Episode Summary:
As the White House reels from the kidnapping of Zoey (Elisabeth Moss), the youngest daughter of Democratic U.S. President Josiah Edward Bartlet (Martin Sheen), the government is temporarily passed from the distraught Bartlet to the Republican party–specifically Speaker of the House Glenallen Walken (John Goodman)–due to the prior resignation of Bartlet’s Vice President. First lady Dr. Abigail “Abbey” Bartlet (Stockard Channing) staunchly supports her husband, but the trauma of potentially losing their child forces her to confront Bartlet with the harrowing notion that the crisis was the direct result of the assassination of a dangerous foreign official he ordered months ago.); As always, professorial Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer) serves as Bartlet’s political and emotional buttress. Ever present is highly regarded Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), whose capable assistant, Donna Moss (Janel Moloney), keeps him grounded. Press Secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney remains cool and competent in the media briefing room, and rumpled Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), focuses on the emergency, even as he quietly celebrates the birth of his twins. Deputy Communications Director Will Bailey (Joshua Malina) rises to the occasion, and the President’s brilliant young personal assistant, Charlie Young (Dulé Hill), keeps a constant vigil over Bartlet instead of serving acting President Walken. Knowing Walken’s warlike tendencies, Bartlet’s staff worries that Walken will order military action against Qumar, the country that seems to have harbored the terrorists who kidnapped Zoey, despite the fact that it is an ally of the U.S. A ransom note demands the release of three convicted terrorists in Pakistan and the removal of American military personnel in the region. Meanwhile, reporter Danny Concanon (Timothy Busfield) threatens to print a story linking Bartlet to the assassination of an official from Qumar before the White House can admit the truth publicly. Josh and the others search for potential vice presidents for when Bartlet returns to office. Walken proves quite presidential in his first major press conference, although his political views diverge dramatically from Bartlet’s. And, painfully, Toby and Will prepare two speeches–one if Zoey is found alive and one if she isn’t.
Script:
THE WEST WING 5X01 - "7A WF 83429" WRITTEN BY JOHN WELLS DIRECTED BY ALEX GRAVES TRANSCRIBED BY SOUNDMAN FOR TWIZ TV.COM. SEND FEEDBACK TO [email protected]. TEASER NEWSCASTER #1 [VO] At this hour the White House has not... FADE IN: TV SET SHOWING PRESS BRIEFING NEWSCASTER #2 [VO] Stepping in to fill the gaping hole left by... We move to another set showing a reporter in the street addressing the camera. NEWSCASTER #3 [on TV] A stunning demonstration of the continuity of Constitutional government. We pan across and see many reporters in front of the White House, each in front of a camera, each telling of the current crisis. We see that a black limo is parked in front of the main entrance. Two men step out as a guard opens the door to the White House. They walk in and we move to yet another monitor and see a reporter speaking. The headline reads "CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS". REPORTER [on TV] In a solemn, hastily arranged ceremony, Speaker Glenallen Walken was sworn in early this morning, as President. We pan across to another TV set showing the press briefing and President Bartlet speaking to the public. BARTLET Accordingly, I have decided to temporarily hand over my duties as President. HOUR SEVEN REPORTER [on TV] ...a six term Congressman from Liberty, Missouri, who ascended to the Speaker's office with the retirement of Speaker Jim Hohner. A staunch supporter of the military and of veterans... We see Will walking through the Communications office while reading something in his hand. REPORTER [cont.] ...he's been a strong proponent of a sound fiscal policy... Will walks in to TOBY'S OFFICE, where Toby and Josh are watching the news broadcast. Donna walks in behind him. JOSH "Sound fiscal policy"? Proposing a $200 billion capital gains tax cut? REPORTER [cont.] ...an outdoor enthusiast, he has frequently defended the rights of gun owners. JOSH He's opposed to waiting periods on grenade launchers. DONNA Where's he gonna sleep? The Bartlets aren't moving out of the White House, are they? WILL There are thirteen bedrooms in the Residence. DONNA So he's gonna be in what, a guest room? We turn back to the TV to see President Walken step up to the podium as President Bartlet steps back. DONNA [OS] Does he get a portrait? Every President gets one, right? Ginger walks in the door with papers in her hand. GINGER [OS] Even if he's only been the President for a few days? WILL I don't think there's a minimum occupancy