The West Wing

Season 5

7A WF 83429

1. After Bartlet resigns the presidency, he and Leo are discussing President Walken's next move. When Bartlet says "So what's Walken going to do, cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war?", he's quoting Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar.
2. Referring to Leo's upcoming meeting, where the Democratic leadership will question Bartlet's handing over of power to Republican Speaker of the House Walken, Josh asks if Toby, Will and Donna are going to the auto-da-fé. According to Wikipedia, "auto-da-fé" has come to refer to burning at the stake for heresy.
3. The title refers to the FBI case number: 7A = Missing Person, WF = Washington Field Office.
4. In this episode we finally learn where the fictional country of Qumar is located. On the map on the Situation room wall, Qumar is shown to be cut out of Iran with a coast line.
5. This episode is the first appearance of the Bartlets' eldest daughter Elizabeth 'Liz" Bartlet Westin. The character is played by the actress Annabeth Gish.
6. Awards and Nominations: Episode was nominated for the 2004 Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Thomas Del Ruth, A.S.C.) Nominated for the 2004 ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Episodic TV Series (Thomas Del Ruth, A.S.C.).
7. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
8. St. Joseph's Catholic Church is located on Capitol Hill.
9. Admiral Fitzwallace (John Amos) says that they will attack terror camps using AGM-88 missiles. The AGM-88, however, is an anti-radiation missile designed to be used against ground-based radar and SAM systems. The more likely weapon to be used would be the land-attack version of the AGM-84.
10. Admiral Fitzwallace (John Amos) mentions the 1986 US bombing of Libya, which suggests a Ronald Reagan Presidency.
11. Both Qumar and the Bahji terrorist cell are fictional.

The Dogs of War

1. The title is based upon a quote from William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar" (Act III, Scene I): "Cry 'Havoc', and let slip the dogs of war".
2. This is the first of three episodes to feature all three of President Bartlet's daughters. The other two are The West Wing: Abu el Banat (2003) and The West Wing: Requiem (2006).
3. Guest star William Devane and Martin Sheen co-starred together in the 1974 Made for TV film The Missiles of October (1974).William Devane is no stranger to White House roles. He also plays the Secretary of Defense in season four of 24 (2001) JFK in The Missiles of October (1974) and the President in Stargate SG-1 (1997) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
4. Qumar is a made-up country.
5. The Bahji terrorist cell is fictional.
6. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
7. The title of this episode is not mentioned in this episode but the one before it, "7A WF 83429." The possibility is high that these two episodes were meant to air back-to-back as the two-parter that they are.
8. The attack took place at 1110 Zulu Time, and the President (Martin Sheen) was informed at 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time. During Daylight Savings Time, Eastern Time is only four hours behind Zulu (Greenwich Mean) Time.
9. President Franklin Pierce was also from New Hampshire.

Jefferson Lives

1. The title refers to a variation of John Adams' reported last words in reference to his contemporary Thomas Jefferson, unaware that Jefferson had also passed several hours earlier. Both men died on July 4, 1826.
2. The actors Martin Sheen, William Devane and Steven Culp have all portrayed a Kennedy in various roles in film and television. Sheen has played both Robert Kennedy, in the made-for-TV movie The Missiles of October (1974), and President John F. Kennedy, in the miniseries Kennedy (1983). Devane portrayed JFK alongside Sheen, in The Missiles of October (1974). Meanwhile Steven Culp played Robert Kennedy in Thirteen Days (2000).
3. When Zoey (Elisabeth Moss) was kidnapped in the last season the date was May 7. We know this from the piece of paper that Charlie (Dulé Hill) had in his wallet for the champagne bottle celebration with her. During this episode she is clearly still suffering from the trauma and C.J. (Allison Janney) is covering her return as if she was found a week or two before. This would be just fine if the episode wasn't based around the Fourth of July which is a whole two months later.
4. H. Richard Greene plays Robert Royce, the Senate Majority Leader. However in a previous episode he played a moderate Republican Representative in the House. It is very unlikely that a moderate Republican would switch over to the Senate and be made the Majority Leader so quickly.
5. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
6. When the staff is discussing the Speaker's list of vice presidential candidates and the political ramifications, Bartlet (Martin Sheen) exclaims, "Come on people, the door is closed!" meaning let's be honest about our motives, because no one else can hear us. But in the next scene the door is open.
7. It is stated in the episode that John Adams' last words were: "Thomas Jefferson lives", when in reality it was "Thomas Jefferson survives".

