The West Wing: Trivia, Questions (Here Be Spoilers)

[Fiderer]

Also admiration and swooning. If you haven't watched all 7 seasons, read no further!

Two Cathedrals - have watched it several times and only just realised last night that Mrs Landingham was driving back to the WH as Bartlet wanted to tell her about the MS.

I love the scenes with young Mrs L and Jed.

Why "two" cathedrals though?

THere are COMMENTARIES?

Fave quotes that are repeated a lot in the Towers aside from OBVIOUSLY tssdncop
"I'm on hold. [paces] I'm on hold. [slams phone against desk] I'm in some kind of hellish hold world of holding."

Also Victory is mine

My piece of trivia
did you know that Rob Lowe, martin sheen and Alison Janney all have the same hometown?

Do you ask for the finest muffins and bagels in all the land when victory is yours, Olivia? You're missing a trick there otherwise.

There are commentaries on

Episode 1.01: ?Pilot?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Thomas Schlamme
Episode 1.10: ?In Excelsis Deo?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Thomas Schlamme Alex Graves
Episode 1.14: ?Take This Sabbath Day?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Thomas Schlamme
Episode 1.15: ?Celestial Navigation?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Thomas Schlamme Christopher Misiano
Episode 1.22: ?What Kind of Day Has It Been?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Thomas Schlamme

Episode 2.01: ?In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (Part 1)?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Thomas Schlamme Bradley Whitford Janel Moloney
Episode 2.02: ?In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (Part 2)?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Thomas Schlamme Martin Sheen
Episode 2.10: ?Noel?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Thomas Schlamme Bradley Whitford
Episode 2.21: ?18th and Potomoc?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Robert Berlinger Kathryn Joosten

Episode 3.03: ?Manchester: Part II?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Thomas Schlamme Allison Janney
Episode 3.10: ?Bartlet for America?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Thomas Schlamme John Spencer
Episode 3.22: ?Posse Comitatus?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Alex Graves Thomas Schlamme

Episode 4.06: ?Game On?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Alex Graves Thomas Schlamme Joshua Malina
Episode 4.22: ?Commencement?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Thomas Schlamme Alex Graves
Episode 4.23: ?Twenty Five?
Commentators: Aaron Sorkin Christopher Misiano Thomas Schlamme

Episode 5.01: ?7A WF 83429?
Commentators: John Wells Alex Graves
Episode 5.02: ?The Dogs of War?
Commentators: John Wells Christopher Misiano
Episode 5.17: ?The Supremes?
Commentators: Alex Graves Jessica Yu Debora Cahn

Episode 6.13: ?King Corn?
Commentators: John Wells Alex Graves
Episode 6.20: ?In God We Trust?
Commentators: Christopher Misiano Lawrence O'Donnell Jr.
Episode 6.22: ?2162 Votes?
Commentators: John Wells Alex Graves.

On the american dvds only. I have been so tempted by getting commentary on Noel and Shadow of Two Gunmen that I've bought secondhand american season 2 - waiting for delivery.

Sorkin commenting on his last episode must be sad.

My bit of trivia - Sorkin said he was going to resolve the kidnapping very differently (although Zoe still found) BUT his plan involved bringing back Sam.

Ooh, that's tempted me out from lurking. How was he going to resolve it?

He said Zoe was to be found in the back of a Muffler shop (which I understand as a mechanic's garage) he had planned it all quite differently.

I couldn't believe Sam could have been back if Sorkin hadn't been gone.

I'm one of the people who definately prefers the banter and interactions of the Sorkin years, although I did find parts of the final season v moving.

What was the mechanism by which Sam would have reappeared?

I suppose the advantage of Sam having 'left' with no explanation is that he could be reinserted into the plot again in a 'oh Sam, there you are' kind of way.

But I don't think Sorkin has ever said much about how he would have done it really, has he? Hopefully he would have come up with a less daft way in which Zoey would be found (drunk woman let out of a car in the middle of nowhere or summat?) or explanation as to why Nancy McNally felt it was an 'absurd' kidnapping when a Secret Service agent had been killed at the scene.

He only said the muffler shop part that I ever read, and that it was meant to be very different from how John Wells decided to do it. (Nancy also did speculate on finding Zoe somewhere like that, didn't she?).

