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The alt.tv.the-west-wing FAQ

This FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) was created for the
alt.tv.the-west.wing Usenet newsgroup on January 18, 2002 and last updated
February 20, 2005. Please contact Toniann at daisy32@gmail.com with
questions. The FAQ is divided into four categories:

A. Episode & Character Questions
B. Songs & Music
C. General Show Questions
D. Newsgroup Questions

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A. Episode & Character Questions

*** For a complete episode guide and more show details, visit:
http://www.thewestwingepguide.com ***

1. Who are all these people?

Josiah "Jed" Bartlet (Martin Sheen) is the President of the United States, 
currently serving his second term.
Jed Bartlet is a descendent of one of the signers of the Declaration of
Independence. He was raised by a strict father and a Catholic mother (he
remains very religious today). His father was headmaster of the prep school
Jed attended, and Dolores Landingham was his father's secretary before going
to work for Jed. He has at least one brother, John.
Jed was accepted at Harvard, Yale, and Williams, but chose to attend Notre
Dame because he was thinking of becoming a priest. He did not do so, he once
told CJ, because he met Abbey (Abigail), his future wife. They have three
daughters: Elizabeth (who has a daughter, Annie and a son, Gus), Eleanor,
and Zoey. The family still owns a farm in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Jed has a PhD and is a Nobel Laureate in Economics. His political career
before running for President included serving in the New Hampshire State
Legislature, three terms as Congressman, and two terms as Governor of New
Hampshire.
Jed Bartlet is an incredibly intelligent man who has an encyclopedic
knowledge of what some others might deem "useless trivia". He plays chess,
watches sports on TV (is devoted to Notre Dame), and smokes two cigarettes a
day (according to him). He cares deeply about each member of his staff, and
was hit especially hard when Dolores Landingham was killed ("18th &
Potomac") and when Josh was shot ("What Kind of Day Has This Been")
About eight years prior to his election to the White House, Jed Bartlet was
diagnosed with relapsing/remitting Multiple Sclerosis. This matter was kept
private within the family and a few trusted doctors throughout the campaign
and the beginning of his term (he did tell Leo, eventually). He was able to
keep this matter secret because Abbey was treating him and managing his
remission with shots of betaseron, which lowered the frequency of attacks.
After the president was shot at Rosslyn, Abbey informed the anesthesiologist
of his condition; shortly thereafter, Vice-President Hoynes' actions tipped
off Toby, and soon the rest of the staff was informed shortly before the
president went public. A Grand Jury investigation ensued, and was halted
when Bartlet agreed to a deal offered to him, in the form of official
censure from Congress. Nevertheless, Jed Bartlet ran for a second term in what 
was initially a tight contest with the Republican candidate, Robert Ritchie. 
After delivering a resounding defeat to his opponent in the one and only 
presidential debate, however, Bartlet easily won re-election.
During the first year of his second term, Bartlet's youngest daughter, Zoey,
was kidnapped from a club on the night of her graduation from Georgetown
("Commencement"). A grief-stricken and terrified Bartlet found himself
unable to function as president, and he chose to invoke the 25th Amendment
of the Constitution (declaring himself temporarily unfit for office) and
step aside. Because Vice President Hoynes had recently resigned and a new VP
had not yet been appointed, the Speaker of the House, Republican Glen Allen
Walken became Acting President ("25"). When Zoey was rescued, Jed took back
the presidency. Shortly thereafter he agreed to appoint Bob Russell as his new 
vice-president, as a compromise choice.
The president’s health took a turn for the worse during his second term as his 
multiple sclerosis relapsed, causing paralysis of the limbs and extreme fatigue 
at a critical time during a summit in China. The president perservered and the 
paralysis faded, but this episode has changed his life and left him with 
greatly-reduced stamina.

Mrs. Dolores Landingham (Kathryn Joosten) was President Bartlet's secretary,
after working for his father at the prep school Jed attended. She was an
"older sister" to him, and often urged him on to worthy causes. She and her
husband, Henry, had twin boys (Andrew and Simon) who insisted on refusing
academic deferment and were drafted to Vietnam as medics. They were killed
on Christmas Eve of 1970. Mrs. Landingham worked for Jed Bartlet while he
was Governor of New Hampshire and in the White House. She was strong-willed
and acerbic with the president, and enforced a certain standard of manners
on him and the rest of the staff -- and was dear to all of them. Her death
(she was hit by a drunk driver on the day she picked up the first brand-new
car she'd ever owned) hit all of the staff, especially the president, very
hard.

Debbie Fiderer (Lily Tomlin) was hired at the beginning of Season Four as
President Bartlet's new secretary. For more details regarding the
circumstances of her hiring, see question #16 below, in this section.

