Eppur Si Muove (The West Wing)

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“Eppur Si Muove”
The West Wing episode

The president urges Ellie to go public.
Episode no. Season 5
Episode 104
Written by Alexa Junge
Directed by Llewellyn Wells
Guest stars Gary Cole
Lily Tomlin
Nina Siemaszko
Melissa Marsala
Brian Kerwin
Michael Gaston
Deirdre Lovejoy
NiCole Robinson
John LaFayette
Cherry Jones
The Muppets
Production no. 176066
Original airdate March 3, 2004
Season 5 episodes
  1. 7A WF 83429
  2. The Dogs of War
  3. Jefferson Lives
  4. Han
  5. Constituency of One
  6. Disaster Relief
  7. Separation of Powers
  8. Shutdown
  9. Abu el Banat
  10. The Stormy Present
  11. The Benign Prerogative
  12. Slow News Day
  13. The Warfare of Genghis Khan
  14. An Khe
  15. Full Disclosure
  16. Eppur Si Muove
  17. The Supremes
  18. Access
  19. Talking Points
  20. No Exit
  21. Gaza
  22. Memorial Day
List of The West Wing episodes

"Eppur Si Muove" is the sixteenth episode of The West Wing's fifth season, and episode 104 from the start. It originally aired on NBC March 3, 2004.[1] Events centre on a controversy relating to the National Institutes of Health, involving President Bartlet’s middle daughter Ellie. Written by Alexa Junge and directed by Llewellyn Wells, the episode contains guest appearances by Michael Gaston and Cherry Jones, as well as characters from Sesame Street.[2]

Contents

[edit] Plot

Republican Congresswoman Barbara Layton (Jones) starts a campaign against publicly funded NIH projects into sexual diseases. The attack is based on a list of seemingly useless projects, but by association, her real target becomes the president's daughter Ellie, who is working on a study into the Human papillomavirus. The president is infuriated to have a family member dragged into political battles, and Toby tries to discredit the attack by finding its source. At first the list seems to originate from a far-right group called the "Traditional Values Alliance", but Toby's assistant Rena uncovers evidence that it came from within the administration. Toby immediately suspects the Vice President's office. When confronted, Will takes full responsibility, and assures that the list was compiled purely for internal use and not leaked on purpose. Will, however, suspects that his boss might have leaked the material on purpose, something Russell in private does not deny.

Meanwhile President Bartlet tries to persuade Ellie to speak to the press to contain the incidence, but Ellie insists she is not as comfortable with the spotlight as the other members of the family. Yet later she watches her mother do a light-hearted appearance on Sesame Street, to defend her right to practice medicine even after voluntarily giving up her licence. This inspires her to follow her father's advice, and give a passionate public statement about the necessity of a politically independent scientific community.

Chance encounter between C.J. and Big Bird.
Chance encounter between C.J. and Big Bird.

In parallel storylines, Josh tries to end a deadlock on the appointment of a 6th Circuit federal court judge. His old friend Eric Hayden (Gaston) has been waiting for a year for a confirmation, and his wife is ready to take a teaching job at Georgetown. But Josh suggests making a temporary recess appointment that will at least put the issue on the agenda. Hayden apparently agrees, but when Josh brings the case before Leo he is told that the federal courts will have to wait, due to a death on the Supreme Court. C.J., meanwhile, tries to make things right with resurfaced college boyfriend Ben, whom she has been forced to ignore due to her workload. But she soon realises she might have come on too strong. Josh’s intern Ryan, it appears, has not showed up for work this day.[1][2][3]

[edit] Social and cultural references

The title of the episode refers to the president quoting Galileo Galilei, leaving the Roman Inquisition after having recanted his heliocentric theory of the universe. "Eppur si muove" – "And yet it moves". The story – as Ellie points out – is probably apocryphal, but evidence shows that it was current as early as a decade after Galilei’s trial.[4]

The advocacy group "Traditional Values Alliance" is a poorly veiled version of the real-life "Traditional Values Coalition" (TVC). TVC sent a letter of protest to NBC producers, reacting to their portrayal on the show. In particular it was the association with a group stating that "The Lord Hates Homosexuals" that provoked the coalition, reading in this an allusion to the controversial anti-gay pastor Fred Phelps. TVC, the group pointed out in its letter, had clearly distanced itself from Phelps and his methods.[2][5]

Stockard Channing, who plays the First Lady, was once a character on Sesame Street herself. From 1969-1974 she could be seen on the show four times as a victim of The Number Painter.[6]

[edit] Reception

The episode is not considered among the best in the series. TV.com gives it a rating of 7.8;[6] only three of the twenty-two episodes from that season received a poorer rating.[7] On Television Without Pity it has been given a user grade of "B+".[3] Yet the episode did rank number one in its timeslot when originally aired, ahead of ABC's Kingdom Hospital and CBS's The King of Queens and Everybody Loves Raymond.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Eppur Si Muove. NBC.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
  2. ^ a b c Eppur Si Muove. The West Wing Episode Guide. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
  3. ^ a b Eppur Si Muove. Television Without Pity. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
  4. ^ Stillman Drake, Galileo at Work: His Scientific Biography (Dover Publications, Mineola, NY, 2003) p. 357, ISBN 0486495426.
  5. ^ Liberal Program Ties TVC To "God Hates Fags" Extremist. The Traditional Values Coalition. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
  6. ^ a b c Eppur Si Muove. TV.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
  7. ^ Season 5. TV.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-24. The three episodes were episode 93, Constituency of One (7.4); episode 106, Access (7.0); and episode 107, Talking Points (7.6). Episode 104, An Khe, also received 7.8.

[edit] External links