requirement. Josh gets up and moves toward the TV set. GINGER [OS] What about a Presidential Library? Does he get a library? TOBY He's not going to be here that long. We focus now on the TV and the press conference. President Walken is answering questions and President Bartlet is standing in the background. He looks obviously worried. REPORTER [on TV][OS] ...serve as President while his daughter was missing, and do you think he should have? WALKEN I've answered that question. Brian? JOSH He looks small. CUT TO: INT. - JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA We hear Leo talking in the background. He, CJ, Carol, SPECIAL AGENT MIKE CASPER, and another FBI man are talking in one of the cubicles. LEO And the note still hasn't shown up on Al Jazera or Sahafa? C.J. Not yet. LEO It will. C.J. Do we release the ransom note? CASPER If we don't, they will. LEO State has been talking to Islamabad about the prisoners named in the ransom note. They've pledged their full support. FBI MAN We're requesting the President's approval to issue a BOLO on the Bahji sleeper cell we lost track of yesterday. C.J. A manhunt? FBI MAN We release their names and photos - maybe someone spots them. C.J. If we prematurely connect them with Zoey's kidnapping, we deputize every nut with a gun rack. FBI MAN They disappeared twenty four hours before her kidnapping; it's not premature. C.J. You want vigilantes with baseball bats assaulting Arab Americans? FBI MAN I want Zoey Bartlet back. LEO I'll take it to him. Leo and Casper walk out of the cubicle together, talking as they go. CASPER The French kid's awake. LEO Is he answering questions? CASPER No. He's asking them. He wants immunity. CUT TO: INT. - WHITE HOUSE LOBBY - CONTINUOUS Margaret is walking toward a door with several pieces of paper in her hand as Leo walks out of it. She follows him, talking as they move through the lobby and to another door. MARGARET The French premier, the Russian Prime Minister, the Presidents of Brazil, Mexico, the Israelis. LEO What are all these people doing here? MARGARET They work here. LEO It's 5:30 in the morning. MARGARET I'll make sure they know. They go through the doors as Margaret continues. MARGARET The Democratic leadership wants to come over. LEO All of them? Josh walks around the corner and joins them on the way to the Oval Office. JOSH You tell him the leadership wants to come over? LEO Who called? JOSH House Minority Leader, Minority Whip, Senate Minority Leader, Whip, McLean, Wyznee, Franklin, Caucus Chair... LEO I'm going to need a bigger office. They walk into the Outer Oval Office. Debbie is standing at her desk. LEO [cont.] Is he still here, Debbie, or has he gone to the Residence? DEBBIE [walking to the door] Here. LEO [to Josh] Tell them it's gonna be a while. JOSH They're not gonna be happy. LEO When are they ever? DEBBIE Leo. LEO I'll be right back. Leo walks into the Oval Office. There are several people standing around the President's desk. DEBBIE Mr. McGarry. LEO Mr. President? Some of the people move aside and we see that President Walken is standing behind the desk. WALKEN Come on in, Leo. SMASH CUT TO: MAIN TITLES. END TEASER. * * * ACT ONE FADE IN: INT. - RESIDENCE - SITTING ROOM - MORNING HOUR EIGHT Bartlet is standing at the window as Abbey walks in and speaks to him. ABBEY Hey. BARTLET [OS] I thought you were sleeping. ABBEY Anything? BARTLET [OS] No. ABBEY What time is it? BARTLET [OS] It's almost 6:30. ABBEY [sighing] Oh. They gave me something. BARTLET Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. ABBEY Hmm. [pause] Girls coming? The camera pans and we see Bartlet's face through the reflection in the glass. He nods. BARTLET They'll be here in a few hours. You want me to call down for some coffee? ABBEY [heavily] I had a dream. I was in Zoey's bedroom. At home. It was like it was when she was small with the bed my grandmother gave. Remember the pine bed? BARTLET Of course I do. ABBEY She was little again...maybe...five or six...and I was holding her. She looks up at Bartlet. He reaches down and grabs her hand. They stand in silence. CUT TO: INT. - WHITE HOUSE - HALLWAY C.J. is heading down the hall toward the press briefing room. Carol, along with Agent Casper and several other FBI men, is walking behind her. C.J. How do I look? CAROL Like you slept in your clothes. They walk into the briefing room as several reporters begin clamoring for C.J. REPORTERS C.J.! C.J.! C.J.! We focus on the TV set on the wall and we C.J. walk to the podium and begin the briefing. C.J. Good morning. I have with me members of the FBI team who have taken a lead role in this investigation. The FBI has opened a '7A' - that's a missing persons file - and has assigned Zoey Patricia Bartlet a control number: 7A WF 83429. The 'WF' stands for 'Washington Field Office'. I'll take a few questions before turning it over to Agent Casper. Mark? MARK