Charlie (Charles) Young (Dulé Hill) is the President's personal aide. His
mother, a police officer, was shot and killed in the line of duty less than
a year before he started working at the White House. Charlie has a younger
sister, Deeana, that he was taking care of; she recently went off to school
and Charlie began college himself. Charlie joined the staff when he was 
interviewing for a job as a messenger and was offered the position of personal 
aide. He and Bartlet have a close relationship: in "Shibboleth", the president 
presented Charlie with a carving knife that had been in the Bartlet family for
centuries, passed down from father to son -- the knife was crafted by
silversmith Paul Revere. It is obvious that Bartlet thinks of him as a son,
even aside from the fact that Charlie has dated the president's youngest
daughter, Zoey. Charlie wasn't hit at the shooting at Rosslyn, knocked down
to safety, along with Zoey, by Special Agent Gina Toscano. It wasn't until
later, however, that Charlie learned that he, not the president, had been
the target of a white supremacist group that objected to his relationship
with Zoey. Charlie and Zoey broke up and Zoey began dating French royal Jean-
Paul, much to Charlie's chagrin. He set about trying to win her back but seemed 
to be making little headway until her graduation, when she met him to dig up a
bottle of champagne they'd buried years before in the National Arboretum
("Commencement"). Zoey left, however, partially at Charlie's urging, to meet
Jean-Paul at a club - and was kidnapped. Charlie remained by the president's
side throughout that crisis, and was very supportive of Zoey after her
return. They do not seem to have reunited as a couple, however.
President Bartlet made Charlie promise that he would find another job once he’d 
graduated from Georgetown. Reluctant to leave the president’s side, Charlie made 
on a token effort, but CJ stepped in and hired him as a deputy.

Abigail Ann Bartlet (Stockard Channing) is Jed's wife, and the First Lady.
She is a medical doctor, with an M.D. from Harvard, and is board certified
in internal medicine and thoracic surgery. She is an adjunct professor of
thoracic surgery at Harvard Medical Center and is on staff at Boston Mercy
Hospital and Columbia Presbyterian. Abbey is clearly an intellectual match
for her brilliant husband, and has a close relationship with her three
daughters. She supported Jed completely during his campaign, but they had an
agreement that (because of his illness) he would only serve one term as
president. His decision to run for reelection drove a rift between them for
some time, but that rift seems to have mended on the strength of their
thirty-two years of marriage. The First Lady faced difficulties regarding
her medical license and career because she disobeyed the American Medical
Association's code of ethics by treating her own husband and by not keeping
records of that treatment, and because she violated the State Board of
Ethics of three states (Arizona, Missouri, and New Hampshire) by prescribing
drugs for her husband and had them shipped out of state. As a result, she
agreed to voluntarily suspend her medical license for the duration of her
husband's time in office, an agreement she later rescinded when she began 
volunteering at a local clinic.
When her youngest daughter Zoey was kidnapped, Abbey understandably was
shaken to the core, scared and filled with guilt. When Zoey was returned,
however, Abbey seemed to be convinced that the abduction had been a direct
retaliation for Jed's secret order for the assassination of Abdul Shareef of
Qumar. An icy silence reigned between Abbey and Jed, and eventually Abbey
took Zoey back to the family farm in Manchester. The Bartlets later reconciled, 
and Abbey stayed by her husband’s side throughout his latest bout with MS.

Leo McGarry (John Spencer) is the former White House Chief of Staff. He and Jed
have known each other for over thirty years, but according to Leo, their
friendship began "about twelve years ago". Leo has been a high-profile
member of the Democratic Party for quite some time, and served as Secretary
of Labor in the early 1990s. Leo has been described as "Boston Irish
Catholic", but in a later episode claimed to be a "man of Chicago"; perhaps
he moved there as an adult. Leo's wife, Jenny, decided to end their marriage and 
asked for a divorce, saying that Leo "widowed" her when he began the Bartlet 
campaign. They have a daughter, Mallory. He has at least two sisters, Elizabeth 
and Josephine ("Jo" or "Josey"); Josephine apparently has at least several 
children. Leo served in Vietnam as a pilot. Later, sometime during his political 
career, he was an alcoholic and developed an addiction to Valium. He went into 
treatment sometime during 1993-1994; we know of at least one time he fell off 
the wagon, during the campaign ("Bartlet for America"). In the first part of 
Bartlet’s second term, Leo and Jed were going through a rough patch and not 
seeing eye to eye in regards to the Israel/Palestine situation. Jed actually 
asked for Leo’s resignation. Leo suffered a massive heart attack, however, and 
spent the next several months in recovery – he would be unable to step back into 
his former demanding position, regardless. It was Leo who told Jed that CJ was 
the only person who could fill the position. Leo is plain-speaking and sometimes 
does not hesitate to speak harshly to those that work for him. However, he is 
fiercely loyal and combines that angry criticism with an immense respect. The 
president relies on him and trusts him implicitly, now in his role as advisor.
Leo enjoys crossword puzzles and is quite the gourmand, always with a bit of 
advice for fine dining. From the comments of various others (Bartlet, the 
staff), Leo apparently has quite a bit of personal wealth.

Margaret (NiCole Robinson) is Assistant to the Chief of Staff. Margaret is a 
little... odd, and knows that she sometimes freaks people out. She joined the 
Bartlet team sometime during the early part of campaign, and was fiercely loyal 
to Leo. She and CJ have a slightly quirkier (believe it or not) relationship.

