Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc (The West Wing)

"Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc"
The West Wing episode
240 px
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 2
Directed by	Thomas Schlamme
Written by	Aaron Sorkin
Production code	225901
Original air date	September 29 1999
Guest stars
Ruben Santiago-Hudson Lisa Edelstein Merrin Dungey Renee Estevez John Bedford Lloyd Janel Moloney Suzy Nakamura 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

"Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc" is the 2nd episode of The West Wing.

Plot

Sam jeopardizes his bright political future when he decides to pursue a relationship with a call girl he recently met, while C.J. arbitrates a disagreement between the President and the Vice President, and the President hires a new White House physician. The White House hires Mandy as a political consultant, much to Josh's chagrin.

President Bartlet connects with his new doctor, Captain Morris Tolliver, whose first child was just born. The episode ends with Leo informing the President that Morris died while en route to a teaching hospital when the military plane he was on was shot down by the Syrian Defense ministry. The President orders Leo to summon the command staff, and grimly announces his intention to "blow" the Syrians "off the face of the Earth with the fury of God's own thunder".

Notes

• W.G. Walden's theme music first features in this episode.
• The President tells C.J. that it will say "Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc" on her grave and goes on to explain the term. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc Latin for "after this, therefore because of this" (usually shortened to Post Hoc) is an all-too-common logical fallacy in which one presumes that one event x caused another event y simply because x preceded y. Some have suggested that the episode's title can be tied thematically to the plot of the episode, as the audience is left wondering: is President Bartlet's change in demeanor with regard to foreign policy a direct result of the events at the end of the episode or is the juxtaposition of the two unrelated?

External links

• The West Wing Archive
• The West Wing Episode Guide
• Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc at the Internet Movie Database
• Commentary from Thinking About The Box