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Season 2 Episode Index
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| Rob Lowe as | Sam (Samuel Norman) Seaborn | Deputy Communications Director |
| Dulé Hill as | Charlie (Charles) Young | Personal Aide to the President |
| Allison Janney as | C.J. (Claudia Jean) Cregg | Press Secretary |
| Janel Moloney as | Donna (Donnatella) Moss | Assistant to Deputy Chief of Staff |
| Richard Schiff as | Toby (Tobias Zachary) Ziegler | Communications Director |
| John Spencer as | Leo Thomas McGarry | Chief of Staff |
| Bradley Whitford as | Josh (Joshua) Lyman | Deputy Chief of Staff |
| and Martin Sheen as |
Jed (Josiah Edward) Bartlet | President of the United States |
| Special Guest Stars | ||
| Stockard Channing as | Abbey (Abigail Ann) Bartlet M.D. | First Lady |
| Emily Procter as | Ainsley Hayes | Associate White House Counsel |
| and Marlee Matlin as |
Joey (Josephine) Lucas | Pollster |
| Guest Starring | ||
| Corbin Bernsen as | Congressman Henry Shallick | Rep. |
| Tony Plana as | Mickey Troop | Assistant Secretary of State for South America |
| Richard Riehle as | Jack Sloan | Detroit Police Officer |
| Kathryn Joosten as | Mrs. Landingham | President's Secretary / Delores (first name) |
| NiCole Robinson as | Margaret | Hooper (last name) / Assistant to Chief of Staff |
| Ted McGinley as | Mark Gottfried | Host of Capitol Beat |
| Bill O'Brien as | Kenny Thurman | Sign Language Interpreter |
| Glenn Morshower as | Chysler | Mike (first name) |
| Gregalan Williams as | Robbie Mosley | Military Officer |
| Barbara Eve Harris as | Gretchen Tyler | ACLU |
| Co-Starring | ||
| Melissa Fitzgerald as | Carol | Fitzpatrick (last name) Assistant to the Press Secretary |
| Kim Webster as | Ginger | Assistant to Communications Director |
| Devika Parikh as | Bonnie | Communications' Aide |
| William Duffy as | Larry | Congressional Liaison |
| Peter James Smith as | Ed | Congressional Liaison |
| Mindy Seeger as | Chris | Reporter |
| Bradley James as | Secret Service Agent | Donnie |
| J.P. Stevenson as | Reporter #2 | Jonathan |
| Kelly McNair as | Pollster | |
| Jon Hershfield as | Pollster #2 | |
| Keith Mills as | Mr. Finney | Edgar (first name) |
| Sean Patrick Murphy as | Floor Manger | |
| Ralph Meyering Jr. as | Tom | |
| Molly Schaffer as | Staffer | |
| Thomas Spencer as | Military Aide | Jeff |
| Marvin Krueger as | Officer #2 | |
| Michael Francis Clarke as | Congressman Satch | David (first name) |
| Doris McMillon as | Newscaster | Sandy |
| Larry Carroll as | Newscaster #2 | |
| Susan Krebs as | Gail Schumer | TV Anchor |
The two-parter takes place in the hours following the president's State of the Union address. Sam realizes that in the three months Ainsley has worked in the White House, she's never met the president."She's incredibly nervous to meet the president and knows when she does she's just going to embarrass herself somehow," Sorkin said. "So Sam arranges a meeting between the two of them and it goes terribly, and she basically spends the entire two-parter trying to make it better and ends up making it worse." - Aaron Sorkin
"'West Wing' creator vetoed a Bush cameo"
by Rob Owen
January 13, 2001
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"We've just shot the episode dealing with the State of the Union address," he said. "Toby is the major architect of that speech. While the speech is being given, DEA agents are taken hostage in Colombia. It's about the drug war, like the movie 'Traffic.'" - Richard Schiff
"Expect a 'West' Fling For Series' Janney"
by Mitchell Fink
January 19, 2001
New York Daily News
What follows is a minute-by-minute chronicle of the episodes from Wednesday night, when President Jed Bartlet was poised to deliver his State of the Union address and Mandy, Valerie and Shannon were poised to turf from the island an arrogant massage therapist named Sean. The similarities are uncanny.9:05 Jed Bartlet enters Congress to the words: "Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States!" Dano enters the running for Shannon's affection with the words: "She's a partier!"
9:11 The president concludes his speech, and a poll is conducted to determine what Americans think of the address. The third round of dating concludes and a poll is conducted to determine what the 10 single ladies on the island think of the three hunky dudes.
9:13 Press secretary C.J. Cregg appears on national television while wearing no pants. All 12 women who remain on Temptation Island (Patti, alas, was hoofed along with Sean) continue to appear on national television while wearing no pants.
9:15 Abbey, the president's wife, appears agitated as she repeatedly views a segment of video from the State of the Union speech. Mandy, the aspiring singer, appears agitated as she recalls viewing the videotape of her boyfriend, Billy, performing an impromptu striptease while hammered out of his tree.