Joshua Lyman (Bradley Whitford) was the Deputy Chief of Staff. He grew up in
Connecticut and is Jewish, though he does not seem to practice. His father,
Noah Lyman, was a well-known and respected lawyer who was a partner at
Debevoise & Plimpton, and an old friend of Leo's. Mr. Lyman died on the
night of the Illinois primary. Josh's mother is still alive, and recently
moved to Florida. Josh had an older sister, Joanie, who died in a fire while
babysitting Josh. Josh also mentions his grandfather, who was in the
Birkenau concentration camp during the Holocaust. Josh keeps a picture of he
and his grandfather on the wall of his office. Josh attended Harvard and
Yale, was a Fulbright scholar, then began a career in politics. He was Floor
Manager for the House Minority Whip, Chief of Staff for Congressman Earl
Brennan, and a staffer on the presidential campaign of then-Senator John
Hoynes. Leo came to see Josh and asked him to come hear Jed Bartlet speak in
Nashua, New Hampshire. Josh did so, decided to join the campaign, and
brought Sam along with him. Josh relied on his assistant, Donna
Moss, heavily.  The two were close, but a romantic relationship never seemed to 
be in the cards, though often hinted at (When Donna was injured in a car bombing 
in Gaza and flown to Germany, Josh spared little time in getting to her side). 
Josh also failed to get anything going with pollster Joey Lucas. He dated 
women's rights activist Amy Gardner steadily, but a work-related falling-out 
broke them up. Ironically, after she began working as Abbey Bartlet's Chief of 
Staff, they resumed their relationship, but both Amy's tenure and their reunion 
proved short-lived.
Josh was shot at Rosslyn, and had to undergo intensive surgery for over
twelve hours while his life hung in the balance. He recovered, but later in
the year suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome ("Noel"). Donna and
Leo intervened, and got Josh the help he needed.
It was Leo’s advice, and Josh’s own frustration, and Donna’s resignation that 
prompted Josh to go out and find a candidate for the upcoming presidential 
election. He left the Bartlet administration and chose Matt Santos, an 
independent-thinking man, as his pick for the next president. On the campaign 
trail, Josh and Santos don’t always see eye to eye, but Josh’s initial instinct 
regarding Santos’ character seems to have been on the mark.

Donnatella Moss (Janel Moloney) works for the Russell campaign, and was Josh's 
Assistant, or as she once put it, "Deputy Deputy Chief of Staff". We learned in 
"In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" that she joined the Bartlet campaign by showing up 
at headquarters and assigning herself to being Josh's assistant. She confessed 
to Josh that her boyfriend had recently broken up with her (after she'd dropped 
out of college to help put him through med school) and wanted a fresh start. 
Josh was negative at first, telling her that wasn't what the campaign was about,
and Donna convinced him that it could be. We later learned (in "17 People")
that Donna left the campaign and Josh to go back to her boyfriend for
several months; when she rejoined the campaign Josh was relieved and,
according to Donna, never questioned her. Donna and her family, according to
Josh, are Protestant; despite claiming to be a "farm girl", Josh also points
out that she grew up in a condo. She admits to having a list of different
majors while she was still in school, and the list of boyfriends seems to be
just as long. She became involved with Republican lawyer Cliff Calley with
nearly disastrous results during the grand jury investigation surrounding
the disclosure of Bartlet's MS. In season four, she began dating Lt.
Commander Jack Reese (played by Christian Slater), a member of Nancy
McNally's staff. When Jack was transferred (perhaps unfairly) out of the
White House, Donna took the blame for an angry quote he gave to the press.
Josh figured out her loyal though perhaps misguided deception with Danny's
help ("Inauguration Part II"). 
Donna began to feel stymied in her position, and spoke to CJ for advice about 
advancing in her position. Although Josh predictably resisted this at first, he 
finally agreed to send her on a CODEL mission to Gaza, along with Admiral 
Fitzwallace and several Congressmen. There Donna met a charming photographer, 
Colin Ayres. At the conclusion of the trip, though, a car bomb exploded, killing 
three of the people in the car and seriously injuring Donna. She was flown to 
the military hospital in Germany, where Josh rushed to her side – as did the 
photographer boyfriend.
Returning to the West Wing and recovered, Donna continued to try to express to 
Josh how frustrated she felt in her position; when he did not respond she 
resigned and took a job with the Russell campaign, working alongside Will 
Bailey. 

Toby Zachary Ziegler (Richard Schiff) is the White House Communications
Director. After Leo, he was the first of the current staff to join the
Bartlet campaign - but not the president's first choice for Communications
Director (in "The Crackpots and These Women", we learned the president's
pick, David Rosen, turned him down, and that Bartlet is now glad to have
Toby instead). According to Toby, he has been a professional political
operative his whole life, but never managed to be on a winning team until
now. He is a passionate man who could be described as idealistic, and often
serves as the voice of the president's "better angels"; their relationship
fluctuates as a result, but is undeniably close and based in respect. Toby
is Jewish and attends Temple. We know he is from New York and that he went
to the City College, CCNY. [Note: Toby wears a sweatshirt with the school's
logo in a first season episode; the Official Companion book confirms that
CCNY is meant to be Toby's alma mater.] He and his father, Jules, have a
tense relationship, due to his father's checkered past with the law (and
involvement in organized crime in the fifties). He has a brother, David, who
is an astronaut; in "What Kind of Day Has This Been" we learn that there is
or at least was some tension between them. Toby also refers to his sisters
in "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail". Toby also has
an ex-wife, Andrea (Andy), now Congresswoman Wyatt. They divorced not long
after Bartlet first took office but Andy became pregnant with twins later,
possibly through ongoing fertility treatments ("Debate Camp") though the
circumstances were not explained. Toby began trying to convince Andy to
remarry him, without success; he went so far as to purchase her dream house
("Commencement") and propose yet again, but Andy said no, saying they were
too different and Toby was too "sad" for her. Andy seemed to regret
her harsh words - just as she went into labor. Their twins, Huck and Molly,
were born the day of Zoey Bartlet's kidnapping - Huck named for Andy's
grandfather, and Molly for the Secret Service agent on Zoey's detail who was
killed by the kidnappers. However, Andy and Toby did not reunite and instead 
grew farther apart.
Toby wanted to take a more policy-centered role and hoped to turn most of
his speech-writing duties over to his deputy, Will Bailey. Will hadn't
gotten his stride with the president yet, however, and found himself
stymied; VP Bob Russell offered Will a position in his staff and Will
decided to take it. Toby's reaction was less than positive.
In the wake of the president’s illness and staff resignations and shuffling of 
positions, Toby has remained in the Communications office, now responsible for 
the Press Secretary’s duties as well (with the help of Deputy Annabeth Schott).

