The Fall's Gonna Kill You
Encyclopedia
"The Fall's Gonna Kill You" is the 42nd episode of The West Wing
.
being summoned to the office of the White House Counsel
Oliver Babish, who menacingly questions CJ about the President
's MS
cover-up, despite the fact she had only been informed the night before. The First Lady is also grilled by Oliver, namely about her signing one of Zoey's college admissions forms in which it was indicated that Bartlet had no major health problems.
Josh
gets Leo's OK for a plan to enlist Joey Lucas
to take a secret poll that will hypothetically address a political cover-up of a leader's illness without specifically mentioning what is really happening. He meets Joey at the airport and reveals the President's illness to her, making her the 20th person to learn of the illness and cover-up.
A Chinese
satellite has fallen out of its orbit and is hurtling to earth at 2000 mph, and no one's concerned but Donna
. Josh finds her concern amusing – she doesn't know that space junk falls out of orbit and gets burned up in the atmosphere all the time – and it's an oasis of joy in his day, which is otherwise preoccupied with both the MS crisis and a visit from a Democratic House staffer whose committee is badly underfunded in its lawsuit against Big Tobacco. The staffer makes a comment that resonates with Josh when he says that the tobacco companies "perpetrated a fraud against the public".
Meanwhile, new estimates project a smaller-than-expected budget surplus – and that cheers staffers because it will allow the administration to make its case for opposing a tax cut for the wealthiest Americans. But Sam is not happy at all with the language that the staffers and tax-justice groups want to use, which condescendingly talks about the luxuries that rich people purchase. Sam firmly says that when he was in a prestigious law firm, he paid taxes for a lot of people and that's the only way the system works and can be supported, but he doesn't like the idea of insulting rich people for being rich and has the language excised. At day's end, Leo invites Sam to come with him to the Oval Office so that Sam can be told about the President's MS and the subsequent cover-up.
. She tells Josh at the end "You guys are like Butch
and Sundance
peering over the edge of a cliff to the boulder-filled rapids 300 feet below, thinking you better not jump 'cause there's a chance you might drown. The President has this disease and has been lying about it, and you guys are worried that the polling might make us look bad? It's the fall that's gonna kill ya."
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...
.
Plot
The episode begins with CJC. J. Cregg
Claudia Jean "C. J." Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the television serial drama The West Wing. From the beginning of the series until the sixth season, she is White House Press Secretary in the administration of President Josiah Bartlet...
being summoned to the office of the White House Counsel
White House Counsel
The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States.-Role:The Counsel's role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and the White House...
Oliver Babish, who menacingly questions CJ about the President
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...
'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...
cover-up, despite the fact she had only been informed the night before. The First Lady is also grilled by Oliver, namely about her signing one of Zoey's college admissions forms in which it was indicated that Bartlet had no major health problems.
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...
gets Leo's OK for a plan to enlist Joey Lucas
Joey Lucas
Josephine "Joey" Lucas, is a fictional character on the television serial drama The West Wing, a California-based pollster and political operative played by Marlee Matlin...
to take a secret poll that will hypothetically address a political cover-up of a leader's illness without specifically mentioning what is really happening. He meets Joey at the airport and reveals the President's illness to her, making her the 20th person to learn of the illness and cover-up.
A Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
satellite has fallen out of its orbit and is hurtling to earth at 2000 mph, and no one's concerned but Donna
Donna Moss
Donnatella "Donna" Moss is a fictional character played by Janel Moloney on the television serial drama The West Wing. Donna is a recurring character during the first season, although she appears in every episode, making her a de facto regular...
. Josh finds her concern amusing – she doesn't know that space junk falls out of orbit and gets burned up in the atmosphere all the time – and it's an oasis of joy in his day, which is otherwise preoccupied with both the MS crisis and a visit from a Democratic House staffer whose committee is badly underfunded in its lawsuit against Big Tobacco. The staffer makes a comment that resonates with Josh when he says that the tobacco companies "perpetrated a fraud against the public".
Meanwhile, new estimates project a smaller-than-expected budget surplus – and that cheers staffers because it will allow the administration to make its case for opposing a tax cut for the wealthiest Americans. But Sam is not happy at all with the language that the staffers and tax-justice groups want to use, which condescendingly talks about the luxuries that rich people purchase. Sam firmly says that when he was in a prestigious law firm, he paid taxes for a lot of people and that's the only way the system works and can be supported, but he doesn't like the idea of insulting rich people for being rich and has the language excised. At day's end, Leo invites Sam to come with him to the Oval Office so that Sam can be told about the President's MS and the subsequent cover-up.
Title
The title, as referenced by CJ in the episode, is from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman...
. She tells Josh at the end "You guys are like Butch
Butch Cassidy
Robert LeRoy Parker , better known as Butch Cassidy, was a notorious American train robber, bank robber, and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang in the American Old West...
and Sundance
Harry Longabaugh
Harry Alonzo Longabaugh , better known as the Sundance Kid, was an outlaw and member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, in the American Old West. Longabaugh likely met Butch Cassidy after Parker was released from prison around 1896...
peering over the edge of a cliff to the boulder-filled rapids 300 feet below, thinking you better not jump 'cause there's a chance you might drown. The President has this disease and has been lying about it, and you guys are worried that the polling might make us look bad? It's the fall that's gonna kill ya."