Moving on to this episode:
Honestly, while I enjoy it, it does have the feel of a "monster-of-the-week" episode... the Russians are building a nuclear reactor and we have to cancel the trip. Wait- no we don't, because good job Sam! Toss in a little Charlie magic, Toby having a weird day and CJ being an absolute badass, and you've got yourself an episode. That's right, in "The West Wing," having four plots converge in 43 minutes while starting another arc (CJ's Secret Service Agent) elicits an "eh- it was fine, I guess." Seriously, though, this episode has the feeling of being the beginning of things (and having watched only 30 times previously, I think I'm right) more than the end.
Also, special shoutout out to this episode's intro (normally the "Previously on "The West Wing""), which allows everyone to introduce themselves. Because it's like the 60th episode, and someone might be like "Who's this Bartlet guy everyone's talking about... oooooohhhh!!!!"
So, I want to take a moment to recognize something about this episode that is both completely amazing and not at all out of the normal for "The West Wing." I've been listening to "The West Wing Weekly" to figure out what they're stealing from me (none of the bad jokes, all of the interesting facts), and they've mentioned this a few times before, so I will give them some credit. When "The West Wing" goes out to hire someone for a limited run, or a recurring character, or a one-off, they don't just call central casting to ask for someone who is around 6' tall and looks good in a black blazer. Who do they get? Let's take a look at this episode (info from IMDB):
 | Ian McShane |
Best Known for: Deadwood, Lovejoy. Less Known for: Kung Fu Panda
 | John Amos |
 | Peter Scolari |
 | Gregory Itzin |
 | Bill Cobbs |
Best Known for: NCIS, Chicago Hope, St. Elsewhere. Less Known for: UCLA Quarterback, 72-73
Now of these five, only John Amos is a recurring character in multiple seasons. This is the first of 4 episodes for Marc Harmon. The other 4 just showed up for this one episode. Check out their IMDB pages, and look at how much these guys have been in, for Peter Scolari's sake!
Sooooo, I thought this would be a good time to give you my Top-10 Guest Appearances on the West Wing (thus far)...
Legal Notice:
In order to be eligible for placement onto this completely irrelevant and made up list, actors must have appeared on no more than 1 episode of "The West Wing," and cannot re-appear later in the series. Residents of Alaska and the District of Columbia are not eligible for placement onto this list. The 45th President of this great nation is an absolute knob, and sullies the office he holds with his mere presence. He did not approve of this message, which is what I believe he thinks should be the final step in all newsrooms, because once again, he's a knob who finds an independent press to be a supreme obstacle to his ultimate goal of screwing the American people with their pants on. For the record, I am not a paid protester, but if someone's really offering, I'm interested and available.
- David Hasselhoff as Himself- Don't Hassle the Hoff, Donna! (S1e16)
- Yo-Yo Ma as Himself- Yo-Yo Ma RULES! Boy oh boy, Donna has very little chill with regard to celebrity... (S2e10)
- Felicity Huffman as Ann Stark- Amazing actor, terrific scenes with Toby, makes us long for more Sports Night episodes... (S2e11)
- Valerie Mahaffey as Tawny Cryer- First of all, amazing name. Second, an amazing performance stepping into the show as an antagonist. Terrific scenes with Toby! (S3e6)
- Laura Dern as Tabitha Fortis- As with #2, a terrific actor in a wonderful role, with terrific scenes with Toby. Wait- is this a pattern? (S3e16)
- John Laroquette as Lionel Tribbey- Promoted from Night Court to White House Counselor. Uses a cricket bat to reinforce emphasis and hires Ainsley Hayes. What more do you want? (S2e5)
- Karl Malden as Fr. Thomas Cavanaugh- Terrific actor in one of his last on-screen appearances. Used the same bible as in On the Waterfront. Nothing funny to say- honestly an amazing example of the caliber of guest-actors on "The West Wing." (S1e14)
- Mary Mara as Sherri Wexler- I love to hate Sherri Wexler... Don't mess with C.J., especially if you clearly didn't pay attention during 8th grade Social Studies. (S3e4)
- Cara Delizia as Winnifred Hooper- Reads reports, yells at Sam. Don't call her Winnie unless you want to be spat at. (S2e17)
- Bob Balaban as Ted Marcus- In a long career of being a guy that you recognize but whose name you can't remember, Bob Balaban as a Hollywood mogul is amazing. (S1e16)
What's Next? S3e19- The Black Vera Wang
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