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The West Wing
S5.E22
All episodesAll
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Memorial Day

  • Episode aired May 19, 2004
  • TV-14
  • 42m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
649
YOUR RATING
Bradley Whitford in The West Wing (1999)
Drama

The President finds himself at odds with Leo, and the entire country, on his position regarding retaliation for the bombing in Gaza.The President finds himself at odds with Leo, and the entire country, on his position regarding retaliation for the bombing in Gaza.The President finds himself at odds with Leo, and the entire country, on his position regarding retaliation for the bombing in Gaza.

  • Director
    • Christopher Misiano
  • Writers
    • Aaron Sorkin
    • John Sacret Young
    • Josh Singer
  • Stars
    • Stockard Channing
    • Dulé Hill
    • Allison Janney
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.2/10
    649
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Christopher Misiano
    • Writers
      • Aaron Sorkin
      • John Sacret Young
      • Josh Singer
    • Stars
      • Stockard Channing
      • Dulé Hill
      • Allison Janney
    • 2User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Martin Sheen in The West Wing (1999)
    The West Wing (1999)
    The West Wing (1999)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Stockard Channing
    Stockard Channing
    • Abbey Bartlet
    Dulé Hill
    Dulé Hill
    • Charlie Young
    Allison Janney
    Allison Janney
    • C.J. Cregg
    Joshua Malina
    Joshua Malina
    • Will Bailey
    Janel Moloney
    Janel Moloney
    • Donna Moss
    Richard Schiff
    Richard Schiff
    • Toby Ziegler
    John Spencer
    John Spencer
    • Leo McGarry
    Bradley Whitford
    Bradley Whitford
    • Josh Lyman
    Martin Sheen
    Martin Sheen
    • President Josiah Bartlet
    Mary McCormack
    Mary McCormack
    • Kate Harper
    Gary Cole
    Gary Cole
    • Vice President Bob Russell
    Jason Isaacs
    Jason Isaacs
    • Colin Ayres
    Gerald McRaney
    Gerald McRaney
    • USAF Gen. Alan Adamle
    Lily Tomlin
    Lily Tomlin
    • Deborah Fiderer
    Steven Culp
    Steven Culp
    • Speaker of the House Jeff Haffley
    Ron Canada
    Ron Canada
    • Under Secretary of State Theodore Barrow
    Steve Ryan
    Steve Ryan
    • Secretary of Defense Miles Hutchinson
    Natalija Nogulich
    Natalija Nogulich
    • Israeli Ambassador Shira Galit
    • Director
      • Christopher Misiano
    • Writers
      • Aaron Sorkin
      • John Sacret Young
      • Josh Singer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Martin Sheen did in fact throw the first pitch in each of his several takes filming the first pitch scene, and missed the catcher on some of the takes. One of his missed throws struck the Oriole mascot, and the mascot responded by clapping both "wings" to his side, falling over, and sticking both feet in the air, in imitation of a cartoon bird being hit by a rock. This is especially ironic, in light of the fact that a minor subplot revolves around the President being unable to throw and former President Franklin D. Roosevelt accidentally hitting someone when throwing out the first pitch.
    • Quotes

      Charlie Young: [telling the President that he has to practice throwing a baseball with a bullet proof vest on before throwing the first pitch out at a baseball game] Sir, everyone agrees.

      President Josiah Bartlet: Like who?

      Charlie Young: Leo, Josh, CJ, your wife, the Notre Dame athletic department...

    • Connections
      Featured in The 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      West Wing Main Title
      (uncredited)

      Written by W.G. Snuffy Walden

      Performed by Pete Anthony

    User reviews2

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Memorial Day
    I believe it's fair to say that the best days for "The West Wing" are behind it. There's nothing in this fifth season that matches the best times of the Sorkin-era and even though John Wells clearly had a difficult time with a lot of Sorkin's unfinished storylines, everything was too messy in the end. Now we're at the end of this season, and the entire world is crumbling down with a war breaking out between Israel and Palestine and the president in the middle. For what it was, the episode was fine, but as a conclusion of the season, it felt sour and empty.

    It's difficult to look reality in the eyes and just acknowledge that this show is not what it used to be. And I'm sure that Wells didn't have the easiest of times in his transition from a simple executive producer to full showrunner. However, all the messy storylines and half-hearted arcs have come to a big conclusion in this finale, that in many ways continue the trend of a scattershot focus. It's throwing things against the wall and seeing what sticks. The conflict in Gaza seems like it would be perfect for this show, and the ideas are definitely there, but the tension feels so devoid of any actual stakes after the ballsy decision of having characters that we care about in the heart of the conflict last episode. Here, we constantly hear about a conflict rising, but we never actually get any relation to it. With that said, it still feels like Wells' heart is in the game and that he's focused on coming up with something that will be more natural to his new direction of the show as he enters the sixth season with a complete slate of his own. There were also moments of levity throughout the episode that didn't necessarily fit, but gave some glimpses of the fun tone of the previous seasons. Not that I miss that, but this season has mostly been very dour (with the exception of a golden meeting between C. J. and Big Bird). This season hasn't been the best, but I'm optimistic about the future.

    "Memorial Day" brings a messy fifth season to a finish and sets the stage for what could be a redemption story in the show's sixth. The episode carries a lot of ideas that could be explored later on, but is too bogged down by the messy structure and doesn't give a lot to the audience.
    helpful•1
    1
    • lassegalsgaard
    • Aug 7, 2022

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • May 19, 2004 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 23, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • John Wells Productions
      • Warner Bros. Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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