The Warfare of Genghis Khan
| "The Warfare of Genghis Khan" | |
|---|---|
| The West Wing episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 101 |
| Directed by | Bill D'Elia |
| Written by | Peter Noah |
| Production code | 176063 |
| Original air date | February 11, 2004 |
| Guest stars | |
| Season 5 episodes | |
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| List of The West Wing episodes | |
"The Warfare of Genghis Khan" is the 101st episode of The West Wing and the 13th of the fifth season. It originally aired on NBC February 1, 2004.[1] Events circle around the detection of a nuclear detonation over the Indian Ocean. Written by Peter Noah and directed by Bill D'Elia, the episode contains guest appearances by Christopher Maher and Christina Chang. It also introduces to the series Armin Mueller-Stahl as Israeli Prime Minister Efraim 'Eli' Zahavy, and gives a first, short glimpse of Jay Mohr as conservative talk-show host Taylor Reid.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
When the flash of a secret nuclear detonation is detected over the Indian Ocean, President Bartlet calls upon his people to investigate which nation now has the atomic bomb — and since conventional thinking favors Iran, Bartlet orders bombers into the air to destroy that nation's most likely enriched-uranium facilities. Once it becomes clear that Iran did not carry out the nuclear test once Israel is identified as the likely culprit by Vice-President Bob Russell, President Bartlet has the Prime Minister of Israel fly to D.C. for a tense chat, but no further action is taken. This storyline also establishes the President's palpable disdain for the current CIA Director.
Meanwhile, Josh chides NASA personnel on the recent failures and embarrassments in their programs for space exploration — until he is introduced to an attractive female administrator (portrayed by Christina Chang) who takes him stargazing and shows him the inspirational, rather than monetary, value of astronomy. C.J. fumes when a combative conservative talk-show host, Taylor Reid, denigrates her on the air, and Will discloses to Vice President Russell that he is considered a buffoon by the White House staff. However, it is Russell whose unexpected intelligence came to light at a critical moment and kept the President from bombing Iran. In light of the international situation, Toby wonders aloud why the West doesn't utilize the U.N. in times like this.[1][2][3]
[edit] Social and cultural references
The nuclear test plotline is similar to the real-life 1979 Vela Incident, in which a flash was reportedly "detected" by only a single satellite in the southern Indian Ocean (although it was reportedly observable by another such satellite), with the initial suspicion being that it was the result of a South African nuclear test.[4] However after multiple lengthy investigations with contradictory conclusions, no consensus was ever reached that an explosion had in fact occurred, and if there was one whether it was due to a nuclear device.[5] [6]
[edit] Reception
On Television Without Pity it has been given a grade "B".[3]
[edit] Notes
During the episode, it was mentioned that the song Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground by Blind Willie Johnson, had just left the Solar System aboard Voyager 1. The song plays over the closing credits.
The NASA administrators visiting the White House receive a rather cool and dismissive reception from Josh, who tells them the White House thinks they are inept and almost useless, but this initial view does not tally with President Bartlet's portrayal in "Galileo," in which he is deeply committed to NASA and the exploration of space.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "The Warfare of Genghis Khan". NBC.com. http://www.nbc.com/The_West_Wing/episode_guide/107.shtml. Retrieved 2007-05-26.[dead link]
- ^ a b "The Warfare of Genghis Khan". The West Wing Episode Guide. http://www.westwingepguide.com/S5/Episodes/103_TWOGK.html. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ a b "The Warfare of Genghis Khan". Television Without Pity. http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/the_west_wing/the_warfare_of_genghis_khan.php. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- ^ Jeffrey Richelson, Spying on the Bomb: American Nuclear Intelligence from Nazi Germany to Iran and North Korea (New York: W. W. Norton, 2006), chapter seven, "The Double Flash: The Vela Incidence, September 1979", pp. 283-316.
- ^ New York Times. South Africa Stops Short Of Denying Nuclear Test, The Ledger, Lakeland, Florida, originally from The New York Times, 27 October 1979
- ^ "History of the Air Force Technical Applications Centre, Patrick Airforce Base, Florida: Volume 1" (PDF). United States Airforce via National Security Archive. 2006-05-04. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB190/15.pdf. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
[edit] External links
- The Warfare of Genghis Khan at NBC.com
- The Warfare of Genghis Khan at The West Wing Episode Guide
- The Warfare of Genghis Khan at The West Wing Continuity Guide
- The Warfare of Genghis Khan recap at Television Without Pity
- The Warfare of Genghis Khan at TV.com
- The Warfare of Genghis Khan at the Internet Movie Database
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