List of The West Wing episodes

List of episodes of the television series The West Wing, with plot synopses.

(Notation: "Episode SEE" means season S, episode EE.)

Contents

1 Season One 2 Season Two 2.1 Special Episode 1: "Isaac and Ishmael" 3 Season Three 3.1 Special Episode 2: "Documentary Special" 4 Season Four 5 Season Five 6 Season Six

Season One

Episode 101: "Pilot"

• The West Wing goes into a frenzy after President Bartlet is injured in a bicycle accident, Josh makes a controversial comment in a television interview, and Sam unknowingly spends the night with a callgirl.

Episode 102: "Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc"

• Sam jeopardises his bright political future when he decides to pursue a relationship with a callgirl he recently met, while C.J. arbitrates a disagreement between the President and the Vice President, and the President hires a new White House physician.

Episode 103: "A Proportional Response"

• An angry President Bartlet seeks vengeance for downed jet, while Charlie Young applies for a White House job, and C.J. talks reporter Danny Concannon out of writing a story about Sam's relationship with the callgirl.

Episode 104: "Five Votes Down"

• The West Wing staff works around the clock to secure the five votes they need for the passage of a new gun control bill, while the President unintentionally gets his back medications confused, and Leo's wife tells him that she is leaving him.

Episode 105: "The Crackpots and These Women"

• Josh is troubled by a special "nuclear attack" card he receives, the West Wing staff prepare for an important press conference, and President Bartlet tries to make chili for his youngest daughter Zoey.

Episode 106: "Mr. Willis of Ohio"

• West Wing staffers court votes for a new census-taking methodology bill, the President's daughter Zoey has an unfortunate encounter in a Georgetown bar, and Leo tells the President that he's separated from his wife.

Episode 107: "The State Dinner"

• The President tries to focus on key problems—a hostage standoff, a hurricane, and an impending truckers' union strike—all while trying to prepare for an important state dinner with the Indonesian President.

Episode 108: "Enemies"

• C.J. tries to quash rumours that the President and Vice President got into an argument at a cabinet meeting, and Leo's daughter Mallory begins to date Sam, to Leo's dismay.

Episode 109: "The Short List"

• President Bartlet considers candidates for an open seat on the Supreme Court, and a publicity-seeking Congressman accuses the West Wing staff of drug use.

Episode 110: "In Excelsis Deo"

• Amid Christmas preparations, Toby looks into a homeless person's background, while Danny Concannon and C.J. discuss the possibility of a first date.

Episode 111: "Lord John Marbury"

• As a border war between India and Pakistan poses the threat of a nuclear clash, a flamboyant British expert on the matter is summoned to the White House, while Charlie asks the President's permission to date his daughter Zoey.

Episode 112: "He Shall, From Time To Time..."

• Crises abound as the President is found unconscious, the situation in India and Pakistan intensifies, and Leo faces scrunity from the press about his previous drug and alcohol problems.

Episode 113: "Take Out The Trash Day"

• While Bartlet and his staff debate the best way to handle a controversial sex education study, a Congressional committee expands its efforts to expose and condemn Leo's past substance abuse.

Episode 114: "Take This Sabbath Day"

• Bartlet spends the weekend deciding on whether or not to commute the death sentence of a man convicted of drug-related murders. Josh is introduced to Joey Lucas.

Episode 115: "Celestial Navigation"

• While Sam and Toby go to Connecticut to get the President's Supreme Court nominee out of jail, Josh tells a group about a typical day at the White House, which includes a clash between the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and a brash Republican congressman.

Episode 116: "20 Hours In L.A."

• The President and his staff head to Los Angeles for a whirlwind visit and a celebrity fundraiser, and Bartlet meets his daughter Zoey's new Secret Service agent.

Episode 117: "The White House Pro-Am"

• The staffs of the President and First Lady clash, as do Presidential daughter Zoey and Presidential aide Charlie when she suggests they heed Secret Service warnings and not attend a party together.

Episode 118: "Six Meetings Before Lunch"

• An arrest at a frat party attended by the President's daughter could prove explosive, as could the views of a controversial nominee for Assistant Attorney General.

Episode 119: "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet"

• A damaging memo which is critical of the President is discovered, and it is revealed that the author is one of the West Wing staffers.

Episode 120: "Mandatory Minimums"

• The President nominates controversial advocates of campaign finance reform to the Federal Election commission; pollsters Al Kiefer and Joey Lucas return. Toby spars with his ex-wife, Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt.

Episode 121: "Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics"

• The staff anxiously await poll results while potential crises flair, including the possible revelation of Sam's call girl associate.

Episode 122: "What Kind of Day Has It Been?"

• Bartlet hosts a town-hall meeting as the military races to recover a downed U.S. pilot before the Iraqis can capture him, and the space shuttle is plagued by mechanical problems. It is revealed that Toby's brother is on board. As Bartlet and his staff exit the town hall meeting, white supremacist assassins open fire on the crowd below. It is not revealed who is wounded or to what degree, providing the end-of-season cliffhanger.

Season Two

Episode 201: "In The Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part I"

• The Bartlet Administration is in chaos—an assassination attempt has left the White House (not to mention the country) reeling. Who was hit? Was anyone killed? Who did it? And why? The producers won't say. What they will say, though, is that the episode includes flashbacks detailing how the Administration came to be. Oh, and one more thing: there's a downed fighter pilot in Iraq. To handle all the implications of the domestic and international crises, Vice President Hoynes takes the reins.

Episode 202: "In The Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part II"

• All the President's men and women scramble in the chaotic wake of an assassination attempt that leaves some victims fighting for their lives. Meanwhile, as a manhunt continues, the wounded drift in and out of surgery recalling how Bartlet's team came together during the dark months of his longshot primary campaign. Elsewhere, the press department is hounded by the media for details of the shooting while a military crisis looms in Iraq.

Episode 203: "The Midterms"

• In the aftermath of the shooting, the Administration is polling at 81 percent. But those numbers are soft, Sam cautions, and no one disagrees. Moreover, they probably won't hold up for the midterm elections in 12 weeks. Still, Toby wants to use this honeymoon as leverage for a domestic-terrorism initiative. In fact, he's obsessed with it. The President also seems obsessed—with thwarting an old foe who is running for a school-board seat in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Sam enlists an old law-school classmate to run for an open House seat.

Episode 204: "In This White House"

• The West Wing gets a right winger as young Republican lawyer Ainsley Hayes signs on as Associate White House Counsel. She's offered the job at the insistence of the President, after he sees her demolish Sam on a TV talk show. Meanwhile, the President of an AIDS-ravaged African country visits the White House and spars with drug-company executives.

Episode 205: "And It's Surely To Their Credit"

• Ainsley Hayes (Emily Procter) meets her new boss, White House counsel Lionel Tribbey, and receives her first assignment: clean up after two domestic-policy staffers who presented inaccurate testimony before a House committee. Meanwhile, Sam hits upon the idea of Josh suing the hate group whose members shot him; and C.J. stares down a soon-to-retire general who's planning to blast the Administration on TV talk shows.

