The State Dinner

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“The State Dinner”
The West Wing episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 7
Guest stars	Stockard Channing Lisa Edelstein Timothy Busfield Janel Moloney David Rasche Dennis Cockrum John Kapelos Peter Kors Sal Landi William Lucking Steve Rankin Jeff Williams
Written by	Aaron Sorkin and Paul Redford
Directed by	Thomas Schlamme
Production no.	225906
Original airdate
Season 1 episodes
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

"The State Dinner" is the 7th episode of The West Wing.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Plot
2 Trivia
3 Quotes
4 Emmy Awards
5 Goofs
6 External link

[edit] Plot

The President tries to focus on key problems—a hostage standoff, a hurricane, and an impending truckers' union strike—all while trying to prepare for an important state dinner with the Indonesian President. While the dinner is going on, Toby and Josh attempt to work out a deal with one of the Indonesian President's aides to release a friend of Toby's from custody.

[edit] Trivia

This is the first time that First Lady Abigail Bartlet makes an actual appearance.
The First Lady wears a Badgely Mischka dress, Manolo Blahnik shoes and Gabriel Sanchez jewellery.

[edit] Quotes

Abbey: You have a big brain. A good heart. And an ego the size of Montana.

Josh: Donna!
Donna: I know, I know...I've got it under control.
Josh: It's 7:30. Is there anyone left at State?
Donna: No.
Josh: Then what are we doing?
Donna: Well, Mr. Minaldi speaks Portuguese.
Toby: Where does that get us?
Donna: Well, there's a guy who works in the kitchen who can translate Mr. Bambang's Batak into Portuguese. Then Mr. Minaldi will translate it into English.
Toby: Wait a minute--why can't the kitchen guy translate Batak into English?
Donna: The kitchen guy doesn't speak English.
Toby: You're kidding me.
Donna: Well, no. He speaks Batak and Portuguese, so I wouldn't look down your nose.
Toby: Is the bar open yet?

Toby: You might want to take a crack at English, seeing as how you live here.

Danny: "What are you wearing tonight?"

CJ: "Your paper wants to know what I'm wearing tonight?"

Danny:"Well, no, actually I want to know what you're wearing tonight."

CJ (nonplussed) I uh.. I will be wearing an evening gown....of grey silk...."

Danny: I'll look forward to that"

[edit] Emmy Awards

Nominated:

Outstanding Costumes for a Series (nominees: Lyn Elizabeth Paolo, Alice Daniels)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (nominee: Stockard Channing) (submitted along with He Shall, From Time To Time...)

[edit] Goofs

President Bartlet threatens the striking truck workers that he would nationalize the trucking industry to avert the strike, using the precedent that Truman did it in 1952 to avert the coal mines striking. Truman actually seized the steel mills and his seizure was ruled unconstitutional in the Supreme Court case Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer. However when in the epsiode the negotiator for the Trucking Association points out how the court overruled Truman, Bartlett states "it's 50 years, there's a new bench, I'll take my chances."