Search results
With Rob Lowe, Moira Kelly, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney. After being offered "a proportional response" to the Syrian military's downing of a U.S. military plane on a medical mission (and carrying his newly named personal physician), the president demands an option that will have greater impact.
- (1.5K)
- Drama
- Marc Buckland
- 1999-10-06
- Overview
- Summary
- Cast
- Trivia
- Notes and references
ANGRY PRESIDENT SEEKS VENGEANCE FOR DOOMED JET -- Still seething over the downing of an fully loaded American jet in the Mideast, a vengeful President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) overrules the joint chiefs' plan for a "proportional" military strike and demands a more severe attack that would result in thousands of enemy and civilian casualties. While Le...
C.J. finds out
Josh is ambushed by Donna, who informs him ominously that C.J. is looking for him. Josh is worried, and begs Donna to tell him why he's in trouble, to which Donna responds that it might have something to do with "Sam, a woman, and C.J. being denied information about something". Josh decides to go into his office to "devise a strategy" - but as he turns, he shouts in surprise to find C.J. sitting at his desk reading the paper, greeting him with the declaration "Wow, are YOU stupid!"
A hovering cloud
C.J. confronts Josh about Sam's trouble with the call girl, and it descends into a shouting match before they break for their Senior Staff meeting with Leo. They meet Toby who describes the events immediately following the end of Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc - it seems the President has not been dealing well with the death of Capt. Tolliver and the other Americans who were shot down by the Syrian government, while Toby finds out that C.J. knows about Sam and the call-girl. The President and Leo enter the Oval Office - the President is upset about how long it's been taking to organize a response to the Syrian attack, and feels that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the State Department are dragging their heels while Leo asks the President to be more careful about expressing his personal anger over the death of Capt. Tolliver. Bartlet brushes the comment off and yells to Mrs. Landingham that he can't find his reading glasses. Leo enters his office to meet with the Senior Staff, where Sam relays a quote from Congressman Bertram Coles who - angry about recommended cuts in funding for the M6 Beacon appeared on a radio program with some officers from Cromwell Air Force Base in his home district and accused President Bartlet of being weak on defense, and that the President shouldn't visit his district, because he might not get out alive. Toby, encouraged by Leo, goes into a tirade that they should pursue felony charges against the Congressman for his choice of words. They close the meeting and move into the hall, planning how they're going to deliver their message when the military response comes, even though they don't yet know anything. C.J. asks Sam to stop by her office around lunch time, and Toby tells Sam that C.J. knows about the call girl. Toby goes out of his way to imply to a group of reporters that the Secret Service is opening a criminal investigation against Congressman Coles.
Charlie
Sam meets with C.J., who berates him, pointing out that he has a responsibility to consider what it looks like. C.J. tells Sam that she should have been his first phone call, so that she can protect him and the President. Sam angrily responds that C.J. shouldn't be so worried about what it looks like, and they part on strained terms. The Joint Chiefs are in the Situation Room to brief the President on their "proportional response", codenamed "Pericles One", but Bartlet interrupts t o ask "What is the virtue of a proportional response - why is it good?" Tension fills the room as Leo and the Join Chiefs try to talk the President down to no avail. The President angrily demands that the National Security Team put together a response that doesn't make him feel he's "just docking somebody's damn allowance", and he storms out of the room. Josh meets in the Roosevelt room with a young black man, Charles Young, whom he is supposed to "vet". As Josh describes the position he's clearing Charlie for, Charlie grows more and more confused - he came to apply for a job as a messenger, but Miss DiLaguardia recommended him for the job of Personal Aide to the President instead. During the course of the interview, Josh discovers that Charlie has been raising his sister since their single mom - a police officer - died in the line of duty five months ago.
Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn
Moira Kelly as Mandy Hampton
Dulé Hill as Charlie Young
Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg
Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler
John Spencer as Leo McGarry
ERRORS
•Before Charlie is introduced to the president, Sam Seaborn is wearing glasses in one shot, is without them the next, and then has them on again.
•For most of the scene between Admiral Fitzwallace and Leo McGarry in Leo's office, Admiral Fitzwallace's ribbon board on his uniform is upside down. At the end of the scene, the ribbon board is correctly placed.
REFERENCES
1.First appearances of Dulé Hill as main character Charlie Young and John Amos as Percy Fitzwallace
2.↑
•Actor and director Timothy Busfield makes his first appearance as recurring character Danny Concannon in this episode but is not credited.
•Actress and director Laura Innes makes an uncredited appearance as a reporter in this episode. While the first season was being filmed she was also starring in the sixth season of Executive Producer John Wells' medical drama series ER. She would return to The West Wing as a director in later episodes.
•Kim Webster is credited as playing "Kim" in this episode but her character is later identified as Ginger.
•Ivan Allen is credited as playing an unnamed Newscaster in this episode but his character is later identified as Roger Salier.
"A Proportional Response" is the third episode of the first season of The West Wing, an American serial television drama. The episode aired on October 6, 1999 on NBC. The episode centers around the continuation of a storyline introduced in the previous episode, in which a plane carrying a new friend of President Bartlet was attacked by the ...
“Does anyone have a cigarette?”Season 1 Episode 3: A Proportional ResponseWATCH NOW: MAXhttps://www.max.com/shows/west-wing/31fff0eb-9628-4b27-9be0-1669c440f...
- 5 min
- 151.8K
- The West Wing
Directed by Marc Buckland. Written by Aaron Sorkin. As Josh is walking into the work area, Donna walks over to him and urgently tells him C.J. is looking for him. Though Donna doesn't exactly know why, she tells Josh enough that he figures out C.J. knows Sam slept with a call girl and told Josh and Toby but not her.
Sep 19, 2017 · On The West Wing Season 1 Episode 3, "A Proportionate Response," President Bartlet finds he's standing alone in one of first tests of his presidency.
After an American jet is downed in the Mideast, President Bartlet urges an attack that could result in thousands of casualties. Buy The West Wing — Season 1, Episode 3 on Fandango at Home ...