Samuel Norman Seaborn (Rob Lowe) was the Deputy Communications Director for
the first three and a half seasons of the show. He attended Princeton as an
undergraduate and Duke for law school. He worked for Dewey Ballantine and
Gage Whitney Page in New York City, where he was about to be offered a
partnership when Josh got him to join the Bartlet campaign. As a member of 
Bartlet's staff, he bonded with Toby Ziegler and the two made a formidable 
speech writing team. As far as romance goes, Sam was never very lucky. We first 
saw him involved with a high-priced call girl, Laurie, whom he "accidentally"
slept with (he didn't know she was a hooker). He later tried to get involved
with Leo McGarry's daughter, Mallory, but the relationship failed to take
off. Sam's parents are both living; his father has had a mistress for years
and his parents are divorced. Sam is outdoorsy but clumsy, knows almost as much 
inane trivia as the president, and is nuts for dental hygiene. Sam came in 
contact with Will Bailey and the members of Horton Wilde's campaign staff just 
after Wilde, the candidate for a California congressional seat, had passed away. 
On impulse, Sam offered to serve as the replacement candidate should Wilde 
nevertheless win the primary. Wilde won, and Sam, somewhat shocked at first, did 
agree to run for election. He left the White House with full support from 
everyone, including the president, to campaign in California. In "The California 
47th", we were led to believe that Sam would lose his election and mention had 
been made that he would be returning to the West Wing, with a promotion. 
Obviously, he has not returned. No explanation has been given.

Will Bailey (Joshua Malina) is Bob Russell’s campaign manager. When we initially 
met him, he was the campaign manager for Horton Wilde's primary bid in 
California. When the candidate passed away, Will continued to campaign 
aggressively, determined to get the ideas that Wilde had represented out, if 
nothing else. During that campaign, Sam Seaborn came out to California -- 
actually with the intention of shutting the Wilde campaign down, on behalf of 
the DNC. Instead, he agreed to run in Wilde's shoes, should the deceased 
candidate somehow win the primary. He did win, and Sam came out to California -- 
and Will, a talented speechwriter, went to the White House, on Sam's 
recommendation. He helped Toby with the Inauguration speech and was asked to 
step in as Deputy Communications Director ("Inauguration Part  II"). Will is an 
Air Force Reservist ("Evidence of Things Not Seen"). Will's attempts to win over 
the speechwriting staff in the West Wing were a dismal failure, and they all 
resigned - leaving him with a team of interns (all but one (Cassie) named 
Lauren) as his staff. Sister Elsie Snuffin worked in the West Wing as well, 
sometimes writing jokes for the First Lady. After a bad speechwriting joke with 
Toby that ended up with derogatory remarks concerning new Vice President Bob 
Russell ending up on the president's teleprompter, Will was surprised to receive 
a job offer from the new VP. Frustrated by his position with Bartlet's staff, 
and looking to the future Russell (a blank slate) represents, Will took the job 
(much to Toby's disappointment, but with the president's approval).

CJ (Claudia Jean) Cregg (Allison Janney) is the White House Chief of Staff, and 
was formerly Press Secretary.
She is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, though it is unclear whether she
attended there as an undergrad or to get her Master's degree. She was
involved in politics and caught the attention of Leo McGarry through her
work with a group called Emily's List: "Early Money Is Like Yeast, it helps
raise the dough". She had just been fired by a Hollywood public relations
company when Toby (clearly an old friend) asked her to join the Bartlet
campaign. CJ is six feet tall, a Catholic, and needs glasses or contact
lenses. She drinks Grasshoppers and likes Goldfish crackers.
She received a series of death threats at the end of season three, and was 
assigned Secret Service protection headed by Special Agent Simon Donovan, with 
whom CJ enjoyed a burgeoning flirtation. The man sending the threats was caught, 
but Simon was killed in an unrelated store robbery, just moments after he and CJ 
connected romantically and made plans for a later date. 
CJ's father, recently turned 70, is obviously a source of sadness in her
life. Unfortunately, his health and mental acuity seems to be deteriorating;
though upset about this, CJ speaks only to Toby about her concerns. In "The
Long Goodbye", she returned home for her high school reunion and discovered
that her father has truly begun the descent into Alzheimer's. In recent
episodes, we have learned that he is now hospitalized and his health is
further failing.
Although the source of much romantic comedy in the early seasons, her 
relationship with Danny Concannon never actually got off the ground because she 
was the Press Secretary, and he was a reporter for the Washington Post.
CJ was promoted to the position of Chief of Staff on Leo’s recommendation – 
after Leo’s heart attack, the president asked him for a list of names for his 
replacement. Leo said there was only one name – CJ.

Gail is CJ's goldfish, given to her by Danny (a little misunderstanding
about the crackers). You can spot her in most every episode, complete with
episode- appropriate props. See http://homepage.mac.com/nmonks/gail.html for
more details.

