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The West Wing: An Overview
Wow this is long. There are spoilers through the fourth season finale, and I've left out a lot of plot points because they're just too complicated. :) Also, I don't *think* I left anybody out of the major or minor cast, but if I forgot anything, let me know, and I'll edit!
The West Wing, Wednesdays, 9PM on NBC
Okay, so in a nutshell West Wing has been on for four years, has nabbed the Emmy for Best Drama Series for the past four years in a row, along with a slew of other acting awards. The cast is *huge* at times, and a bit of a revolving door, so if I leave anyone out (though I'll try and get a mention in for everyone major), I'm sorry. There are also a dozen really complicated plot threads that are going to make reading this hell, so I'm just going to try and summarize. If you see something you *must* know more about, ask me!
The First Family: Meet the Bartlets
President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen)
Jed's the former Governor of New Hampshire who came out of nowhere to win the Democratic nomination and the Presidency. He was an economics professor and is fond of throwing around the fact that he's got a Nobel Prize in Economics. He's been married to Abbey for something like thirty five years and is a fanatic Notre Dame fan. Jed's a really big nerd, and likes spouting inane and useless trivia. He was diagnosed seven years before he became President with a course of relapsing/remitting MS, which he hid from the public.
First Lady Abigail Bartlet (Stockard Channing)
The first lady's also a doctor, but unfortunately loses her medical license because she secretly medicated Jed to cover up the fact that he has MS. Abbey's generally rather bitchy and kind of fun; the staff appears to be quite afraid of her at times. She fights with the President all the time, but really does love him.
The Bartlet Girls
Elizabeth--we just saw her for the first time in the fifth season premiere. The eldest daughter, she's married with a daughter (Annie) and apparently a son (this is news to me since he just kind of popped up in the premiere, having never been mentioned before).
Ellie--Middle daughter, a med student. Kind of doesn't get along with Jed.
Zoey--Youngest daughter, a Georgetown student. Dates Charlie for a couple of seasons. Is kidnapped by terrorists at the end of Season 4.
All the President's Men (And Women): The Staff
Vice President John Hoynes (Tim Matheson)
Hoynes was the front runner for the Democratic nomination until Bartlet kicked his ass, so he got to be VP. He doesn't really get along with any of the President's staff, especially Leo, and doesn't like Jed at all. Hoynes is also an alcoholic and goes to meetings with Leo. He ends up having to resign in Season 4 due to a sex scandal resulting over his mistress, and so at the moment there is no Vice President.
Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer)
Leo's been Jed's best friend for over thirty years. He was the Secretary of Labor before running the Bartlet campaign and was also an old friend of Josh's father. During his time as Labor Secretary, Leo became an alcoholic, as well addicted to valium. He still attends AA meetings in the White House (it's disguised as a poker game). His marriage to Jenny ended in the first season because he was too dedicated to the job, and he has a daughter, Mallory.
Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman (Bradley Whitford)
Josh is adorable. Oh, wait, that's not a summary. Anyway, Josh's dad died right when the Bartlet campaign won the Illinois primary. He was shot and nearly killed in the first season, and as a consequence he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for awhile. He used to date Mandy, sort of kind of dates Amy for a while, and seems to constantly be flirting or bantering with Donna. He used to work for Hoynes' Presidential campaign before jumping ship to work for Bartlet.
Press Secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney)
CJ's job is to brief and handle the press. And to just in general be fabulous. Honestly, everybody loves CJ. She is kickass. She keeps trying to date, but having little luck. She was stalked for awhile in Season 3, and started to have a relationship with her Service agent Simon Donovan, but he gets shot and killed in a convenience store robbery.
Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff)
Toby's acerbic, kind of bitter and snarky, but really what's not to love? He's divorced from Andi Wyatt but recently became a dad when he slept with her again and she had twins. He keeps trying to ask her to marry him again but she keeps turning him down. Why he doesn't just ask CJ out is a question that many of us in fandom ponder.
Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe)
Sam's a bit of idealist. He gave up his lucrative job with a big Manhatten law firm to come and work for the Bartlet campaign, then administration. He's been friends wirh Josh for a long time (and there's a lot of slashy goodness there).
