would not require the 5 Freeway, but the 405 Freeway. There is also mention of people being stuck in Disneyland waiting for the motorcade. We don't know where these people have to go to get home, but the route from either airport to Newport doesn't go anywhere near Disneyland.
5. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Toby (Richard Schiff).
6. Since 2003 this district is now the California 48th district and is represented by Congressman Dana Rohrbacher (R)
7. Sam Seaborn's campaign signs read "SAM!", with the exclamation point. A decade or so later, presidential candidate John "Jeb" Bush used a similar slogan, "Jeb!", on his campaign signs and literature.

Red Haven's on Fire

1. Leo (John Spencer) flew F-105 jets in the Vietnam War.
2. Newscaster: On what was described as a routine patrol of the perimeter of Bitanga airport, the three reported by radio an attacked by an estimated 50 members of the Kundu National Army. Kundu is not a real country.
3. Fitzwallace(John Amos)'s statement about Delta going in with two RAH-66s and a Blackhawk, and twenty men securing the area is incorrect. The RAH-66 is not in general service, and the UH-60 "Blackhawk" only seats 10. A MH-60 "Nighthawk" is usually used for an op like this.
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
5. The news broadcast after the credits identifies Lance Corporal Halley as being from Sarasota, FL, and that he did his basic training at Camp Pendleton located in California. Marine Corps recruits do not complete boot camp at Pendleton, but rather MCRD San Diego or Parris Island in SC. Being from east of the Mississippi, Halley would have surely done his basic at the latter.
6. In the final scene with Sam (Rob Lowe) and Toby (Richard Schiff) at the bar discussing Sam's losing the congressional race being inevitable, Toby (Richard Schiff) orders 2 shots and a beer. The scene before ending with them walking out to go back to work shows two empty shot glasses on the bar but the beer was never brought nor drank.
7. This is the last episode that Rob Lowe appears in, other than a few cameo appearances at the end of season 7. Lowe left the series following a salary dispute and disagreement with Warner Bros over the direction they were taking the show.
8. Rob Lowe guest starred as Sam Seaborn in two episodes of season 7, but this episode marks his last appearance in the show's opening credits.
9. Last appearance of Elsie Snuffin, who was apparently sent to Mandyville.
10. This episode marks the final appearance of 'Rob Lowe' as a regular cast member. As a special guest star, Lowe would next appear as Sam Seaborn in "The West Wing" (1999) {Transition (#7.19)} . Although Toby mentions during "The West Wing" (1999) {Inauguration: Part 2 - Over There (#4.15)} that Sam should be promoted to Senior Counselor, this was, according to most media accounts, simply a way to keep the options open in case Lowe decided to stay with the show past his planned exit.

Privateers

1. The entire episode takes place within a day. Bookended by the President waking up and then going to sleep.
2. According to the diploma hanging on her wall, Amy graduated from Yale University.
3. Joshua Malina and Jeff Perry went on to act together in Scandal (2012), another White House drama.
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
5. The country of Kuhndu does not exist.
6. This is the first episode following Rob Lowe's departure due to salary and creative differences with Warner Bros. A new opening credits sequence without Lowe is used from this episode onwards.

Angel Maintenance

1. Josh is met in a WW passageway by Democratic Party leaders who saw him in talks with a Republican representative from Maryland, and they mention the Bartlet re-election is a "lonely landslide." This meant that, while carrying a majority for himself, Bartlet did not enable fellow Democrats to get re-elected as well. Similarly-termed elections: California's Democratic Governor Jerry Brown [1978], Reagan over Mondale [1984].
2. Kuhndu is not a real country.
3. During the final scene, the Air Force One pilot announces that they will eventually land on Runway "Three Niner", or 39, at Andrews Air Force Base. Andrews AFB has parallel runways 1 and 19, L and R; and, since runways are designated based on their compass position at 10 degree intervals, no runway can be greater than 36, which makes Three-Nine non-existent at any airfield.
4. Congressman Landis (Matt McCoy) claims that Chesapeake translates to "Great Shellfish Bay". A more correct translation from Algonquian is "at the great water".
5. At several points during the episode, various characters refer to the jet fighter attempting a visual inspection of Air Force One as an F-16 or Falcon (meaning an F16 Fighting Falcon). However, the plane, when seen through the window by the assembled press pool, is actually an F-15E Strike Eagle.
6. The title refers to the airlift operations code word for Air Force One, the issue with the nose wheel warranting a round of maintenance.
7. The President and Military Advisors clearly state an F-16 Falcon will be doing the flyby to check the wheel, but when the fighter is sighted by the press passengers, it's clearly a F-15 Eagle. (The 16 has a single tail fin, while the 15 has a twin tail fin.)

