Bad Moon Rising (25 Apr. 2001)

President Bartlett talks to the White House Counsel about the concealment of his MS. An enraged Toby has CJ grill the West Wing staff to find a leaker. Josh and Donna spar over a financial bailout of Mexico.

Director:

Bill Johnson

Writers:

Aaron Sorkin (creator), Aaron Sorkin (teleplay),

Stars:

Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Rob Lowe	...	Sam Seaborn
Dulé Hill	...	Charlie Young
Allison Janney	...	C.J. Cregg
Janel Moloney	...	Donna Moss
Richard Schiff	...	Toby Ziegler
John Spencer	...	Leo McGarry
Bradley Whitford	...	Josh Lyman
Martin Sheen	...	President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet
Oliver Platt	...	White House Counsel Oliver Babish
Emily Procter	...	Ainsley Hayes
Jacqueline Kim	...	Lt. Emily Lowenbrau
Robert Curtis Brown	...	Congressional Committee Chair
Kathryn Joosten	...	Dolores Landingham
NiCole Robinson	...	Margaret Hooper
Scott Lawrence	...	Congressional Committee Chair

Storyline

President Bartlett talks to the White House Counsel about the concealment of his MS. An enraged Toby has CJ grill the West Wing staff to find a leaker. Josh and Donna spar over a financial bailout of Mexico.

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Plot Keywords:

multiple sclerosis

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 April 2001 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 23, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Wells Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

43 min 43 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

The chess set in Babish's office is set up incorrectly. First, the lower right corner square for each player should be a white square, not a black one. Second, the kings and queens are reversed: the white king should be on the player's right, the black king on the player's left.

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Quotes

Leo McGarry: You're scared of Babish.
President Josiah Bartlet: Oh, like you're not.
President Josiah Bartlet: [later] He looks down his nose at me 'cause I'm not a lawyer.
Leo McGarry: Yes.
President Josiah Bartlet: I didn't go to law school. I got a PhD in economics instead.
Leo McGarry: Your parents were very proud.
President Josiah Bartlet: Yeah, and all that happened was I won a Nobel Prize and got elected President so I guess that decision didn't really pay off.
Leo McGarry: Yeah.
President Josiah Bartlet: Should I run back and get my Nobel Prize?
Leo McGarry: I think he knows you've got one.

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Connections

References Spartacus (1960)

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Soundtracks

"Wells Fargo Wagon"
(uncredited)
Written by Meredith Willson
Performed by Studio Group

User Reviews

He did nothing wrong. He did NOTHING WRONG!

It's hard to overstate how much Snuffy Walden's music enhanced and defined this show. In a dark episode, the music subtly invokes the "New York Minute" motif from three shows prior. Jed and Leo begin the process of going public with the M.S., by meeting with White House Senior Counsel Oliver Babish (the unrelentingly stellar Oliver Platt - THE IMPOSTERS, THE ICE HARVEST). Platt replaces season 1's John Laroquette. On the one hand, this feels wrong, as John was delightful. But there's no denying that Oliver rises to the decidedly-darker nuances in his eight-episode arc, nailing them more perfectly than anyone you can imagine. Jacqueline Kim (STAR TREK: GENERATIONS) shares some lovely, too-brief chemistry with Sam. In one of the most touching scenes between two wonderful performers, Jed admonishes Charlie to never, ever lie about what he knows.