Isaac and Ishmael

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“Isaac and Ishmael”
The West Wing episode
Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 0
Written by	Aaron Sorkin
Directed by	Christopher Misiano
Guest stars	Ajay Naidu Michael O'Neill Jonathan Nichols Jeanette Brox
Production no.	227206
Original airdate	October 3, 2001
Season 3 episodes
Isaac and Ishmael Documentary Special Manchester Part I Manchester Part II Ways and Means On the Day Before War Crimes Gone Quiet The Indians in the Lobby The Women of Qumar Bartlet for America H. Con-172 100,000 Airplanes The Two Bartlets Night Five Hartsfield's Landing Dead Irish Writers The U.S. Poet Laureate Stirred Enemies Foreign and Domestic The Black Vera Wang We Killed Yamamoto Posse Comitatus
List of The West Wing episodes

"Isaac and Ishmael" is a non-sequential episode of The West Wing which unofficially launched the third season in 2001. The episode was a response to the 9/11 attacks and was written and filmed within two weeks of that event and aired before the third season officially began.

[edit] Plot

The main cast introduces the episode out of character by paying tribute to those affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks and informing viewers about what to expect from the delayed premiere of the third season. The cast also makes it clear that this episode doesn't fall in the West Wing continuity. However, some characters make reference to events that occurred within the true continuity of the series.

In the episode, the White House is "crashed" due to a staff member having the same name as a known alias of a person on a terrorist watch list. The lock-down leaves a group of students selected for Presidential classroom stuck in the mess hall with Josh as well as other staffers—and the President and First Lady—drop in to join the discussion about terrorism. Meanwhile, Leo and Ron confront a potential threat from within. The episode tackles issues of race and intolerance.

The episode's title stems from the story the First Lady tells at its end. It is the classic tale of Abraham in the Book of Genesis, and explains how the source of conflict between Arabic and Jewish descendants first appeared in the world.