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Original poster

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

938 replies

Fiderer · 05/02/2012 07:21

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?

OP posts:
Hassled · 20/02/2012 20:29

OK - google image of the actors' names tell me that the Asian one is Ed. Taller goofy looking one is Larry. Phew.

MNHQ
OliviaMumsnet · 20/02/2012 20:31

D'you think they are like Ant and Dec and one is always on the LH of the other?!
Which one has the bigger forehead?Grin

Tee2072 · 20/02/2012 20:33

Also, a bit of stupid trivia, the actor who played Ed, who is, indeed the Asian one, was also in the movie Serenity.

::Tee get's her geek on::

CelstialNavigation · 20/02/2012 20:50
tribpot · 20/02/2012 20:58

I am honestly tempted to go hack Wikipedia and change their entries so Ed becomes Larry and vice versa. You can't mess with the myth of Ed-and-Larry.

And yes, Olivia, there is a definite Ant and Dec quality about them Grin

CelstialNavigation · 20/02/2012 22:20

Ah, but how do you know that wasn't done already tribpot?

frasersmummy · 20/02/2012 22:23

Ok all you officianados....season 5 ..no exit.can someone pleaSe tell me if there was something in the office or not...watched it a few times and still can't figure it out.....thick emoticon

TwoPinkShoes · 20/02/2012 22:25

I watched Celestial Navigation and Lies, damn lies and statistics this evening Grin

DH is distinctly unimpressed with watching them again (even though he loves TWW!!) but I told him tough luck....

Plan in my head is to watch two episodes from series 2 tomorrow evening.

Ample · 21/02/2012 00:03

Shock I can't do a pick 'n mix, I have to watch in order [sad anal emoticon].
I can fast forward but don't think I can actually skip, although I don't think I've even tried. there's no help for me

I watched Lies Damn Lies this evening, Yes I'm quick, last day of half term and I'm in bed with a cold so I'm scooting through them nicely

I'll be back tomorrow. I will have a peek at S5 re: the office

susimoo · 21/02/2012 03:56

Hello everyone!
A longtime lurker and a huge (if not so knowledgable) West Wing fan. Smile

I have loved this thread and the others that I have found here. I am currently exploring all the links that you have posted.

Now one of my favourite episodes, not yet mentioned, is the one where Toby (dear, dear Toby) gets a visit from his Father.
It makes me weep every time. I love all the Christmas episodes, but this is my favourite. I love the fact that he listened to Josh when he urged him to try and work it out. Josh having lost his father is probably the only one who could have said it to my Toby without getting eaten alive. Grin

Tee2072 · 21/02/2012 07:38

frasersmummy: They told most of the staff it was a live drill exercise and then when Ron and The President were alone Ron tells him it was based on a real incident and they had a guy under surveillance. So there probably wasn't anything in the office. That time...

Original poster
Fiderer · 21/02/2012 08:42

I just scrolled fast past the EdLarry posts - agree with tribpot that you can't mess with the myth!

Re the tularemia, I posted this on our last WW thread:

I watched it again and still have questions. I had thought the threat was real and the "live drill" was their SOP in such cases, i.e. pretend so as not to cause panic.

But then there's the exchange between Bartlet and Ron Butterfield where it appears that Bartlet knew there would be a live drill but didn't know when. "You didn't know it would be tonight, sir." "I knew it when you showed up."

That seems to suggest the SS had anticipated or intercepted (Deliakis thought maybe in the mailing room, seems probable) contamination by tularemia and the live drill was a response to that. "T won't get through again" said Ron.

If it were a drill in response to an attack why were they still decontaminating the car when Debbie left? The tularemia was supposed to come from Charlie's recycling bin so why decontaminate the car when there was nothing to find there?

Well that's as clear as mud Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
Fiderer · 21/02/2012 08:54

Toby - great scene with Charlie:

"I don't know what kind of salad it is. I'm eating a salad, okay? I'm doing
it. Do I have to know the names? There's no difference between them. It's a bowl of weeds... Here I am eating a salad, which by the way, you could
cover this thing in barbecue sauce and it would still taste like the ground."

OP posts:
gettingalifenow · 21/02/2012 09:08

I always thought the tulamera episode was real because the contamination came form the envelope in Charlie's bin BUT he had brought that item of post in from his home - it was his, not POTUS's, so had never been through the mailroom.....

I still wonder every time I watch that episode.... So many twists in the explanations to different people....

Original poster
Fiderer · 21/02/2012 09:24

True. Forgot that. There was a lot of fuss about Debbie getting "spritzed" as well. Maybe the SS were making the point to staffers that threats could come from anywhere.

I'll wonder again when I come to it. No hardship, love every scene with Debbie Wink

OP posts:
gettingalifenow · 21/02/2012 11:39

Like looking in the mirror, I guess!

tribpot · 21/02/2012 12:06

Debbie is one of my favourite characters. I love the bit where she says to the President: "In my defence, I was high".

And when it turns out she was the one who found Charlie and paid dearly for it ...

Original poster
Fiderer · 21/02/2012 13:55

One of my favourites too Love the bit where Sam prods Bartlet by asking, "Was she funny?" and Bartlet runs through the offices, even though he'd said the agents should stop her at the door so she wasn't going to vanish Grin

More trivia: what other Big Block of Cheese Day assignments were there? The one where CJ got the Cartographers for Social Equality?

Toby?
Ed and Larry? These can be any way round as are Ed and Larry
Donna?

No cheatin' now y'all!

OP posts:
gettingalifenow · 21/02/2012 13:59

Sam got one where a guy wanted to abolish the penny....

frasersmummy · 21/02/2012 14:05

or as toby calls is .. the throw open our doors and discuss things with people that we could care less about day ..

glad i'm not the only one who doesnt "get " the virus thing.. guess that might be the point.. in this situation only the president and his detail would have the whole answer

MNHQ
OliviaMumsnet · 21/02/2012 14:08

Why do americans say I could care less about this when brits say I couldn't care less about this?

Original poster
Fiderer · 21/02/2012 14:15

Might be sarcastic. Dunno, sounds odd anyway.

OP posts:
EnjoyResponsibly · 21/02/2012 14:16

Toby gets sent to the Anti-capitalist protest and meets the wonderful cop.

Donna gets out of it cos she has her visit from Steph to take to Sam.

frasersmummy · 21/02/2012 14:26

I thought that was one of tobys fines moments at that rally ... I'm just gonna sit here and read my paper... brilliant Grin

Tee2072 · 21/02/2012 15:42

Because, Olivia, Queen of MN and WW, we are being sarcastic.

And/or we are too, um, ignorant, to understand it makes no sense!

I, myself, say 'couldn't care less' as it actually makes sense!