In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part I
Encyclopedia
"In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part I" is the 23rd episode of The West Wing
and the first episode of the second season.
is rushed back towards the White House … but the limo has to turn around quickly when it's discovered he's been hit in the side. Back at the scene of the shooting, Toby
discovers that Josh
has been shot in the chest. He is rushed to GW
along with the President. Mrs. Bartlet
and most of the staff rush to the hospital. Abbey has to tell the anesthesiologist about the President's MS
.
Meanwhile, Leo
goes back to the West Wing and meets with the Vice President, the National Security Advisor Nancy McNally, and others in the Situation Room. Nancy warns Leo that she thinks the country may be under attack from foreign powers and that Iraq might be at the source. There is some confusion over who is in charge, since the President did not sign a letter transferring authority over to the Vice President before he went into surgery. The Vice President defers to Leo, and Leo instructs Nancy to give the Iraqis a warning: "Don't mess with us tonight."
While Bartlet undergoes minor surgery (the bullet "seems to have gone out of its way not to hit anything"), Josh remains in critical condition and must undergo major surgery.
Through the course of flashbacks, we see how Josh first came to be a member of Bartlet's election campaign. He is working for John Hoynes when Leo comes and convinces him to attend one of Bartlet's early speeches in New Hampshire. Josh believes it will be a waste of time. Along the way, he stops in New York to talk to Sam Seaborn
, who is working at the law firm of Gage Whitney Pace, helping an oil company purchase old tankers. Josh asks him to come work for Hoynes; Sam turns him down, but says that if Bartlet turns out to be "the real thing" he'll come with Josh. Both men are clearly feeling unfulfilled in their careers.
Toby also remembers his early days with the campaign. On the night of the speech, Toby is drinking heavily, believing Leo is going to fire him that night. Instead, Leo fires the other, more cynical, senior members of the campaign staff but keeps the idealistic Toby. Leo then sternly tells Toby, "Don't screw up."
Governor Bartlet is unsure if running for president is a good idea, despite his track record of never losing an election (although Leo points out that being elected to the House and then the governorship of a state that his family helped found is not all that impressive). Leo assures his old friend that he is the right man, and that "this is the time of Jed Bartlet."
Back in the hospital, Bartlet comes out of his successful surgery and goes to observe Josh's surgery. The episode ends with Bartlet musing aloud "look what happened."
The West Wing (TV series)
The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
and the first episode of the second season.
Plot
After the shooting at Rosslyn President BartletJosiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
is rushed back towards the White House … but the limo has to turn around quickly when it's discovered he's been hit in the side. Back at the scene of the shooting, Toby
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
discovers that Josh
Josh Lyman
Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
has been shot in the chest. He is rushed to GW
George Washington University Hospital
The George Washington University Hospital is a hospital in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It opened on On August 23, 2002, with 371 beds in a 400,000 sq. ft. building, housing than $45 million of medical equipment and cost more than $96 million to construct...
along with the President. Mrs. Bartlet
Abbey Bartlet
Dr. Abigail Anne "Abbey" Barrington Bartlet, MD, is a fictional character played by Stockard Channing on the television serial drama, The West Wing. In the show, she is the First Lady of the United States, the wife of President Josiah Bartlet.-Overview:...
and most of the staff rush to the hospital. Abbey has to tell the anesthesiologist about the President's MS
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
.
Meanwhile, Leo
Leo McGarry
Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. McGarry's character, the former United States Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White...
goes back to the West Wing and meets with the Vice President, the National Security Advisor Nancy McNally, and others in the Situation Room. Nancy warns Leo that she thinks the country may be under attack from foreign powers and that Iraq might be at the source. There is some confusion over who is in charge, since the President did not sign a letter transferring authority over to the Vice President before he went into surgery. The Vice President defers to Leo, and Leo instructs Nancy to give the Iraqis a warning: "Don't mess with us tonight."
While Bartlet undergoes minor surgery (the bullet "seems to have gone out of its way not to hit anything"), Josh remains in critical condition and must undergo major surgery.
Through the course of flashbacks, we see how Josh first came to be a member of Bartlet's election campaign. He is working for John Hoynes when Leo comes and convinces him to attend one of Bartlet's early speeches in New Hampshire. Josh believes it will be a waste of time. Along the way, he stops in New York to talk to Sam Seaborn
Sam Seaborn
Samuel Norman "Sam" Seaborn is a fictional character portrayed by Rob Lowe on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is best known for being Deputy White House Communications Director in the Josiah Bartlet administration throughout the first four seasons of the series.-Creation and...
, who is working at the law firm of Gage Whitney Pace, helping an oil company purchase old tankers. Josh asks him to come work for Hoynes; Sam turns him down, but says that if Bartlet turns out to be "the real thing" he'll come with Josh. Both men are clearly feeling unfulfilled in their careers.
Toby also remembers his early days with the campaign. On the night of the speech, Toby is drinking heavily, believing Leo is going to fire him that night. Instead, Leo fires the other, more cynical, senior members of the campaign staff but keeps the idealistic Toby. Leo then sternly tells Toby, "Don't screw up."
Governor Bartlet is unsure if running for president is a good idea, despite his track record of never losing an election (although Leo points out that being elected to the House and then the governorship of a state that his family helped found is not all that impressive). Leo assures his old friend that he is the right man, and that "this is the time of Jed Bartlet."
Back in the hospital, Bartlet comes out of his successful surgery and goes to observe Josh's surgery. The episode ends with Bartlet musing aloud "look what happened."