The West Wing

The premiere episode of the third season of "The West Wing" deals with some of the questions and issues currently facing the world in the wake of the tragedies that recently occurred in America. With the White House in security lockdown, Bartlet and his staff must cope with the fallout of a terrorist attack. Cast members address the camera in character. The episode is self-contained, with the s...

Bartlet announces that he intends to seek reelection. Storms complicate a Haitian rescue mission. Bartlet and his staff travel to New Hampshire to work on campaign matters. C.J. commits an error during a press conference. First part of a two-part episode.

Bartlet refines his speech for a major reelection announcement, while his staff works uneasily with a heavyweight political strategist (RON SILVER) on this issue of whether or not Bartlet should include a public apology in his remarks. Meanwhile, C.J. considers drastic action in the wake of her ill-timed statements during a crucial press conference. Bartlet tries to reconcile with Abbey over a ...

When a fearless special prosecutor, Clem Rollins (NICHOLAS PRYOR), begins investigating Bartlet's failure to disclose his illness and issues subpoenas to the White House staff, C.J. cunningly reveals clues to the press that could force Rollins to be ousted and replaced by someone more favorable to the administration. Meanwhile, a forest fire rages in Wyoming, but the governor is incensed when B...

As a State Department dinner nears, Bartlet boldly vetoes the "death tax" bill, but his staff must scramble when they learn that the House of Representatives has enough votes to immediately override the veto. Some Democratic congressmen demand compromising political favors, infuriating Bartlet and Leo. Josh tries to influence promising Governor Buckland (KEVIN TIGHE - "Emergency"), who is consi...

After a church shooting, Bartlet asks reluctant Vice President John Hoynes (recurring guest star TIM MATHESON) to speak at an antigun rally in Texas, but the uneasy allies confront each other in a starkly frank showdown. Donna testifies before a congressional committee investigating Bartlet's nondisclosure of his medical condition--and she lies to her inquisitor, Cliff Calley (MARK FEUERSTEIN -...

When an American spy submarine suddenly loses contact with the U.S. in hostile North Korean waters, a concerned Bartlet receives advice from Assistant Secretary of State Albie Duncan (Emmy Award winner HAL HOLBROOK - "The Bold Ones"). Bartlet must decide whether he should notify the enemy or attempt a risky, secret rescue. Meanwhile, Abigail learns that her past malpractice suits might cause tr...

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 (GEORGINA LIGHTNING) and Jack (GARY FARMER - "The Score"), who are camped in the White House lobby. Maggie and Jack threaten to bring negative media attention if they are not allowed to speak with someone in authority regarding better public health in...

At Abbey's urging, Josh meets with a powerful women's caucus over the proposed language of a United Nations treaty banning prostitution. Meanwhile, Bartlet grapples with the possibility of a mad cow disease epidemic and ponders how much the public should know. Staffers are stunned by C.J.'s emotional outburst concerning the administration's renewal of its air base lease in a Mideast country tha...

The White House is festooned with Christmas finery. Leo fears the worst when he testifies in the congressional investigation into Bartlet's lack of public disclosure about his illness. Flashbacks reveal the background of Bartlet's decision, when he was governor, to not come forward with the damaging information. In addition, Bartlet personally investigates a series of church burnings in the Sou...

Leo defiantly rejects the Congressional Oversight Committee's offer of a public censure of Bartlet that would finally bring an end to the investigation and spare Leo any possible personal repercussions. Meanwhile, Bartlet's staff reacts to an exposé published by a terminated White House photographer. Josh awkwardly schemes to socialize with a women's rights leader, Amy Gardner (recurring guest ...

While the White House staff works intensely on Bartlet's crucial State of the Union speech, Bartlet suddenly demands the inclusion of a passage that ambitiously promises a crusade to cure cancer within 10 years. Sam is interviewed for a Vanity Fair magazine profile by Lisa Sherborne (TRAYLOR HOWARD), who was once his fiancée. Attracted to a prominent women's rights leader, Amy Gardner (recurrin...