Evidence of Things Not Seen

1. In The West Wing: 20 Hours in L.A. (2000) at the LA party, Donna walks away from Josh to go stalk Matthew Perry. Matthew Perry appears as Joe Quincy and Donna comments on him being considered cute by most staff. He will also appear in Sorkin's next TV show 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'.
2. Interesting story connection: Will Bailey (Air Force Reserve attorney) is being sent to investigate a case where nuclear missle silo officers failed to launch missles during a perceived threat. John Spencer (Leo McGarry) played a missle silo officer in the 1983 movie "War Games" who had to be threatened by his partner to launch their missiles, but they failed to launch their nuclear missles during a test.
3. When C.J. responds to Toby's question, "Faith?", she quotes the Bible, Hebrews 11:1. This episode's title is also taken from this verse.
4. This episode makes multiple references to the Jewish Passover. Among them is the emphasis on eggs throughout the episode. Eggs are commonly served during the Seder. In one scene CJ refers to gefilte fish and blessing the soup. Gefilte fish and matzah ball soup are also typical elements of the Passover feast. Toby responds to her references by saying, "Suzy Cream Cheese, do not attempt the Haggadah." The Haggadah is a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. During Charlie's conversation with Zoey she challenges His remarks by asking why he would say those things "tonight of all nights." Charlie's response, "Why is tonight different from other nights?" Is a paraphrase of one of the four questions asked during the Seder. The original air date for this episode, April 23, 2003, fell during the Passover that year. Even the title of the episode, which is reflected in one of CJ's lines during the episode, is a quote from the New Testament book of Hebrews, which was written to Jews in the early days of the Christian church.
5. The plot includes someone shooting at the White House on an evening on which the West Wing staff are playing poker. In The West Wing: Mr. Willis of Ohio (1999), a woman with a gun hops the fence and charges the White House, also on an evening when the West Wing staff are playing poker.
6. CJ (Allison Janney) parodies the famous "Four Questions" of the Haggadah ("Why is this night different from all other nights?")
7. Zoey (Elisabeth Moss) said she came back the White House to check on Charlie after the shooting, but she doesn't bother to inquire about her father, who obviously also works in the West Wing.
8. (Lt) Will Bailey (Joshua Malina) is wearing his service blues, along with his service ribbons out of order. The Global War on Terrorism ribbon is on the left of the National Defense Service ribbon. They should be reversed. The Air Force Training ribbon is correctly positioned on the right.
9. Zoey Bartlet (Elisabeth Moss) states her father was Governor of New Hampshire for eight years. A gubernatorial term in New Hampshire lasts only two years, and Bartlet (Martin Sheen) was governor for two terms-four years in total.
10. At the end of the episode, CJ (Allison Janney) notes the time as being midnight, prompting her to test the standing-egg-on-its-end theory. However her own watch reads 7:25.
11. Leo McGarry (John Spencer) says, during the briefing with the President (Martin Sheen), that the Baltic Sea is shared between Germany, Sweden and Finland. It is ALSO shared with Poland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (this three being known as The Baltic States) and Russia.
12. Despite Will (Joshua Malina)'s search efforts, there are a number of pages discussing the Equinox Egg Balancing Myth, which derives from the Chinese New Year tradition of balancing eggs popularized by a 1945 Life magazine article.
13. A running theme in the episode is CJ's buying into an urban legend about being able to stand an egg on end at the exact moment of the spring equinox- a legend about which Toby quips "If even the internet doesn't want a part of this, just how far have you strayed from the path?". At the very end of the episode, CJ- who is sitting all alone at the time as the others have abandoned the card game- manages to stand the egg on its end.
14. In the final scene, as C.J. (Allison Janney) balances the egg, you can see the thin pedestal used to support the egg upright.