Deputy Communications Director Will Bailey(Joshua Malina)
Takes Sam's place after Rob Lowe leaves to have his own show. He worked on the Wilde campaign--the campaign for the seat that Sam ends up seeking and shows up to help work on the Inaugural address. His dad was an influential military general.
Bow Down Before the One You Serve: The Assistants
Charlie Young(Dule Hill)
Charlie's the President's personal aide. He also dates Zoey on and off for most of the series thus far (though they break up in Season 4). His mother was a police officer who died in the line of duty and he takes care of his younger sister.
Donna Moss (Janel Moloney)
Donna's assistant to Josh Lyman. She's snarky and has an...interesting relationship with Josh. There's lots of banter between the two of them, and the 'shipper contingent is large here, but nothing concrete's ever actually happened between them on the show. Donna's dated a couple of random people, including a Republican who caused some trouble during the MS scandal.
Delores Landingham (Kathryn Joosten)
She's President Bartlet's secretary, and has known the family since she used to work for Jed's father back in the fifties. She's especially good friends with Charlie and has a cookie jar on her desk which she only offers to people that she's currently not annoyed with. She is killed by a drunk driver at the end of the episode "18th & Potomac" and everybody's crushed.
Margaret Leo's assistant. Snarky and fun, she can also forge the President's name if necessary, so she tells Leo.
Carol--CJ's assistant
Ginger--Toby's assistant
Cathy--Sam's assistant
We're Not Entirely Sure What They're Here For: Other People
Danny Concannon (Timothy Busfield)
A member of the White House Press Corps, Danny always seems to be breaking some huge story. He's also got a bit of a thing for CJ (can you blame him?) and they flirt a lot. They've kissed a few times, but it never seems to be going anywhere, although they're clearly attracted to one another.
Ainsley Hayes (Emily Proctor),
Ainsley came aboard in Season 2 as the new associate White House Council. A Republican, her ideologies clashed with a lot of Bartlet's staff, but they all end up rather liking her. She seems to be about to have a relationship with Sam, but then disappears without a trace (as Emily Proctor got a job on CSI: Miami).
Mandy Hampton (Moira Kelly)
Mandy's a political consultant who was really only around for Season 1. Also she was Josh's ex-girlfriend. Almost universally hated while on the show she's popular with the femslashers in fandom.
Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt
Toby's ex-wife. Who just had his kids. Twins. Toby asked her to marry him again and even bought her a really swank house, but she keeps saying no. Because she is crazy.
Mallory McGarry
Leo's daughter. Dates Sam for a little while, but then disappears from the show.
Percy Fitzwallace--Chairman of the Joint Cheifs.
Nancy McNally--National Security Advisor.
Ron Butterfield--Head of the President's Secret Service detail. Everybody loves Ron.
Season 1
It's the second year of Bartlet's first term. Leo admits to being a recovering alcoholic and drug addict to the press, after an evil Senator finds out this information.
We learn that Bartlet has a course of Relapsing/Remitting Multiple Sclerosis and hasn't told anybody about it. Abbey tells Leo when Jed collapses from the flu. They conviently don't mention it to anybody else. Charlie starts dating Zoey and they get threatening letters from White Supremicist groups who aren't fans of interracial couples. Sam almost dates Mallory, but it doesn't really go anywhere. CJ almost dates Danny, ditto. Leo's wife, Jenny, leaves him because he's never home. San "accidentally" sleeps with a prostitute. There's a town hall meeting in Rosslyn, VA that the President speaks at. When they leave two shooters from a building next door fire down into the crowd. The last images are of the President being thrown into a car and everyone in the staff hitting the ground, with voiceovers of "Who's been hit?" Fade to black.
