In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part I (4 Oct. 2000)

The President is rushed to hospital following a shooting; staffers field questions on protection measures and executive authority. Flashbacks show how key staff members joined the Bartlet campaign.

Director:

Thomas Schlamme

Writers:

Aaron Sorkin (creator), Aaron Sorkin

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
Stockard Channing	...	Abbey Bartlet
Timothy Busfield	...	Danny Concannon
Tim Matheson	...	Vice President John Hoynes
Elisabeth Moss	...	Zoey Bartlet
Michael O'Neill	...	Secret Service Agent Ron Butterfield
Jorja Fox	...	Agent Gina Toscano
Anna Deavere Smith	...	Nancy McNally

Storyline

A pair of skinheads open fire as the President leaves a lecture theater, causing panic, chaos and injury. As the drama at the George Washington Hospital unfolds, C.J. and Leo field questions about exactly who is in charge while the president undergoes surgery, and Toby is asked about Secret Service protection measures. Flashbacks show the birth of the "Bartlett for America" campaign: Josh is courted by Leo; on his way to see Bartlett speak in New Hampshire he stops off to visit Sam at his Manhattan law firm; Toby is drinking at a bar, convinced he will be fired for advice he's given Bartlett.

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Plot Keywords:

flashback | assassination attempt | first daughter | medical examination | multiple sclerosis | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 2000 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Television, John Wells Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

43 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sam Seaborn played by Rob Lowe works at Gage Whitney Pace law firm in the flashbacks. Rob Lowe's character in the The Lyon's Den also worked at the Gage Whitney Pace law firm, as did Kari Matchett's character, Mary Tate, on Aaron Sorkin's show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

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Goofs

The conversation between Abbey and the surgeon who operates on Bartlet is medical gibberish. She first asks him about Bartlet's PO2, which is a measure of the dissolved oxygen in his blood. She has no reason to ask this because Bartlet is not in respiratory distress. She then asks the surgeon if he is going to do a "laparoscopy." "Laparoscopy" is just a generic term for surgery that is done using small incisions and fiber optic cameras. She is probably referring to a "laparotomy," which is an operation done to look for abdominal bleeding and injury to abdominal organs. The surgeon responds that he will do this surgery because "we want to make sure the peritoneum is intact." This is the wrong reason to do a laparotomy. The peritoneum is the tissue lining the organs in the abdomen and to do a laparotomy, incisions have to be made through it. Hence it is self-defeating to do a laparotomy to "make sure the peritoneum is intact."

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Quotes

Leo McGarry: [regarding Bartlet having been undefeated in all his previous elections] No, seriously, that's a real political accomplishment considering your family founded this state. Were you even opposed in any of those elections?

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Connections

Referenced in Entourage: The Sorkin Notes (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Leavin' on Your Mind"
(uncredited)
Written by Wayne Walker and Webb Pierce
Performed by Patsy Cline

User Reviews

Possibly the best 90 mins of TV I've ever seen

I just watched the two parts of this episode again for the latest of countless viewings. After the cliffhanger ending of season one, they return to the scene. The highlight of the opening sequence is the reaction of Toby to finding Josh, who has just been shot. The episode makes brilliant use of flashbacks to show how the team came together from its earliest beginnings. The speech that Bartlett gives explaining his decision to "hose" the dairy farmers is possibly my favourite scene of a show that is filled with brilliant scenes. There is not a word spoken of the bond between Donna and Josh, but it is explored brilliantly by the background scene, and is shown brilliantly just through Donna's expressions. Overall, these two episodes stand out as the crown jewel of what is, in my opinion, the best dramatic show I have ever watched.