Episode 206: "The Lame Duck Congress"

• Josh, Toby and Sam want the President to consider calling a lame-duck session of Congress to try to pass a nuclear test-ban treaty, and C.J. leaks news of this to Danny—who initiated the story in the first place by asking if the White House was "considering" calling the session. Meanwhile, Donna goes on the warpath over carpel-tunnel syndrome; Sam and Ainsley (Emily Procter) teach each other a thing or two; and a Ukrainian reformer (Eugene Lazarev) shows up—drunk—at the White House, demanding to see the President.

Episode 207: "The Portland Trip"

• The President is taking a redeye to Portland, Ore., to deliver an education address, and Sam must go with him because he can't get the speech right. Toby must also go, to help Sam, and C.J. has to go, too, because she's being punished for making disparaging remarks about the President's alma mater, Notre Dame. Back at the White House, Josh spars with a gay Republican congressman over a bill on homosexual marriage, and Leo monitors a minor crisis in the Persian Gulf involving an oil tanker.

Episode 208: "Shibboleth"

• A group of Chinese Christians who claim they're the victims of religious persecution are found trying to sneak into the United States, and President Bartlet must decide their fate.

Episode 209: "Galileo"

• Crises come in all shapes and sizes during one hectic day at the White House. The biggest fire to be put out is just that. It is in a Russian missile silo and the Russian government is covering it up ("Your paranoia was a lot sexier when you guys were Communists," Bartlet tells the ambassador). Other crises range from a missing U.S. fighter plane to a news report that the President doesn't like green beans. But through it all, he's looking forward to a satellite hookup with schoolchildren during which they'll examine images from a Martian probe. First, though, he wants C.J. to come up with a "broader theme" for the event.

Episode 210: "Noël"

• It is the Christmas season at the White House but Josh is anything but merry. For one thing, the holiday music that Toby insists fill the halls sounds to Josh as though it belongs in a shopping mall. Beyond that, he's being rude to everyone, even raising his voice to the President, something that just isn't done. So Leo orders therapy. Meanwhile, C.J. takes interest when an elderly woman on a tour of the White House loses her composure at the sight of a painting. And the President decides that he wants to sign all his Christmas cards—well, maybe just 100,000 of them—personally.

Episode 211: "The Leadership Breakfast"

• With Congress reconvening, the White House is planning a "leadership breakfast" to encourage bipartisan cooperation. But first, Toby must meet with Ann Stark, the Senate Majority Leader's new chief of staff, to go over details—and there are plenty of devils in those details. Ann's boss, it appears, has Presidential ambitions. "They're coming after us," Toby tells Leo. Meanwhile, Sam wants to move the press corps to new quarters across the street; and Leo, Sam and Donna embarrass themselves (in turn) in front of an influential columnist.

Episode 212: "The Drop-In"

• Leo tries to convince President Bartlet of the importance of supporting a missile defense plan, while Lord John Marbury is appointed British ambassador to the United States.

Episode 213: "Bartlet's Third State of the Union"

• The President addresses the nation, and a group of DEA agents are taken hostage in Central America.

Episode 214: "The War at Home"

• The crisis over the missing DEA agents in Colombia intensifies, and the fallout from the State of the Union Address isn't so good, either. For starters, a liberal senator is upset about the speech's Social Security suggestions. It doesn't look like the flap over the brutality accusation against the police officer Bartlet cited in the speech is going to go away quickly. And Joey Lucas's polling numbers are discouraging. (Or are they?) Meanwhile, Abbey doesn't like the White House atmosphere.

Episode 215: "Ellie"

• The President is put in a tricky spot when his Surgeon General publicly supports the legalization of marijuana, and his daughter makes a controversial comment to Danny Concannon.

Episode 216: "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail"

• Toby is assigned to speak with a group of obnoxious young people protesting the WTO; A friend of Donna's asks Sam to consider a pardon request for an alleged Cold War spy. Sam, meanwhile, comes to grip with the revelation of his father's infidelity.

Episode 217: "The Stackhouse Filibuster"

• Staffers (most of whom have weekend plans) are blindsided when an elderly senator begins Friday-night filibuster on a bill they had thought was a done deal. Meanwhile, Toby is puzzled when the Vice President, normally a champion of the oil industry, volunteers to attack it for "price gouging". And C.J. fears that the ancient Egyptian cat goddess |Bast has cursed her because she accidentally broke a Bast statuette that had been given to the President on a visit to Cairo.

Episode 218: "17 People"

• Toby puts two and two together and finds out about the President's "thing"—his multiple sclerosis—in this episode. Toby is the 17th person to find out—but only the second to challenge him on it. And he does so forcefully. Also challenging Bartlet is a terrorist threat, and he must decide whether to beef up security at U.S. airports. Meanwhile, Josh and Donna bicker over their "anniversary"; Sam and Ainsley squabble over the ERA; and staffers struggle to punch up a speech the President is set to give at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

Episode 219: "Bad Moon Rising"

• The President decides that he needs an opinion from White House Counsel Oliver Babish on whether his MS cover-up constituted a criminal conspiracy. Babish doesn't sugarcoat his answer. Meanwhile, an oil spill off the Delaware coast hits home to Sam; Josh must deal with a Mexican economic crisis; and Toby's on the rampage because of a press leak about a possible change in the President's position on school vouchers.

Episode 220: "The Fall's Gonna Kill You"

• White House Counsel Oliver Babish menacingly questions C.J. and Abbey about the President's MS cover-up. And Josh enlists Joey Lucas (Marlee Matlin) to take a hush-hush poll on it. Meanwhile, new estimates project a smaller-than-expected budget surplus—and that cheers staffers; and a Chinese satellite has fallen out of its orbit and is hurtling to earth at 2000 mph, and no one's concerned but Donna.

Episode 221: "18th and Potomac"

• With disastrous hypothetical polling numbers from Joey Lucas in hand, staffers prepare to announce the President's condition. But first, both Sam and Oliver Babish question the First Lady about the matter. Meanwhile, a crisis erupts in Haiti; Josh deals with two Democratic senators who are less than enthusiastic about the Government's tobacco-industry suit; and male staffers can't help but give Mrs. Landingham car-buying advice.

Episode 222: "Two Cathedrals"

• As it happens, a tropical storm is bearing down on Washington on the day the President is to disclose that he has MS and has been lying about it for eight years. Bartlet himself is distracted as he attends Mrs. Landingham's funeral, beset with memories of how they met. But the staffers are, as usual, all business as they deal with Congressional Democrats, party officials and network execs. They also must fashion two responses to the question that is certain to be asked first at his prime-time press conference: Will Bartlet seek reelection?

Special Episode 1: "Isaac and Ishmael"

• The White House confronts a crisis not unlike the September 11 terrorist attacks in this stand-alone episode. The White House is "crashed", leaving a group of teens stuck in the mess hall with Josh as other staffers -- and the President and First Lady -- drop in to join the discussion. Meanwhile, Leo and Ron confront a potential threat from within.