Season 2
Back at the shooting we learn that the President and Josh have been shot. The President's okay, it's not serious, but Josh has to undergo ten hours of surgery to repair a collapsed lung and while this is going on we learn how the Bartlet staff came together. Abbey tells the anesthesiologist at the hospital about Jed's MS. Josh ends up being okay, though he has a bit of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of everything that's happened and has to get some therapy. Jed gives a speech that convinces Abbey he's planning on running for reelection, and we learn that they had a deal that he'd only stay for one term. CJ remains fabulous. Toby figures out that the President's hiding something big and they have to tell him about the MS secret. He flips out and has a big argument with the Prez. They decide to ask the White House counsel's office what to do, y'know if there's been massive conspiracy and fraud and things like that. Apparently Bartlet did it all right, he has no health insurance, has never lied under oath, but then we learn that Abbey signed some medical forms for Zoey's college admission that left off the MS. So, yeah, they're kind of screwed. They go public with the MS scandal, but right as this happens Mrs. Landingham is killed by a drunk driver right after she buys her first new car. Everyone goes to her funeral and Jed is pissed at God, railing against him (in Latin!) at National Cathedral. Immediately after the service Jed has to give a press conference about his MS story. The first question is "Will you be seeking a second term?" and we fade to black before Jed answers.
Season 3
We're back at the press conference, and Bartlet says that yes, he's gonna run for a second term and that he's gonna win. Abbey is mightily pissed that she learned that he's broken their deal on TV. The entire gang goes to the Bartlet farm to gear up and prepare for the official announcement of his reelection campaign. Everybody's kinda worried and on edge because no one's sure how the MS thing is going to shake out. There's a situtation brewing with the fictional country of Qumar and eventually Jed has to give the order to assasinate their Defense Minister Shareef, and they make it look like an accident. Jed receives a Congressional Censure for the whole MS thing, and it all seems to work out. Abbey decides to voluntarily give up her medical license for the remaining time of Jed's term (or terms if he's reelected) since she violated medical ethics in something like four states. Abbey hires a new Chief of Staff for herself, a woman named Amy Gardner who is obnoxiously awful and keeps trying to get with Josh. CJ's the victim of a stalker and is given extra Secret Service protection, she starts to fall for her main Agent Simon Donovan and it's all cute and fluffy for about one episode before he's shot and killed when someone tries to rob a convenience store that he's in.
Season 4
This is the season of the Bartlet reelection. Guess what, he wins. But before that he has a bunch of meetings and preparatory things to get him ready to run, and has a big ole debate with his Republican opponent where he kicks his ass. On election night, Bartlet's MS flairs up again and he has problems seeing, but the only person that notices is Abbey who tells him things are gonna be harder this time but that everybody that loves him has his back. Bartlet wins, naturally, and everybody in the White House celebrates by getting laid. Toby finds out that his ex-wife Andi is pregnant and they're having twins. Due to this whole thing where a man who died gets elected in California and there has to be a runoff, Sam decides to run for election and leaves the staff. He's replaced by Will Bailey, a guy who was only supposed to be working with the staff for a few weeks as part of another project. Danny Concannon finds out about the Shareef assassination and prepares to go public. Bartlet's daughter Zoey graduates from Georgetown and is dating a horribly obnoxious French guy who spikes her drink with Ecstasy at a post-graduation party which leads to her getting kidnapped in the bathroom of a club. Everyone freaks, Abbey has to be sedated and Jed uses the Twenty-fifth Amendment to temporarily step down as President. Glen Walken, the scarily large Republican Speaker of the House is sworn in as APOTUS and the season ends.
The West Wing Unofficial Continuity Guide
The National Library -- A nice archive where you can search for stories by pairing or character. It gets updated pretty regularly.
The West Wing Fanfic Archive --has a lot of stuff but hasn't been updated in quite awhile.
Big Block of Cheese --the slash archive
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
tww100 A weekly drabble community.
inthetallgrass-- West Wing and Sports Night fic.
Another WW Fanfic Archive
The Sam Seaborn Fic Archive--Lots of Josh/Sam here, and Sam/basically everyone else.
The Jo & Ryo Collective--Josh/Donna fic
both sides now-- Jed/Abbey fic
The Jabbers Fic Archive --Another Jed/Abbey archive, but this one hasn't been updated in a few months. Lots of stuff here though.
Oddsmakers--CJ/Toby archive
this mess we're in...-- CJ/Toby archive.
