The senior members of the White House staff are summoned to the office early in the morning to handle difficult situations: Hundreds of Cubans are on ...
The Vice President refuses to fall in line with Bartlet. Sam discusses the problem of Laurie with Josh and Toby. Bartlet hires Mandy as his consultant...
Still enraged at Morris's death, Bartlet makes a show of deadly force. C.J. is upset about being kept out of the loop about Laurie. Josh hires Bartlet...
Five votes keep a very important gun-control bill from being passed and the staff has 72 hours to track down the errant congressmen. Toby is accused o...
The staffers spend the day ("Big Block of Cheese day") dealing with private organizations, aka the crackpots. Throughout the day, Sam deals with a UFO...
Toby and Mandy push for a commerce bill with a census-counting provision, with three votes as the deciding factor. Sam tutors CJ on the finer points o...
The president of Indonesia is honored at a state dinner. The staff deals with Hurricane Sarah, a potential teamster strike, and a raid involving child...
Bartlet and Hoynes argue in front of the Cabinet. CJ fends off Danny's advances when she suspects he's after a big story. Mallory asks Sam out. The st...
Bartlet struggles to name a nominee to the Supreme Court when the perfect nominee turns out to be not so perfect. A congressman attacks the staff, cla...
Toby tries to arrange a proper funeral for a homeless veteran. Josh and Sam try to set up a preemptive strike against Lillienfield, who is attacking L...
War breaks out between India and Pakistan and Bartlet consults with Lord John Marbury. Toby accuses CJ of being too friendly with the press when she o...
Bartlet collapses before his first State of the Union address. Leo publicly admits to his former alcoholism and drug abuse. Things get interesting rom...
Josh and Sam are able to make a bargain to keep Leo from going through a hearing, at the expense of a new sex education report. Mandy doesn't think a ...
After the Supreme Court refuses to stay the execution of a convicted murderer, Bartlet has forty-eight hours to decide whether or not to commute the s...
Toby and Sam travel to Connecticut to get Roberto Mendoza released from jail; Josh must run a press briefing when CJ has an emergency root canal.
Bartlet and the senior staff fly to California to attend an important fundraiser. Hoynes must decide whether he will support Bartlet's stance or go wi...
Abbey keeps the staff busy with the fallout when she leaks her personal preference for a Federal Reserve Board appointment and discusses child labor o...
Mendoza is confirmed by the Senate; Mandy needs Toby's help to replace a dead panda bear; Sam angers Mallory when she reads a position paper that he w...
Mandy's old memo about Bartlet administration weaknesses surfaces; Josh tries to get administration nominees appointed to the Federal Elections Commit...
Andrea Wyatt insists that mandatory minimums be added to a new drug policy the staff is developing; C.J. makes a mistake and sets them back.
Bartlet gets closer to making the FEC campaign finance reform-friendly, but his opponents strike back by making Sam's former dalliance with the call g...
The staff deals with the crisis of an American pilot who was shot down in Iraq; Toby's brother is in danger on a space shuttle whose doors won't close...
"In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" is the two-part second season premiere of the American political drama television series The West Wing. Both parts were ...
With the accomplice in custody, it's revealed that the intended target was Charlie, not Bartlet. The staff still awaits news about Josh, and recalls ...
While Josh recovers from bullet wounds there's a noticeable tension among some of the White House Staff. Toby is gung-ho to go after extremist groups ...
To investigate the cost and availability of AIDS medication needed in Africa, the White House plays host to representatives of American pharmaceutical...
Leo tries to make Ainsley's arrival as painless as possible, despite resistance from her new boss and several other White House staffers; Donna helps ...
The president considers recalling the Senate to push ratification of a nuclear-test-ban treaty. Meanwhile, Donna lobbies new legislation introducing e...
After ridiculing Notre Dame, C.J. is forced to accompany the President on a trip to Oregon; Toby and Sam struggle to write Jed's education speech for ...
Toby encourages the President to appoint Leo's controversial sister to a national education post, against Leo's objections; Bartlet must decide what t...
On the eve of Jed's participation in a national television conference with thousands of school children as the Galileo probe arrives at Mars, NASA los...