Season Three

Episode 301: "Manchester: Part I"

• President Bartlet wastes no time making his intentions clear ("Yeah. And I'm gonna win.") as the third season begins. Not surprisingly, that is the first question at the press conference that follows his MS disclosure. His answer is a surprise to everybody who thought he would not run, from his staff to the Vice President to his wife. But everyone knows that his predicament will make the reelection campaign exceedingly difficult. Adding to Bartlet's problems is Abbey's reaction to his decision, not to mention Haiti's obstreperous dictator, who's giving National Security Advisor Nancy McNally fits. Meanwhile, the White House press corps is making life particularly miserable for C.J.

Episode 302: "Manchester: Part II"

• Nobody's in a good mood as the two-part third-season opener concludes. For starters, senior staffers are clashing with newly hired political operative Bruno, and his aides Connie and Doug. Josh is upset because Leo won't let him "wave off the FDA" on RU-486. And C.J.'s concerned because the press senses that there might be a problem with the Bartlets' marriage. But at least there's good news from Haiti.

Episode 303: "Ways and Means"

• The Special Prosecutor sets his probe in motion, but the White House is unhappy with him: he's not nasty enough. "We need a different enemy," C.J. tells Oliver Babish. Meanwhile, Sam and Bruno are concerned about the loyalty of a powerful California labor leader; Toby and Josh are preoccupied with a congressional battle over the estate tax; the governor of Wyoming is mad because the Interior Department won't put out a forest fire; and Ainsley fixes up Donna with a "hot guy", who happens to be a Republican.

Episode 304: "On the Day Before"

• On a busy night at the White House, the President vetoes the estate-tax repeal (a first for him) and staffers scramble to counter the GOP's override threat. Meanwhile, Josh stares down a Democratic governor who's threatening to challenge Bartlet in the primaries; Charlie has been offered legal immunity in the MS matter and everyone urges him to take it; and C.J. has a difficult time with a local-TV reporter who isn't nearly as smart as she is aggressive.

Episode 305: "War Crimes"

• The President asks the reluctant Vice President (Tim Matheson) to speak at an anti-gun rally in Texas after a church shooting but the uneasy allies have a starkly candid showdown while Donna goes before a Congressional committee investigating Bartlet's lack of disclosure—and she lies to her inquisitor. Elsewhere, Leo debates an old friend and Air Force officer about the United States' future stance regarding the War Crimes Tribunal; C.J. informs Toby that a reporter heard his comment that puts the President in an unfavorable light; and Sam tries to find common sense when a Congressman proposes legislation that would eliminate the penny.

Episode 306: "Gone Quiet"

• When an American spy submarine suddenly goes silent in hostile North Korean waters, an angry President receives advice from the Assistant Secretary of State and must decide whether he should notify the enemy or attempt a risky, secret rescue—while his wife, Abigail, learns that her past malpractice suits might be Bartlet's Achilles heel in his criminal investigation, as she technically broke laws in three states. In other White House action, C.J. is ecstatic over a potential presidential candidate's indecisive public remarks; Toby meets with a representative from an appropriations committee who wants to funnel money away from Congress' controversial funding of avant-garde artists.

Episode 307: "The Indians in the Lobby"

• It is the day before Thanksgiving and the President is talking turkey to whoever will listen (and everyone must). Meanwhile, two Native Americans are encamped in the lobby. They've been stood up by the official who was supposed to meet with them and they aren't about to leave. And C.J. is told to make the problem go away.

Episode 308: "The Women of Qumar"

• It is C.J. vs. the rest of the senior staff—and the President—over whether to make public the possibility of an outbreak of mad-cow disease. C.J. is also up in arms about arms sales to a Persian Gulf state known for its poor treatment of women. Meanwhile, Josh tangles with a women's-group lobbyist over wording in a treaty concerning prostitution; Toby meets with veterans upset about the content of a Smithsonian Pearl Harbor exhibition; and Sam's concerned about a lawsuit against the President involving automobile seatbelts.

Episode 309: "Bartlet for America"

• It is Dec. 23, but no one at the White House is feeling much in the Christmas spirit. Indeed, the most pressing holiday matter is a threat to firebomb black churches in Tennessee on Christmas Eve. As for Leo, he and his new $650-an-hour lawyer are on Capitol Hill, where he's about to testify before the House committee probing the MS matter. The ground to be covered: Bartlet's failure to disclose his condition during his Presidential campaign (the reasons for it are recounted in flashbacks). Also recounted is the story of how Vice President Hoynes joined the ticket.

Episode 310: "H. Con-172"

• Leo defiantly rejects the Congressional Oversight Committee's offer of a public censure of Bartlet that would finally bring an end to the investigation into Bartlet's concealment of his illness and spare Leo of any possible personal repercussions. Meanwhile, Bartlet's staff reacts to an exposé published by a terminated White House photographer. Josh awkwardly schemes to socialize with a women's rights leader, Amy Gardner, whom he finds attractive. Also, Bartlet wants to frame a controversial 1709 map of Palestine that Charlie gave him, but C.J., Toby, and Leo warns the president of the political implications, since the historical map excludes Israel.

Episode 311: "100,000 Airplanes"

• While the White House staff works intensely on Bartlet's crucial State of the Union speech, Bartlet suddenly demands that a passage ambitiously promising a crusade to cure cancer within 10 years be included. Sam is interviewed for a Vanity Fair profile by Lisa Sherborne, who was once his fiancée. Attracted to a prominent women's rights leader, Amy Gardner, Josh tries to persuade her that her burgeoning romance with a Congressman is solely a result of political machinations. Pollster Joey Lucas studies the responses from focus groups to Bartlet's upcoming speech.

Episode 312: "The Two Bartlets"

• Bartlet and his staff ponder whether or not to counter a fast-rising Republican presidential candidate's verbal assault on affirmative action. Josh must postpone his tropical vacation with women's rights advocate Amy Gardner in order to defuse a risky situation in Vieques, Puerto Rico, an area that serves as a U.S. Navy firing range. As he prepares to remove protesters who have put themselves in harm's way on the island, Josh telephones his longtime friend—who is leading the group. Meanwhile, Sam meets with an eccentric politician, Robert Engle, who believes that Ft. Knox is missing a fortune in gold bullion; C.J. defiantly debates Toby over the merits of affirmative action; and Donna asks Josh to intercede and relieve her of pending jury duty.

Episode 313: "Night Five"

• Bartlet consults a psychiatrist, Dr. Stanley Keyworth, for a troubling sleep disorder and receives a sobering personal assessment. C.J. lobbies vigorously to help secure the release of a White House reporter who has been taken hostage while on assignment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Toby risks the wrath of his ex-wife, Congresswoman Andrea "Andy" Wyatt, by writing an inflammatory speech condemning Islamic fanaticism. Sam asks Republican lawyer Ainsley Hayes to review a proposed act that calls for payback of U.S. debt to the United Nations in exchange for special requests. Donna is stunned when she is offered a lucrative job outside the White House.

Episode 314: "Hartsfield's Landing"

• Bartlet engages both Sam and Toby in intricate chess matches that mirror the wily game of brinksmanship that Bartlet is playing with the Chinese, who are conducting war games in the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese threaten real war if Taiwan begins test firing its new U.S.-made Patriot defense missiles. Meanwhile, Josh is nervous about the 42 votes in a remote New Hampshire town's election, which are counted immediately and always predict the winner of that state's primary. Mischievous C.J. tries to upset Charlie by hiding his copy of the President's top-secret daily schedule—prompting a spate of playful tricks.