Han

1. Although Josh Lyman makes a lot of insulting Wisconsin jokes, Bradley Whitford is actually from Wisconsin.
2. The title refers to a Korean cultural concept, as described by Jed Bartlet: "There is no literal English translation. It's a state of mind. Of soul, really. A sadness. A sadness so deep, no tears will come. And yet still there's hope."
3. The piece played by Jai (Tony Lee) to illustrate the feeling of "han" is Frédéric Chopin's Prelude Op. 28 No. 4. After looking up the meaning of the word, the President (Martin Sheen) explains it as "a sadness so deep no tears will come, and yet still there's hope." But this isn't illustrated all that well by this little Chopin Prelude, which actually sounds very much like somebody sobbing openly for two minutes till it mercifully ends, with no hope anywhere.
4. The piano piece played at the end of the episode is Frédéric Chopin's "Revolutionary" Etude, Op. 10 No. 12 in C Minor.
5. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
6. The premise of this episode is untenable, as North Korea and the United States have never had formal diplomatic relations.

Constituency of One

1. The joke Amy tells josh about a guy calling his mother is also used in studio 60 on the sunset strip when Harriet can't tell a joke.
2. There is a color-coded calendar in Gayle's fishbowl in C.J.'s office this episode.
3. Amy (Mary-Louise Parker) tells Josh (Bradley Whitford) a joke about a man who hasn't eaten in 38 days because he was waiting for his mother to call. This joke is also used in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006), another Aaron Sorkin show, where Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson) has trouble remembering the right way to tell the joke.
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).

Disaster Relief

1. Awards and Nominations: Episode was nominated for 2004 WGA Award in Episodic Drama (Alexa Junge, Lauren Schmidt ).
2. Qumar is a made-up country.
3. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Toby (Richard Schiff).
4. On the news broadcast that Josh (Bradley Whitford) and Donna (Janel Moloney) are watching they show an image of the tornado where it is clearly sunny out, although later in the episode it is revealed the tornado occurred at approximately 5:30am when it would have been still dark.
5. Still images from episode 6 show the young Zoey (Elisabeth Moss) in a horseback-riding sequence that seems to have been excised from available recordings.

Separation of Powers

1. Matthew Perry received an Emmy nomination in 2004 for his portrayal here of Joe Quincy.
2. Last appearance of Joe Quincy (Matthew Perry)
3. In both "Separation of Powers" and The West Wing: Shutdown (2003) Martin Sheen, as the President, faces off against Steven Culp, as the Speaker of the House. Both actors have portrayed Attorney General Robert F. "Bobby" Kennedy in the past. Martin Sheen played Kennedy in the TV drama The Missiles of October (1974) and Steven Culp played Kennedy on the big screen in Thirteen Days (2000).
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).

Shutdown

1. During the early part of the shutdown Will is looking for coffee and C.J. tells him to "try Swings at 17th & G." M.E. Swing Company (www.swingscoffee.com) is located at that address and is across the street from the OEOB (Old Executive Office Building, part of the White House complex).
2. On Day 3 of Shutdown, the team are eating pizza in the "war room". CJ (Allison Janney) takes a large bite but in the next scene over her shoulder we see a complete piece of pizza.
3. When Josh (Bradley Whitford) compares Donna (Janel Moloney) to the rookie who played with Wilt Chamberlain, he is referencing a game on November 24, 1960 where Chamberlain set the single game record for rebounds. However, there was no such rookie (or other player) in the game that finished with no points and one rebound that would accurately complete the analogy. Josh did correctly note the correct number of points scored by Chamberlain (34), and Toby (Richard Schiff) correctly noted that Philadelphia lost to Boston that night, 132-129.
4. The coffee shop mentioned by C.J. (Allison Janney), "Swing's [Coffee]," has two locations, one of which is at the corner of 17th and G St.-though it closes at 7:00pm. In fact, most of the businesses around the White House close by 8:00pm.
5. It is mentioned here that the "British Prime-Minister and his wife are coming to dinner" but by events of The West Wing: The Dover Test (2004) the British have changed Prime-Minister to a woman, Maureen Grady.
6. Although this episode and the previous one are not viewed as a two-parter, it picks up where the previous one left off, with the last lines of the previous episode appearing as this episode's first.
7. In both The West Wing: Separation of Powers (2003) and "Shutdown", Martin Sheen, as the President, faces off against Steven Culp, as the Speaker of the House. Both actors have portrayed Attorney General Robert F. "Bobby" Kennedy in the past. Martin Sheen played Kennedy in the TV drama The Missiles of October (1974) and Steven Culp played Kennedy on the big screen in Thirteen Days (2000).
8. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
9. Jed (Martin Sheen) talks about a basketball game between Providence and Notre Dame, but both teams are in the Big East conference where conference matchups rarely occur this early in the season.
10. During the government shutdown of 2013, the Speaker of the House was effectively "held hostage" by the right wing faction of the Republican Party, shutting down the government in an attempt to derail the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
11. Jed (Martin Sheen) replaces the lid on the peanut butter jar and then we see Abbey. When Jed is shown again, the lid is no longer on the jar.

