Manchester Part I and Part II
Encyclopedia
These episodes of The West Wing deal with President Bartlet's decision to run for re-election, and the activities of the weeks leading up to his official announcement. Written by Aaron Sorkin
and directed by Thomas Schlamme, the episodes contain the first appearances by Ron Silver
, Evan Handler
and Connie Britton
. "Manchester Part I" is also the first episode where Stockard Channing
can be seen in the opening credits, marking the fact that she became a regular character this season. The second episode was an Emmy
nominee for Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series. It also earned a Golden Reel Award nomination for Best Sound Editing in a Television Series.
) left off, and what was then only implicit is here made clear: President Bartlet
is running for a second term. When asked if he plans to seek re-election, he answers "Yeah, and I'm gonna win." From that point on the story develops in dual storylines, one following immediately upon the press conference, the other taking place four weeks later, as the staff is preparing for the official campaign announcement in Manchester
, New Hampshire
.
Leo decides to bring in Bruno Gianelli (Silver), a highly accomplished political consultant, to help with the re-election campaign, but conflict soon arises between Gianelli’s and Bartlet’s respective staffs. The conflict is particularly intense between the idealistic Communications Director
Toby
and the more pragmatic Doug Wegland (Handler). A problem appears when it becomes clear that RU-486
– an emergency contraception
– will receive government approval on the same day as the announcement ceremony. This will not only take attention away from the event, but also give political ammunition to the Right, and raise questions about the professionalism of the campaign. Josh strongly wants to "wave off the FDA
" on the release, and it later appears that his underlying motive for this is to rectify a previous mistake. In the early part of the story, he applied pressure to pass a bill on anti-tobacco measures, but Gianelli points out the error in passing a bill that could have given them political leverage against the Republicans
in the upcoming election.
In the ongoing conflict in Haiti
, a rescue mission is staged to save American citizens. Bartlet decides to send in peacekeeping
troops, in spite of political consequences. CJ then, when announcing the decision to the press, makes a grave mistake by saying that she thinks "the president's relieved to be focusing on something that matters", implying both that the MS incident was unimportant and that the President was happy to use an incident in which American lives are at risk to deflect attention away from his illness. Leo responds by sitting her out for the next press briefing, and she reacts by offering her resignation. Yet she is eventually persuaded to stay by the president's heartfelt assurance that he considers her a vital member of the administration.
Bartlet's wife Abbey
is not pleased with the president making his bid for re-election without consulting her. Later on she still decides to join him in Manchester. She tells him that he needs to reach out to his staff, some of whom believe that he should make a public apology for concealing his MS
. In the end he makes the apology, not publicly, but privately to his nearest advisors. He assures them that, even though Gianelli's help is much needed, they will still run a campaign that does not shrink from handling controversial issues. In a final speech he tells them that "We're gonna write a new book. Right here. Right now."
, who played Leo McGarry on the show, said: "I certainly understand where the people from New Hampshire are coming from. But I think it's logistics. New Hampshire is not close enough". For financial reasons the producers decided to film the outside parts of the episodes in Bluemont
, Virginia
instead. The town was said to have the "quiet streets, a mix of mostly older architectural styles, fieldstone fences, and breathtaking views of rolling countryside" that the show was looking for. The house chosen – out of 55 contenders – to pass as the president's farmhouse, was the home of Purcellville
mayor John Marsh. Marsh's friends and neighbours also appear as extras
in the crowd scenes.
For the sub-plot about the morning-after pill, former Clinton
economic advisor Gene Sperling
was brought in for consultation. Such a drug, called Mifepristone
, was in fact approved in the United States in September of 2000; one of the last months of the Clinton presidency. Also the political issues related to Haiti have close parallels to an episode in the Clinton presidency: the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
to power by the United States in 1994.
nominee for Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series. It also earned a Golden Reel Award nomination for Best Sound Editing in Television Series. The two episodes were also nominated for Series Storyline at the 2002 SHINE Awards
, a prize awarded for "accurate and honest portrayals of sexuality".