The Jeds --West Wing fanfic awards
From the Office of the Chief of Staff--Leo/Margaret fic.
The West Wing, Wednesdays, 9PM on NBC
Okay, so in a nutshell West Wing has been on for four years, has nabbed the Emmy for Best Drama Series for the past four years in a row, along with a slew of other acting awards. The cast is *huge* at times, and a bit of a revolving door, so if I leave anyone out (though I'll try and get a mention in for everyone major), I'm sorry. There are also a dozen really complicated plot threads that are going to make reading this hell, so I'm just going to try and summarize. If you see something you *must* know more about, ask me!
The First Family: Meet the Bartlets
President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen)Jed's the former Governor of New Hampshire who came out of nowhere to win the Democratic nomination and the Presidency. He was an economics professor and is fond of throwing around the fact that he's got a Nobel Prize in Economics. He's been married to Abbey for something like thirty five years and is a fanatic Notre Dame fan. Jed's a really big nerd, and likes spouting inane and useless trivia. He was diagnosed seven years before he became President with a course of relapsing/remitting MS, which he hid from the public.
First Lady Abigail Bartlet (Stockard Channing)The first lady's also a doctor, but unfortunately loses her medical license because she secretly medicated Jed to cover up the fact that he has MS. Abbey's generally rather bitchy and kind of fun; the staff appears to be quite afraid of her at times. She fights with the President all the time, but really does love him.
The Bartlet Girls
Elizabeth--we just saw her for the first time in the fifth season premiere. The eldest daughter, she's married with a daughter (Annie) and apparently a son (this is news to me since he just kind of popped up in the premiere, having never been mentioned before).
Ellie--Middle daughter, a med student. Kind of doesn't get along with Jed.
Zoey--Youngest daughter, a Georgetown student. Dates Charlie for a couple of seasons. Is kidnapped by terrorists at the end of Season 4.
All the President's Men (And Women): The Staff
Vice President John Hoynes (Tim Matheson)Hoynes was the front runner for the Democratic nomination until Bartlet kicked his ass, so he got to be VP. He doesn't really get along with any of the President's staff, especially Leo, and doesn't like Jed at all. Hoynes is also an alcoholic and goes to meetings with Leo. He ends up having to resign in Season 4 due to a sex scandal resulting over his mistress, and so at the moment there is no Vice President.
Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer)Leo's been Jed's best friend for over thirty years. He was the Secretary of Labor before running the Bartlet campaign and was also an old friend of Josh's father. During his time as Labor Secretary, Leo became an alcoholic, as well addicted to valium. He still attends AA meetings in the White House (it's disguised as a poker game). His marriage to Jenny ended in the first season because he was too dedicated to the job, and he has a daughter, Mallory.
Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman (Bradley Whitford)Josh is adorable. Oh, wait, that's not a summary. Anyway, Josh's dad died right when the Bartlet campaign won the Illinois primary. He was shot and nearly killed in the first season, and as a consequence he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for awhile. He used to date Mandy, sort of kind of dates Amy for a while, and seems to constantly be flirting or bantering with Donna. He used to work for Hoynes' Presidential campaign before jumping ship to work for Bartlet.
Press Secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney)CJ's job is to brief and handle the press. And to just in general be fabulous. Honestly, everybody loves CJ. She is kickass. She keeps trying to date, but having little luck. She was stalked for awhile in Season 3, and started to have a relationship with her Service agent Simon Donovan, but he gets shot and killed in a convenience store robbery.
Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff)Toby's acerbic, kind of bitter and snarky, but really what's not to love? He's divorced from Andi Wyatt but recently became a dad when he slept with her again and she had twins. He keeps trying to ask her to marry him again but she keeps turning him down. Why he doesn't just ask CJ out is a question that many of us in fandom ponder.
Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe)Sam's a bit of idealist. He gave up his lucrative job with a big Manhatten law firm to come and work for the Bartlet campaign, then administration. He's been friends wirh Josh for a long time (and there's a lot of slashy goodness there).