Episode 315: "Dead Irish Writers"

• As Abbey contemplates the likelihood that her medical license will be taken away the following day, she grumpily attends a big White House party for her birthday. Bartlet receives another visit from decorous British Ambassador Lord John Marbury, who argues against Bartlet's meeting with a murderous Irish terrorist. Meanwhile, Sam meets with Senator Enlow, who is blocking the funding of a controversial scientific project that would cost billions. Donna discovers that the national border near her Minnesota birthplace has been redrawn slightly—making her officially a Canadian. Abbey, C.J. and several of the staff women mischievously hide in a closet to drink and gossip.

Episode 316: "The U.S. Poet Laureate"

• Bartlet makes a disparaging comment about a potential Republican nominee after a television interview, not realizing that he is still being recorded (or did he realize it?). For days, C.J. must control the scandal, and Sam recalls Republican White House legal counsel Ainsley Hayes from vacation to help formulate the administration's official response. Meanwhile, Toby tries to dissuade the newly named U.S. poet laureate, Tabatha Fortis, from publicly objecting to the government's lack of support for a treaty on land mines. Bartlet ponders saving a failing computer company. And Josh is both repulsed and intrigued by the fact that there is a fan-based Web site devoted to him.

Episode 317: "Stirred"

• When a large truck carrying uranium fuel rods crashes in a remote Idaho tunnel, Bartlet's staff prepares for a potential environmental—or terrorist—crisis. Meanwhile, Bartlet's stealthily composed electoral strategy may exclude Vice President John Hoynes from the next campaign. Secretly aware that his fate is in question, Hoynes ponders how to promote one of his favorite bills, one that would provide Internet access to low-income households. Also, Hoynes attends the same Alcoholics Anonymous meeting as Leo. Charlie regrets filing his tax return online, after heeding the meddling Bartlet's advice. At Donna's request, Josh seeks a presidential proclamation honoring the retirement of her favorite teacher, but the task proves more difficult than he first imagined.

Special Episode 2: "Documentary Special"

• "The West Wing" blends drama with reality in this groundbreaking documentary episode that includes interviews with former Presidents and White House figures. Paying tribute to the real-life counterparts of the show's fictional Bartlet administration, the installment features U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, White House staffers David Gergen, Dee Dee Myers and Leon Panetta and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Highlights from the three seasons of "The West Wing" are interspersed throughout.

Episode 318: "Enemies Foreign and Domestic"

• As Sam finalizes the maddening details of Bartlet's upcoming summit with the Russian president, satellite photographs reveal an Iranian nuclear bomb facility built with Russian technology. The discovery could cause major problems with the leaders' meeting. Meanwhile, the outraged C.J. makes a harsh public statement about a group of schoolgirls in Saudi Arabia who were prevented by the religious police from escaping a burning building because they were not dressed properly. C.J. then receives a serious death threat, prompting Bartlet to assign Secret Service protection to her. Charlie seeks the source of a curious encoded letter addressed to Bartlet. And Toby ponders whether or not to allow a controversial Russian journalist, Ludmilla Koss, who has criticized the Russian president, to attend the summit.

Episode 319: "The Black Vera Wang"

• While C.J. (code name: "Flamingo") gets used to being tailed by Special Agent Donovan, the President must deal with a terrorist threat on a military installation. Meanwhile, the networks are threatening to cut coverage of the upcoming conventions; Sam receives a copy of a TV commercial attacking the President; and Josh, back from the Helsinki summit, gives Donna a box of cured moose meat. It turns out to be even more unappetizing that it appears.

Episode 320: "We Killed Yamamoto"

• Bartlet agonizes over whether or not to forfeit the principle of diplomatic immunity for an important Middle Eastern official who is known to be plotting terrorism. However, Admiral Fitzwallace proposes another "option" to deal with the official. Josh debates with his lover, feminist activist Amy Gardner, over a key welfare reform bill. Meanwhile, Bartlet is advised not to attend a fundraiser for a politically sensitive cause. Sam must reject ecologically friendly legislation for the Everglades. C.J. gains new respect for her Secret Service bodyguard, Simon Donovan. And Donna travels to North Dakota to represent the Bartlet administration at a meeting to change the state's name.

Episode 321: "Posse Comitatus"

• In the season finale, Bartlet makes a life-or-death decision regarding a foreign diplomat who is a known terrorist. He ponders the situation during a charity benefit performance of a Shakespeare play about another conflicted leader, Henry VI. At the performance, Bartlet encounters Governor Robert Ritchie, his Republican rival in the upcoming presidential election. Meanwhile, Toby and Sam manipulate the press to discredit Ritchie.

When Josh supports a key welfare reform bill that his lover, feminist activist Amy Gardner, opposes, their personal relationship is threatened. The flirtation between C.J. and her Secret Service bodyguard, Simon Donovan, is limited by their professional relationship. And as the search continues for a replacement for the deceased Mrs. Landingham, Charlie recommends Deborah Fiderer, a former White House secretary who was fired for hiring Charlie.

Season Four

Episode 401: "20 Hours in America: Part I"

• In this expanded "day-in-the-life" episode, it is an especially long day for Toby, Josh and Donna, who are stranded in Indiana when the Presidential motorcade leaves without them after a campaign speech. Back in the West Wing, Sam fills in for Josh as the President's "wide-angle lens," and the President again interviews feisty secretarial candidate Debbie Fiderer. Meanwhile, Abbey creates a firestorm when she calls herself "just a wife and mother"; the Qumaris are making noise about their missing Defense Minister; and the Dow keeps dropping. CJ asks a favor of Charlie, who politely refuses.

Episode 402: "20 Hours in America: Part II"

• The President interviews feisty secretarial candidate Debbie Fiderer for a second time. Again, it doesn't go well. He's also rattled by the tumbling Dow, and takes it out in an odd way on an elderly White House visitor. CJ's press briefing takes an ominous turn as she relays details of a bombing at a college swim meet. Meanwhile, Fitz and Nancy McNally worry about what the Qumaris might know about the Shareef affair. A statement borne out of misdirected anger causes Charlie to make a stunning move and Toby, nearing the end of the daylong Indiana odyssey he's sharing with Josh and Donna, meets a man in a hotel bar who's visiting Notre Dame with his teenage daughter. He's worried about paying for college. "It should be a little easier," he tells Toby. "Just a little easier."

Episode 403: "College Kids"

• Bartlet, concerned about potential liability in the Qumari matter, tells Leo to get him a lawyer. Leo tabs Jordan Kendall, who is understandably wary. And the campaign suffers a setback when a Federal judge rules that Presidential debates must be open to minor-party candidates. It is a ruling that might put Josh in a ticklish position personally, but he and Toby are on top of things professionally: they're back from their Indiana odyssey and with a new plan to help parents pay tuition bills. Meanwhile, Debbie Fiderer is having problems with her security check.

