Celestial Navigation (The West Wing)

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“Celestial Navigation”
The West Wing episode

Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 15
Written by	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Dee Dee Myers & Lawrence O'Donnell Jr. (story)
Directed by	Christopher Misiano
Guest stars	CCH Pounder Timothy Busfield Janel Moloney Robert David Hall Vaughn Armstrong Edward James Olmos
Production no.	225914
Original airdate	February 16, 2000
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

"Celestial Navigation" is the 15th episode of The West Wing.

[edit] Plot

Sam and Toby have to go to Connecticut to get the President's Supreme Court nominee, Robert Mendoza, out of jail after he was arrested on suspicion of drunk-driving. Matters are complicated by Sam's less-than-stellar sense of direction in driving himself and Toby there, Mendoza's refusal to bite his tongue on policy matters that then cause headaches for the Bartlet Administration, and the shame and humiliaton felt by Mendoza when he refused a Breathalyzer and was arrested in front of his wife and young son. Toby tells Mendoza if he refuses to leave jail with him, his nomination is finished, and then tells the cops pointedly they have apologies to make. Josh tells a group of university students this story and some others about a typical day at the White House, which includes a clash between the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and an abrasive Republican Congressman, an emergency root canal for C.J. Cregg and a gaffed press conference by Josh himself. The President returns from a trip to let Josh know that under no circumstances will he ever do a press briefing again, since Josh managed to come up with a non-existent plan to fight inflation, call the White House Press Corps stupid, and let them know that the President has started smoking cigarettes again. But things turn out OK in the end for everyone.