Life on Mars

1. When CJ points out that a bird outside the window is obsessed with Donna, Donna says, "I'm like Tippi Hedren around here." On Sports Night (1998), another Aaron Sorkin show, in the episode Sports Night: Intellectual Property (1998), Casey McCall is harassed by a fly in the studio, causing him to say, "I'm like Tippi Hedren in there". Tippi Hedren starred in Alfred Hitchcock 's The Birds (1963) .
2. All of the male staffers sitting at the table in VP Hoynes' office are the same men fired from the Bartlet campaign in "In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen," during the flashback to the Nashua speech.
3. First year law student and White House legal office aide, Blair Spoonhour, tells new White House Council Lawyer, Joe Quincy (Matthew Perry ), that she is twenty-two whereas actress Kiersten Warren who played her was thirty-seven when this aired in 2003; four years older than Perry.
4. (at around 29 min) The White House telephone log pages that CJ looks at contain names of several crew members, including Ellen Totleben, Rita Bellissimo, Blanche Sindelar, Robert Cron, and Ann Kline.
5. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo.(John Spencer).
6. This is one of two episodes where Donna Moss is referred to as Tippi Hedren
7. One of the key plot points is Hoynes (Tim Matheson)' relationship with Helen Baldwin, which is proven with a list of phone calls made by Hoynes. Joe (Matthew Perry) has conveniently highlighted all the instances of Hoynes calling her, and he shows this to CJ. (Allison Janney). We see one page, then Joe turns the page and we see the second page. It is identical to the first page, but with more names highlighted on it.

Commencement

1. In the DVD commentary for this episode, Aaron Sorkin says that during shooting, he found out that Elisabeth Moss (who plays Zoey Bartlet) had never been high on illicit drugs, so Sorkin counseled her on how to play the scene in which Zoey has been drugged by Jean-Paul.
2. In the SitRoom, Leo asks, 'Let's go around the table one more time. Where are we with this? What kind of day has it been?' 'What kind of day has it been?' has been the title of the first season finale for Sorkin's Sports Night, The West Wing, and Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip.
3. The intense soundtrack used in the final scenes is "Angel", by Massive Attack (1998).
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
5. In the limo on the way to the graduation ceremony at Georgetown University, President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) refers to the driver by the nickname "Coop". This was also the name of President Shepherd's limo driver in Aaron Sorkin's first White House drama The American President (1995).
6. In the Situation Room Leo (John Spencer) asks, "What kind of day has it been?" just before Zoey (Elisabeth Moss) is shown arriving at the party. What Kind of Day Has It Been is also the title of the Season 1 finale, which ends with the shooting in Rosslyn.
7. Qumar is a fictional country.
8. At the end of the episode, CJ (Allison Janney) notes the time as being midnight, prompting her to test the standing-egg-on-its-end theory. However her own watch reads 7:25.
9. In the scene where president Bartlet meets is Zoey's new protection detail Ron Butterfield says attack Randy but it's Molly who makes the attack on Wesley
10. In this episode Zoey was kidnapped whilst going to the restroom in a club party. This scenario was depicted by President Bartlet when he was angry at Zoey in Season 1's The West Wing: Mr. Willis of Ohio (1999).