Jenny Halper, writing for UGO, was less than impressed with the pre-season special episode, and wrote that "the season really kicks off" with the "flashback intensive" "Manchester"-episodes. Britt Gillette, of The DVD Report, counted "Manchester Part I" among the more dramatic episodes on the show, with special reference to C.J.'s blunder, and the debate over the president's apology. Deborah of Television Without Pity gave both episodes the grade "A".
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
and directed by Thomas Schlamme, the episodes contain the first appearances by Ron Silver
Ron Silver
Ronald Arthur "Ron" Silver was an American actor, director, producer, radio host and political activist.-Early life:...
, Evan Handler
Evan Handler
Evan Handler is an American actor who is best known for playing Harry Goldenblatt, Charlotte's divorce attorney and later husband, on Sex and the City, and Charlie Runkle, Hank's comically bumbling friend and agent, on Californication.-Early life:Handler was born in New York City, the son of Enid...
and Connie Britton
Connie Britton
Connie Britton is an American actress. She is best known for the roles of Nikki Faber on Spin City and on Friday Night Lights as Tami Taylor. Her most notable films are Friday Night Lights and A Nightmare on Elm Street...
. "Manchester Part I" is also the first episode where Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing is an American stage, film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing; for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease; and for her role as Ouisa Kittredge in the play Six Degrees of Separation and its...
can be seen in the opening credits, marking the fact that she became a regular character this season. The second episode was an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominee for Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series. It also earned a Golden Reel Award nomination for Best Sound Editing in a Television Series.
Plot
The episode picks up at the press conference immediately where last season's cliff-hanger (Two CathedralsTwo Cathedrals
"Two Cathedrals" is the 44th episode, and second season finale of The West Wing.-Synopsis:President Bartlet is beset by memories of Mrs. Landingham as her funeral approaches. Meanwhile, the staff deals with a crisis in Haiti and questions from congressional Democrats regarding the President's...
) left off, and what was then only implicit is here made clear: President Bartlet
Josiah 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 running for a second term. When asked if he plans to seek re-election, he answers "Yeah, and I'm gonna win." From that point on the story develops in dual storylines, one following immediately upon the press conference, the other taking place four weeks later, as the staff is preparing for the official campaign announcement in Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
.
Leo decides to bring in Bruno Gianelli (Silver), a highly accomplished political consultant, to help with the re-election campaign, but conflict soon arises between Gianelli’s and Bartlet’s respective staffs. The conflict is particularly intense between the idealistic Communications Director
White House Communications Director
The White House Director of Communications, also known as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the President of the United States, and is responsible for developing and promoting the agenda of the President and leading its media campaign...
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:...
and the more pragmatic Doug Wegland (Handler). A problem appears when it becomes clear that RU-486
Mifepristone
Mifepristone is a synthetic steroid compound used as a pharmaceutical. It is a progesterone receptor antagonist used as an abortifacient in the first months of pregnancy, and in smaller doses as an emergency contraceptive. During early trials, it was known as RU-38486 or simply RU-486, its...
– an emergency contraception
Emergency contraception
Emergency contraception , or emergency postcoital contraception, refers to birth control measures that, if taken after sexual intercourse, may prevent pregnancy.Forms of EC include:...
– will receive government approval on the same day as the announcement ceremony. This will not only take attention away from the event, but also give political ammunition to the Right, and raise questions about the professionalism of the campaign. Josh strongly wants to "wave off the FDA
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
" on the release, and it later appears that his underlying motive for this is to rectify a previous mistake. In the early part of the story, he applied pressure to pass a bill on anti-tobacco measures, but Gianelli points out the error in passing a bill that could have given them political leverage against the Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in the upcoming election.
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, a rescue mission is staged to save American citizens. Bartlet decides to send in peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
troops, in spite of political consequences. CJ then, when announcing the decision to the press, makes a grave mistake by saying that she thinks "the president's relieved to be focusing on something that matters", implying both that the MS incident was unimportant and that the President was happy to use an incident in which American lives are at risk to deflect attention away from his illness. Leo responds by sitting her out for the next press briefing, and she reacts by offering her resignation. Yet she is eventually persuaded to stay by the president's heartfelt assurance that he considers her a vital member of the administration.