Josh investigates the suicide of a pilot with whom he has things in common; Donna tries to get an invitation to the Congressional Christmas party to h...
To get real issues to be discussed at a bi-partisan breakfast, Toby makes a deal with a former acquaintance who is the majority leader's new Chief of ...
The test of a missile defense program meets 9 of 10 essential criteria. But the 10th is the sticking point: hitting the target. Sam is livid when a s...
The President delivers his 3rd State of the Union address, what critics call "the speech of his political career" and ends up angering Abbey by what h...
Bartlet authorizes a special ops team to rescue the five DEA agents only to have them caught in an ambush; CJ arranges for the host of "Capitol Beat" ...
During an online chat, the Surgeon General comments favorably on the legalization of marijuana. The controversy heightens when Ellie Bartlet tells a r...
It's Big Block of Cheese Day again. Toby meets with World Trade Organization protesters, and CJ meets with a group of cartographers who want the stand...
The staff is blindsided when an elderly senator stages a Friday night filibuster to block their Family Wellness bill; Toby is confused when VP Hoynes,...
Toby, suspicious that there's something going on with the President, finds out about Bartlet's MS and informs Leo of the legal ramifications; Josh and...
Bartlet confers with Babish on the legal ramifications of his MS cover-up; Sam has a personal interest in an oil spill off the coast of Delaware; Josh...
Babish menacingly questions CJ and Abbey about their involvement in the MS cover-up while Josh asks Joey Lucas to create a hypothetical poll the gauge...
The staff prepares for the worst as they make arrangements for the public announcement of the President's condition; Sam and Babish grill Abbey about ...
On the day of Mrs. Landingham's funeral, the staff deals with a Haitian presidential crisis and the law suit against the big tobacco companies, and Ba...
Bartlet's decision about Haiti falls under scrutiny; C.J. makes a horrible blunder in a press conference and is hounded about the president's health b...
The senior staff clash with the consultants who are to work on Bartlet's reelection campaign; C.J. is concerned that the press senses the Bartlets' ma...
The Special Prosecutor sets his probe in motion; Sam and Bruno are concerned about the loyalty of a powerful labor leader; Toby and Josh are preoccupi...
When Bartlet vetoes the "death tax", the staff must scramble to keep the veto from being overridden; Josh tries to smooth talk a promising governor wh...
The President has a showdown; Donna lies when she appears before the Congressional committee investigating the President; Leo debates with an old frie...
When an American spy submarine suddenly goes silent in hostile North Korea, Bartlet must decide whether to inform the enemy or attempt a secret rescue...
While Bartlet worries about where he will be on Thanksgiving--and how to best cook a gourmet turkey -- C.J. meets with two Native Americans, Maggie an...
At Abbey's urging, Josh meets with a powerful women's caucus over the proposed language of a United Nations treaty banning prostitution.
Leo fears the worst when he testifies in the congressional investigation into Bartlet's lack of public disclosure about his illness.
Leo defiantly rejects the Congressional Oversight Committee's offer of a public censure of Bartlet that would finally bring an end to the investigatio...
On State of the Union night, Sam is being trailed by a magazine reporter to whom he was once engaged; the President' Congressional censure weighs heav...
On the day of the Democratic Caucus, Bartlet, Toby and C.J. go to Iowa to kick off the presidential race, and disagree over Bartlet's making a stateme...
Stanley Keyworth revisits the White House to uncover the reason Bartlet hasn't been able to sleep since the night of the Iowa caucus; C.J. enlists Leo...
On the day before the New Hampshire primary, Josh drafts Donna as his frontwoman to ensure that Bartlet wins the nation's first primary in the small t...
Concern arises over the medical board's decision on Abbey's actions in treating Jed's M.S.; Sam tries to get a Senator he doesn't like to pass a bill ...
Toby looks forward to meeting the new U.S. Poet Laureate; Jed fires the first salvo of his reelection campaign when he calls his likely opponent less ...
Hoynes and Bartlet each make an unexpected announcement about Hoynes' place on the ticket; fears of a terrorist attack arise when a truck carrying dep...
The revelation that a Russian company may be building a heavy water reactor in Iran puts Jed in a difficult position as he prepares to meet with the n...
