The West Wing (season 3)

The West Wing (season 3)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	22
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Original run	October 3, 2001 (2001-10-03) – May 22, 2002 (2002-05-22)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 2 Next → Season 4
List of The West Wing episodes

The third season of The West Wing aired in the United States from October 3, 2001 to May 22, 2002 and consisted of 22 episodes. It aired in the United States on NBC, a terrestrial television network.

Production

The season premiere was delayed by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. When the season did return, the first episode was a special episode titled "Isaac and Ishmael", in which the main cast paid tribute to those affected by the attacks and informed viewers about what to expect from the delayed premiere.

From a critical perspective, series creator Aaron Sorkin acknowledged in October 2002 that the terrorism-related plots designed to keep the series relevant after the real-life attacks were awkward at times, saying "from week to week, you felt like you were writing the show handcuffed, a little bit. I didn't know how to write it anymore. It was a constant search for what I wasn't doing that used to make the show work. [...] Maybe there was a way to make it work; there probably was. I wasn't able to find it in twenty-two episodes."

Cast

The third season had star billing for nine major roles. Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn, Stockard Channing as Abbey Bartlet, Dulé Hill as Charlie Young, Allison Janney as C. J. Cregg, Janel Moloney as Donna Moss, Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler, Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet, John Spencer as Leo McGarry and Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman all returned to the main cast.

Plot

The third season, covering the administration's third and fourth years in office, begins with Bartlet announcing his intention to run for reelection and is dominated by the subsequent campaign. Other prominent story lines include a Congressional investigation into allegations Bartlet committed electoral fraud by concealing his MS, a death threat against C.J. and the ensuing relationship she develops with the Secret Service agent assigned to protect her, the Qumari defense minister Abdul Shareef's planning terrorist attacks against the US, and a troubling meeting between Toby and the President that leaves Bartlet with a bout of insomnia. The season finale resolves several of these story lines when Bartlet meets his electoral opponent and reaffirms his commitment to beat him, finally decides to order Shareef's assassination, and, just minutes after the man who threatened her is arrested, C.J.'s Secret Service agent interrupts a convenience store robbery and is killed.