Twenty Five

1. While Toby is in the hospital room with his babies, the television is playing what is supposed to be home movie footage of Zoey as a child with her father. Even though the younger Jed Bartlet in the home movie is only seen very briefly, he is played by one of Martin Sheen's real-life sons, actor and director Emilio Estevez. This is the second time in their careers that Estevez has played a younger version of the same character that Martin Sheen was playing; the first time was in Nightbreaker (1989).
2. Series creator Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme final episode.
3. In the DVD commentary it is mentioned that the show had to deal with 12 - 16 real babies and their mothers for the scene in "25" where Toby has a private conversation with his newborn twins.
4. One of the big sources of dramatic tension through the kidnapping plot is the fact that Walken (John Goodman), a Republican, is acting as the president during a Democrat's administration. But this might be overstating the conflict of how the situation would play out. As the episode correctly depicts, and as stated in the Succession Act of 1947, the Speaker has to resign his office in order to act as president. Or, put another way, his resignation (and the President Pro Tem of the senate, should it get that far) is a qualification for acting as president. Thus, if he doesn't resign, he can't act as president. The President (Martin Sheen), Leo (John Spencer), Josh (Bradley Whitford) and the others could have met with him to discuss next steps, and suggest that he not resign so that the Secretary of State could act as president through the crisis. This is a slight hint of this when Leo asks Walken if he really wants to resign. Since Walken would still outrank Berryhill (William Devane) in terms of succession, he would be able to step in at any time to act as president should Bartlet's self-removal from office become permanent and Walken felt it was his time to step up. Of course, this may have led to a different set of partisan conflicts but that wasn't the thrust of the episode. It's also possible that such as partisan succession split could lead to a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of including Congressional officers in the Succession Act. Further, according to the 25th Amendment and the Succession Act, only the vice president would actually become the president upon the removal or death of the president. Anyone else in that position would merely be acting as president, as in they would be allowed to exercise the powers of the office but not actually hold the title. Later episodes seem to treat Walken as if he really were the president.
5. There is no Saw Mill River Nuclear Reactor in Richland, Washington. The Saw Mill River is in Westchester County, NY. There is a nuclear reactor named the Columbia Generating Station 10 miles north of Richland, Washington, operated by Energy Northwest. Additionally, the Department of Energy's Hanford Nuclear Reservation is also located just north of Richland. There is a Savannah River nuclear facility, but in South Carolina.
6. When several of the members question Bartlet (Martin Sheen) on his decision, the first is Roger Tribbey (Harry Groener), Secretary of Agriculture, who appears in The West Wing: He Shall, from Time to Time... (2000) as the cabinet member who is held out of the State of the Union address.
7. Leo (John Spencer) says Walken (John Goodman) would have to wait until the midterms to run for Congress again. However, congressional vacancies would have to be filed by a special election, which Walken would be eligible to run for and, given the circumstances of his resignation, would likely win. And given the situation was resolved quickly, it's doubtful an election would have been held that quickly. However, Walken returning to Congress is never addressed again in the series. Further, the potential for a quick resolution to the kidnapping and Walken winning a special election would likely cause the majority to delay filling the Speaker's seat again in case Walken wanted it back. The short-term murkiness of the situation is precisely why letting the Secretary of State handle the early parts of the crisis as acting president would have been more prudent, both practically and politically.
8. According to the 25th amendment and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, the Speaker of the House would not truly become President of the United States. He would be known as the "Acting President". In fact, even if the President never resumed his duties the Speaker would never fully become President, but remain as acting president until the next presidential election. While the Speaker is seen taking the oath of office, that is not required by the Constitution or the succession act, either.
9. Martin Sheen, John Spencer and Stockard Channing were all nominated for an Emmy Award for their performances on this episode. Aaron Sorkin was also nominated for writing, though none of them eventually won.
10. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
11. During the roll call vote of the cabinet members, it appears that Secretary of Defense Hutchinson is not the same individual who portrays him later (though the Secretary is supposed to be Hutchinson the entire time) and though he is not seen.
12. Director Christopher Misiano won the Emmy Award for outstanding directing in a Drama Series for this episode, the West Wing's last win in this category during it's run.