John Hoynes (Tim Matheson) is currently running for president. He was the Vice 
President of the United States, and a former United States Senator from the 
state of Texas.  In the first bartlet election, Hoynes was actually the leading 
candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination, and employed Josh Lyman as 
one of his advisors. When Jed Bartlet eventually won the nomination, he offered 
the VP slot to Hoynes in order to balance the ticket with someone who could 
carry the south. Hoynes and Bartlet had a strained relationship, sometimes 
hostile, but ended in mutual respect.
In season four ("Life on Mars"), a new lawyer in the Counsel's office, Joe
Quincy, began piecing together disturbing information about press leaks of
classified information... coinciding with the announcement that a tell-all
book would be published by a prominent female journalist. Hoynes' phone
records showed that he had been placing calls to her, and in the end he
admitted that they had been having an affair and he had talked too much.
Though Bartlet and Leo initially tried to persuade him to weather the storm
of controversy, Hoynes resigned - leaving the Bartlet administration without
a vice-president. After a few quiet years, however, Hoynes has returned to the 
political arena.

"Bingo" Bob Russell was the Governor from Colorado chosen to replace
Hoynes as Vice President. A compromise choice, he was seen by the
administration as ineffectual, not serious, and somewhat goofy. Oddly,
though, Bingo Bob seems well aware of his own mediocrity and professes to be
interested in doing better. To this end, apparently, he asked Will Bailey to
come and work for him and run his campaign.

Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) is a Democratic congressman from Texas, approached by 
Josh to run for president. He has a wife and two children.

Senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) is the presumptive Republican candidate for 
the upcoming presidential election. He is a recent widower.

Other characters, past and present (in no particular order):
Nancy: assistant to first Mrs. Landingham, now Debbie Fiderer. Coincidentally, 
played by Martin Sheen's daughter Renee.
Ginger: assistant in Communications Department.
Bonnie: assistant in Communications Department.
Rena: Assistant to Toby.
Nancy McNally: National Security Advisor.
Kate Harper: Deputy NSA.
Fitz (aka Admiral Percy Fitzwallace): Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff. Fitz was killed on a CODEL mission to Gaza, in the same car bomb that 
injured Donna.
Ed and Larry: Never seen apart. Job titles never given, but apparently
assistants/aides to Toby, CJ, Sam, the president, Leo. Pretty much everyone.
Oliver Babish: White House Counsel. Very involved during MS situation.
Joey Lucas: Pollster, apparently based in California. Travels with
interpreter Kenny.
Amy Gardner: Women's rights activist, later First Lady's Chief of Staff.
Mallory O'Brien: Leo McGarry's daughter.
Andy Wyatt: Congresswoman. Toby Ziegler's ex-wife and mother of his twins,
Huck and Molly.
Stanley: Crisis counselor/psychologist brought in for Josh, later counseled
president.
Ainsley Hayes: Republican lawyer hired by White House. Has since moved on.
Joe Quincy: Republican lawyer hired to replace Ainsley, and played by guest
star Matthew Perry from "Friends".
Danny Concannon: White House reporter from the Washington Post.
Angela Blake: staffer brought in by Leo after Josh screwed up with the 
Congressman who switched parties; stayed on after Bartlet brought him back in.
Glenallen Walken: Former Speaker of the House, former Acting President, 
Republican. Stepped in for Bartlet during Zoey's kidnapping.
Annabeth Schott: Deputy Press Secretary.

2. Who works for whom?
CJ works for the president, as do Leo and Debbie Fiderer. Margaret is
CJ's assistant. Charlie is one of CJ’s deputys. Toby heads up the Communications 
department, and Annabeth is one of his deputies. Bonnie and Ginger work for Toby 
as well. Ed and Larry seem to be general staffers.
Will runs the Russell campaign. Donna works for him.
Josh runs the Santos campaign.

3. How did each staff member join the Bartlet campaign/administration?
Leo suggested that Jed Bartlet run for president in the first place. Out of
the current staff, Toby was on-board with the team longest; he was part of
the original campaign staff and the only one not to be fired by Leo. Leo
then convinced Josh to come and hear Bartlet speak; Josh previously worked
for Hoynes when he was a Senator. Josh convinced Sam to quit his lucrative
law firm (on the verge of being made partner) and join the campaign as well.
Toby asked CJ to be Press Secretary for the campaign, CJ having just been
fired from her job with a Hollywood public relations firm. Will Bailey came
on board when Sam left, then went to work for the VP. 

4. How many children do Jed and Abigail Bartlet have?
Three. The eldest, Elizabeth, is married to Doug Westin and has two
children, one daughter, Annie, and a little boy, Gus. Eleanor is currently a
med student at Johns Hopkins. She and Jed have had a clearly stormy
relationship, but seem to have mended many of their fences. Zoey, the
youngest daughter, graduated from Georgetown at the end of season four. She
began dating a young French royal, Jean Paul, some time before that, much to
her father's, and Charlie's, consternation. She was kidnapped on the evening
of her college graduation, an event which led to Jed Bartlet's temporarily
removing himself from office ("25").