Abu el Banat

1. This is the second of three episodes to feature all three of President Bartlet's daughters. The other two are The West Wing: The Dogs of War (2003) and _Requiem_.
2. CJ's secret service codename is Flamingo, Zoey's is Book Bag, Sam Seaborn's was Princeton, and the President is either Eagle or Liberty (depending on the episode). Bartlet's grandson Gus (in the episode "Abu el Banat") is Tonka.
3. The title refers to an Arabic phrase: The father of daughters, usually referring to a man who has 3 or more daughters and no sons.
4. Elisabeth Moss returns as Jed's daughter Zoey Bartlett. Mark Moses appears as Congressman Richter. Moss and Moses would later work together on Mad Men (2007) as co-workers and occasional lovers Peggy and Duck.
5. This is the second time we see Gus Westin (Michael Krepack), Bartlet (Martin Sheen)'s grandson, but the first time the character gets any real screen time or lines. The first time we see him is in The West Wing: 7A WF 83429 (2003).
6. The Jackson Clarion-Ledger is the primary newspaper in Jackson, MS.
7. The 1st District of New Hampshire is currently represented by Carol Shea-Porter (D), reelected to the House in 2013 - she previously held the seat from 2007-2011. Over the past 100 years, the seat has been held by a Republican more than a Democrat.
8. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
9. President Bartlet mentions the phrase "street gang" while talking to Chief of Staff Leo McGarry. Martin Sheen, who portrays Bartlet, was part of code-named "PBR Street Gang" in his role in Apocalypse Now (1979).

The Stormy Present

1. Aboard Air Force One, a tipsy Toby sings a few lines from the song "Suicide Is Painless", from the theme song from M*A*S*H (1972), only heard in the original film.
2. When Leo says that President Lassiter's funeral will be held at his Presidential Library, Josh says "The one with the fake oval (office)?" In reality, it's not uncommon for a Presidential Library to have an Oval Office replica decorated in the time of that President.
3. The language from former Pres. Lassiter's letter that Jed Bartlet reads at the end is actually based on the narration from the very end of Episode 11 of Jacob Bronowski's 13-part series, "The Ascent of Man." The episode, entitled "Knowledge or Certainty?" deals with what Bronowski saw as the danger of certainty, which he ascribed to those like the leaders of Nazi Germany who followed an ideology, and knowledge, such as that sought by scientists, whom he contended act out of uncertainty and are willing to test their beliefs through experimentation in the real world.Bronowski spoke his closing remarks at the edge of a pond near the Auschwitz crematoria, and remarked that the ashes of four million people, including many members of his family, had been flushed into the pond. His exact words, which he spoke as he walked into the pond, (altered slightly for the Lassiter letter), were, "I owe it as a human being to the many members of my family who died here, to stand here as a survivor and a witness. We have to cure ourselves of the itch for absolute knowledge and power. We have to close the distance between the push-button order and the human act. We have to touch people."
4. This is one of the few episodes of the series that does not feature a "Previously on The West Wing" montage before the teaser.
5. James Cromwell has portrayed a President in several films such as RFK (2002), _W._ and The Sum of All Fears (2002).
6. When the president is visiting the Lincoln Memorial at the end of the episode he appears to be completely alone. Normally, there would be secret service agents not far away.
7. Bellamy Young is in this episode. She later plays the First Lady and then President in Scandal.
8. It was something of a faux pas that the First Lady didn't attend the funeral of a former President with her husband.
9. Josh (Bradley Whitford) went to Yale Law School.
10. Diana Douglas is the mother of actor Michael Douglas with whom Martin Sheen is close friends.
11. Former Acting President Walken (John Goodman) is treated as a former President in this episode. In real life, there have been two Acting Presidents of the United States under the 25th Amendment: George Bush, who was Acting President for a few hours when President Ronald Reagan underwent surgery for colon cancer, and who would later become a "regular" President of the United States; and Dick Cheney, who was Acting President for a few hours twice, each time because President George Bush underwent a colonoscopy. Unlike Walken on the show, Cheney is not usually seen or treated as a former President. However, Walken was Acting President in the middle of an urgent crisis, for a few days rather than a few hours, and made some major decisions during that time.
12. Joshua Malina does not appear in this episode.
13. This is John Goodmann's final credited appearance in the series. He does not appear again - although Walken is mentioned frequently in the race for the Republican nomination, ultimately won by Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda).