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
00	N/A	"Isaac and Ishmael"	Christopher Misiano	Aaron Sorkin	October 3, 2001 (2001-10-03)
This is a special episode in which the main cast introduce the episode out of character by paying tribute to those affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks and informing viewers about what to expect from the delayed premiere of the third season. The cast also makes it clear that this episode doesn't fall within the regular West Wing story line. In the episode, the White House is "crashed" (locked down for security purposes) due to the mistaken identity of a White House staffer of Middle Eastern descent. This causes a group of teens who were visiting the White House to become stuck in the mess hall with Josh and Donna. Throughout the episode, several other White House staffers, as well as the President and First Lady, drop in to join the discussion which is related to the reasons behind terrorism. Meanwhile, Leo and presidential Secret Service agent Ron Butterfield confront the potential threat from within. Note: This special episode falls outside the normal episode numbering sequence.
45	1	"Manchester Part I"	Thomas Schlamme	Aaron Sorkin	October 10, 2001 (2001-10-10)
Surprising everyone, President Bartlet announces his intentions to run for re-election, angering Abby. Meanwhile, Haiti's obstreperous dictator is giving National Security Advisor Nancy McNally fits. The staff scrambles to work the news cycle in their favor in the wake of the President's announcement. C.J. makes a critical error in a statement to the press.
46	2	"Manchester Part II"	Thomas Schlamme	Aaron Sorkin	October 17, 2001 (2001-10-17)
Senior staffers clash with newly hired political operative Bruno, and his aides Connie and Doug. Josh is upset because Leo won't let him "wave off the FDA" on RU-486. C.J. contemplates her future at the White House.
47	3	"Ways and Means"	Alex Graves	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Eli Attie & Gene Sperling (story)	October 24, 2001 (2001-10-24)
The Special Prosecutor begins his probe, and the White House feels his objective, unbiased approach may hurt them politically. C.J. begins maneuvering within the press to persuade Congress to start their own investigation, believing it will be easier to win a battle with bloodthirsty Republicans. Meanwhile, Sam and Bruno are concerned about a powerful California labor leader and Toby and Josh are preoccupied with a congressional battle over the estate tax. Donna meets a young Republican lawyer.
48	4	"On the Day Before"	Christopher Misiano	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Paul Redford & Nanda Chitre (story)	October 31, 2001 (2001-10-31)
The President vetoes his first bill, the estate tax repeal, and staffers scramble to counter the GOP's override threat. An international crisis erupts when Palestinian terrorists kill two Americans in Israel. Meanwhile, Charlie has been offered legal immunity in the MS matter and everyone urges him to take it.
49	5	"War Crimes"	Alex Graves	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Allison Abner (story)	November 7, 2001 (2001-11-07)
The President asks the reluctant Vice President (Tim Matheson) to speak at an anti-gun rally in Texas after a church shooting, while Donna goes before a Congressional committee investigating Bartlet's lack of disclosure–and she lies under oath when her new boyfriend asks her a personal question. Toby deals with a leaked quote that is embarrassing to the President, while C.J. meets up with a gutsy reporter and Sam ponders a plan to eliminate the penny.
50	6	"Gone Quiet"	Jon Hutman	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Julia Dahl & Laura Glasser (story)	November 14, 2001 (2001-11-14)
An American spy submarine suddenly goes silent in hostile North Korean waters, and Bartlet must decide whether he should notify the enemy or attempt a risky, secret rescue. Meanwhile, a top Republican contender can't articulate why he wants to be President, but C.J. is disappointed with President Bartlet's own answer to that question; and Toby clashes with a Congresswoman over funding the National Endowment for the Arts. This episode guest stars Hal Holbrook as Deputy Secretary of State Albie Duncan, marking the first of several appearances for his character.
51	7	"The Indians in the Lobby"	Paris Barclay	Allison Abner & Kevin Falls and Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Allison Abner (story)	November 21, 2001 (2001-11-21)
On the day before Thanksgiving, the President is talking turkey to whoever will listen (and everyone must). Meanwhile, C.J. deals with two Native Americans who have encamped in the lobby; Toby annoys the President when he finds out polls involving the First Family increase his popularity; Sam is dismayed by a new formula for poverty; and Josh goes diplomatic on a case involving a Georgia teen who killed his teacher and fled to Italy.
52	8	"The Women of Qumar"	Alex Graves	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Felicia Wilson & Laura Glasser & Julia Dahl (story)	November 28, 2001 (2001-11-28)
C.J. argues with senior staff over whether to make public the possibility of an outbreak of mad cow disease, as well as the renewal of a lease on a Qumari military base despite her horror with that nation's treatment of women. Toby meets with veterans upset about the content of a Smithsonian Pearl Harbor exhibition, and Josh finds some sparks when he meets with a woman's group director named Amy Gardner.
53	9	"Bartlet for America"	Thomas Schlamme	Aaron Sorkin	December 12, 2001 (2001-12-12)
It's Christmas time, and the most pressing matter is a threat to firebomb black churches in Tennessee on Christmas Eve. Leo testifies before a Congressional committee on the MS matter, recalling several critical moments from the Bartlet campaign.
54	10	"H. Con-172"	Vincent Misiano	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Eli Attie (story)	January 9, 2002 (2002-01-09)
Leo defiantly rejects the Congressional Oversight Committee's offer of a public censure of Bartlet that would end the investigation into Bartlet's concealment of his illness and spare Leo of any possible personal repercussions, while the President continues to weigh his options. In other stories, Josh puts his foot in his mouth over his courtship of Amy; Sam is angry over a White House tell-all book; and Charlie's heartfelt purchase of an old Middle East map for the President leads to some political problems.
55	11	"100,000 Airplanes"	David Nutter	Aaron Sorkin	January 16, 2002 (2002-01-16)