How long will Speaker Walken be President? C.J. Until President Bartlet sends a second letter to Congress indicating he's prepared to resume his duties. Steve? STEVE CNN is reporting the Fifth Fleet has been ordered into the Persian Gulf. Is there any reason to believe this might be the work of a foreign government? C.J. We're still in the early stages of this; it's to early to speculate who's involved. Chris? CHRIS Paramedics on the scene have indicated drugs were involved. Does Zoey Bartlet have a drug problem, and did she have any reason to disappear? C.J. There's a Secret Service Agent with a bullet in her head. I think the FBI feels pretty comfortable in calling it a kidnapping. CHRIS C.J.! C.J. And no, Chris, Zoey Bartlet doesn't have a drug problem. Agent Casper. REPORTERS Agent Casper! Agent Casper! CASPER At 3:17 am, we received what we believe to be an authentic communication from Ms. Bartlet's kidnappers demanding the release of three convicted terrorists being held by Pakistan and the immediate removal of all American forces from Qumar and Saudi Arabia. We're also issueing a BOLO for five individuals last seen in the Portland area who are wanted for questioning in connection with possible terrorist activities. They are Yemeni nationals Faruk Salam and Ammat Badir, Tanji Nassiliw and Masood Sheik Kadallah, both Saudis... CUT TO: INT. - ROOSEVELT ROOM - CONTINUOUS Josh, Toby, Will, and Donna are watching the briefing on TV. JOSH I'm guessing Burka sales are gonna take a little dip this afternoon. What are working on? WILL Remarks. JOSH For what? WILL Walken's address to the nation. JOSH He's addressing the nation? WILL No, but he'll have to. DONNA They didn't have much. JOSH Oatmeal carrot granola? DONNA [to Toby] Ginger find you? Andy called. Just checking in. Asked you to call her at the hospital. JOSH How are the twins? TOBY Fine. JOSH You have photos yet? TOBY No. Something came up at work. Josh smirks. WILL What is that? DONNA Eggwich. WILL I'm sorry. JOSH I think we made a mistake. DONNA What? JOSH Letting the President step aside. WILL Have you been watching CNN, MSNBC? Even FOX is treating it as a seminar on the resiliency of the Constitution. JOSH The President's daughter is probably tied up in the back of a gas station. We have no idea how this is playing. WILL He showed he's a leader, nobly embracing his own flawed humanity. JOSH Lincoln and Kennedy had children who died. They didn't take a sabbatical. TOBY Who's been calling? JOSH Congressional leadership. TOBY Lincoln never got a ransom note from Jefferson Davis. He's putting country before family. I'd carpet bomb Mecca to get my kids back. JOSH What if they like Walken better? What if he seems more presidential? What if they want Walken to stay? WILL In a few days, President Bartlet turns the second letter over to Congress. JOSH What if it doesn't take a few days? What if it takes a few weeks, a few months? What if she's never found? [pause] CAROL [prelap] I sent one of the kids... CUT TO: INT. - HALLWAY - DAY C.J. and Carol are walking through the hallway towards her office. Danny is following them. CAROL [cont.] ...over to your apartment for clothes. DANNY C.J. C.J. Not today, Danny. Please. DANNY Yes, today. C.J. [to Carol] A Donut, maybe, or some toast. DANNY Pulling out of Qumar, the release of Bahji prisoners. I have to ask... C.J. No, actually, you don't. DANNY Is there a connection between the assassination of Abdul Shareef and the kidnapping of Zoey Bartlet? C.J. We have a deal. DANNY That was before the President's daughter... C.J. A deal, Danny. Three days. DANNY In exchange for an exclusive on five Bahji sleepers the FBI just outed to every news outlet in the known universe. Is there a connection between the assassination of Abdul Shareef and the kidnapping of Zoey Bartlet? C.J. It's only been a few hours... DANNY Is there a connection between the assassination of Abdul Shareef and the kidnapping of Zoey Bartlet? C.J. Damn it, Danny! I have no idea! What do you want from me? DANNY I'm filing the story today. C.J. It'll get buried. DANNY No, it won't. Does the White House wish to comment to accusations that President Bartlet order the assassination of a senior official of a friendly government? C.J. I don't know. DANNY Well find out. You got a couple of hours before I post it online. He turns and walks out of the office. CUT TO: INT. - SITUATION ROOM - DAY NANCY McNALLY The Pakistanis are prepared to stage a release of the Bahji prisoners. We film it, put it on CNN, send it to Al Jazeera. LEO What does it get us? CASPER A little more time. We see that Leo, Agent Casper, Nancy McNally, and the rest of the national security team are sitting around the table. The doors open and everyone stands as President Walken comes into the room. GUARD Ten-hut! ALL Good morning, sir. Good morning, Mr. President. Walken sits. WALKEN Stand