The Benign Prerogative

1. The pardon of fictional tribal leader Gabriel Lesseur discussed in the episode is most likely a reference to Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist who was convicted of the murder of two FBI agents during a conflict at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975. His story is recounted in the 1992 documentary, Incident at Oglala.
2. "Grand Rapids Mall" is not a real location in Grand Rapids, MI.
3. The Afro-American is a prominent publication.
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
5. Exterior shots for the mall where Toby meets Joey Lucas are filmed at the Northridge Mall in Northridge, CA

Slow News Day

1. When Toby says "Let thy discontents be they secrets" he's quoting Benjamin Franklin, The rest of the quote is "if the world know them 't will despise thee and increase them."
2. The DVD containing this episode contains three deleted scenes from an excised story line concerning Donna and Ryan's efforts to get new policy announcements from the policy staff. The scenes were removed so that the episode would come in under the required length, but the episode still contains a few references to the plot line.
3. In a conversation between President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and Toby near the beginning of the episode, President Bartlet asks Toby (Richard Schiff) if he's just supposed to "pretend he doesn't know who [Toby] is" if Toby's plan goes awry. Toby responds with "We'll always have Paris", a reference to the 1942 film Casablanca (1942).
4. Kate Burton, who plays senator Brainerd in this episode, went on to play the Vice President in Scandal.
5. When Toby (Richard Schiff) and Gaines (Josef Sommer) exit the Russell Senate office building, it's not the real one, but the Postal Museum near Union Station. The real Russell building is a lot closer to the Capitol, which can be seen far in the distance. The Dubliner restaurant is clearly seen in the close background with the Irish flag flying.
6. Josef Sommer has played the President in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
7. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).

The Warfare of Genghis Khan

1. The nuclear test depicted is similar to a nuclear test conducted in 1979 by an unknown nation. To this day, the country that conducted the test is not known, but Israel is one of the suspects.
2. The NASA officials talk to Josh (Bradley Whitford) about needing to launch soon to take advantage of a gravitational slingshot at Jupiter for the purpose of exploring the Kuiper belt. While not named, the real-life New Horizons mission was facing administration opposition at the time, and likewise had a 2006 launch window to be able to use Jupiter's alignment to reach Pluto and the Kuiper belt. Fitting the theme of this subplot, the New Horizons encounter with Pluto in July 2015 garnered significant positive publicity for NASA, including display of Pluto images in Times Square.
3. Josh (Bradley Whitford) discusses the tragic life of Blind Willie Johnson and his inclusion on the Voyager Golden Record. It is not certain that he was blinded with lye by his stepmother, but that is one theory - biographical details are sketchy.
4. Alex (Christina Chang) tells Josh (Bradley Whitford) that the sky is blue because blue has the shortest wavelength of visible light. That's incorrect - violet has the shortest wavelength.
5. The main plot of this episode closely resembles the Vela Incident, although in the real-life incident the responsible party was never found, nor was it ever confirmed there actually was a detonation.
6. The President (Martin Sheen) mispronounces Hans Bethe's last name. The correct pronunciation is Bay-ta.
7. The Mars Direct described by Alex Moreau (Christina Chang) is a real-life concept for crewed Mars exploration.
8. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Charlie (Dulé Hill).