5. What happened to Mandy? Danny Concannon? Cathy? Gina? Ainsley? Oliver
Babish? Sam? Bonnie & Ginger? (Some of these characters disappeared; some took 
long absences. Explanations below.)
- Actress Moira Kelly portrayed Mandy in the first season. From early
episodes, it is clear that Sorkin intended her character to have a long-term
role on the show. However, she left the cast during the hiatus for reasons
unconfirmed. Her character simply disappeared, and no explanation has ever
been given as to why.
- Danny Concannon, White House correspondent for the Washington Post, had an
on-again, off-again flirtation with Press Secretary CJ Cregg. The actor,
Timothy Busfield, was said to have become otherwise occupied with directing
projects (He was working on the NBC show "First Years" in 2001 and is listed
as a Supervising Producer for "Ed"). The character did not appear in all of
season three, returned in season four, and has been absent thus far in
season five.
- Cathy, played by Suzy Nakamura, was Sam's assistant. She has not been seen
or referred to since season one. The actress spent some time on the sitcom
"Daddio", which was cancelled, and on "Imagine That". You can view her IMDB
entry at http://us.imdb.com/Name?Nakamura,+Suzy
 - Gina Toscano, special agent assigned to protect First Daughter Zoey
Bartlet, was last seen in the Season Two premiere, "In the Shadow of Two
Gunmen", where she spotted the shooters at Rosslyn. We haven't seen her
since. As for the actress, Jorja Fox went on to be seen in the critically
acclaimed film, "Memento", and in the CBS series, "C.S.I."
- Ainsley Hayes (Emily Procter) worked in the White House Counsel's office.
A Republican political analyst, Leo hired her on the president's orders
after she gave Sam Seaborn a run for his money on "Capitol Beat". She was
firm in her political convictions but respected the office of the President
immensely and was honored to come too work at the White House. As of Fall
2002, Procter has a new show ("CSI: Miami"), and has left TWW. In "Evidence
of Things Not Seen", Josh is interviewing a candidate to replace her, but no
explanation is given for her leaving the White House.
- Oliver Babish (Oliver Platt) has not been seen as White House Counsel
since season three ("Gone Quiet"). He has been mentioned as White House Council 
since, but sparingly.
- Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) seemed to lose the California 47th district, at
least that's how it looked the last time we saw him, in a bar with Toby. In
theory, he should have come back to the White House, and a promotion, after
this, but he didn't. That's all we know. In real life, of course, Rob Lowe
chose to leave TWW and star in his own political drama, "Lyon's Den".
- Bonnie & Ginger: Disappeared sometime in the early fifth season. Recent Ginger 
sighting in Season 6.

6. In "In Excelsis Deo", it sounds an awful lot like Toby said "I got better
treatment in Panmunjom." What's that about? Was he in the Korean War, or
ever in service?
No. Although it does sound like that is what he said, and the closed
captioning indicates this is so as well, Aaron Sorkin spoke on this issue
and stated that Toby wouldn't even have been born yet. The line was, "The
guy got better treatment in Panmunjom." Furthermore, in S4's "Holy Night", we 
learned that Toby was born in 1954, thus making it impossible for him to serve 
in the Korean War.

7. In "Two Cathedrals", after Mrs. Landingham's funeral, President Bartlet
stood in the National Cathedral and spoke at length in Latin. What did he
say?
Translations may vary slightly by translator, but roughly, he said, "Am I
really to believe that these are the acts of a loving God? A just God? A
wise God? To hell with your punishments. I was your servant here on Earth,
and I spread your word and I did your work. To hell with your punishments.
To hell with you."

8. In "H. Con - 172", Toby tells the president he saw his favorite movie on
TV the night before. Toby and Bartlet quote, "When the fall is all that's
left, it matters a great deal." What movie are they talking about?
"The Lion in Winter", starring Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn as King
Henry II of England and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their three sons,
Richard (Anthony Hopkins), Geoffrey, and John. Bartlet also paraphrases
Henry, saying, "By God, I'm alive, I'm King, and I'm fifty, all at the same
time!" (The actual quote is "I've snapped and plotted all my life. There's
no other way to be alive, king, and fifty all at once.") Find out more about
this movie at
http://us.imdb.com/Details?0063227

9. Then what's the movie they watch at the end of "Ellie", in the White
House screening room?
"Dial 'M' For Murder". See http://us.imdb.com/Details?0046912 for details.

10. Why is Mallory's last name (O'Brien) different from her father's, Leo
McGarry?
Beats the heck out of us. There's never been an explanation. Theories abound
(perhaps she was married before; perhaps she took a different last name,
such as her mother's maiden, to protect her privacy) but your guess is as
good as ours. It's entirely possible her last name is "O'Brien" so that
Aaron could write that scene where Sam doesn't realize she's the boss's
daughter.

11. Who are the "17 people" who knew about Bartlet's illness?
We spent a lot of time trying to figure this one out, and then White
HouseCounsel Oliver Babish listed them all in "Bad Moon Rising" as follows:
The First Lady and the three Bartlet daughters. The "six original doctors"
(whoever they were). Jed's brother. Leo. Vice President Hoynes. Admiral
Fitzwallace. The anesthesiologist (from "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen"). Toby
Ziegler. And finally, as Toby pointed out, Bartlet himself.

12. Why does Toby wear a wedding ring?
Toby wears a wedding ring because actor Richard Schiff thought it was an
interesting idea for his character, and created a backstory for himself that
involved, perhaps, Toby being a widower. The ring, according to Schiff in an
interview he gave with Pamela Wallin, is a prop and not his own wedding
ring.
Schiff went on to say that Aaron Sorkin didn't even notice the ring until
half-way through the first season. (Note: Aaron earlier gave a different
version of this story, in the spring of 2000, saying that it was Richard's
ring and that he and Tommy Schlamme noticed Richard wearing it during the
Pilot.) We've since been introduced to Toby's ex-wife, Andrea Wyatt (now a
member of Congress), a twist on the backstory Schiff had envisioned.

13. I love when they do that "Big Block of Cheese Day" thing. Which episodes
were those?
In the first season, "The Crackpots and These Women". In the second season,
"Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail". The first time
around, we're told that Big Block of Cheese Day was supposed to be a monthly
event, but that they'd "missed a few", and in fact only done it twice so
far. The second time around, it's presented as more of a yearly event.