down, everybody. They all sit. WALKEN Where are we? FITZWALLACE The Washington carrier group will be in position in three hours. WALKEN Have we had any further communication from the kidnappers? CASPER No. But the driver's license used to rent the minivan from the Kinko's led us to an apartment complex in Baltimore rented to the same Shahab Kaleel. Neighbors say two Arab men were living with Kaleel. No one's seen them for three days. LEO What about the apartment? CASPER Mail, photographs, numerous fingerprints, even a passport. WALKEN They didn't try to cover their tracks? CASPER No, sir. They don't care if we know who they are. They don't plan on being alive in a few days. WALKEN What do you want to hit, Admiral? FITZWALLACE Kazir training camps. NANCY The Qumaris say those are religious schools. FITZWALLACE There terrorist training camps masquerading as religious schools. We traced Kaleel to Zachari Faruk, leader of the camps. WALKEN They close to anything? NANCY Villages, hospitals, a food distribution center. FITZWALLACE We're suggesting AGM-88 HARMS. We'll hit what we're aiming for. NANCY This is a long-term ally in a highly volatile region. FITZWALLACE Bombing Tripoli stopped Libya. NANCY It's more likely to strengthen the resolve of the terrorists and topple a moderate Islamic regime. LEO If we bomb the camps, don't the kidnappers murder Zoey Bartlet? WALKEN Or it sends a message: kill her or don't, the United States does not negotiate with terrorists. SLATTERY Our European allies are going to go crazy. They have billions tied up in oil and natural gas pipelines in Qumar. WALKEN Screw the Europeans. They've had years to get the Qumaris to get their house in order. What are the chances Zoey Bartlet's still alive? CASPER Hard to say. But I think yes, she probably is. They'll want to milk this for all it's worth. WALKEN [standing up] Get your people in place, Admiral. We don't go today unless we're provoked. Find Zoey Bartlet and find her fast, but so help me, if she turns up dead, I'm going to blow the hell out of something and God only knows what. He leaves as Nancy and others stare at him in disbelief. FADE OUT. END ACT ONE * * * ACT TWO FADE IN: INT. - ELEVATOR - WHITE HOUSE HOUR NINE Leo is inside the elevator. The doors open, he steps out, and heads for the Residence. He enters the Residence and goes to the bedroom door. He speaks to the Secret Service Agent there. LEO He's expecting me. He turns as the agent opens the door and he sees Charlie sitting in a chair opposite the door. CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Abbey and Bartlet are sitting on the couch. BARTLET The kid's asking for immunity? LEO We gave it to him. The dealer's an Algerian friend of his from Paris. They haven't found him yet. Jean Paul thought he was spiking her drink with Ecstasy, not GHB. ABBEY Anything else from the kidnappers? LEO Not yet. But the FBI has traced a driver's license to an apartment in Baltimore. They have names and descriptions of two other suspects and a wealth of information to work off of. In the background, a phone starts ringing. BARTLET We need to stall and give the FBI more time. LEO [nodding] Yeah. BARTLET You're already doing it. Leo nods. Abbey gets up to answer the phone. ABBEY Excuse me. [into phone] Hello? BARTLET She's been on the phone for hours. People never know what to say. She just ends up consoling them. LEO Everyone's calling. 22 heads of state, the Queen, the Vatican. BARTLET I guess people aren't excited about the idea of our children being in play now. They gave her a number, Leo. I saw it on CNN. My little girl's a case number now. Five digits. LEO Danny Concannon is going to run the Shareef story. BARTLET What? LEO The Shareef story. Danny's running it. Asked if we wanted to comment on it. ABBEY [into phone] But we all have to believe it's going to be all right. BARTLET No. No comment. So what's Walken going to do, cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war. LEO I'm really not at liberty to discuss that with you, sir. BARTLET Right, no. I'm sorry of course. LEO [standing up] I should get back. Charlie is out in the hall. BARTLET What? I sent him home hours ago. LEO He didn't go. Bartlet stands up and goes out into the hall. He looks over at Charlie as Leo walks away. BARTLET I thought I sent you home. CHARLIE [standing up] You need something, sir? BARTLET Nah. We're good. Sit down. [They both sit.] Jean Paul gave the FBI the name of his dealer. [looking over at Charlie] Yeah, I want to kill him, too. You really should go home. You work for the President. He's going to need you down there. CHARLIE I work for you. Someone else can show him where the Xerox paper is. BARTLET You do a lot more than that. CHARLIE Thank you, sir, but I'd prefer to stay here with you. MARGARET [prelap] It's the-the brown... CUT TO: INT. - LEO'S OFFICE - DAY Leo is looking for