Episode 404: "The Red Mass"

• Liberal third-party candidate Howard Stackhouse is becoming a thorn in Bartlet's side—and Amy Gardner is consulting for him. Elsewhere, the Ritchie camp wants as few debates as possible; Leo meets with the Israeli Foreign Minister about the Shareef matter; a government siege of a house occupied by domestic terrorists is compromised by a sick child in the house; and Josh makes Donna bone up on a self-help guru who has advised Gov. Ritchie.

Episode 405: "Debate Camp"

• As the West Wingers prep for the presidential debates at a North Carolina conference center, a vexing question about a failed attorney-general nomination (amid charges of racial profiling) leads to flashbacks of the administration's first weeks in office.

At that time, Toby's marriage to Rep. Andrea Wyatt was about to end, but now he wants a reconciliation with his ex-wife and Sam and Charlie are helping him in the effort to win her back. Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force weighs in on the Qumari matter; and Joey Lucas reports that the president is likely to lose New Hampshire.

Episode 406: "Game On"

• One day before a debate between Bartlet and his Republican rival, Governor Robert Ritchie (James Brolin), even skeptical Toby must admit that Bartlet is ready. After a debate rehearsal, Toby meets with his ex-wife, Congresswoman Andrea "Andy" Wyatt, who is advising on the campaign. Toby also tells C.J. that Albie Duncan, a rather old, slightly crazy Republican, will help Bartlet deal with the aftermath of the debate. Later, the staff joyously watches Bartlet trounce Ritchie in the debate. Meanwhile, Leo and attorney Jordon Kendall negotiate a peaceful settlement to the escalating Qumar-Israel conflict. And Sam attempts to persuade an idealistic campaign manager, Will Bailey, to remove a recently deceased Democratic candidate from the Presidential ballot.

Episode 407: "Election Night"

• On Election Day, Bartlet and his staff begin counting exit poll votes across the country. In a conservative California congressional district, the results have important implications for Sam and a maverick Democratic campaign manager, Will Bailey. Meanwhile, Donna meets an intriguing Navy Lieutenant Commander, Jack Reese, who has been transferred to the White House as Deputy Military Aide.

Episode 408: "Process Stories"

• It is election night, and Bartlet isn't the only winner. Horton Wilde won his House race in Orange County, Cal., which puts Sam in a delicate position, especially since someone leaked his promise to Wilde's widow. And Andy Wyatt won her House race in Maryland (with 85 percent of the vote), but Toby's still worried about how her pregnancy will play politically. Meanwhile, a coup is developing in Venezuela, and it is the first night in the situation room for Cdr. Jack Reese, the gallant Ritchie supporter who swapped votes with Donna.

Episode 409: "Swiss Diplomacy"

• The election's barely over but Hoynes is already maneuvering for the next one, and the Senate minority leader, a likely candidate himself, is crying foul and threatening to thwart the president's legislative agenda. Meanwhile, the 15-year-old son of an Iranian leader needs a heart-lung transplant, and can get it only in the U.S. But the politics of it are as complicated as the surgery. And Toby tries to repay a Congresswoman who "walked a plank" for the president by proposing a gasoline-tax hike, and paid for it at the polls.

Episode 410: "Arctic Radar"

• Sam heads out to California to begin his campaign, leaving Toby in need of speechwriting help. Sam's suggestion: Will Bailey. Meanwhile, a celebrated female fighter pilot is about to be dishonorably discharged after having been caught having an affair, and women's groups (not to mention the women in the White House men's lives) want the president to do something about it. And Donna asks Josh to find out if Cdr. Jack Reese likes her.

Episode 411: "Holy Night"

• It is two days before Christmas and who should appear but reporter Danny Concannon. He's dressed as St. Nick, but isn't spreading good cheer. Also showing up at the White House is Toby's father (Toby isn't exactly pleased to see him); Bartlet's daughter Zoey, who's accompanied by her French boyfriend (Charlie isn't pleased to see him); and psychiatrist Stanley Keyworth, to whom both Bartlet and Leo complain about concentration lapses. Meanwhile, the president decides to rip up the HHS budget just before it is due at the printer's. That'll mean a lot of work over the holidays.

Episode 412: "Guns Not Butter"

• On the administration's agenda: a foreign-aid bill. However, Senate Republicans—and some Democrats—have other ideas. And it is up to Josh to get the vote to come out right. So he sends Donna in search of one freshman senator who doesn't seem to want to be found. Then there's the fence-sitter who'll vote the administration's way if it will agree to fund a medical study on the efficacy of prayer. Meanwhile, Danny Concannon is getting closer to the truth in the Sharif affair; and Charlie wants to help a female soldier whose family needs food stamps.

Episode 413: "The Long Goodbye"

• C.J. goes home to Dayton—and finds herself in the middle of an achingly sad family crisis—in this poignant change-of-pace episode.

She's making the trip to speak at her 20th high-school reunion, but when she arrives at her father's house she discovers that his new wife (her old English teacher) has left him. That is troublesome enough, but the fact that her father has Alzheimer's makes it almost unbearably heartbreaking. C.J. does find a soulmate at Dayton's airport, though: a classmate named Marco, who was a punk rocker in high school and now repairs watches.

Episode 414: "Inauguration: Part I"

• In the week before Bartlet's second inauguration, an escalating genocide in a remote African country prompts him to consider "a new doctrine for the use of force." (Toby terms it "Mother Theresa with first-strike capabilities.") Not surprisingly, this idea doesn't meet with universal approval, even in the West Wing. Meanwhile, Danny's digging on the Sharif matter is getting on C.J.'s nerves; and Charlie's having difficulty finding a Bible for Bartlet to use at the inauguration.

Episode 415: "Inauguration: Over There"

• Will Bailey's work on the inaugural address makes quite an impression (as does the foreign-policy doctrine it espouses), and Danny Concannon's reporting makes quite a splash. Meanwhile, Charlie's luck in finding a Bible for Bartlet's swearing-in isn't improving.

Episode 416: "The California 47th"

• While U.S. troops intervene in an African country's genocide, the President flies to California to campaign for Sam. Unfortunately for the White House (and Sam), Congressional Republicans have just announced a tax-cut proposal. The Administration's response: a plan that would raise taxes for the rich, which no one on the White House staff wants the President to talk about in Sam's affluent Orange County district. And that is just problem No. 1. As Bartlet puts it: "Every time we come to California we're absolutely the Clampetts."

Episode 417: "Red Haven's on Fire"

• The hostage crisis in Africa has cut short the president's California trip, though Toby remains in Orange County to manage Sam's faltering congressional campaign. Meanwhile, Josh stiffs the First Lady on a budget request involving immunization education, so she takes his advice and hires a "professional" chief of staff. And Will Bailey, under the gun to produce speeches fast on the White House tax proposal, is terrorizing the interns assigned to him.