14. You know, that scene where the president quoted the Bible back at Dr.
Jenna Jacobs sounded really familiar. And she sure reminded me of real-life
Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Haven't I seen that around the Internet somewhere?
Yes, you did. Aaron Sorkin admitted that the source for that dialogue was
the much-circulated "Open Letter to Dr. Laura" that was going around the
Internet around the time "The Midterms" was being written - Sorkin and crew
say that they "cast a wide net" and tried to find the original author, but
had no success.

15. What was the deal with that episode, "Isaac and Ishmael", at the
beginning of the third season?
This episode was put together in the wake of the tragedy of September 11th
and the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. Season 3's premiere was
originally scheduled to air that week, but producers decided to put this
episode together quickly instead, to address terrorism (though not
specifically the recent attacks). The show opens with each cast member
briefly addressing the audience and explaining that the viewer is about to
view a play titled "Isaac & Ishmael". Actor Bradley Whitford (Josh) tells
fans not to try to fit this episode into the show's regular plotline, and
consider it a stand-alone presentation.

16. Why was Debbie Fiderer originally fired from the White House? What did
it have to do with Charlie?
Debbie (then Laguardia) Fiderer worked in the Office of Presidential
Personnel, under Director Donald McKittridge. It was she who brought
Charlie, there to apply for a messenger job, to Josh's attention for the
position of personal aide to the President. She was subsequently fired from
the Office of Presidential Personnel. It turns out that Donald McKittridge's
brother is Representative Mark McKittridge. One of the Representative's
major campaign supporters is Brian Dweck, CFO of Colfax. Brian wanted a job
for his son David Dweck, and Donald was supposed to get him the position of
personal aide to the President. Debbie chose to hire Charlie instead, and
this is why she lost her job. President Bartlet, learning of all this (in
the season four premiere, "20 Hours in America"), hired Debbie Fiderer as
his secretary, the position Mrs. Landingham once held.

17. How was Zoey rescued from her kidnappers?
Apparently, Zoey was being held by her captors in America, drugged and
restrained. A young inebriated woman, after a fight with her boyfriend,
called 911 for help getting home. The officer who answered that call noticed
something suspicious in the area and reported it; agents stormed the
kidnappers' hideout, killing all of them and rescuing Zoey.

18. In S5, in the episode "The Stormy Present", former president Owen Lassiter 
passes away, leaving a letter for Bartlet. What does it say?
Here is the best transcription we can come up with at this time:
----------
The Need for an American Empire 
America. A country founded by refugees. Populated by immigrants. Made strong by 
the sweat of the tired, the poor, until it became America. 
An idea, a flame, a city on a hill. A vision for all who believe in liberty. An 
experiment in- 
(cannot read lines here; missing. "democracy" is glimpsed, as well as "Islam".) 
-men seek to douse the flame, douse the ideal, to return to a different age 
entirely, to return to the age from which our forefathers fled. 
Fundamentalism is a vision, an ideal as rigid as democracy is flexible and we 
cannot let it overcome what we have worked so hard to learn.
Jed- Go see Lincoln and listen. 
Owen Lassiter
----------
According to Steve Chernicoff, on alt.tv.the-west-wing, much of this was taken 
from Jacob Bronowski's superb PBS series "The Ascent of Man," made in the 1970s, 
on the history of science.

19. Where the heck is Sam?
No one knows. He left to run for office in the California 47th; we were told 
that if he lost, he would return to the West Wing with a promotion. All 
indications are that he lost; however, he never returned. Actor Rob Lowe left 
the show for his own series: first “The Lyon’s Den” and then “Dr. Vegas”. 
Neither were successful.


B. Songs
The West Wing has featured many musical selections, sometimes used to great
effect. This section identifies those songs.

Season 1: In "Six Meetings Before Lunch", CJ lip-synched to a song, to the
delight of her co-workers. That was "The Jackal", and you can find it on the
CD "The Quiet Revolution" by Ronny Jordan. Jordan is a guitarist, and the
spoken word vocalist on this track is Dana Bryant.

Season 2: "Noel". The wonderful cello piece, performed by Yo-Yo Ma, was
Bach's Unaccompanied Suite for Cello in G Major. Several Yo-Yo Ma recordings
exist, but I favor "Bach: The Cello Suites Inspired By Bach". It's the first
track on Disc 1.

Season 2: "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail" featured
Don Henley's "New York Minute". It can be found on his CD, "End of the
Innocence".

Season 2: "Two Cathedrals". The final scene featured President Bartlet
walking into the press conference following his MS disclosure, and
announcing his intention to run for re-election. Over this scene, Dire
Straits' "Brothers In Arms" played, from the CD of the same title.

Season 3: "Posse Comitatus". In the scene where Secret Service Agent Simon
Donovan is shot, and CJ receives the news, Jeff Buckley's version of
"Hallelujah" plays. Leonard Cohen, Rufus Wainwright, and others have
performed that song (Cohen wrote it) but the version used in the episode was
Buckley's. It can be found on his album "Grace".

Season 4: "20 Hours in America". Tori Amos' cover of "I Don't Like Mondays",
from her CD, "Strange Little Girls". The original was records by The
Boomtown Rats.

Season 4: "Holy Night" featured a men's a cappella group singing in the
White House. That was the Whiffenpoofs, an a cappella group at Yale. You can
visit their web page at http://www.yale.edu/whiffenpoofs/

Season 4: "Inauguration Part II: Over There" featured Jill Sobule singing in
the club that Toby, Josh, and CJ went to. Her first song was "Heroes". Her
second was "Rock Me To Sleep".