something on his desk and is frustrated because he can't find it. Margaret is trying to help him. LEO No, I know. I had it here. I had it here three minutes ago. I was writing notes in it... MARGARET It's under there. LEO ...and now suddenly I don't know if I put the paper... MARGARET It's right...it's right by the... LEO You know, if the desks were a little neater I might be able to find something. MARGARET It's right by... LEO I know where it is. I had it with the NEC week-ahead. Now I can't even find that. Margaret leans over, picks something up from his desk, and hands it to him. He looks surprised at her having found it so quick. LEO Did you move it? C.J. comes into the office. C.J. Excuse me, Leo? Danny's filing in an hour. Have you had a chance to take it to the President? LEO I was just up in the residence. The answer is 'no'. We do not comment. C.J. The residence? LEO Yeah. C.J. I meant President Walken. LEO Margaret. Margaret enters from her office. LEO Everybody ready to go? MARGARET They're gathering. LEO Bring it up with Walken at the meeting. He walks out of his office and Josh starts talking to him. The rest of the senior staff begins walking with them toward the Outer Oval Office. JOSH You see this? LEO Yeah. Any word on the new speaker. TOBY It's going to be Haffley or Mitchell. I'm betting it's Haffley. WILL Oh, man, Haffley? JOSH It'll be Mitchell. Even Republicans think Haffley's a fascist. I also hear rumors Walken plans to nominate a Vice President. LEO He won't. JOSH He can. LEO He won't! They all enter the Outer Oval Office. DEBBIE Everybody here? LEO Yeah. How's he doing? DEBBIE He has a dog. Debbie knocks on and opens the door of the Oval Office. Walken is inside talking with some of his staff from his Congressional office. WALKEN ...basically just to... [to senior staff] Yeah, come on in. Everyone begins walking in. WALKEN [cont.] Don't worry everyone, I haven't reupholstered the furniture yet. Y'all know Steve from my office. Bill Bradley, Anne Peterson, Tim Safford. Everybody, sit. Do y'all have assigned seats? C.J. sits down timidly on the arm of the couch, next to Walken's dog, Bess. TOBY Uh, no, sir. WALKEN [seeing C.J.] Oh, that's just Bess. Just shoo her on off there. She'll... Get off, Bess. Get down, girl. C.J. pushes Bess off of the couch and sits down in her place. WALKEN Good doggie. How does this usually go, Leo? LEO Trade and Commerce are coming at 1:00 to discuss whether we should close the markets tomorrow. STEVE That's not a bad idea. TOBY We close them, the terrorists win. STEVE Last thing we want to see Monday morning is the DOW down 600 and the dollar tanking. TOBY Closing the market only hurts the dollar. WALKEN Well, they're coming by at 1:00. How are we doing on a VP? JOSH We're still vetting candidates. WALKEN In case you guys haven't noticed, I'm one prime rib dinner away from sudden cardiac arrest. I don't want the Secretary of Agriculture being named as the next President of the United States. WILL Senate Pro Tem. Everyone looks quizzically at him. WILL The Senate Pro Tem is next in the line of succession. WALKEN Well, Republican leadership is sending me their ideas. You might want to round up some on your own. If I'm still here on Tuesday we are going to get into this. Bess begins barking. WALKEN Bess, knock it off, damn it! Leo, what's next? Leo looks at C.J. as she begins. C.J. Danny Concannon is doing a story alleging we assassinated Abdul Shareef. WALKEN How are his sources? LEO He's got it. C.J. He's looking for a comment. WALKEN I suppose throwing him in leg irons and locking him in the basement of the Capitol wouldn't do any good. Bess starts barking again. WALKEN Damn it, Bess. Tim? Take her out for a pee, will ya? Her leash is over on my chair. I'm sorry. Where were we? LEO Shareef. WALKEN Yeah. LEO We shouldn't comment, sir. Not while Zoey Bartlet is missing. STEVE Well, we need to get out in front of it, release it before it breaks in the Post. TOBY Release what? That we violated the neutrality act to covertly assassinate an official of a friendly government? STEVE Must not have been too friendly if you decided to shoot him. WILL Sir, acknowledging the assassination destroys a century's worth of progress toward international law. STEVE You guys didn't think of that before you did it? JOSH It wasn't supposed to become public. STEVE Yeah, well, you tried that before. How'd it work out on MS? WALKEN Release it before Concannon has a chance to file the story. C.J. Sir, we convinced Danny to hold the story several days ago. Undercutting him would be going back on our agreement. WALKEN Your agreement. Release it. CUT TO: EXT. - RESIDENCE - ENTRANCE - DAY Several limos and SUVs pull up to the entrance of the residence. Bartlet and Abbey are waiting at the door. As the limos park, we see ELLIE BARTLET in the first. Abbey runs over to meet them. The second