Bartlet and the staff are on high alert when they receive reports of an impending attack on a military installation; Josh is furious when he discovers...
While Jed, Leo and Fitzwallace grapple with terrorism and moral absolutes, Josh and Amy grapple with each other over a welfare-reform bill; Donna repr...
Bartlet continues to struggle over the wisdom of assassinating the terrorist Qumari defense minister; after Ritchie declines to meet Bartlet, Sam and ...
Toby, Josh, and Donna learn the hard way about the lack of accessible public transportation in the heartland when they spend a long day trying to get ...
Donna teaches Toby and Josh an important lesson as their trek homeward continues; Sam staffs the President in Josh's absence and welcomes an old frien...
Bartlet decides he needs a lawyer when Qumar goes after Israel; Josh is disturbed to learn that Stackhouse might not endorse Bartlet; a comment Debora...
Leo meets with the Israeli Foreign Minister to enlist Israel's assistance with the Shareef investigation, but is ultimately foiled by the Qumari; the...
As the staff prepares for the presidential debates at a North Carolina conference center, a vexing question about a failed attorney-general nomination...
Bartlet, Leo, Josh, Sam and C.J. pull a practical joke on Toby; Sam's mission to end the Wilde campaign leads him to make a career-altering decision; ...
Election day finally arrives with the staff eagerly anticipating the outcome; Sam is increasingly concerned about the Wilde campaign in Orange County;...
The staff celebrates election night and encourages Sam to run for the seat in Orange County; Toby continues to worry about how Andrea's pregnancy will...
The 15-year old son of an Iranian leader needs a heart transplant in the U.S. Problem is, the only man who could do it is an enemy of the Iranian gove...
When a celebrated female fighter pilot is threatened with a dishonorable discharge for refusing to end her affair with an enlisted man, the staff, tho...
It's December 23, and the holiday brings several visitors to the White House: Zoey comes home with her new French boyfriend in tow; aided by Josh, Tob...
Josh, determined to make sure a foreign aid bill passes even though it's a hopeless cause, sends Donna out to track down a reluctant senator; in an at...
While Toby unsuccessfully attempts to fill her shoes in the briefing room, C.J. returns to Dayton, where she gives a speech at her high school reunion...
The staff wrangles with the State Department over language in the inaugural address; a genocidal war breaks out in Kundu, and Bartlet weighs his optio...
Toby discovers that Will's frankness, stubbornness, and commitment to ideals is much like his own; Charlie remains on the hunt for an inaugural Bible;...
Bartlet plays hardball to end the genocide in Kundu; after the entire speechwriting staff quits, Will is forced to rely on Elsie and some inexperience...
While Toby and C.J. are in California working on Sam's campaign, Josh drops Abbey's agenda in favor of his own, Jed deals with a military hostage situ...
Toby's old friend approaches him ready to blow the whistle on his employer's violations of environmental laws; staff pranks abound on Amy's first day ...
Air Force One is forced to keep aloft for almost 24 hours when an indicator light leads the flight crew to believe that the landing gear isn't functio...
The White House is locked down after a gunman on the street fires shots into the West Wing; Josh interviews a candidate to replace Ainsley Hayes; Bart...
On his first day at work, Joe Quincy pieces together three news leaks and uncovers a scandal which forces Hoynes to resign.
Bartlet finally tells the staff the truth about the death of Shareef; Danny agrees to hold off on the story after five alleged terrorists go missing; ...
When Bartlet learns that Zoey's kidnapping is the work of Qumari terrorists, he invokes the 25th amendment to diminish their leverage and eliminate an...
As the search for Zoey continues, Walken takes a hard line against the kidnappers that could contribute to her death; Danny releases the Shareef story...
Bombs drop on Qumar upon Walken's orders; as the hours pass without any word on Zoey's whereabouts, tensions increase within the Bartlet family; Walke...
When he realizes that his first choice for Vice President faces an uphill fight for nomination, Jed nominates a congressman that none of the staff can...
Josh fails to sway an unruly congressman who insists on voting against the administration on the vice presidential confirmation, but Ryan reaches out ...
