| "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part I" | |
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| The West Wing episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 23 |
| Directed by | Thomas Schlamme |
| Written by | Aaron Sorkin |
| Production code | 226201 |
| Original air date | October 4, 2000 |
| Guest stars | |
| Season 2 episodes | |
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| List of The West Wing episodes | |
"In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part I" is the 23rd episode of The West Wing and the first episode of the second season.
Contents |
After the shooting at Rosslyn President Bartlet is rushed back towards the White House … but the limo has to turn around quickly when it's discovered he's been hit in the side. Back at the scene of the shooting, Toby discovers that Josh has been shot in the chest. He is rushed to GW along with the President. Mrs. Bartlet and most of the staff rush to the hospital. Abbey has to tell the anesthesiologist about the President's MS.
Meanwhile, Leo goes back to the West Wing and meets with the Vice President, the National Security Advisor Nancy McNally, and others in the Situation Room. Nancy warns Leo that she thinks the country may be under attack from foreign powers and that Iraq might be at the source. There is some confusion over who is in charge, since the President did not sign a letter transferring authority over to the Vice President before he went into surgery. The Vice President defers to Leo, and Leo instructs Nancy to give the Iraqis a warning: "Don't mess with us tonight."
While Bartlet undergoes minor surgery (the bullet "seems to have gone out of its way not to hit anything"), Josh remains in critical condition and must undergo major surgery.
Through the course of flashbacks, we see how Josh first came to be a member of Bartlet's election campaign. He is working for John Hoynes when Leo comes and convinces him to attend one of Bartlet's early speeches in New Hampshire. Josh believes it will be a waste of time. Along the way, he stops in New York to talk to Sam Seaborn, who is working at the law firm of Gage Whitney Pace, helping an oil company purchase old tankers. Josh asks him to come work for Hoynes; Sam turns him down, but says that if Bartlet turns out to be "the real thing" he'll come with Josh. Both men are clearly feeling unfulfilled in their careers.
Toby also remembers his early days with the campaign. On the night of the speech, Toby is drinking heavily, believing Leo is going to fire him that night. Instead, Leo fires the other, more cynical, senior members of the campaign staff but keeps the idealistic Toby. Leo then sternly tells Toby, "Don't screw up."
Governor Bartlet is unsure if running for president is a good idea, despite his track record of never losing an election (although Leo points out that being elected to the House and then the governorship of a state that his family helped found is not all that impressive). Leo assures his old friend that he is the right man, and that "this is the time of Jed Bartlet."
Back in the hospital, Bartlet comes out of his successful surgery and goes to observe Josh's surgery. The episode ends with Bartlet musing aloud "look what happened."
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