What Kind of Day Has It Been
Encyclopedia
"What Kind of Day Has It Been" is the 22nd episode of The West Wing
, the season finale of the show's first season. It originally aired on NBC
May 17, 2000. Events circle around the attempted rescue of a US fighter pilot in Iraq
, and the president taking part in a town hall meeting in Rosslyn
, Virginia
. The episode was written by Aaron Sorkin
and directed by Thomas Schlamme, and marked the last appearance of Moira Kelly
on the show.
"What Kind of Day Has It Been" is also the name of the first season finales of both the series Sports Night
and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which were both created by Thomas Schlamme and Aaron Sorkin
. It was also a quote by Leo
in the fourth season episode "Commencement
" in the situation room.
"What Kind of Day Has it Been" begins with the president attending a town hall meeting
in Rosslyn
, Virginia
. As the entourage exits the building, Secret Service
Agent Gina Toscano seems to sense danger from the window of an overlooking building. The story is then told in retrospect, going back to the start of the day, with President Bartlet
preparing for the town hall question and answer session that evening. Meanwhile, the Secret Service are becoming increasingly concerned about threats on the life of the President's youngest daughter, Zoey
, and her black boyfriend, the President's personal aide, Charlie
, from White Supremacist groups. In addition to this, the military are performing a delicate rescue mission of an American pilot, stranded in Iraq
, with Iraqi security forces trying to find him.
Toby
is worried, because his brother is in a space shuttle orbiting Earth but unable to land due to some technical problems. Josh
has to put some pressure on Vice President Hoynes
, on the subject of campaign finance reform. C.J. has to lie to the press to keep the Iraqi rescue mission covert, but doing so she incurs the anger of reporter Danny Concannon
.
Returning to the town hall meeting, the evening is turning into a great success for the whole Bartlet administration. The pilot was saved without any bloodshed and while Bartlet is answering questions, the news comes through that the shuttle carrying Toby's brother is safe. As the senior staff come out of the building laughing and joking, Gina tells Zoey to get in the car, made nervous by the sight of a young man who doesn't seem to fit with the crowd. Suddenly, he looks up to a window and removes his hat, before disappearing. As Gina turns around, she spots the shooters in a window and yells a warning, screaming "GUN!" Suddenly shots ring out. Scenes show each member of the senior staff being thrown to the ground by agents and chaos erupting. As the scene pans out to show the carnage, a Secret Service agent can be heard on the radio, asking "Who's been hit?! Who's been hit?!"
While waiting with Bartlet in the Oval office for news on the missing pilot, Admiral Fitzwallace
makes an observation on the presidential seal
. The eagle on the seal holds an olive branch in its right talons and arrows in its left, and faces towards the olive branch. Yet when Congress declares war, he says, the eagle faces the arrows. This is an urban legend
; though the design of the seal has changed over time, President Truman decided by Executive Order 9646, in 1945, that the eagle should always face right, towards the olive branch.
President Bartlet's supposed ancestor Josiah Bartlett
(written with two "t"s), of whom the president speaks during the town hall meeting, was in fact one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence
. He later also served as Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court
and as Governor of the state
.
The leg of actress Jorja Fox
, playing Agent Gina Toscano, was accidentally run over during the final scene. She was rushed to the emergency room but was fine and came away with only bruises.
). This was one of two Emmy nominations the series received in this category for 2000, the other being for episode 10, "In Excelsis Deo
" (Bill Johnson). In the end the award was won by ER
, but Hirsch did win an Eddie Award
for Best Edited One-Hour Series for Television. "What Kind of Day Has It Been" was also one of eight episodes submitted for the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy, which the first season won. The other seven episodes were: "The Pilot
," "The Crackpots and These Women
," "In Excelsis Deo
," "Take This Sabbath Day
," "Celestial Navigation," "The White House Pro-Am
," and "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet
."
In spite of the positive reception, there were those who believed the cliffhanger
ending to the season was a cliché; that it was a cheap dramatic trick simply intended to maintain high ratings. The creators and cast members refuted this, and claimed that it was never intended as a traditional cliffhanger, but rather as a narrative device for exploring new story lines:
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...
, the season finale of the show's first season. It originally aired on NBC
NBC
The 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...
May 17, 2000. Events circle around the attempted rescue of a US fighter pilot in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, and the president taking part in a town hall meeting in Rosslyn
Rosslyn, Virginia
Rosslyn is an unincorporated area in Northern Virginia located in the northeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, north of Arlington National Cemetery and directly across the Potomac River from Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Rosslyn encompasses the Arlington neighborhoods of North Rosslyn...