9:17 Leo, the chief of staff, is forced to make a quick decision after being told that five U.S. drug agents have been abducted in Colombia; he chooses to summon major government officials, sighing: "This was almost a good night." Andy is forced to make a quick decision after being told that he'll pick first for the fourth round of dating; he chooses Elizabeth, sighing: "She's hot as hell."
9:20 Amid a frenzy of nighttime activity in the raucous polling centre, Josh urgently inquires: "When do I get numbers?!" Amid a frenzy of nighttime activity on the raucous island beach, Mandy urgently inquires, "Is this an orgy?!"
9:23 Donna urges Josh to ask out enchanting polling expert Joey Lucas. Mandy and Valerie urge Shannon to ask out studly "polling expert" Tom.
9:29 Sam awkwardly attempts to display his affection for Ainsley by telling her, "You're a blond Republican girl and no one likes you." Vanessa awkwardly attempts to display her affection for Billy by picking up a tropical butterfly and gently running it between her breasts.
9:36 Toby and the first lady duke it out over changes in the wording of the speech regarding Medicare and social security, the issues that Abbey views to be of paramount importance. Andy and Kaya duke it out over the fact that Kaya was massaging the tonsils of Megan, the former Lakers Girl who Andy views to be of paramount foxiness. "I look like a jackass," Andy says in an erudite analysis. "Megan looks like a whore."
9:45 President Bartlet shows the stress of trying to determine how to save the lives of the captured agents. Billy shows the stress of trying to determine how to select his ultimate dream date. "This whole process is literally killing me!" he moans.
9:53 The first lady tearfully laments that her husband has decided to run for a second term. Megan tearfully laments that her Kaya has decided to choose sexy Alison for his dream date.
9:59 A preview of the NEXT portends plenty of tension, frayed tempers and the prospect of the United States going to war. A preview of the NEXT portends plenty of tension, frayed tempers and the prospect of an ice cube being rubbed along the neck of a scantily clad woman.
"The West Wing of desire"
by Scott Feschuk
February 9, 2001
National Post
Marxist rebels abducted five U.S. anti-drug agents in the coca-growing region of Putumayo in southern Colombia. After a tense White House briefing, the president authorized a Special Forces-led rescue mission to the region.How the mission ends only NBC knows: Part one of the story line was introduced last Wednesday in the hugely popular television drama The West Wing. The conclusion is scheduled for Wednesday.
NBC ripped the story straight from the headlines, painting a gloomy picture of the guerrilla war that has plagued Colombia for almost 40 years.
About the only thing that the network changed was the reference to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. In the series, it is the frente, or the front.
...
The Colombian embassy in Washington wasn't thrilled with the program, probably because it was broadcast at a time Colombia is trying to improve its image overseas, especially in Europe.
"'West Wing' focuses on Colombia"
by Paul De La Garza and John Balz
February 11, 2001
St. Petersburg Times
Later that Friday, associate producer Julie Herlocker and editor Janet Ashikaga sat with Sorkin to edit the first cut of the episode they had titled "Bartlet's Thrid State of the Union.""We're going to spell 'Third' correctly, right?" Sorkin asks right off.
Besides spelling, however, it's easy to see how small the margin is between just good and excellent. They fight for timing and specific looks. Sorkin wants Bartlet's game face showing before he delivers his speech. He wants less anger, more disappointment from Stockard Channing, who plays the first lady, when she braces the president with the line, "We had a deal."
He wants faster cuts, less waiting, tiny things that are hard to notice.
"If there are 904 things to get right," Sorkin says later, "and we do 900 of them, you still want the other four."
"Inside 'The West Wing': A visit to the set of TV's most creative prime-time drama"
by Rick Kushman
February 25, 2001
Sacramento Bee
It is obvious that Martin Sheen has no trouble being presidential, but while he and his character have a lot in common, he maintains they are definitely not identical. "He won a Nobel Peace Prize for economics and he speaks Latin as well," says Sheen. "I can't speak English properly and I can't balance a check book."
"Inside the West Wing: The final term"
by Jim McAteer
February 28, 2001
WNDU-TV
"To make this guy a practicing Catholic who crosses himself before major events in his life creates a powerful sense of the earnest leader," says [Robert] Thompson, a Syracuse University professor and director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television. As Bartlet's character unfolds from episode to episode, [Robert] Thompson says, "we get a sense that he really believes in God, that he's not using him as a campaign consultant or dropping his name in speeches. . . . One gets the sense that this isn't just stained-glass window dressing."
"A true believer in 'The West Wing'"
by Nancy Haught - Religion News Service
March 31, 2001
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Question: I loved the "Bossa Nova" scene... was that improved or scripted out?
Emily Procter: The scene was scripted, but I unfortunately had to come up with the dancing. So, I spent many hours alone with myself in front of my mirror... LOL And actually, I thought I had figured out a way to seem cool while I was doing it, but it just didn't happen... LOL
May 17, 2001
AOL Chat
"I remember a stunning moment that Aaron Sorkin actually wrote, in which everything was stopped, and President Bartlet reached down and tied his shoe. And there was a good 35 seconds that there was nothing going on. There are a lot of silences." - Janel Moloney
"'West Wing' Remains Stellar"
by Roger Catlin
February 4, 2004
Hartford Courant