Institutional Memory

"Insititutional Memory" is episode 153 of The West Wing, the penultimate episode of the series.

Plot

The episode is set two weeks before the inauguration and the Bartlet administration staff is preparing to leave the White House. Most are seeking jobs in the Santos administration or elsewhere. C.J. is offered two jobs she is interested in – one to manage $10 billion for a computer billionaire's philanthropic foundation and one as a high-ranking counselor for the first 2 years of the incoming Santos administration. C.J.'s relationship with Danny is suffering because he feels she is not taking it seriously. Andi Wyatt goes to C.J. and all but begs her to give Toby consideration for a pardon. C.J. then visits Toby for the first time since his dismissal and considers whether she should urge President Bartlet to pardon him before leaving office.

Will Bailey is offered a job as Executive Director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) but finds himself becoming interested in one apparently unwinnable Congressional seat in Oregon, where the longtime incumbent is a mediocre Republican who has frightened away any serious opposition. He consoles Kate Harper when she reveals that President Santos named someone else to the National Security Advisor position she'd been interested in. Kate listens to Will discuss the Oregon race and then tells him he should run for the seat himself (the series finale, as well as the flash-forward opening sequence in "The Ticket", leave the Will-Kate couple question unresolved, though since Will is a congressman in the flash-forward and Kate is insistent in this episode that she won't move to Oregon it is likely they break up).

A primary part of the storyline here involves CJ Cregg's difficulty in letting go of her role, as she harangues staffers about Bartlet's last budget (it includes huge tax increases that Santos can then pare down and save billions while looking reasonable) and bugs Will to provide his notes for his successor as White House Press Secretary. She keeps telling Danny "I have a busy day." when it clearly isn't true. Margaret tells her she has time, but CJ can't seem to take it in. Eventually Danny tells her "You're not the busiest girl in America any more" and says she isn't even trying to have a relationship with him, and she finally realises she may lose him along with her future plans. In the end, she says she wants to work for the philanthropic organization, which will focus on improving infrastructure in Africa, and agrees to also work on her relationship with Danny.

There is a mention of the typo in the United States Constitution in this episode. Toby Ziegler says that he has discovered a comma which is present in some versions of the Takings Clause and absent in others. He traced this difference to a mark on the original document which could be either a comma or a smudge. He says that this comma could change the meaning of the clause in an unspecified way.

This episode marks the last appearances of Toby Ziegler, Danny Concannon and Andrea Wyatt.

External links

• The West Wing Episode Guide