, 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...
. The episode was written by Aaron Sorkin
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, and marked the last appearance of Moira Kelly
Moira Kelly
Moira Kelly is an American actress. She is best known for playing single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama One Tree Hill. She also directed two episodes of the series: "Resolve" and "I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me"...
on the show.
"What Kind of Day Has It Been" is also the name of the first season finales of both the series Sports Night
Sports Night
Sports Night is an American television series about a fictional sports news show also called Sports Night. It focuses on the friendships, pitfalls, and ethical issues the creative talent of the program face while trying to produce a good show under constant network pressure...
and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which were both created by Thomas Schlamme and Aaron Sorkin
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...
. It was also a quote by 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...
in the fourth season episode "Commencement
Commencement (The West Wing)
-Plot:Danny Concannon has finally pieced together the puzzle about the killing of Abdul ibn Shareef after learning his pilot was a U.S. operative working under an alias, but C.J. and Leo persuade him to hold off on the story for three days, because five Qumari nationals who were under FBI...
" in the situation room.
Plot
Town hall meeting
A town hall meeting is an American English term given to an informal public meeting. Everybody in a town community is invited to attend, not always to voice their opinions, but to hear the responses from public figures and elected officials about shared subjects of interest. Attendees rarely voted...
in Rosslyn
Rosslyn, Virginia
Rosslyn is an unincorporated area in Northern Virginia located in the northeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, north of Arlington National Cemetery and directly across the Potomac River from Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Rosslyn encompasses the Arlington neighborhoods of North Rosslyn...
, 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...
. As the entourage exits the building, Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
Agent Gina Toscano seems to sense danger from the window of an overlooking building. The story is then told in retrospect, going back to the start of the day, with 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...
preparing for the town hall question and answer session that evening. Meanwhile, the Secret Service are becoming increasingly concerned about threats on the life of the President's youngest daughter, Zoey
Zoey Bartlet
Zoey Patricia Bartlet is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Moss on the television serial drama The West Wing. Zoey is the youngest of President Josiah Bartlet and Abbey Bartlet's three daughters, and is more prominently featured in the series than either of her sisters.Zoey and...
, and her black boyfriend, the President's personal aide, Charlie
Charlie Young
Charles 'Charlie' Young is a fictional character played by Dulé Hill on the television serial drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he is the Personal Aide to President Josiah Bartlet.-Creation and development:...
, from White Supremacist groups. In addition to this, the military are performing a delicate rescue mission of an American pilot, stranded in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, with Iraqi security forces trying to find him.
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:...
is worried, because his brother is in a space shuttle orbiting Earth but unable to land due to some technical 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...
has to put some pressure on Vice President Hoynes
John Hoynes
John Hoynes is a fictional character played by Tim Matheson on the American television series The West Wing. Hoynes is Vice President of the United States during the first four seasons of the show....
, on the subject of campaign finance reform. C.J. has to lie to the press to keep the Iraqi rescue mission covert, but doing so she incurs the anger of reporter Danny Concannon
Danny Concannon
Daniel "Danny" Concannon is a fictional White House correspondent for the Washington Post played by Timothy Busfield on the television serial drama The West Wing. Danny first appeared in the third episode of Season 1, "A Proportional Response," where he mentioned that he had been a White House...
.
Returning to the town hall meeting, the evening is turning into a great success for the whole Bartlet administration. The pilot was saved without any bloodshed and while Bartlet is answering questions, the news comes through that the shuttle carrying Toby's brother is safe. As the senior staff come out of the building laughing and joking, Gina tells Zoey to get in the car, made nervous by the sight of a young man who doesn't seem to fit with the crowd. Suddenly, he looks up to a window and removes his hat, before disappearing. As Gina turns around, she spots the shooters in a window and yells a warning, screaming "GUN!" Suddenly shots ring out. Scenes show each member of the senior staff being thrown to the ground by agents and chaos erupting. As the scene pans out to show the carnage, a Secret Service agent can be heard on the radio, asking "Who's been hit?! Who's been hit?!"
Real-life connections
Percy Fitzwallace
Admiral Percy "Fitz" Fitzwallace, played by John Amos, is a fictional character on the television series The West Wing. In the universe of the show, he is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff....
makes an observation on the presidential seal
Seal of the President of the United States
The Seal of the President of the United States is used to mark correspondence from the U.S. president to the United States Congress, and is also used as a symbol of the presidency. The central design, based on the Great Seal of the United States, is the official coat of arms of the U.S...