Will Bailey receives an offer to become Vice President Russell's top aide. Amy Gardner does some skillful lobbying for domestic violence prevention wh...
The fallout on the Hill from Carrick's switch to the Republican party exiles Josh deep into a White House doghouse, so C.J. gives Donna some tips on h...
As Chief Justice Ashland's health problems continue to mount, Joe Quincy, Ashland's former clerk, is pressed into service to persuade him to retire; a...
Jed's decision not to be held hostage by Haffley shuts down the federal government; unable to get through to Jed and fearing the worst, Leo calls in t...
The Bartet clan attempts to gather for a holiday dinner. Jed must deal with a hostage situation in Sudan, an assisted suicide in Oregon, his son-in-la...
President Bartlet attends the funeral of a former president with other former presidents Glenallen Walken and D. Wire Newman, while monitoring a possi...
In the days leading up to the State of the Union address, Toby gets crucial voter feedback when he accompanies Joey as she mall-tests the speech aroun...
Toby gets Jed's support to seize a controversial window of opportunity to save Social Security, but is hampered by Jed's mandate to keep the operation...
An unlikely party comes to the aid of the administration as it seeks to discover the party responsible for nuclear testing in the Indian Ocean; Will i...
When five navy E-2C Hawkeye crew members are stranded in North Korea, Bartlet orders a risky Navy Seal rescue attempt. C.J. agrees to one on one with ...
He's back, Former VP John Hoynes, who resigned in sex scandal, makes a bid for political resurrection by trashing Barlet and Leo in a tell-all book. B...
When a conservative Republican Congresswoman targets Ellie's research project in an effort to discredit Jed, Toby discovers that the source of the lea...
Jed and the staff vet potential Supreme Court appointees; Toby and Andy don't see eye-to-eye on her fact-finding trip to the Middle East; Donna's pare...
A documentary camera crew follows C.J. around for a not-so-typical day in the White House.
Hail the conquering hero. Josh returns after nailing down details for a trade agreement. But the devil in the detail, including information kept from ...
An airborne contamination alert locks down the West Wing, forcing staffers to stay put until the all-clear is sounded; Toby and Will face off over Wil...
Donna Moss, Percy Fitzwallace, Andrea Wyatt and a couple of congressmen are in the Middle East on a fact finding mission when their cars are blown up....
Jed weighs his options for responding to the bombing as Israeli and Palestinian forces face off against each other; Josh has an interesting reaction w...
As they remain at Donna's bedside while she recuperates from surgery to remove a pulmonary embolism, Colin questions Josh about his personal relations...
Bartlet orders a strike on the terrorist training camp as he and his staff broker a peace settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but Ba...
Leo is rushed into bypass surgery after suffering a massive heart attack; as Toby and Josh scramble chaotically to get votes after Haffley demands Dem...
Margaret and Charlie prove to be invaluable allies as C.J. has a rough first day in her new position, made even more difficult by a Russian bearing ra...
Hours before the CAFE standards amendment is defeated, Josh succumbs to the lure of test driving a monster SUV while shopping for a Prius and gets int...
The peace mission suffers its first American casualty, whose father is sharply critical of the administration; Santos breaks ranks with the party by s...
Hoynes throws his hat in the presidential ring, and asks Josh to join his campaign; Jed's health begins to deteriorate; Toby and Kate head the protoco...
Penn and Teller roll a lesson about the First Amendment into their entertainment at Zoey's White House birthday party, setting off a media frenzy and ...
As acting chief of staff, Josh calls Leo in for backup when the news about Jed's health hits; the staff follows the progress of an asteroid headed for...
A senator attaches a rider to the federal budget bill that would ban gay marriage, almost daring the President to veto it, as the physical infirmities...
Santos starts up his presidential campaign in New Hampshire, where he immediately disagrees with Josh on campaign philosophy: "No opposition research,...
On the day after Bartlet gives his last State of the Union address, Leo returns to the West Wing but has difficulty getting the attention of the rest ...
The presidential candidates journey to Iowa, where democrats Russell and Santos, and republican Vinick, are all told by their handlers that when they ...
Valentine's Day starts badly when the Iranian air force shoots down a British airliner, killing 100 passengers. The U.K. Prime Minister threatens to r...