An Khe

1. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by Leo (John Spencer).
2. The aircraft flown by Leo during the war was a Republic F-105 Thunderchief. This was a 2-seater attack fighter in service during the Vietnam war and referenced by Leo in the season 3 episode "War Crimes" and Season 4 episode "Red Haven's on Fire". In 2-seater aircraft, both civilian and military, both crew members are said to "fly the plane" whether they are the primary pilot or not. In both scenarios, should the primary Pilot become incapacitated, the co-pilot/navigator/Rio/weapons officer is qualified and capable of piloting the aircraft. So Leo stating that he "flew F-105s in the war in Vietnam" was technically accurate.
3. In the Situation Room, the admiral explains that the US pilots rescued by Navy SEALs in North Korea will be flown back to the USS Cowpens in a Sea Stallion helicopter. However, a Sea Stallion is too large to land on a Navy cruiser such as the USS Cowpens.
4. Leo (John Spencer) explains to the president that the Navy SEALs will be jumping from an altitude of 40,000 feet. However, the SEALs are seen on the video in the Situation Room jumping out of the airplane without oxygen masks, which would be necessary at that altitude.
5. The video screen in the Situation Room shows the SEALs jumping out of an MC-130E airplane, but the MC-130E has a service ceiling of 33,000 feet (10 km), which means it wouldn't have been able to drop the SEALs from 40,000 feet (12 km), as Leo (John Spencer) indicated.
6. Leo (John Spencer) says that the US is still at war with North Korea, "we haven't signed an armistice." This is wrong: an armistice is merely an agreement to end hostilities for the time being - like the Korean Armistice Agreement signed in 1953. Leo means that we haven't signed a peace treaty.
7. Over the radio, the SEAL Team Leader indicates to President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) that one of the SEAL rescuers, CAPT Zeretsky, died of hypoxia. However, it is highly unlikely that a Navy O-6 (CAPT) would have participated in a tactical rescue mission.
8. It is unlikely that Leo (John Spencer) would have arrived at Dulles on a flight from Chicago. He would have most likely flown into National Airport.

Full Disclosure

1. Then New York Senator Hillary Clinton wrote an open letter addressed to Josh Lyman after he suggested closing the military base in Fort Drum, New York.
2. The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission was established by Congress in 2005 and submitted its final report to the President in September 2005.
3. When Toby finally sits down with the AFL-CIO union representatives, it is in a room where White House decorative objects have been stored. Leaning up against a shelf unit is the famous official portrait of President John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler, looking down with his arms folded.
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
5. Jay Mohr who plays Taylor Reid, played a similarly hard nosed story first TV reporter in From the Earth to the Moon ('We Interrupt This Programme')

Eppur Si Muove

1. The title of the episode loosely translates to "and yet it moves", and is reportedly what Galileo Galilei said after being forced to recant his claim that the Earth moves around the Sun.
2. During the filming of this episode, PBS also filmed Stockard Channing, Allison Janney, and Lily Tomlin dancing to the song Boogie Woogie Sheep for their special Sesame Street: Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On (2004), which first aired on Sunday April 4, 2004.
3. Cherry Jones has played the President in 24 (2001).
4. Stockard Channing previously featured on Sesame Street in "The Number Painter" sketches.
5. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).