. The eagle on the seal holds an olive branch in its right talons and arrows in its left, and faces towards the olive branch. Yet when Congress declares war, he says, the eagle faces the arrows. This is an urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
; though the design of the seal has changed over time, President Truman decided by Executive Order 9646, in 1945, that the eagle should always face right, towards the olive branch.
President Bartlet's supposed ancestor Josiah Bartlett
Josiah Bartlett
Josiah Bartlett was an American physician and statesman, delegate to the Continental Congress for New Hampshire and signatory of the Declaration of Independence...
(written with two "t"s), of whom the president speaks during the town hall meeting, was in fact one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
. He later also served as Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court
New Hampshire Supreme Court
The New Hampshire Supreme Court is the supreme court of the U. S. state of New Hampshire and sole appellate court of the state. The Supreme Court is seated in the state capital, Concord. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices appointed by the Governor and Executive...
and as Governor of the state
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...
.
The leg of actress Jorja Fox
Jorja Fox
Jorja-An Fox , is an American actress, musician and songwriter. She first came to prominence as a guest star on the television drama ER, portraying the recurring role of Dr. Maggie Doyle from 1996 to 1999. This was followed by another critical success in the recurring role of Secret Service Agent...
, playing Agent Gina Toscano, was accidentally run over during the final scene. She was rushed to the emergency room but was fine and came away with only bruises.
Reception
The West Wings first season finale was nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Series (Tina HirschTina Hirsch
Tina Hirsch is an American film editor. She has been elected to membership in the American Cinema Editors, and in 2000, she became the first woman to become president of the honorary society...
). This was one of two Emmy nominations the series received in this category for 2000, the other being for episode 10, "In Excelsis Deo
In Excelsis Deo
"In Excelsis Deo" is the 10th episode of the first season of The West Wing. It originally aired on NBC December 15, 1999, as the show's Christmas special. Events circle around Toby getting involved in the fate of a deceased Korean War veteran, reactions to a severe hate crime, and the ongoing...
" (Bill Johnson). In the end the award was won by ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, but Hirsch did win an Eddie Award
American Cinema Editors
Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing itself. The society is not to be confused with an industry union, such as the I.A.T.S.E...
for Best Edited One-Hour Series for Television. "What Kind of Day Has It Been" was also one of eight episodes submitted for the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy, which the first season won. The other seven episodes were: "The Pilot
Pilot (The West Wing)
"Pilot" is the first episode of the American serial drama The West Wing.-Plot:In the series premiere, the White House staff is being called into work in the early hours of the morning to the news that the President of the United States has crashed his bicycle into a tree, much to the enjoyment of...
," "The Crackpots and These Women
The Crackpots and These Women
"The Crackpots and These Women" is the 5th episode from Season 1 of The West Wing.-Plot:The staff participates in "Big Block of Cheese Day", a fictional workday on which White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry encourages his staff to meet with fringe special interest groups that normally would not...
," "In Excelsis Deo
In Excelsis Deo
"In Excelsis Deo" is the 10th episode of the first season of The West Wing. It originally aired on NBC December 15, 1999, as the show's Christmas special. Events circle around Toby getting involved in the fate of a deceased Korean War veteran, reactions to a severe hate crime, and the ongoing...
," "Take This Sabbath Day
Take this Sabbath Day
"Take This Sabbath Day" is the 14th episode of The West Wing. The episode addresses the death penalty and the United States government's custom of not scheduling executions between sundown Friday and sundown Sunday in order to avoid conducting an execution on either the Jewish Shabbat or Christian...
," "Celestial Navigation," "The White House Pro-Am
The White House Pro-Am
"The White House Pro-Am" is the 17th episode of the first season of The West Wing.-Plot:The First Lady begins the day appearing on a morning talk show with a teenage boy discussing the issue of child labor. Meanwhile, Bernard Dahl, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve has died...
," and "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet
Let Bartlet Be Bartlet
"Let Bartlet Be Bartlet" is the 19th episode of The West Wing.-Plot:When a damaging memo which is critical of the President is discovered, the White House press cover it with zest, much to CJ's dismay. Later it is revealed that Mandy wrote it when she was working for Lloyd Russell...
."
In spite of the positive reception, there were those who believed the cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
ending to the season was a cliché; that it was a cheap dramatic trick simply intended to maintain high ratings. The creators and cast members refuted this, and claimed that it was never intended as a traditional cliffhanger, but rather as a narrative device for exploring new story lines:
External links
- What Kind of Day Has It Been at The West Wing Episode Guide.
- What Kind of Day Has It Been at The West Wing Continuity Guide.
- What Kind of Day Has It Been at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
. - What Kind of Day Has It Been 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...
.