"The West Wing" 18th and Potomac (2001)

Director:

Robert Berlinger

Writers:

Aaron Sorkin (creator)
Aaron Sorkin (teleplay)

TV Series:

"The West Wing" (1999)

Original Air Date:

9 May 2001 (Season 2, Episode 21)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

With hypothetical polling numbers showing them its political suicide, staffers prepare to announce the President's condition...

Plot Keywords:

Number In Title | President | Political | Secretary | White House

Cast

Rob Lowe	...	Sam Seaborn
Dulé Hill	...	Charlie Young
Allison Janney	...	Claudia Jean '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
Oliver Platt	...	White House Counsel Oliver Babish
Marlee Matlin	...	Joey Lucas
Anna Deavere Smith	...	Nancy McNally
John Rubinstein	...	Sen. Andy Ritter, D
Peter Michael Goetz	...	Paul Hackett
Richard McGonagle	...	Sen. Warren, D

Runtime:

Germany:42 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language

Color:

Color

Company:

John Wells Productions

Trivia:

The screening of '18th and Potomac' was first shown in Australia on the evening of September 11 2001. A newsflash about the two aircraft hitting the World Trade Centre was broadcast in the last commercial break. The remaining ten minutes of the West Wing was then screened, which coincidentally involved the unexpected death of a major West Wing character.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The President is told that the Haitian army has "two Bradleys with 120 millimeter cannons". The Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is equipped with a 25mm auto-cannon; the 120mm gun is on the much larger Abrams main battle tank.

Quotes:

Abbey Bartlet: You all right?
Sam Seaborn: Yes ma'am.
Abbey Bartlet: Sure you don't want some acetylsalicylic acid?... Aspirin, my brother.
Sam Seaborn: What a dumb major you had.

Movie Connections:

References "Mary Tyler Moore" (1970)