The Supremes

1. Final acting role of Milo O'Shea.
2. The case Mulready and Lang are speaking of is U.S. v Lopez, a landmark Supreme Court case in which the Supreme Court ended 50 years of precedents allowing Congress to federally mandate certain legal standards (including civil rights and federal gun control laws) based on a very liberal interpretation of the Commerce Clause (Article 1, Section 8. Clause 3) of the U.S. Constitution.
3. Senator Pierce describes his nephew as "lean and hungry," a reference to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "Let me have men about me that are fat, sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights. Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look, he thinks too much; such men are dangerous."
4. William Fitchtner, who plays Justice Mulready, is a regular on Mom and plays Alison Janney's significant other, who is a regular on The West Wing.
5. Senator Pierce (Jesse Bradford) describes his nephew as "lean and hungry," a reference to William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "Let me have men about me that are fat, sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights. Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look, he thinks too much; such men are dangerous."
6. Ashland says "let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings", a quote from Shakespeare's Richard II.
7. President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) has nominated 3 Supreme Court justices, including Roberto Mendoza (Edward James Olmos) in "The Short List" from the first season, and Christopher Mulready (William Fichtner) and Evelyn Baker Lang (Glenn Close) in this episode.
8. CJ (Allison Janney) and Pierce (Jesse Bradford) sing "American Pie."
9. Josh (Bradley Whitford) certainly has a jaded view of the Supreme Court. First, he says there are six centrists, two conservatives and Ashland, a liberal. That makes nine jurists, except that one of the conservatives has just died! Second, he seems to have forgotten that Mendoza (Edward James Olmos), confirmed in the first season, was considered a hardline liberal. Either Josh is such a lefty he considers Mendoza a centrist or Mendoza actually compromised his positions and became one, which seems inconsistent with his character as established in the first season.
10. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).

Access

1. Currently the lowest rated episode of the series .
2. This is one of the few West Wing episodes that does not feature a "Previously on the West Wing" montage.
3. The Kenneth C. and Mary Blackburn Foundation and the Samuel Jones Charitable Trust do not exist.
4. In this episode, several characters, who work in the Press Office, are introduced, but never seen again. In addition, during the Senior Staff meeting, several additional people are in Leo's office who are not normally present for that meeting.
5. During the press staff morning meeting one of the televisions in C.J. (Allison Janney)'s office shows a newsreader that appears to skip a frame, indicating that it is taped rather than live.
6. (INFO REVEALED IN FUTURE SEASONS) The end of the episode notes that CJ "remains the only woman to serve two terms as press secretary." This episode was likely completed before the decision was made by producers to put CJ in as the Chief of Staff beginning in the season 6's "Liftoff."
7. The narrator of the show, which is supposedly broadcast after Bartlet (Martin Sheen) leaves office, says CJ (Allison Janney) served two terms as press secretary. The writer didn't know that in season 6 she would be elevated to chief of staff, so it would have been more correct to say she served a term and a half as press secretary.

Talking Points

1. This episode was directed by Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler).
2. The company name JCN is created by advancing one letter of the alphabet from the initials IBM. This is similar to the computer HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), whose name was created by moving each letter in IBM back by one place.
3. Although mentioned as a major media conglomerate, MertMedia does not actually exist.
4. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
5. First appearance by Mary McCormack as Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper. She received guest-star billing for her appearances in season 5, and then was added to the main cast in the opening credits at the beginning of season 6.

No Exit

1. The title is a reference to 'Huis Clos', the 1944 existentialist play by Jean-Paul Sartre, which is most often translated into English as "No Exit". The premise of the episode is similar to the play's - in both works, several people are confined to rooms they are unable to leave and as a result have sometimes painful conversations that they would not otherwise have had. Toby and Will's conversation refers to the play without naming it, and Will repeats its famous line "Hell is other people."
2. There is a "Seaborn For Congress" banner pinned to the cork board behind Will as he talks to Toby. Will replaced Sam Seaborn in Season 4 as Sam ran for Congress.
3. Unlike the majority of West Wing episodes, this episode's title is not spoken outright by a character. "No Exit" is a play written by Jean-Paul Sartre. It was originally published in French under the title "Huis Clos." In the play, three people arrive in Hell and find it to be much like a hotel when they are all put in a room together. Sartre strays away from the conventional ideas that Hell was all about fire and pitchforks. The theme of the play is that Hell is other people. So in the play, as in the episode, the people who are stuck with one another torture each other. Also, Toby (Richard Schiff) and Will (Joshua Malina) actually do discuss Jean-Paul Sartre during their confinement.
4. Tularemia,Francisella tularensis, is known as Pahvant Valley plague, but is better known as Rabbit Fever and is not to be confused with what is generally known as The Plague (the Black Death, killer of 1/3 of Europe), Yersinia pestis, as seems to be implied by the doctor's reference to it in this episode. Its symtoms include fever, lethargy, anorexia, septicimic signs and inflammed lymph nodes that sometimes suppurate - which does look like the bubonic plague. The respiratory signs the doctor mentioned, however, are not associated with Tularemia or Bubonic Plague. Plague used to be said to have the bubonic strain and a respiratory strain (which was a more certain death than the bubonic) but that has since been disproved by analysis of Yersinia pestis. It is now thought to be likely that other illnesses contributed to the dramatic loss of life. Interestingly, in September of 2005 Tularemia was detected on the Mall in Washington, D.C after an anti-war demonstration. No infections were reported, however.
5. This episode uses the classic sitcom convention of locking two people with differences into a room and forcing them to work it out; however, it is used on a much larger scale.
6. Beau billingslea plays Agent Velasquez in this episode he played Agent Cooper in the American president also starring Martin Sheen
7. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).
8. It is unlikely that a secret service agent would park his car in a garage as depicted. Firstly, there are no such open air garages like that in proximity to the White House and secondly, many White House staff park in surface spots surrounding the White House.
9. While locked down with Will, Toby whistles a couple lines from "Sunrise, Sunset" from "Fiddler on the Roof" after Will implied Toby was in the sunset of his political career.