Deputy Communications Director Will Bailey(Joshua Malina)Takes Sam's place after Rob Lowe leaves to have his own show. He worked on the Wilde campaign--the campaign for the seat that Sam ends up seeking and shows up to help work on the Inaugural address. His dad was an influential military general.
Bow Down Before the One You Serve: The Assistants
Charlie Young(Dule Hill)Charlie's the President's personal aide. He also dates Zoey on and off for most of the series thus far (though they break up in Season 4). His mother was a police officer who died in the line of duty and he takes care of his younger sister.
Donna Moss (Janel Moloney)Donna's assistant to Josh Lyman. She's snarky and has an...interesting relationship with Josh. There's lots of banter between the two of them, and the 'shipper contingent is large here, but nothing concrete's ever actually happened between them on the show. Donna's dated a couple of random people, including a Republican who caused some trouble during the MS scandal.
Delores Landingham (Kathryn Joosten)She's President Bartlet's secretary, and has known the family since she used to work for Jed's father back in the fifties. She's especially good friends with Charlie and has a cookie jar on her desk which she only offers to people that she's currently not annoyed with. She is killed by a drunk driver at the end of the episode "18th & Potomac" and everybody's crushed.
Margaret Leo's assistant. Snarky and fun, she can also forge the President's name if necessary, so she tells Leo.
Carol--CJ's assistant
Ginger--Toby's assistant
Cathy--Sam's assistant
We're Not Entirely Sure What They're Here For: Other People
Danny Concannon (Timothy Busfield)A member of the White House Press Corps, Danny always seems to be breaking some huge story. He's also got a bit of a thing for CJ (can you blame him?) and they flirt a lot. They've kissed a few times, but it never seems to be going anywhere, although they're clearly attracted to one another.
Ainsley Hayes (Emily Proctor), Ainsley came aboard in Season 2 as the new associate White House Council. A Republican, her ideologies clashed with a lot of Bartlet's staff, but they all end up rather liking her. She seems to be about to have a relationship with Sam, but then disappears without a trace (as Emily Proctor got a job on CSI: Miami).
Mandy Hampton (Moira Kelly)Mandy's a political consultant who was really only around for Season 1. Also she was Josh's ex-girlfriend. Almost universally hated while on the show she's popular with the femslashers in fandom.
Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt
Toby's ex-wife. Who just had his kids. Twins. Toby asked her to marry him again and even bought her a really swank house, but she keeps saying no. Because she is crazy.
Mallory McGarry
Leo's daughter. Dates Sam for a little while, but then disappears from the show.
Percy Fitzwallace--Chairman of the Joint Cheifs.
Nancy McNally--National Security Advisor.
Ron Butterfield--Head of the President's Secret Service detail. Everybody loves Ron.
Season 1
It's the second year of Bartlet's first term. Leo admits to being a recovering alcoholic and drug addict to the press, after an evil Senator finds out this information.
We learn that Bartlet has a course of Relapsing/Remitting Multiple Sclerosis and hasn't told anybody about it. Abbey tells Leo when Jed collapses from the flu. They conviently don't mention it to anybody else. Charlie starts dating Zoey and they get threatening letters from White Supremicist groups who aren't fans of interracial couples. Sam almost dates Mallory, but it doesn't really go anywhere. CJ almost dates Danny, ditto. Leo's wife, Jenny, leaves him because he's never home. San "accidentally" sleeps with a prostitute. There's a town hall meeting in Rosslyn, VA that the President speaks at. When they leave two shooters from a building next door fire down into the crowd. The last images are of the President being thrown into a car and everyone in the staff hitting the ground, with voiceovers of "Who's been hit?" Fade to black.