Season 4: "Commencement"'s final scenes featured haunting music as the
kidnapping of Zoey Bartlet was revealed. That was Massive Attack's "Angel"
from their 1998 album, "Mezzanine".

Season 5: "7A WF 83429" closed with Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance singing
"Sanvean". The song can be found on both Gerrard's solo album, "The Mirror
Pool", or on Dead Can Dance's "Toward the Within".

Season 5: "Han" featured a North Korean pianist playing several selections
by Chopin. In order of appearance, these were:
1) Prelude No. 2, Lento
2) Prelude No. 4 in E-minor, "Largo"
3) Op. 10, No. 12, "Revolutionary Etude"

Season 5: "The Warfare of Genghis Khan" mentioned a blues song that was included 
in the material sent in Voyager; this song, Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark was the 
Night (Cold was the Ground)", played over the last scene. It can be found in 
"The Complete Blind Willie Johnson", http://tinyurl.com/3ytnk

Season 5: “Gaza” featured a song titled “Indra” by Thievery Corporation.

Season 6: “A Change is Gonna Come”. The title of this episode is taken from Sam 
Cooke’s immortal song, here performed by James Taylor.

Season 6: “King Corn” featured Ryan Adams’ “Desire”, which can be found on his 
album “Demolition”. There were also two songs audible in the background at the 
beginning of the episode: “Walking After Midnight” by Patsy Cline and “Green, 
Green Grass of Home” by Johnny Cash.

Season 6: “The Wake Up Call”: President Bartlet was listening to the opera 
“Otello”; specifically, an aria commonly known as “The Willow Song”.


C. General Show Questions

1. I don't understand the timeline for this show. It seems to be happening
in roughly real time, but then why was Bartlett running for reelection in
2002? And new elections are scheduled for 2006?
Because Aaron Sorkin wrote it that way. Yes, the show is running roughly in
real time (in the US at least), as is evidenced by occasional references
characters have made to current events (the Millennium, for example).
However, Sorkin has created an alternate universe where presidential
elections were held in 1998 and again in 2002 and 2006. It's fiction.
In S5's "The Stormy Present" we learned the names of some past presidents in the 
fictional TWW world: the deceased Owen Lassiter, Republican, and D.W. Newman, 
Democrat.

2. I really want all of the episodes on VHS/DVD. Are there any plans for a
release in the near future?
Good news. Seasons 1-3 have been released on DVD in the US; Season 4 is coming 
soon.
Season 1: http://tinyurl.com/mxva
Season 2: http://tinyurl.com/2jakv
Season 3: http://tinyurl.com/56e73
Season 4: http://tinyurl.com/4uaad
DVDs and PAL VHS are available in the UK. For ordering
information from Amazon.co.uk, see
http://tinyurl.com/mxvk
Note: This is in no way the guaranteed "best price" available; scout around
a bit before you order, of course, but you'll at least find the pertinent
information here.
Note: Region 2 or 4 DVDs do not play on regular North American DVD players.

3. I hear Bravo is showing syndicated episodes. When? Where? Wait, I
don't get Bravo!
Yes, the cable channel Bravo has syndication rights to The West Wing.
For more information, go to http://www.bravotv.com
If you don't get Bravo in your area... my sympathies. Call your cable
company or switch to satellite.

4. Do you know a site where I can download complete episodes?
No, I don't. And if I did, there wouldn't be any point in mentioning it to
you, because of copyright infringement and my reluctance to endorse such a
site.

5. Where can I get a screensaver and/or wallpaper like I see on the computer
screens in the West Wing, on the show?
Unfortunately, there's currently no magical (and simple) download of what
you're talking about. However, you can download the Presidential seal image,
and there are ways to make your own screensaver. Go to
http://www.borghalrantipole.com/WestWing/screen.html
for detailed instructions. [Thank you to Stephen Fuld for providing this
information.]


D. Newsgroup Questions

1. So, how long has this newsgroup been around?
Fans of "The West Wing" posted in rec.arts.tv until this newsgroup was
formed at the end of March 2000.

2. What's the spoiler policy around here?
It's always been hotly debated. There’s no official policy. If you’re posting 
information about an as-yet completely unaired episode, it would seem only 
polite to put “Spoiler” in your subject line, and perhaps leave some space in 
the body of the text. Once the episode airs in the U.S. (historically, in 
Eastern Time), discussion ensues. Simply put, if you have not yet seen the 
episode for that week, you should expect to read about it on the newsgroup after 
10 PM EST, Wednesday night.

3. Is fanfic posted to this newsgroup?
No. At this time, there is no newsgroup devoted to fanfiction, as some other
shows have. However, there is a lot of TWW fanfic around out there on the
web. A Google search using [+"west wing" +fanfic] should do the trick.

4. Does anyone from the show read this newsgroup?
Your guess is as good as mine. All I can say is, don't leave personal
messages for them here and expect an answer. In other words, if someone from
the cast or crew of "The West Wing" is reading this group (and that
conversation about legalized prostitution in "The Women of Qumar" sounded
mighty familiar, as well as the whole Josh bit about LemonLyman.com),
they're lurking only.

5. There seems to be a LOT of OT posting about real-life politics around here. 
What’s the deal?
Before you post to the group about this, do yourself a favor and do a search on 
something like “newsgroup politics” at Google Groups:
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.tv.the-west-wing

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