Episode 418: "Privateers"

• It is Amy's first day as Abbey's chief of staff and she has quite a challenge: get the President to veto his own foreign-aid bill. (The Senate has inserted an antiabortion rider in it.) In environmental news, a college friend of Toby's has an ethical problem involving the EPA; and a glacier in Alaska has melted, causing 14 flood deaths. And there's a social note: Zoey is to be installed into the DAR at a White House fete. But Abbey's membership is being challenged because, it seems, her "qualifying" ancestor was a pirate ("a privateer, actually," as C.J. puts it).

Episode 419: "Angel Maintenance"

• At the end of an 18 hour return trip home from Manila, just as Air Force One is about to begin its descent into Andrews Air Force Base, a cockpit indicator light leads the crew to believe that the landing gear might not be locked down and so the plane stays in the air while the problem can be looked at. Tensions in the plane and on the ground grow as people become more and more concerned that the plane may have been tampered with.

Episode 420: "Evidence of Things Not Seen"

• Matthew Perry shows a serious side as he begins a two-episode stint as a White House job seeker. The Friends costar plays Joe Quincy, a lawyer applying for Ainsley Hayes' old job in the counsel's office. Joe couldn't have picked a more eventful day for his interview: A shooting in the press briefing room has led to a "lockdown," but he's already in the building, so his interview with Josh proceeds as scheduled. And it goes well enough, but Josh can't help thinking that something's not quite right about this guy. Meanwhile, poker night goes on despite the lockdown, but the president keeps getting interrupted; a spy plane has been shot down over Russia.

Episode 421: "Life On Mars"

• A seemingly benign press leak begins a journey that lasts for a day and a night and ends with the discovery of a scandal affecting the uppermost levels of the administration. What the staff doesn't yet know is this is merely the beginning of a chain reaction—and things are about to get considerably worse. Matthew Perry appears as Joe Quincy, a newly hired White House attorney who has the bad luck of finding the problem.

Episode 422: "Commencement"

• The U.S. is in a heightened state of alert because suspected terrorists have gone missing. Meanwhile, Bartlet struggles with the message that he wants to convey to his youngest daughter, Zoey's, graduating class at Georgetown University. C.J. must stop reporter Danny Concanon from filing a story. And Charlie decides whether or not to keep a romantic promise he made to Zoey when they were dating. Taye Diggs appears as the new head of Zoey's Secret Service detail.

Episode 423: "Twenty Five"

• As the series' fourth-season finale begins, Zoey has just been abducted from the nightclub in Georgetown where she and Jean-Paul had been celebrating her graduation. Of course, the White House goes into crisis mode, fearing that the kidnapping is the work of terrorists. "Certainly it is easy to imagine how this escalates to a military situation," is the way one TV commentator puts it. And the Father-in-Chief fears he might do something impulsive. In other parental news, Andy has given birth to a boy and a girl. Typically, Toby's morose. The kidnapping compounds it, but, primarily, he's afraid he won't love his children "as much as other fathers love theirs."

Season Five

Episode 501: "7A WF 83429"

• As the fifth season opens, it is seven hours after Zoey Bartlet's kidnapping and the President has temporarily relinquished his office to Republican House Speaker Glenallen Walken, who reviews military options upon receiving a ransom note demanding the release of Pakistani terrorists and a pullout of U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia and Qumar. Meanwhile, Danny Concannon tells C.J. he's going to post his story on the Shareef assassination; and the Democratic congressional leadership is unhappy with Bartlet's handover (as is Josh). Also unhappy with the President is his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, who has arrived at the White House with her husband and two children.

Episode 502: "The Dogs of War"

• As the Zoey Bartlet kidnapping crisis enters its second day, Acting President Walken bombs terrorist training camps in Qumar. Meanwhile, Josh is certain that Walken's aides are plotting to ram their conservative agenda through Congress. Josh must also contend with an unwanted new intern, a freshly minted Harvard grad from an established political family named Ryan Pierce. And Will and Toby struggle to write two speeches for Bartlet to deliver once the crisis is resolved.

Episode 503: "Jefferson Lives"

• With Bartlet back in the Oval Office attention is turned to the choice for a new vice president. The ideal choice: Secretary of State Lewis Berryhill, but the new house speaker has his own ideas. Gary Cole joins the cast as "Bingo Bob" Russell, a folksy Colorado representative who's on a short list (not the president's). Upstairs at the White House, meanwhile, the residence is not a happy home in the wake of Zoey's kidnapping. Says Abbey: "I blame Jed."

Episode 504: "Han"

• A renowned North Korean pianist is greeted at the White House for a solo performance, but the formalities change when the musician slips a message to the President stating that he wants to defect. Despite C.J.'s passionate argument, others counsel Bartlet that granting the defection would endanger crucial ongoing negotiations with the nation. Also, members of the staff work hard to get the President's new choice for Vice President, Colorado Congressman Robert Russell, unanimously approved by both houses of Congress—but there's one holdout whose "nay" vote could embarrass everyone.

Episode 505: "Constituency of One"

• After Josh is hailed as the "101st Senator" in a newspaper profile, he clashes with conservative Senator Carrick, a Democrat from Idaho. Carrick withholds his approval of a backlog of military promotions so he can secure an expensive but faulty missile launcher to be built in his home state. Will gets a flattering offer from the newly approved Vice President, Robert Russell, while C.J. runs afoul of Leo's temper when she deviates from the administration's scripted line regarding an Environmental Protection Agency report on coal-based energy. Likewise, Amy earns the President's wrath when she aggressively pushes for funding of the first lady's agenda on violence prevention. Meanwhile, Toby creates a message calendar to maintain focus during Bartlet's second term.

Episode 506: "Disaster Relief"

• A national emergency is declared by Bartlet in light of a killer tornado in Oklahoma that then preoccupies him. He flies there to lend his support. But his compassion overrules good judgment, and Bartlet stays longer than planned. Meanwhile, Leo worries about several crises in the capital that need the president's immediate attention. Josh fears the worst after a political miscalculation costs the Democrats dearly. And Donna becomes concerned about Josh's welfare after he becomes Washington's latest target of scorn.

Episode 507: "Separation of Powers"

• Matthew Perry returns as deputy counsel Joe Quincy, a former clerk to the chief justice of the Supreme Court, who's tabbed by Toby to try to persuade the aging jurist to retire following a collapse. Meanwhile, Josh is on the sidelines as budget negotiations with Congressional Republican leaders reach a critical stage; and C.J.'s worried about Zoey's impending TV interview.

Episode 508: "Shutdown"

• A disastrous fiscal crisis looms when the federal government is shut down after the President and the powerful Republican Speaker of the House disagree over an extra two percent in budget reductions that would trim many of Bartlet's key social programs. Opinion polls reveal that the public blames the Democrats for the impasse. As Leo, Josh and Toby send the staff home, the trio remains uneasy as the President refuses to compromise—until he hatches a bold plan to personally and publicly challenge the Republicans in the halls of the Capitol. Meanwhile, Abbey suddenly reappears from her self-imposed exile for a State dinner that she might have to cook herself.

Episode 509: "Abu el Banat"

• As the entire Bartlet clan gathers for the White House Christmas tree lighting ceremony (though Ellie's late, as usual), Christian missionaries are arrested in Sudan for proselytizing. Meanwhile, the DEA has suspended the license of a doctor who assisted with the suicide of a terminally ill patient in Oregon (where it is legal), and Bartlet's attorney general is siding with the DEA; and Bartlet's son-in-law, Doug Westin, has decided to run for Congress. He won't get White House backing.