Bartlet's wife Abbey
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:...
is not pleased with the president making his bid for re-election without consulting her. Later on she still decides to join him in Manchester. She tells him that he needs to reach out to his staff, some of whom believe that he should make a public apology for concealing his 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...
. In the end he makes the apology, not publicly, but privately to his nearest advisors. He assures them that, even though Gianelli's help is much needed, they will still run a campaign that does not shrink from handling controversial issues. In a final speech he tells them that "We're gonna write a new book. Right here. Right now."
Production and cultural references
The scenes purporting to be in Manchester were not shot in New Hampshire, in spite of lobbying from local residents. John SpencerJohn Spencer (actor)
John Spencer was an American film and television actor. He was most widely known for playing White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on the NBC political drama series The West Wing, which earned him an Emmy Award in 2002.-Early life:Spencer was born as John Speshock, Jr. in New York City, and...
, who played Leo McGarry on the show, said: "I certainly understand where the people from New Hampshire are coming from. But I think it's logistics. New Hampshire is not close enough". For financial reasons the producers decided to film the outside parts of the episodes in Bluemont
Bluemont, Virginia
Bluemont is an unincorporated village in Loudoun County, Virginia located at the base of Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain. At 680 feet , it is the highest community in Loudoun County...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
instead. The town was said to have the "quiet streets, a mix of mostly older architectural styles, fieldstone fences, and breathtaking views of rolling countryside" that the show was looking for. The house chosen – out of 55 contenders – to pass as the president's farmhouse, was the home of Purcellville
Purcellville, Virginia
Purcellville is a town in the Loudoun Valley of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,584 at the 2000 census, but has undergone considerable growth since then. Purcellville is the major population center for western Loudoun and the Loudoun Valley...
mayor John Marsh. Marsh's friends and neighbours also appear as extras
Extra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
in the crowd scenes.
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
economic advisor Gene Sperling
Gene Sperling
Gene B. Sperling is an American lawyer and political figure, currently serving as a Counselor to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. He is also on the staff of the Council on Foreign Relations, where he serves as Senior Fellow for Economic Policy and Director of the Center on Universal Education. He...
was brought in for consultation. Such a drug, called Mifepristone
Mifepristone
Mifepristone is a synthetic steroid compound used as a pharmaceutical. It is a progesterone receptor antagonist used as an abortifacient in the first months of pregnancy, and in smaller doses as an emergency contraceptive. During early trials, it was known as RU-38486 or simply RU-486, its...
, was in fact approved in the United States in September of 2000; one of the last months of the Clinton presidency. Also the political issues related to Haiti have close parallels to an episode in the Clinton presidency: the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
to power by the United States in 1994.
Reception
The second episode was an EmmyEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominee for Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series. It also earned a Golden Reel Award nomination for Best Sound Editing in Television Series. The two episodes were also nominated for Series Storyline at the 2002 SHINE Awards
SHINE Awards
The SHINE Awards are annual media awards given by The Media Project since the mid-1980s, resulting from a partnership between the Kaiser Family Foundation and Advocates for Youth...
, a prize awarded for "accurate and honest portrayals of sexuality".
Jenny Halper, writing for UGO, was less than impressed with the pre-season special episode, and wrote that "the season really kicks off" with the "flashback intensive" "Manchester"-episodes. Britt Gillette, of The DVD Report, counted "Manchester Part I" among the more dramatic episodes on the show, with special reference to C.J.'s blunder, and the debate over the president's apology. Deborah of Television Without Pity gave both episodes the grade "A".
External links
- Manchester Part I and Part II at NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.com - Manchester Part I and Part II at The West Wing Episode Guide
- Manchester Part I and Part II at The West Wing Continuity Guide
- Manchester Part I and Part II recap at Television Without Pity
- Manchester Part I and Part II at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...