"The West Wing" Pilot (1999)

Director:

Thomas Schlamme

Writers:

Aaron Sorkin (creator)
Aaron Sorkin (written by)

TV Series:

"The West Wing" (1999)

Original Air Date:

22 September 1999 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Josh faces the loss of his job after an on-air insult of a political opponent. Meanwhile, the President has a minor accident.

Plot Keywords:

Reference To Teddy Roosevelt | President | Political | Secretary | White House

Cast

Rob Lowe	...	Sam Seaborn
Moira Kelly	...	Mandy Hampton
Allison Janney	...	Claudia Jean 'C.J.' Cregg
Richard Schiff	...	Toby Ziegler
John Spencer	...	Leo McGarry
Bradley Whitford	...	Josh Lyman
Martin Sheen	...	President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet
Annie Corley	...	Mary Marsh
Lisa Edelstein	...	Brittany 'Laurie' Rollins
Suzy Nakamura	...	Cathy
Allison Smith	...	Mallory O'Brien
Marc Grapey	...	Billy
Janel Moloney	...	Donna Moss
F. William Parker	...	Rev. Al Caldwell
Kathryn Joosten	...	Dolores Landingham

Runtime:

Germany:42 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-14

Company:

John Wells Productions

Trivia:

Rob Lowe says the line, "Alger Hiss just walked in with my secret pumpkin." Hiss was a State Department official in the 1940s accused of spying for the Soviet Union. His accuser was Whittaker Chambers, who hid copies of government files in a pumpkin on his farm before giving them to then Rep. Richard Nixon, a member of the House Un-American Activities Committee. The line most likely refers not to the original incident, but to North by Northwest (1959), in which Cary Grant's character asks, "Did you get the pumpkin?".

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the pilot episode, Sam tells Mallory's class that the Roosevelt room is named after Franklin D Roosevelt. Mallory later corrects him stating that it is named after Theodore Roosevelt and pointing out the painting over the fireplace. In fact, while originally named for Teddy, Richard Nixon dedicated it to both Roosevelts, and the painting over the fireplace changes depending which party is in office, Teddy for the Republicans, FDR for the Democrats. This means that with Bartlet in office it should probably have been FDR's painting hanging there, although Bill Clinton did decide to keep Teddy's painting in place as he preferred it.

Quotes:

Toby Ziegler: I agree with Josh and I agree with C.J. and I agree with Sam. And you know how that makes me crazy...

Soundtrack:

Moment of Weakness

A typical day at The West Wing

In this fairly light and fun introduction to The West Wing: Josh faces losing his job after offending Christians during an appearance on a talk show.

Leo must deal with 137 Cuban refugees who escaped on rafts and are seeking asylum.

Each character is introduced finding out on phone or pager about the President having a bicycle accident. This was a wonderful way of introducing the characters, it briefly shared some character traits and boasted a few nice looking sets.

The set of The West Wing was wonderfully put together and looked genuine. There is a long tracking shot through many rooms of the set and I was very impressed by their detail and that the rooms were all connected.

The character of Sam holds the episodes melodrama by accidentally sleeping with a call girl then telling unknowingly tells Leo's daughter about it. This may put his career on the line.

The pilot had a very upbeat and comedic tone. The dialogue was fast-paced and witty. The characters were interesting and they are the main reason I shall continue watching. The nature of the show allows them to deal with very serious subject matter which I am sure they will. This episode didn't delve into anything of great depth, but the light-hearted comedy was interesting enough. However, the great dialogue mixed with character-study and serious political subject matter is what I am hoping for.