Episode 510: "The Stormy Present"

• When a former President of the United States dies, the two remaining ex-Presidents fly on Air Force One with Bartlet to attend the funeral. Onboard, Bartlet's two historic guests partake in a lively debate about their administrations. Their past mistakes haunt the current administration including a recent event—protestors have surrounded a Saudi Oil headquarters, taking 200 hostages, including 50 Americans. Meanwhile, C.J. investigates government experiments on mind control. Leo discovers his ex-wife is engaged to be married. And Josh referees a debate concerning an original copy of the Bill of Rights.

Episode 511: "The Benign Prerogative"

• Toby finishes the State of the Union Address a few weeks early, and a pregnant Joey Lucas polls responses to the speech from everyday people. Charlie is intrigued by Meeshell Anders, an aspiring female journalist with a secret. Abbey pressures her husband to pardon a Native American tribal leader convicted of killing two FBI agents in North Dakota. Bartlet opposes minimums and guidelines for prison sentences and pardons over 30 inmates. And Toby hires a new assistant, Rena.

Episode 512: "Slow News Day"

• Toby convinces Bartlet to secretly sanction his solo attempt to make history by reforming Social Security, but Toby's efforts to recruit a Republican senator and a Democratic cohort are publicly divulged—forcing the administration to back down while Josh and Leo are left clueless and furious. Meanwhile, an equally unaware C.J. parries with a reporter who is ready to print all the backstage details. Also, the female staffers complain to Josh about a new employee—a mysterious, seductively dressed woman assigned to Toby.

Episode 513: "The Warfare of Genghis Khan"

• When the flash of a secret nuclear detonation is detected over the Indian Ocean, Bartlet calls upon his people to investigate which nation now has the atomic bomb—and since conventional thinking favors Iran, Bartlet orders bombers into the air to destroy that nation's most likely uranium-enriched targets. Meanwhile, Josh chides NASA personnel on the future of space exploration—until he is introduced to an attractive female administrator. C.J. fumes when a combative television talk-show host, Taylor Reid, denigrates her on the air, and Will discloses to Vice President Russell that Russell is considered a buffoon by the White House staff. However, it is Russell who's smarts come to keep the President from bombing the wrong country. In light of the international situation, Toby wonders why they don't utilize the U.N. in times like this.

Episode 514: "An Khe"

• When five crew members of an airborne Thunderchief are shot down by North Korean jets near the hostile country, President Bartlet dispatches a Navy SEAL team to retrieve them—prompting Leo to recall his own harrowing experience when he was downed as a pilot over North Vietnam. Leo's good friend and fellow flyer saved Leo's life and now is in trouble for allegedly paying bribes to defense contractors to obtain military contracts. Meanwhile, C.J. accepts the challenge of dueling on live television with an opinionated, conservative talk show host, Taylor Reid. Josh fumes when he briefs the President about a contested tax cut for stay-at-home mothers and is undercut by brash, young intern Ryan. And the commander in chief balks at posing for his official portrait.

Episode 515: "Full Disclosure"

• John Hoynes is back in the news—in a magazine article in which he says that Bartlet and Leo tried to talk him out of resigning after his sex scandal broke. The White House contemplates how to respond to allegations that misquote Bartlet and Leo, characterizing them as simply wanting to help him "beat the rap". This is political dynamite, and C.J. learns of it from pugnacious cable talker Taylor Reid—on Reid's live show. Meanwhile, Toby spars with union representatives over Chinese trade policy; Josh reluctantly leaves a meeting on military-base closings to the tender mercies of Ryan Pierce; and the mayor of Washington, D.C., decides that he wants a school-voucher pilot program that congressional Republicans are trying to force on him.

Episode 516: "Eppur Si Muove"

• Bartlet becomes furious when a rival conservative congresswoman tries to end funding for a controversial National Institutes of Health medical study by exposing the fact that Bartlet's daughter Ellie is working at the institute as a scientist. As Toby searches for the internal White House leak that led to Ellie's press scrutiny, Josh tries to convince an old college friend to remain in contention as a judge on the 6th Circuit Federal Court—even though his confirmation has been blocked for the past 12 months. Meanwhile, C.J. urges Abbey to increase her public profile as the First Lady and a working doctor. Part of C.J.'s plan includes educating children about medicine via a public service announcement with Abbey and characters from the children's show Sesame Street, Big Bird, Elmo, Rosita and Zoe.

Episode 517: "The Supremes"

• The last time Glenn Close did a TV guest spot, in 2002, she played a manic photographer on Will & Grace. Here, she's more dignified—she's a federal judge whom Josh is pushing for the Supreme Court. Trouble is, she's too liberal to be confirmed (and she has a skeleton in her closet that can be described as poetically just). Meanwhile, Andy Wyatt is joining a congressional fact-finding mission to the Middle East that troubles the White House. Other guests include Milo O'Shea (as the chief justice) and Robert Picardo (another prospective nominee).

Episode 518: "Access"

• Producing a program on past and present White House press secretaries, a television documentary crew follows C.J. around to film a "typical" day. But the presence of outsiders adds stress when a crisis involving a terrorist shootout with the FBI has a smiling C.J. trying to keep the story a secret. Meanwhile, C.J. supervises her team in preparation for a formal papal visit with Bartlet and dodges difficult questions about the imminent future of the current FBI director.

Episode 519: "Talking Points"

• On the eve of the President's controversial trade summit meeting in Brussels, Josh is troubled when he learns that Bartlet will reverse his position about sacrificing American jobs to foreign lands. C.J. is frustrated with a new Federal Communications Commission ruling allowing multimedia companies increased ownership of TV stations. Meanwhile, the administration tries to downplay job-loss statistics, and Donna tells Josh about her dissatisfaction with her limited role on his staff. In the midst of it all, Bartlet meets Kate Harper, the brash, new deputy national security advisor.

Episode 520: "No Exit"

• Resentments fester when the White House is locked down after a suspicious substance is found in the air near the Oval Office. Staffers must remain where they are—and with whomever they're with. This is particularly bad news for Toby and Will, whose already-unraveling relationship is spiraling downward ever faster in the wake of a Russell speech (written by Will) that Toby feels undercut Bartlet. Meanwhile, C.J. has some career advice for Donna; Leo and Abbey spar over health issues, personal and political; and Josh gets to know new NSC staffer Kate Harper. And it is off to the showers for the President, Charlie and Debbie Fiderer, on the orders of no-nonsense guys in HAZMAT suits.

Episode 521: "Gaza"

• A fact-finding tour to the hotly disputed Gaza Strip includes Donna, Admiral Fitzwallace and a few members of congress as they sort through the thicket of rival issues between the Palestinians and Israelis—but the killing fields soon claim some of the delegation when a deadly bomb shatters their vehicle and has the President considering targets for military action. In flashbacks, Donna is attracted to a dashing British photojournalist who opens her eyes to his graphic world of recording mankind's most heinous acts of violence.