pulls up and ELIZABETH BARTLET WESTIN, along with her husband and two children, get out. The three girls come up and hug Abbey around the neck. Liz's son and husband walk over to Bartlet. He hugs his grandson and shakes hands with his son-in-law. DOUG WESTIN Jed. BARTLET Doug. DOUG How are you holding up? Bartlet and Doug look over and see the girls hugging and crying. CUT TO: INT. - JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA - DAY Danny is walking down a corridor towards C.J.'s office. C.J. Call the Oval, see if he has a moment to go over a draft of the press release we were discussing a few minutes ago. Danny enters the office as Carol leaves. CAROL Hi. Danny walks in. DANNY You looking for me? C.J. The White House doesn't want to comment for your story. DANNY Okay. C.J. Danny? DANNY Yeah? C.J. Post the story now. [emphatically] Right now. DANNY Thanks. FADE OUT. END ACT TWO * * * ACT THREE FADE IN: INT. - WHITE HOUSE - HALLWAY - DAY Some moving men are carrying a couch down the hall. Josh walks into the Communications Office. JOSH What's with Bekins? TOBY The Visigoths laid siege to the Mural Room. JOSH Atwood and his guys? HOUR THIRTEEN TOBY Yeah. JOSH I guess we should be happy they didn't evict us. TOBY I'm sure it was discussed. JOSH [sighing] Will's working in there? TOBY Sleeping, I think. Josh walks over to Will's office and knocks on the glass. JOSH Walken scheduled a press conference? TOBY He's got to respond to Danny's story. JOSH What's he gonna say? TOBY I have no idea? Josh knocks on Will's window again. JOSH Yeah, I've narrowed it down to about fifty names. TOBY That's what? Everyone over 35 with a pulse? Will peeks through the blinds at Josh and Josh motions for him to come out of the office. JOSH Bachman. TOBY We're talking Norman Thomas with a necktie. Will comes out of his office rubbing his eyes as the all head into Toby's office. JOSH I'm pretty sure Norman Thomas wore a necktie, but scratch Bachman. [to Will] I've got some VP names. WILL Great. Will's hair is ruffled and Josh points it out to him. He tries to straighten it as they continue talking. JOSH Hayes. TOBY Fair Labor Standards Act? JOSH Yeah. Graham? WILL No support in the Northeast. Plus he rides that scooter which is a little... JOSH Sheats? TOBY Too... JOSH Yeah. WILL You getting a lot of calls? JOSH Only a couple of hundred. They all start out by saying how sorry they are about Zoey and then spend ten minutes trying to work their name and the vice presidency in into the same sentence. Donna walks in and hands a jacket to Josh. DONNA Leo's looking for you. [to Toby] Are they going home today? TOBY Who? DONNA The twins. JOSH I was gonna ask about the twins. TOBY They go home tomorrow. JOSH Anyone else coming to the Auto Da Fe? TOBY We weren't invited. Donna, seeing Will's hair, begins to smile. WILL What? LEO [prelap] President Walken has assured me that he has no intention... CUT TO: INT. - ROOSEVELT ROOM - DAY Leo is meeting with the Democratic leadership. LEO [cont.] ...of pushing any partisan agenda. WOMAN Walken can spend his entire presidency channel surfing in the Lincoln Bedroom. You said to the country, Democrats can't handle security. MAN #1 If you want to save a spotted owl, vote Democratic. If you want your kid saved, sorry, we'll be doing the crossword. LEO President Bartlet is protecting kids by ensuring that decisions are made based on relevant intel, not on a distraught father's clouded emotions. WOMAN If any emotions are clouded, Leo, its yours. Let's face it, Leo. You've always been too close to Bartlet. MAN #2 It's your job to buck him up, Leo. To help him make the tough decisions. The presidency isn't a vanity exercise. LEO Who's doing electoral math on the back of a napkin in the middle of a national crisis? WOMAN You single-handedly ended the Imperial Presidency. MAN #1 You've elevated Walken and the Republicans. You've made them into genuine players on the world stage. LEO I didn't elevate them. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 did. And I'm not prepared to think about politics while we're under terrorist attack. The Republic comes first. That's why Truman wanted the Speaker third in line. WOMAN Truman wanted the Speaker third in line because he used to drink bourbon with Sam Rayburn. LEO The only thing I find extraordinary about that is that a member of the executive branch actually wanted to share a drink with a member of Congressional leadership. [standing up] Thank you for coming by to show your concerns. And I'll be sure to pass them on to President Bartlet. He walks out of the room and into his office. Josh follows. JOSH Those guys are on our side? They're not wrong, you know. We should be thinking about the political ramifications. We should be polling on this. LEO No. JOSH The Republicans will. LEO No! JOSH Okay. Josh leaves the office. LEO [pause] Margaret. Margaret