It's 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 d...
A new candidate for president, Senator Rafferty, has garnered much media attention with a ground-breaking speech about health care. But her words cont...
Santos engineers a plot to get a stalled stem-cell bill scheduled for a vote in the House. President Bartlet has an uncomfortable reunion with a rival...
Santos is campaigning in California during the last few days before the all-important "Super Tuesday" primary elections, but he is out of money and he...
New rumors about Fidel Castro's health cause the President to re-examine the economic sanctions against Cuba that haven't worked for 40 years, and he ...
Senator Vinick, now the Republican Presidential nominee, receives advice from former Bartlet political consultant Bruno Gianelli on how to win all 50 ...
Faced with a Democratic party in disarray in the face of the strongest Republican challenger they have ever had, Bartlet asks Leo to take charge of th...
At the Democratic National Convention, Russell, Santos and Baker jockey for the 2162 votes that will give one of them the nomination for President, an...
As everyone but Josh causes Santos to question his choice of Leo as his running mate, Bartlet's investigation into the dangerous press leak continues....
Santos and Vinick have to deal with press fallout when it looks like the Bartlet White House is not going to continue the investigation into the press...
It's three weeks into the presidential campaign and Vinick meets with Frost out on the trail. Santos pulls a stunt which leads to higher approval rati...
Margaret is interrogated at a hearing held by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; Santos deflects religious questions onto Vinick; Someone gi...
The White House is trying to cope with the revelation of the identity of the leaker and Babish's questioning of Toby convinces him that he must get hi...
Donna is back and she's working for the Santos/McGarry campaign, but not for Josh. An attack ad on Santos by a pro-life group puts Vinick in a corner ...
Santos and Vinick battle it out in primetime live. Forrest Saywer the moderator poses questions and attempts to ensure that the candidates remain with...
Lou and Santos run into trouble on the road when they try to pick up a family's vote; their child was shot by a Latino police officer. Also, CJ must m...
Santos is working on campaign strategy, Ellie's getting married, Abbey is welcoming guests, Bartlet's making jokes, China and Kazahkstan are about to ...
All eyes are looking forward to the Leo McGarry/Ray Sullivan Vice Presidential debate. Meawhile, Santos is trying not to catch his children's cold and...
The Westins visit Washington and Doug is keeping a secret from Liz that many other senior staffers already know about. C.J. tries to make a deal with ...
Bartlet must deal with the possiblity of a nuclear explosion in California, Kate is keeping a careful watch on the election in Kazakhstan and China's ...
After the near-nuclear disaster at the power plant the polls show surprising, or maybe not so surprising, results for both candidates. The Vinick camp...
There are only two weeks left before Election Day and both candidates must make difficult choices at a time when they are both extremely tired. Vinick...
The Santos campaign meets up with Rock the Vote. Helen gives a lecture to a National Latina Organization, but her heritage doesn't help her when tryin...
Election Day finally arrives, and between analyzing exit polls, and mulling over news reports, a few Santos staff members discover the joys of campaig...
Abbey is in New Hamphire with Liz Bartlet-Westin and they are awaiting the results of Doug Westin's campaign for a seat in Congress. Members of both t...
Bartlet, Santos, and their staff members attend a funeral for one of their own. Also, Josh cautions Santos about getting involved in the vote for Spea...
Bartlet and his staff make the transition as easy as possible for the president-elect, who discovers some unpleasant realities about his new job.
While Santos is busy trying to select a new vice president, his wife finds her new responsibilities staggering. Meanwhile, Vinick ponders his next mov...
C.J. and Will both face uncertain futures as Bartlet and his staffers prepare to leave the White House to make way for the Santos administration.
While Santos and his winning camp are nervously gearing up for the presidential inauguration, current President Bartlet, CJ, and the others fondly loo...
While the White House is in lock down, Josh and the staff try to put the events of 9/11/01 in context for a group of gifted high schoolers.
This documentary special interspersed clips from several episodes in the series with interviews of former occupants of the real West Wing, including P...
Santos and Vinick battle it out in primetime live. Forrest Saywer the moderator poses questions and attempts to ensure that the candidates remain with...
