The episode starts with the FBI and Police capturing the last of the trio that shot Bartlet and Josh [yippee!!]
CJ starts a press conference by telling the reporters
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C.J. We're confirming now that a suspect is in custody, and is being questioned by federal law enforcement. At this time, we cannot, we are not releasing any information whatsoever about the suspect.
STEVE Can you tell us anything, his name, where he's from, his ethnicity, if you guys suspect a motive?
C.J. Yes, Steve, I can tell you those things, because when I said that we weren't releasing any information whatsoever, I meant except than his name, his address, his ethnicity, and what we think his motives are
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Enquires are starting to be made on why the President is allowed to leave the building in plain sight, without the use of a canopy or a tent. Turns out Toby drafted a memo urging the President disregard the canopy. He mentions it to Ron Butterfield who bless him just says ‘the Secret Service doesn’t comment on procedure’
Flashback! Josh comes back to Sam’s law office and they both walk off to the Bartlet lit sunset…..
CJ and Sam discuss him pushing her down away from a bullet
CJ and Danny are still talking about who was in charge when the President was in the OR
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DANNY The President's been under anesthetic for more than an hour. He's probably gonna be on a morphine drip. Without the 25th, who's in charge?
C.J. The Vice President, the Secretary of State, the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of Defense, one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House Chief of Staff.
DANNY You just listed six people! Who's in charge?
C.J. The Canadians. You understand I'm talking about the hockey team.
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We then flashback to CJ who was working as PR in Hollywood, who gets fired [bless her!]
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Toby: "I tried calling you at your office. They said you were fired. Were you stealing things?"
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She goes home to discover Toby sitting in her garden, has no glasses on, and falls in the swimming pool! He asks her to join Bartlet’s campaign, Wanna guess the answer!?
Bartlet has to tell Charlie that the reason that they were shooting them was not because of the President, it was because he is dating Zoey. Needless to say, Charlie is a little shocked!
But then comes my favourite ever ever ever Margaret scene, I only have to watch it and I start to laugh!
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MARGARET He was supposed to sign a letter?
LEO The President is going under general anesthesia, he usually signs a letter handing over executive powers to the Vice President.
MARGARET And the President didn't sign the letter.
LEO Nope. We blew that play.
MARGARET Is there going to be trouble?
LEO We'll see. To be honest with you, I don't really care right now.
MARGARET Can I -- can I just say something for the future?
LEO Yeah.
MARGARET I can sign the President's name. I have his signature down pretty good.
LEO You can sign the President's name?
MARGARET Yeah.
LEO On a document removing him from power and handing it to someone else.
MARGARET Yeah! [on Leo's look of disbelief] Or... do you think the White House Counsel would say that was a bad idea.
LEO I think the White House Counsel would say it was a coup d'etat!
MARGARET Well. I'd probably end up doing some time for that.
LEO I would think. And what the hell were you doing practicing the President's signature?
MARGARET It was just for fun.
LEO We've got separation of powers, checks and balances, and Margaret vetoing things and sending them back to the Hill.
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WE get a flash back to the Bartlet for America headquarters, Bartlet isn’t exactly friendly towards his new staff. Josh goes back to his office to find a woman answering his phone, turns out she got dumped and decided to go and work for Bartlet, only didn’t interview, she just snuck in. Josh gives her his Bartlet for America ID from around her neck, and we then go back to the OR, where Donna is watching Josh’s operation and holding her White House ID.
After CJ’s briefing we flash back to the ILLINOIS Primary. Obviously they won, and start to celebrate, Donna comes in to talk to Josh, his Father has died of a pulmonary embolism. Josh is next seen in the airport waiting for his flight, all of a sudden Bartlet appears, Josh tells him he needs to go back and give his acceptance speech, there is a lovely scene between Josh and Bartlet
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BARTLET Did he like that you were in politics?
JOSH I think he would have liked grandchildren more.
BARTLET [chuckling] He would've.
JOSH He liked that I was working for you. He liked that we were starting to do well. He would've liked tonight. At least his friends and neighbors will be spared all the... you know...
BARTLET He'd have been doing some bragging?
JOSH Yeah, and your name wouldn't have come up, by the way. "My son won the Illinois primary tonight". Three more hours, and he would have been able to say that. He'd have been proud.
BARTLET He was already. Trust me, Josh, I'm a father. He was already.
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He offers to get a ticket and go with Josh. Bless. Leo appears in the background and tells him he will be ok. We then hear Bartlet’s acceptance speech
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Tonight, what began on the commons in Concord, Massachusetts, as an alliance of farmers and workers, of cobbles man and tinsmiths, of statesmen and students, of mothers and wives, of men and boys, lives two centuries later as America! My name is Josiah Bartlet, and I accept your nomination for the Presidency of the United States!
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We then see Josh come out of the anesthetic and whisper something to Bartlet;
Wanna know a secret?
The Secret Service Agents carry a weapon called a .357 sig-hauer. The agents on the roof shot the two men with .726 caliber rifles that are referred to as JAR, which believe it or not, stands for "Just Another Rifle". They are made specifically and exclusively for the Secret Service.
Watch out for …….
Josh calls Sam on a Verizon phone, this episode is set in 1997, and they didn’t exist until 1999
Keep an eye out for……
In the campaign headquarters in New Hampshire there is a notice board behind Bartlet, it says ‘It's the economy, Stupid’ This was a sign hung in Bill Clinton's campaign headquarters to keep everybody "on message" in 1992. James Carville put it there.
Wrong on soooo many levels.
CJ and Sam discuss who pushed her down, Sam eventually says that it was him, put your DVD player on slow it is not him.
Thought for the episode
It would be easy to think that President Bartlet, Joshua Lyman, and Stephanie Abbott were the only victims of a gun crime last night. They weren't. Mark Davis and Sheila Evans of Philadelphia were killed by a gun last night. He was a Biology Teacher and she was a Nursing student. Tina Bishop and Linda Larkin were killed with a gun last night. They were 12. There were 36 homicides last night. 480 sexual assaults, 3,411 robberies, 3,685 aggravated assaults, all at gunpoint. And if anyone thinks those crimes could have been prevented if the victims themselves had been carrying guns, I'd only remind you that the President of the United States himself was shot last night while surrounded by the best trained armed guards in the history of the world.