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#REDIRECT [[The West Wing season 1#ep9]] |
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{{Infobox Television episode |
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{{R with history}} {{R from episode|The West Wing}} |
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| Title = The Short List |
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| Series = [[The West Wing (TV series)|The West Wing]] |
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| Image = [[Image: ShortList.jpg|240 px]] |
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| Caption = |
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| Season = 1 |
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| Episode = 9 |
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| Airdate = [[November 24]][[1999]] |
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| Production = 225908 |
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| Writer = [[Aaron Sorkin]] & [[Dee Dee Myers]] (story)<br>[[Aaron Sorkin]] & [[Patrick Caddell]] (teleplay) |
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| Director = [[Bill D'Elia]] |
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| Guests = [[Timothy Busfield]]<br>[[Janel Moloney]]<br>[[Holmes Osborne]]<br>[[Mason Adams]]<br>[[Ken Howard]]<br>[[Edward James Olmos]] |
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| Episode list = [[List of The West Wing episodes|List of ''The West Wing'' episodes]] |
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| Season list = {{Infobox The West Wing season 1 episode list}} |
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| Prev = |
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| Next = |
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}} |
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"'''The Short List'''" is the 9th episode of ''[[The West Wing (TV series)|The West Wing]]''. The episode introduces recurring characters Robert Mendoza and Gail the goldfish<!-- the goldfish is mentioned BY NAME in several episodes --> and a [[story arc]] concerning potential congressional investigation of a White House staff members history of [[substance abuse]]. |
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==Plot== |
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When a liberal Supreme Court justice retires, President Bartlet and his staff are energized by the opportunity to put forward Peyton Harrison III, a candidate they believe will be easily confirmed, scoring them a needed victory with the public that will improve the president's approval rating. The retiring justice ([[Mason Adams]]) is not impressed by the safe choice and wonders aloud why he waited for a Democratic president to come along before he stepped down, and instead got Bartlet. The justice insists on telling the president one last time about Judge Mendoza, a candidate he prefers; although the president objects and says Mendoza is on the [[short list]] of candidates, the justice insists the inclusion was mere [[tokenism]] so that the president can say he considered a [[Latino]] when people question his naming yet another older white male to the court. When Bartlet returns to the office, he asks Toby Ziegler, his communications director, to research how the staff came to reject Mendoza. Toby is uncomfortable with the prospect of losing the easy confirmation, as is Mandy, the media director, but they comply with the president's request. [[press secretary|Press Secretary]] C.J. Cregg continues to fend off nomination questions and date invitations from reporter [[Danny Concannon]]. |
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Behind the scenes, Mandy, C.J., and [[White House Chief of Staff|Deputy Chief of Staff]] [[Josh Lyman]] are trying to determine the origin and motive of a member of Congress' public declaration that one in three White House staff members regularly uses illegal drugs. Josh is instructed by other senior staff to look into the allegation and possibly to insist on staff [[drug test]]s, which horrifies him because he believes this requirement would be a clear violation of the [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourth Amendment]]'s protection against unreasonable [[search and seizure]] and the [[Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifth Amendment]]'s protection against [[self-incrimination]]. Mandy suggests that Josh consult with his best sources to determine Congressman Lillianfeld's ultimate goal in making the unsubstantiated allegations. Josh visits privately with Danny, who reminds him that as a reporter he must remain neutral and even hostile toward White House staff, but says the congressman is not stupid enough to waste the publicity on anyone less than a high-placed member of the staff or to do so without some private confirming evidence. As a reward for his aid, Josh confides that C.J. adores goldfish. Danny later presents C.J. with a [[goldfish]] named Gail, though to his chagrin, she says that by "goldfish," Josh meant the fish-shaped snack crackers served at parties. Nonetheless, she is touched by the gift and kisses Danny on the cheek, sitting down to admire her present. |
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Sam finds out that Judge Harrison once argued against a guarantee of privacy in an unsigned research note; Sam argues that privacy rights will be the overarching constitutional issue for the next 20 years, affecting [[abortion]], the [[Internet]], drug testing, and [[health care]]. When personal questioning reveals the candidate's conflicting ideology as well as a resistance to being questioned, Sam and Toby reluctantly agree that Mendoza should be [[vetting|vetted]] as a possible substitute candidate. While Harrison ([[Ken Adams]]) is waiting in an adjacent office, he chats with [[Charlie Young]], the president's personal aide, and tries to identify why Charlie looks so familiar; Charlie mentions that he [[caddy|caddied]] at Harrison's [[country club]] for three years. Privately, Josh and Mandy compare Harrison's and Mendoza's backgrounds. While Mandy prefers the easy job of selling the public on Harrison's traditional credentials, such as an [[Ivy League]] education and clerking for a Supreme Court justice, Josh defends the [[blue collar|blue-collar]] Mendoza as a hard worker who went to [[law school]] at night while working a desk job as a [[police officer]] after being shot in the line of duty. Josh suggests that to say the American people will not approve is to sell them short. He also meets with his boss, [[Leo McGarry]], and shares his belief that Leo is Lillianfeld's real target; it transpires that Leo, already known as a recovering [[alcoholic]], went secretly to [[rehab]] for an addiction to pills, and clearly the congressman has somehow obtained the record. |
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President Bartlet agrees to meet with Mendoza ([[Edward James Olmos]]) under the guise of nominating him to a non-existent commission. Staff members question him closely on his views on the right to privacy, and Toby poses a question about mandatory drug testing. When Mendoza says that such tests are invasions of privacy without just cause and he would order an employee fired under such circumstances to have his job restored immediately, Sam and Toby and the President are all sold on him. President Bartlet tells him, "You were not the first choice, but you are the last one, and the right one," and the U.S. has its latest Supreme Court nominee. |
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==External links== |
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* [http://epguides.com/WestWing/ The West Wing Episode Guide] |
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[[Category:The West Wing episodes|Short List]] |
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[[Category:The West Wing stubs]] |
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{{WestWing-stub}} |
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[[es:La Lista Final (El Ala Oeste)]] |
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Latest revision as of 19:06, 8 April 2024
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