I hope for more illumination from his commentary on the episode with the kidnap, if I ever get hold of it.

I'm sure he had a better longterm plan when he planned to have her kidnapped - agree it was quite daft Tribpot. I always feel like a big chunk has been edited out - the explanation is so vague and its all resolved in a big rush for the end of the episode.

He didn't elaborate on how Sam was to return, sorry Northey! But it would make some sense if Sam felt he should return/ was asked to come back when the whole place was in crisis. The way he left was quite unsatisfying.

Nancy actually said "muffler shop" I think. She thought it was absurd that the plan relied on Zoe going to the loos. Though if the kidnappers had been shadowing her, they'd have known about the party from the grapevine so it's not absurd. Wait and grab, surely?

I'm curious, what sets off the "Victory is mine" chant in MN Towers?

She did - her supposition was in this 'absurd kidnapping' Zoey would turn up in the back of a muffler shop. This was to do with it being a low-tech operation, although still on that basis it's not clear how they managed to bypass the security net, or why Molly didn't call in to say she'd lost Zoey when she went to try and find her. Etc etc.

Yes to low-tech operation. All very iffy, I think I found that transcript site while trying to work out how Zoey was found and gave up trying to figure it out.

Wish they'd more of Nancy in the later seasons, she's another wonderful character and actor.

Also, Molly and the other 2 agents had been added to Zoey's detail, so there must have been a lot more, surely? In the club it looked like there were only those 3. Far better to gloss over it, imo. Bad enough with Jean-Luc/Paul/insert annoying Faux French actor here.

Randomly (the more work I have to do from home the more I post...) Ed and Larry. One of those running gags that never got too much. Don't think I ever figured out who was who

Ed and Larry were fab! As were all the secretaries that, basically, saved the Senior Staff's asses in times of need - Carol, Bonnie, Ginger, even Margaret!

Me neither ! - did we EVER see them apart?

A gloating moment here - who had a more perfect Valentine's night than this - Chinese takeaway, bottle of champagne and three, yes, count them THREE episodes of WW! I have the best DH ever.....l

Tell us which three eps are the Valentine's special, getting!

Greater love hath no man for a woman than that he provideth the food of the Orient, the sparkling wine and at least three episodes of The West Wing.

DH is working away do last night was me, the cat, some left over pasta, topped off with Gok and Big Fat Gypsy Wedding!

The bubble now bursts - it was just the next three in our sequence! Toby fesses up, chairman Farah is assassinated, and Gail has an ice sculpture in her bowl....still, that's' my idea of romance!

what is tssdncop

The Secret Service Does Not Comment On Procedure.

Or: we ain't telling why we do what we do.

lol that will be why I see oliviamn use it a lot

I soo want to be cj.. she is just brilliant with the press...

I saw a programme on Kennedy once that showed, if you used one of those computer generated aging programmes on a picture of JFK, he looked a lot like Martin Sheen!
There's also a lot of suggestion that Bartlet is the President that Americans hope/believe JFK would have been. Though reading up on JFK himself that seems doubtful

Martin Sheen of course famous played Kennedy back in the day (must see if I can get a copy of this at some point!) but I don't think they were particularly similar - Bartlet not being a serial shagger, for one.

I think it was more along the lines that JFK, had he lived, would have turned out a just and true President, as Bartlet was. Sadly hindsight tells us he'd have been too busy getting his rocks off!

tribpot I have that DVD from lovefilm right now we were watching it last night. It's weird, he's very young, but quite good, quite sort of historical rather than dramatic if you know what I mean. Did you see the more recent TV drama?

CaveMum I think Sorkin said that Bartlett was meant to be a kind of mash-up of Kennedy, Carter, and Clinton (but as Tribpot said far less of a serial shagger/non-shagger-but-still-the-other-thing).

Anyway, I have got the opportunity for a bonafide 'victory is mine' because after being made redundant earlier this month, and thinking DD's first shoes would be made from tree bark and string, and she would be raised on gruel, I have just received a job offer, so.....Victory Is Mine...bring me the finest muffins and bagels in all the land....would you please...somebody?

D