Enemies (The West Wing)

"Enemies"
The West Wing episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 8
Directed by	Alan Taylor
Teleplay by	Ron Osborn Jeff Reno
Story by	Rick Cleveland Lawrence O'Donnell Jr. Patrick Caddell
Production code	225907
Original air date	November 17 1999
Guest stars
Timothy Busfield Renee Estevez Janel Moloney Allison Smith Tim Matheson
Season 1 episodes
September 22, 1999 – May 17, 2000 Pilot Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc A Proportional Response Five Votes Down The Crackpots and These Women Mr. Willis of Ohio The State Dinner Enemies The Short List In Excelsis Deo Lord John Marbury He Shall, from Time to Time... Take out the Trash Day Take This Sabbath Day Celestial Navigation 20 Hours in L.A. The White House Pro-Am Six Meetings Before Lunch Let Bartlet Be Bartlet Mandatory Minimums Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics What Kind of Day Has It Been
List of The West Wing episodes

"Enemies" is the 8th episode of The West Wing. It is the only episode in the first three seasons not written by Aaron Sorkin.

Plot

The latest round of infighting between the President and the Vice President, Sam's foray into romance with the daughter of his boss, and a crucial effort to keep a major legislative program afloat marked this episode.

C.J. tries to quash rumors that the President and Vice President got into an argument at a cabinet meeting. At the meeting, the Vice President said that the administration's first priority should be working with Congress to pass legislation, and the President said (very condescendingly) that the first priority should be serving the interests of the American people. Leo assumes the VP leaked the argument and C.J. goes to the VP to see what happened, only to have him very angrily deny it. C.J. later figures out that the woman who was taking notes for the meeting leaked the story, although the President doesn't believe her at first. The President later meets with the VP and when the VP expresses his indignation at being treated badly, the President says that the VP shouldn't have made the President beg him for the VP nomination in the first place. They leave on bad terms and with nothing resolved.

Leo's daughter Mallory begins to date Sam, to Leo's dismay. He tries to intimidate Sam and Mallory, with Sam being uneasy and his daughter telling him to shut up and leave them alone. By the end, Leo tells Sam he'll be all right with them dating as long as Sam never talks to Leo about it.

Meanwhile, the staff is trying to work out how the President can sign a very important banking reform bill into law without having to give in to an amendment on the bill that would allow strip mining of federal land in Montana that was tossed in by two Republican lawmakers the White House can't stand. Josh, by way of Donna, comes up with a solution using the Antiquities Act, suggesting that the federal land be converted into a National Park after signing the bill. The solution works, but the President and Josh are both left feeling less than cheerful because of the ugliness they've seen in both the political environment and their own actions.

Inaccuracies

During a discussion about landing a man on Mars, the VP repeats the phrase "Hydrogen and Nitrogen", and states that Mars is made of Nitrogen. This is meaningless, unless you substitute Oxygen for Nitrogen (Hydrogen and Oxygen is rocket fuel, and Mars has abundant Oxygen in its surface rocks).

The show refers to the President using the Antiquities Act to create a National Park. In reality, National Parks require an act of congress. The Antiquities act could be used by the President to create a National Monument.

The scene that has Mallory standing over the shoulder of Sam as he tries the type a birthday message there is hat on the desk behind him. The hat has "ATF" on it. After Mallory leaves then returns with her father Leo, the hat then has "DEA" on it.

External links

• The West Wing Episode Guide
• The West Wing Unofficial Continuity Guide