steps into the office. LEO Get me Angela Blake. MARGARET In New York? Leo nods his head. LEO Yeah. C.J. [prelap] So we have no idea what's going to be... CUT TO: INT. - HALLWAY - DAY C.J. and Carol are walking along toward the briefing room. C.J. ...in his statement? CAROL He had his staff print it up. C.J. Great. Hopefully, we're not declaring war on Uraguay. CAROL What's all over your butt? C.J. What? CAROL Looks like cat hairs or something. C.J. Oh, for God's sake. CAROL Did you get a pet? C.J. No, it's President Walken. CAROL Is he molting? She begins trying to get the hair off of her skirt. While she is, Walken and his staff walk up the other hall, also going to the press room. WALKEN Back home, you have to pay extra for that at the Kit Kat Club. C.J. I got something on my skirt. WALKEN They ready for us? C.J. Yeah. CAROL [OS] I'll go settle the room. [she leaves] WALKEN My tie straight? C.J. No. Would you like me to...? WALKEN [nodding] Thanks. C.J. sets her stuff down and begins to straighten Walken's tie. WALKEN Remarkable how that Post story hit the wires right before we released it. C.J. continues straightening his tie without looking him in the face. WALKEN Bad luck for us, I guess. C.J. There you go. WALKEN You know I'm not the enemy. The things that unite us are far greater than things that divide us. We both believe in democracy, preservation of American values, protection of our citizens in a sometimes hostile world. C.J. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness? WALKEN Yeah. C.J. That's what's in your statement? WALKEN Something like that. C.J. Don't look down at the front row when you answer questions. Look back at the cameras. They walk into the briefing room as we-- CUT TO: INT. JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA - DAY Josh walks out of his office and into Donna's cubicle area to watch the press conference on the TV. NEWSCASTER [on TV] ...now live to the White House where President Walken will take questions regarding the administration's assassination of Qumari defense minister, Abdul Shareef. We see that Toby, Will, and Donna are also around the same TV set as Josh. REPORTER #1 [on TV] Doesn't the murder of a foreign official undercut our moral authority to condemn human rights violations in China and Africa? WALKEN [on TV] We live in the real world. Our moral values system only works if everybody plays by the same rules. REPORTER #2 [on TV] But didn't it violate the Neutrality Act protecting citizens of friendly nations from prosecution? WALKEN Terrorists aren't nations,... CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - CONTINUOUS Liz, Abbey, and Ellie are sitting on the couch watching the press conference. WALKEN ...and the Neutrality Act doesn't give a free pass to people who support the murder of women and children. REPORTER #3 [on TV] ...violating international law? Abbey, deep in thought, gets up from the couch and leaves the room. WALKEN [on TV] International law has no prohibition against any government, superpower or otherwise, targeting terrorist command and control centers. And Abdul Shareef was a walking command and control center. CUT TO: INT. - JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA - CUBICLE - CONTINUOUS WILL Damn. Good answer. REPORTER #4 [on TV] You stated that as Speaker, you knew of and supported the assassination. Do you now regret that support? WALKEN [on TV] My only regret is that we only got to kill the bastard once. WILL The UN's going to go crazy. DONNA I'm sorry, but he seems...I don't know... JOSH Presidential? CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - SUNROOM - CONTINUOUS Bartlet is sitting in a chair watching the press conference. REPORTER #5 [on TV] If something were to happen to you, the Presidency would fall to Senate Pro Tem Joseph Furman, who is 90. Are you going to nominate a Vice President? WALKEN Insuring an orderly succession is important, but right now, all of us here are just focused on getting Zoey Bartlet back for her parents and for the nation. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. He steps away from the podium and offscreen as Bartlet turns of the TV. Liz comes into the room. LIZ Dad? He doesn't answer. She comes closer. LIZ Dad? Did Mom know? FADE TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - KITCHEN Abbey and Ellie are making themselves lunch. Bartlet walks in with his coffee cup in his hand. BARTLET Ellie, can you give us a minute? ABBEY We're making lunch. BARTLET Why don't I call downstairs, get 'em to send something up? ABBEY I don't want anymore people in here. There are already too many people in our lives. Liz walks in and over to the table to get lunch for her kids. LIZ Are the kids' noodles ready? ELLIE Yeah, and I'm cutting up some fruit. ABBEY It isn't true, is it? BARTLET I'm sorry you had to hear about it on television. ABBEY Why