Gaza

1. The line quoted to Donna by the photojournalist is from the song "Same Old Song and Dance" from the 1974 Aerosmith album "Get Your Wings"
2. In this episode, Donna (Janel Moloney) visits the settlement of Kfar Darom. The issue of evacuation arises, and the settlers say that they will never leave it because they believe it's their moral obligation to stay there. In reality, several years later the IDF began evacuating settlers in the settlements surrounding Gaza, and Kfar Darom was the last stand of the settlers, who barricaded themselves in a synagogue in town and refused to be removed from the town. Eventually, the IDF broke the barricade and evacuated the settlers by force.
3. When Josh (Bradley Whitford) is shown on the plane reading his email from Donna (Janel Moloney), the words we hear her say in her voice over do not match up to the words she has already written.
4. Yossi (Zach Cohen), the Israeli border guard soldier Donna (Janel Moloney) speaks with, tells her about two female soldiers who were killed by a terrorist in their barracks. This is in fact a true story. On the morning of the 24th of October 2003, a terrorist acting in the name of Hamas and Islamic Jihad infiltrated the IDF base at Netzarim (near the Gaza strip), and killed two female soldiers in their barracks. Their names were Sgt. Sarit Shnior and Sgt. Adi Osman, both nineteen years old. Also murdered in that incident was Sgt. Alon Avrahami, twenty years old.
5. The uniform worn by the Israeli border guard (Zach Cohen) was accurate rendition of an IDF uniform apart from the head-cap. Soldiers at border passings wear full protective gear - which includes a ceramic bullet-proof protective vest, and a helmet.
6. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).

Memorial Day

1. Martin Sheen did in fact throw the first pitch in each of his several takes filming the first pitch scene, and missed the catcher on some of the takes. One of his missed throws struck the Oriole mascot, and the mascot responded by clapping both "wings" to his side, falling over, and sticking both feet in the air, in imitation of a cartoon bird being hit by a rock. This is especially ironic, in light of the fact that a minor subplot revolves around the President being unable to throw and former President Franklin D. Roosevelt accidentally hitting someone when throwing out the first pitch.
2. Filming the first pitch took place at a real Orioles game in April of that year, against the Toronto Blue Jays. The game had already been delayed over an hour due to rain, and was delayed approximately 20 minutes further by the multiple takes. The spectators were informed of filming minutes before it began, and were asked to cheer in each take as if cheering for the real President. Each take, Martin Sheen was introduced as "the President of the United States."
3. Josh (Bradley Whitford) offers Donna (Janel Moloney) some German chocolate cake at her bedside at the US military hospital in Germany. Ironically, German chocolate cake is not German at all, but rather was invented in Texas.
4. Josh (Bradley Whitford) is told by the doctor that Donna (Janel Moloney) has a pulmonary embolism. Josh is already familiar with this medical term and knows its a blood clot because in the episode The West Wing: In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part II (2000) it is revealed Josh's father died from the same complication.
5. Awards and Nominations:Josh Singer and John Sacret Young were nominated at the 2005 WGA Awards in the category of Episodic Drama for the episode.
6. This is the episode we find out that Bartlet (Martin Sheen) gained 303 electoral votes in the 1998 election.
7. "Previously on the West Wing" spoken by C.J. (Allison Janney).