The West Wing: The Short List Rewatch

July 25, 2014 9:28 PM - Season 1, Episode 9

Just before Bartlet is ready to name a Supreme Court nominee, he considers another possible candidate. Meanwhile, there are accusations of drug use among the staff.

When a Supreme Court justice retires, President Bartlet has a golden opportunity to impact the court's composition by nominating a favorite judge -- but when further study reveals the candidate's conflicting ideology, the President might change his mind and opt for another judge. In addition, a headline seeking congressman on the House Government Oversight Committee accuses the White House staff of substance abuse -- a dicey issue for one important member.

Airdate: November 24, 1999
Director: Bill D'Elia
Teleplay by: Aaron Sorkin & Patrick Caddell
Story by: Aaron Sorkin & Dee Dee Myers
Special Guest Star: a large chunk of plaster and sheetrock.
And Introducing Gail, the goldfish.
_{Which, now that I think about it, is a fair trade for Mandy.}

posted by ApathyGirl (10 comments total)

This is one of my favorite episodes. I think because I just fall in love with CJ and Danny every. single. time. They have such great chemistry, and she just looks so delighted with him.

Here's a couple of interesting tidbits:
The West Wing's [John] Spencer, sipping on club soda, refers to the parallels between his early alcohol problems and those scripted for White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry. "It was weird. I really wasn't acting."
"Pitch and catch"
by Dusty Saunders
January 24, 2004
Rocky Mountain News

Sorkin also knew he wanted the action to take place over just a couple of days. "The more you compress time, the more the heat goes up," he explains. "I was taught that you want to start your stories as close to the end as possible."

Sorkin continues, "I'll sit with Pat, Dee Dee, and Lawrence, and I'll say, 'Write me something about this; write me something about how that would work.'" O'Donnell supplied the résumé of the perfect candidate. Caddell researched the privacy arguments. Sorkin asked Myers for ideas on what might undo someone who seemed like the perfect candidate. She came back with the notion of an unsigned "note" (a long scholarly article) the candidate wrote as a young man on the Harvard Law Review that casts doubt on his commitment to privacy rights.
"The Real White House"
by Matthew Miller
March 2000
Brill's Content
posted by ApathyGirl at 9:34 PM on July 25, 2014

I'm glad the show got into Supreme Court appointment stuff at this point. It really is one of the biggest deals of the US presidential office, and I think a lot of people don't consider it or the process behind it often. There are some bumps in the Mendoza plotline overall, but I'm really happy it exists.
posted by dogwalker at 5:14 PM on July 26, 2014

In a way, its a bit of a shame that the reason they go for the "better" justice is that it turns out their chosen candidate has pretty nuts views on privacy, rather than an actual move towards radicalism, but it works towards this idea that there is a constant push towards pragmatism and the middle ground, and that it takes great courage to do something even a little different.

The whole addiction thing is something that crops up in Sorkin's work because of his history with it (see Studio 60, which I am fond of even if its critically reviled), but I think it works pretty well to give Leo a bit more history (interesting that his wife stayed with him through that, but not through working for the President while sober? Maybe he was just more fun on drugs)
posted by Cannon Fodder at 1:07 AM on July 28, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best quotes:

"Set fire to the room. Do it now."

--

"What are you holding?"
"It's a goldfish."
"Why?"
"It's for you."
"Really?"
"Josh said you like goldfish."
*C.J. starts laughing*
"The crackers, Danny. The cheese thing that you have at a party?"
"Oh. You know what, I'm not one hundred percent sure I was supposed to know that!"
"The crackers, Danny."
"Fine. Now I've got a goldfish."
"Give it to me."
"No, no!"
"No, you'll kill it!"
"You think I can't take care of a goldfish?"
"I absolutely do not."

--

From this point forward, in any episode where she makes an appearance, Gail's bowl will contain an easter egg related to the plot. They're all listed on this page, but be forewarned that it's spoiler-riffic.

Hey has anyone given any thought to a spinoff centered around the life and times of Mandy Hampton? Apathygirl, you know you'd watch. :D
posted by zarq at 7:20 AM on July 30, 2014 [2 favorites]

(interesting that his wife stayed with him through that, but not through working for the President while sober? Maybe he was just more fun on drugs)

I think she just finally realized that he was always going to put her second -- to war, then to his addictions, then to his political career.
posted by Etrigan at 8:57 AM on July 30, 2014 [3 favorites]

"It's not just about abortion, it's about the next 20 years. In the '20s and '30s it was the role of government. '50s and '60s it was civil rights. The next two decades are going to be privacy. I'm talking about the Internet. I'm talking about cell phones. I'm talking about health records and who's gay and who's not. And moreover, in a country born on the will to be free, what could be more fundamental than this?"

Real life politics often make me think of this little speech by Sam. I think the only part he was wrong about was "the next 20 years" bit. I don't think we're going to be done talking about these things in the next 5 years, 10 years, or possibly even 20 years from now. *sigh*
posted by terilou at 10:51 AM on July 30, 2014 [2 favorites]

It's not like we're done with the role of government or civil rights, either.
posted by Etrigan at 10:52 AM on July 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

Hey has anyone given any thought to a spinoff centered around the life and times of Mandy Hampton? Apathygirl, you know you'd watch. :D

I can't possibly think of anything more boring. (No offense to Moira! Love you Moira!) Episode after episode of her ineffectually haranguing the people she works for while they condescendingly ignore her? At least Ainsley got to go investigate murders with a nice tan.
posted by ApathyGirl at 12:45 PM on July 30, 2014 [1 favorite]

And pee in Leo's closet.
posted by zarq at 2:09 PM on July 30, 2014 [2 favorites]

In a way, its a bit of a shame that the reason they go for the "better" justice is that it turns out their chosen candidate has pretty nuts views on privacy, rather than an actual move towards radicalism, but it works towards this idea that there is a constant push towards pragmatism and the middle ground, and that it takes great courage to do something even a little different.

This makes a lot more sense in the context of US politics, where (especially pre-Snowden) for various legal reasons, the right to privacy, especially when it comes to the Supreme Court, is a not remotely subtle way of saying abortion. A Supreme Court nominee who doesn't recognize a right to privacy is reasonably inferred to be one who would overturn Roe v. Wade. I suspect this doesn't translate well to other countries where the legality of abortion doesn't hinge on an undefined notion of privacy that is merely being inferred from the Constitution.
posted by zachlipton at 1:04 AM on August 20, 2014 [2 favorites]