Episode 522: "Memorial Day"

• In the season finale, Gaza slayings of key U.S. officials might drag fuming President into unending cycle of violence—In the season finalé, events in the tinderbox Gaza Strip spin out of control after the murders of high-ranking U.S. officials as the angry President weighs approrpiate military action—even as Israel launches its own strikes and surrounds the Palestinian chairman, prompting more retaliatory terrorism. The dangers are compounded when Bartlet suddenly cannot communicate with the chairman and a strange undertow of intrigue finds a wary Josh meeting with a mysterious foreign operative while tending to Donna in Germany. Meanwhile, Bartlet dons a bulletproof vest and practices his sluggish fastball when he's called to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a game in Baltimore.

Season Six

The following episode summaries after Episode 605 are based on information gleaned from various West Wing fan sites, but are believed to be correct.

Episode 601: "N.S.F. Thurmont"

• The President learns that 82% of the American people, almost all of Congress, Vice President Bob Russell, Secretary of Defense Miles Hutchinson, the Joint Chiefs, and all of his staff besides C.J. Cregg and Kate Harper want him to launch retaliatory military strikes immediately. Meanwhile, he tries to arrange peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians at Naval Support Facility Thurmont, commonly known as Camp David, the President's retreat in Maryland. Finally, he strikes one of three suggested targets and readies for peace talks. Broadcast October 20, 2004

Episode 602: "The Birnam Woods"

• Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at Camp David result in a momentous peace accord. President Bartlet fires White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, who was strongly against the talks. Moments later, Leo suffers a massive heart attack.
  • "The Birnam Woods" is believed to be a reference to the warning given to Macbeth in the Shakespeare play of the same name, in which he is warned that "Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until / Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill / Shall come against him.". Broadcast October 27, 2004

Episode 603: "Third-Day Story"

• The senior staff clash with Congressional leaders on how to fund U.S. peacekeepers destined for the Middle East following the peace accord signed by Israel and the Palestinians. As Leo McGarry recovers from his heart attack, the Cabinet secretaries and senior staff members continually make missteps without a Chief of Staff. Bartlet eventually asks C.J. to become the new Chief of Staff. Broadcast November 3, 2004

Episode 604: "The Liftoff"

• C.J. Cregg begins her tenure as White House Chief of Staff, as Toby and Donna begin searching for a new Press Secretary. The Republic of Georgia offers to give the United States its stockpile of weapons-grade uranium. Josh meets with Representative Matthew Santos of Texas, who is retiring from Congress despite having only recently been elected to his seat. Santos will become a recurring character this season, as he begins a campaign for the Presidency. Broadcast November 10, 2004

Episode 605: "The Hubbert Peak"

• Josh crashes an SUV into a hybrid vehicle, causing a public relations disaster. He meets with environmental supporters who berate the White House for doing too little to beef up laws in this area, including raising fuel emissions standards; Josh points out that they have had seven years of a hostile Congress.
• Broadcast November 17, 2004.

Episode 606: "The Dover Test"

• Santos gets friendly with Republicans over a Patients' Bill of Rights, and the first American soldier dies in the Gaza peacekeeping mission.
• Broadcast November 24, 2004.'

Episode 607: "A Change Is Gonna Come"

• While preparing the upcoming China summit, the Chinese are insulted by President Bartlet's acceptance of a Taiwanese independence movement flag at a prayer breakfast. Meanwhile, former Vice-President John Hoynes asks Josh to run his presidential campaign,
• Broadcast December 1, 2004.

Episode 608: "In the Room"

• At Zoey Bartlet's birthday party, magicians Penn and Teller appear to burn an American flag in the White House, prompting a publicity nightmare. Aboard Air Force One, Bartlet is stricken by a paralyzing MS episode, while Josh is approached to run the Vice President's presidential campaign.
• Broadcast December 8, 2004.

Episode 609: "Impact Winter"

• In China, an impaired Bartlet is having trouble sitting through meetings following his MS attack. In Washington, a NASA functionary warns that an asteroid could strike Earth, while Josh wonders who should be the next guy to occupy the Oval Office and puts off a talk with Donna about her future.
• Broadcast December 15, 2004.

Episode 610: "Faith Based Initiative"

• A senator attaches a rider to the federal budget bill that would ban gay marriage, almost daring the President to veto it. The Internet is rampant with a story that questions CJ's sexual orientation, and it is only fueled further when the White House refuses to dignify the allegations by putting out a statement. Donna joins the Vice President's campaign staff and heads for New Hampshire, while Santos decides that he will run for president if Josh will run his campaign.
• Broadcast January 5, 2005.

Episode 611: "Opposition Research"

• Santos starts up his presidential campaign in New Hampshire, where he and Josh immediately disagree on campaign philosophy, and Josh has a reunion with Russell campaign staffer Donna.
• Broadcast January 12, 2005.

Episode 612: "365 Days"

• On the day after Bartlet gives his last State of the Union address, Leo returns to the West Wing figuring out what to do during the remaining 365 days of Barlet's term.
• Broadcast January 19, 2005.

Episode 613: "King Corn"

• The presidential candidates journey to Iowa, where Democrats Russell and Santos, and Republican Vinick, are all told by their handlers that when they appear before the corn growers association they must support subsidies for ethanol as fuel, regardless of their true feelings.
• Broadcast January 26, 2005.

Episode 614: "Wake Up Call"

• When a British passenger aircraft is accidentally shot down over Iran, causing an international crisis, C.J. battles with the First Lady over the how much to let Bartlett's MS affect his schedule; Toby and constitutional scholar Lawrence Lessig work with Georgian diplomats on a new constitution.
• Broadcast February 9, 2005.

Episode 615: "Fredonia"

• It is five days before the New Hampshire primary, and Josh is desperately trying to find a "silver bullet" that will get his candidate into the local debate between front-runners Russell and Hoynes. Then, Josh and Santos's disagreements over how to run the campaign come to a head when Santos hires Josh's ex-girlfriend Amy Gardner to help him prepare for the debate.
• Broadcast February 16, 2005.

Episode 616: "Drought Conditions"

• Senator Rafferty, a new presidential candidate garnered much media attention with a ground-breaking speech about health care. But her words contain interesting echoes of President Bartlet's original health plan known only to White House insiders. Meanwhile, Toby is more than usually morose after the death of his brother while C.J. is having problems dealing with lobbyist Clifford Calley.
• Broadcast February 23, 2005.

Episode 617: "A Good Day"

• Broadcast March 2, 2005.

Episode 618: "La Palabra"

• As Super Tuesday apporaches, the three Democratic nominees battle it out to win California as the state legislature passes a contorversial anti-immigrant bill.
• Broadcast March 9, 2005.

Episode 619: "Ninety Miles Away"

• Broadcast March 16, 2005.

Episode 620: "In God We Trust"

• Broadcast March 23, 2005.

Episode 621: "Things Fall Apart"

• Broadcast March 30, 2005.

Episode 622: "2,162 Votes"

• Broadcast April 6, 2005.ja:ザ・ホワイトハウスのエピソード一覧