Season 2
Back at the shooting we learn that the President and Josh have been shot. The President's okay, it's not serious, but Josh has to undergo ten hours of surgery to repair a collapsed lung and while this is going on we learn how the Bartlet staff came together. Abbey tells the anesthesiologist at the hospital about Jed's MS. Josh ends up being okay, though he has a bit of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of everything that's happened and has to get some therapy. Jed gives a speech that convinces Abbey he's planning on running for reelection, and we learn that they had a deal that he'd only stay for one term. CJ remains fabulous. Toby figures out that the President's hiding something big and they have to tell him about the MS secret. He flips out and has a big argument with the Prez. They decide to ask the White House counsel's office what to do, y'know if there's been massive conspiracy and fraud and things like that. Apparently Bartlet did it all right, he has no health insurance, has never lied under oath, but then we learn that Abbey signed some medical forms for Zoey's college admission that left off the MS. So, yeah, they're kind of screwed. They go public with the MS scandal, but right as this happens Mrs. Landingham is killed by a drunk driver right after she buys her first new car. Everyone goes to her funeral and Jed is pissed at God, railing against him (in Latin!) at National Cathedral. Immediately after the service Jed has to give a press conference about his MS story. The first question is "Will you be seeking a second term?" and we fade to black before Jed answers.
Season 3
We're back at the press conference, and Bartlet says that yes, he's gonna run for a second term and that he's gonna win. Abbey is mightily pissed that she learned that he's broken their deal on TV. The entire gang goes to the Bartlet farm to gear up and prepare for the official announcement of his reelection campaign. Everybody's kinda worried and on edge because no one's sure how the MS thing is going to shake out. There's a situtation brewing with the fictional country of Qumar and eventually Jed has to give the order to assasinate their Defense Minister Shareef, and they make it look like an accident. Jed receives a Congressional Censure for the whole MS thing, and it all seems to work out. Abbey decides to voluntarily give up her medical license for the remaining time of Jed's term (or terms if he's reelected) since she violated medical ethics in something like four states. Abbey hires a new Chief of Staff for herself, a woman named Amy Gardner who is obnoxiously awful and keeps trying to get with Josh. CJ's the victim of a stalker and is given extra Secret Service protection, she starts to fall for her main Agent Simon Donovan and it's all cute and fluffy for about one episode before he's shot and killed when someone tries to rob a convenience store that he's in.
Season 4
This is the season of the Bartlet reelection. Guess what, he wins. But before that he has a bunch of meetings and preparatory things to get him ready to run, and has a big ole debate with his Republican opponent where he kicks his ass. On election night, Bartlet's MS flairs up again and he has problems seeing, but the only person that notices is Abbey who tells him things are gonna be harder this time but that everybody that loves him has his back. Bartlet wins, naturally, and everybody in the White House celebrates by getting laid. Toby finds out that his ex-wife Andi is pregnant and they're having twins. Due to this whole thing where a man who died gets elected in California and there has to be a runoff, Sam decides to run for election and leaves the staff. He's replaced by Will Bailey, a guy who was only supposed to be working with the staff for a few weeks as part of another project. Danny Concannon finds out about the Shareef assassination and prepares to go public. Bartlet's daughter Zoey graduates from Georgetown and is dating a horribly obnoxious French guy who spikes her drink with Ecstasy at a post-graduation party which leads to her getting kidnapped in the bathroom of a club. Everyone freaks, Abbey has to be sedated and Jed uses the Twenty-fifth Amendment to temporarily step down as President. Glen Walken, the scarily large Republican Speaker of the House is sworn in as APOTUS and the season ends.
The West Wing Unofficial Continuity Guide
The National Library -- A nice archive where you can search for stories by pairing or character. It gets updated pretty regularly.
The West Wing Fanfic Archive --has a lot of stuff but hasn't been updated in quite awhile.
Big Block of Cheese --the slash archive
tww100 A weekly drabble community.inthetallgrass-- West Wing and Sports Night fic. Another WW Fanfic Archive
The Sam Seaborn Fic Archive--Lots of Josh/Sam here, and Sam/basically everyone else.
The Jo & Ryo Collective--Josh/Donna fic
both sides now-- Jed/Abbey fic
The Jabbers Fic Archive --Another Jed/Abbey archive, but this one hasn't been updated in a few months. Lots of stuff here though.
Oddsmakers--CJ/Toby archive
this mess we're in...-- CJ/Toby archive.
The Jeds --West Wing fanfic awards
From the Office of the Chief of Staff--Leo/Margaret fic.
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