Bartlet and his staff ponder whether or not to counter a fast-rising Republican presidential candidate's verbal assault on affirmative action. Josh must postpone his tropical vacation with women's rights advocate Amy Gardner (recurring guest star MARY-LOUISE PARKER) in order to defuse a risky situation in Vieques, Puerto Rico, an area that serves as a U.S. Navy firing range. As he prepares to r...

Bartlet consults a psychiatrist, Dr. Stanley Keyworth (recurring guest star ADAM ARKIN - "Chicago Hope"), for a troubling sleep disorder and receives a sobering personal assessment. C.J. lobbies vigorously to help secure the release of a White House reporter who has been taken hostage while on assignment in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Toby risks the wrath of his ex-wife, Congresswoman And...

Bartlet engages both Sam and Toby in intricate chess matches that mirror the wily game of brinksmanship that Bartlet is playing with the Chinese, who are conducting war games in the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese threaten real war if Taiwan begins test firing its new U.S.-made Patriot defense missiles. Meanwhile, Josh is nervous about the 42 votes in a remote New Hampshire town's election, which ar...

As Abbey contemplates the likelihood that her medical license will be taken away the following day, she grumpily attends a big White House party for her birthday. Bartlet receives another visit from decorous British Ambassador Lord John Marbury (recurring guest star ROGER REES), who argues against Bartlet's meeting with a murderous Irish terrorist. Meanwhile, Sam meets with Senator Enlow (ROBIN...

Bartlet makes a disparaging comment about a potential Republican nominee after a television interview, not realizing that he is still being recorded. For days, C.J. must control the scandal, and Sam recalls Republican White House legal counsel Ainsley Hayes (recurring guest star EMILY PROCTER) from vacation to help formulate the administration's official response. Meanwhile, Toby tries to dissu...

When a large truck carrying uranium fuel rods crashes in a remote Idaho tunnel, Bartlet's staff prepares for a potential environmental--or terrorist--crisis. Meanwhile, Bartlet's stealthily composed electoral strategy may exclude Vice President John Hoynes (recurring guest star TIM MATHESON) from the next campaign. Unaware that his fate is in question, Hoynes ponders how to promote one of his f...

As Sam finalizes the maddening details of Bartlet's upcoming summit with the Russian president, satellite photographs reveal an Iranian nuclear bomb facility built with Russian technology. The discovery could cause major problems with the leaders' meeting. Meanwhile, the outraged C.J. makes a harsh public statement about a group of schoolgirls in Saudi Arabia who were prevented by the religious...

Bartlet and his staff rush to deal with an anticipated terrorist attack over a broad area. Meanwhile, C.J. has trouble adjusting to being protected by a handsome and capable Secret Service agent, Simon Donovan (recurring guest star MARK HARMON - "St. Elsewhere," "Reasonable Doubts"). And Toby clashes with network television executives regarding future political convention coverage. Recurring gu...

Bartlet agonizes over whether or not to forfeit the principle of diplomatic immunity for an important Middle Eastern official who is known to be plotting terrorism. Josh debates with his lover, feminist activist Amy Gardner (recurring guest star MARY-LOUISE PARKER), over a key welfare reform bill. Meanwhile, Bartlet is advised not to attend a fund-raiser for a politically sensitive cause. Sam m...

In the season finale, Bartlet makes a life-or-death decision regarding a foreign diplomat who is a known terrorist. He ponders the situation during a charity benefit performance of a Shakespeare play about another conflicted leader, Henry VI. At the performance, Bartlet encounters Governor Robert Ritchie (recurring guest star JAMES BROLIN - "Pensacola: Wings of Gold"), his Republican rival in t...

"The West Wing" blends drama with reality in this groundbreaking documen tary episode that includes interviews with former Presidents and White House figures. Paying tribute to the real-life counterparts of the show's fictional Bartlet administration, the installment features U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, White House staffers David Gergen, Dee Dee Myers and Leon Pa...