While the White House staff works intensely on President Bartlet's State of the Union speech, Bartlet and the First Lady have dinner with a group of her scientist friends who speculate that sphingosine kinase could lead to a cure for cancer. As a result, Bartlet demands that a passage ambitiously promising a crusade to cure cancer within 10 years be included. Sam is the point person for this speech, which is billed as the most important one of the President's career and one whose failure will end his hopes for re-election. As Sam is very reluctantly interviewed for a Vanity Fair profile by Lisa Sherborne, who was once his fiancée, he lays out the process by which a State of the Union address comes about. Sam knows that the pledge to cure cancer is noble and the kind of over-reaching government should do, but also that for political reasons it can't be included in the final speech and removes it, taking out most of his frustrations on Lisa Sherborne, who finally tells Sam she's taking herself off the story, and then reminds him that it was he and not her who ended their engagement. Sam recognizes she's right and then reads a smart, touching section that would have made the cancer-curing pledge official. As she leaves, Sam stares at the passage on his laptop and then deletes it. Attracted to a prominent women's rights leader, Amy Gardner, Josh tries to persuade her that her burgeoning romance with a Congressman is solely a result of political machinations. He later decides that he was wrong and Amy seems more taken with him at that point. Josh is also cheered by seeing Lisa, whom he hates and was thrilled Sam did not marry, and of course by the political salvation via the SoTU address. Guest stars: Mary-Louise Parker, Marlee Matlin, Traylor Howard, Bill O'Brien, Howard S. Miller and Brian Baker
56	12	"The Two Bartlets"	Alex Graves	Kevin Falls and Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Gene Sperling (story)	January 30, 2002 (2002-01-30)
The staff debates whether to counter a fast-rising Republican presidential candidate's verbal assault on affirmative action at the Iowa Caucus and Josh postpones his tropical vacation with women's rights advocate Amy Gardner to defuse a risky situation in Vieques, Puerto Rico. C.J. surprises Toby with her lack of enthusiasm for affirmative action, while Sam has to meet with a UFO crackpot per Leo's orders. Toby and President Bartlet clash over the President's mental state and relationship with his father.
57	13	"Night Five"	Christopher Misiano	Aaron Sorkin	February 6, 2002 (2002-02-06)
Bartlet consults a psychiatrist, Dr. Stanley Keyworth, 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 the Congo. Toby clashes again with his ex-wife over a speech for the UN that takes radical Islam to task.
58	14	"Hartsfield's Landing"	Vincent Misiano	Aaron Sorkin	February 27, 2002 (2002-02-27)
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 small New England town of Hartsfield's Landing kicks off voting in the New Hampshire primary, and Josh is lobbying for every vote he can get. A prank war between C.J. and Charlie turns somewhat destructive.
59	15	"Dead Irish Writers"	Alex Graves	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Paul Redford (story)	March 6, 2002 (2002-03-06)
As Abby contemplates the possible loss of her medical license, she grudgingly attends a big White House party for her birthday. Toby discusses the inclusion of a Sinn Féin member in the guest list of a White House event with British Ambassador Lord John Marbury. Donna's US citizenship is called into question.
60	16	"The U.S. Poet Laureate"	Christopher Misiano	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Laura Glasser (story)	March 27, 2002 (2002-03-27)
Bartlet makes a disparaging comment about a potential Republican nominee after a television interview, apparently not realizing that he is still being recorded. Meanwhile, Toby tries to dissuade the newly named U.S. poet laureate, Tabatha Fortis (played by Laura Dern), from publicly objecting to the government's lack of support for a treaty on land mines; Sam offers Ainsley Hayes a big promotion; and Josh discovers he has an internet message board following, and interpreting, everything he does - with mixed reactions.
61	17	"Stirred"	Jeremy Kagan	Aaron Sorkin & Eli Attie (teleplay) Dee Dee Myers (story)	April 3, 2002 (2002-04-03)
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. Donna seeks a presidential proclamation honoring the retirement of her favorite teacher. The staff considers eliminating Vice President John Hoynes from the election ticket.
62	18	"Enemies Foreign and Domestic"	Alex Graves	Paul Redford and Aaron Sorkin	May 1, 2002 (2002-05-01)
As Sam is finalizing the details of Bartlet's upcoming summit with the Russian president, satellite photographs reveal an Iranian nuclear bomb facility being built using Russian technology. During a press briefing, C.J. voices her personal indignation that a group of schoolgirls in Saudi Arabia were prevented from escaping a burning building by religious police because they were not dressed properly according to Sharia law. After receiving credible death threats, C.J. is assigned Secret Service Special Agent Simon Donovan (Mark Harmon) for personal protection. Toby tries to help a Russian journalist he thinks is being suppressed by her government, and Charlie unravels a mystery involving a long-lost letter to FDR.
63	19	"The Black Vera Wang"	Christopher Misiano	Aaron Sorkin	May 8, 2002 (2002-05-08)
While C.J. gets used to being tailed by Special Agent Simon Donovan (played by Mark Harmon), the President must deal with a terrorist threat on a military installation that gets closer and closer to home and leads to a frightening revelation. Meanwhile, Toby plays hardball with network TV executives who want to cut National Convention coverage, and Sam's plan to keep dirty tricks out of the Presidential campaign blows up in his face.
64	20	"We Killed Yamamoto"	Thomas Schlamme	Aaron Sorkin	May 15, 2002 (2002-05-15)
Bartlet agonizes over whether to disregard the principle of diplomatic immunity for an important Middle Eastern official who is known to be plotting terrorism. Bartlet is advised not to attend a fundraiser for a politically sensitive cause because his Republican opponent will also be attending. Josh and Amy clash over a welfare-renewal bill, while Sam is gun-shy after the tape disclosure from earlier.
65	21	"Posse Comitatus"	Alex Graves	Aaron Sorkin	May 22, 2002 (2002-05-22)
Bartlet makes a life-or-death decision regarding a foreign diplomat who is a known terrorist. The flirtation between C.J. and her Secret Service bodyguard, Simon Donovan, is limited by their professional relationship and then cut short by tragedy. Josh defeats Amy in the welfare-bill battle and their relationship is left with an uncertain future. Bartlet encounters his opponent, Governor Ritchie, at a Catholic charity event.

References

General references

• "The West Wing Episodes on NBC". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-west-wing/episodes/100534. Retrieved January 7, 2012. 
• "Shows A-Z - west wing, the on nbc". the Futon Critic. http://thefutoncritic.com/showatch/west-wing/listings. Retrieved January 7, 2012. 
• "The West Wing - Episode Guide". MSN TV. http://tv.msn.com/tv/series-episodes/the-west-wing. Retrieved January 7, 2012. 
• "The West Wing: Episode Guide". Zap2it. http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/the-west-wing/episode-guide/EP00316991. Retrieved January 7, 2012. 
• "The West Wing Episode Guides". NBC. Archived from the original on August 3, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060803215426/http://www.nbc.com/The_West_Wing/episode_guide/. Retrieved January 7, 2012.