should today be any different? BARTLET Abdul Shareef had nothing to do with what's happened to Zoey. ABBEY You don't know that. BARTLET It was debated and discussed and agonized over for weeks. ABBEY Debated and discussed? I'm here. I don't remember that. BARTLET It was a difficult decision! ABBEY Made by you, not us. The girls are obviously tense about the argument that's going on. BARTLET I did what I thought was necessary. Abbey comes around from the table she was at and leaves the room with her lunch. ABBEY Your decisions, Jed, not ours. Liz leaves the room behind her mother. Bartlet walks away from kitchen and sits at the dining room table. Ellie brings him his coffee up, sets it down in front of him, and hugs him around the neck. FADE OUT. END ACT THREE * * * ACT FOUR FADE IN: INT. - WHITE HOUSE - MARGARET'S OFFICE - DAY Margaret walks to Leo's door and opens it. She walks in and calls to Leo. MARGARET Leo? HOUR SIXTEEN MARGARET Leo! Leo, asleep on the couch, wakes and speaks with Margaret. LEO Huh? What time is it? MARGARET It's almost 5:00. LEO I told you to wake me up at 4:00. MARGARET You needed the rest. LEO What are you now, my mother? Margaret sets down a cup of coffee on the table in front of Leo MARGARET The Secretary of State called. Leo takes a drink of coffee before answering. LEO I'll bet he did. MARGARET He's getting some pretty irate calls on the Shareef thing. And Josh called. The new economic advisor forecasts are in. LEO And? Great! Just great. CUT TO: INT. - JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA - DAY Will, followed by Ed and Larry, are walking through the hallway looking at the economic advisor forecasts. WILL How bad? LARRY Our guys are starting to freak out at the number of unemployment. WILL I thought it was just a blip. LARRY Last week it looked like a blip, now it's starting to look like a pattern. ED Consumer confidence numbers tanked. They meet up with Josh. ED [cont.] New housing sales dropped 1.2 percent, nonresidential construction was down 2.6 percent. And, out of nowhere, the ISM index fell below 50. JOSH But duct tape futures are up, right? ED Actually, Commerce doesn't really break it down by... WILL He was joking, Ed. JOSH At least the numbers won't get much play in the press room right now. LARRY If the economy is headed into a recession... JOSH No, no, no! We don't ever use that word around here. LARRY What word, recession? JOSH No! WILL If we say it, it gives it credence. LARRY What should we call it? JOSH I don't care. Call it a boat show or a beer garden or a bagel. ED So if it is a...bagel, the Fed thinks it's going to be a mild bagel. WILL That'll be comforting to the millions of Americans who'll lose their jobs. Donna walks in and hands Josh a folder. DONNA Take the Haffley photos off the dart board, boys. Elvis is in the building. JOSH Oh, come on. LARRY Who's in the building? DONNA The Republican leadership. JOSH Who we got? DONNA Haffley, Connelly, and Mitchell. JOSH The unholy trinity. LARRY What are they doing over here? WILL Picking a new Speaker, we think. CUT TO: INT. - ROOSEVELT ROOM - CONTINUOUS Through the doors of the Roosevelt Room, we see the group continuing down the hall. JOSH Is that Duke? DONNA Yeah? JOSH Oh, please don't let it be Duke. He hates me. WILL Tomlinson? JOSH He hates me, too. ED Jim Arkin? JOSH Arkin really hates me. DONNA Are you detecting a pattern here? CUT TO: INT. - COMMUNICATIONS BULLPEN - CONTINUOUS The group is staring through a window in the Communications bullpen. Steve walks up to the door on his way to the Roosevelt Room. STEVE Hello, Josh. Everybody. JOSH Hey, Steve. How's it going? STEVE Good. You all want to...come in for a second, say hello? JOSH No, that's okay. Thanks. Steve turns to leave, but Josh calls him back. JOSH Hey, Steve? Don't get too comfortable in there. You guys won't be back for three or four more terms. Steve smirks, then leaves as Larry's face becomes concerned about something he has seen on the TV set he has been watching. LARRY Hey, guys... Neither Josh nor Will see what he is seeing, but Donna comes over and she becomes concerned as well. JOSH Do we have any hidden cameras or tape recorders or something in there? WILL Not since the mid 70's. DONNA Josh? Josh and Will come over and see what is on the TV. We see that it is a new report showing the aftereffects of a bombing. The headline reads "TURKEY AFTERMATH". CUT TO: INT. - SITUATION ROOM - DAY The same broadcast is seen on a television in the Situation Room. SLATTERY Istanbul is reporting a truck loaded with TNT drove into the lobby of the Thalasso Center Cinema in Antalya. LEO How many dead? SLATTERY At least 14 Americans, a group of Italian tourists, and 60 Turks. WALKEN How many Americans were military personnel? FITZWALLACE All of them, Mr. President. The theater was full of sailors on shore leave from the Raleigh. WLAKEN Anyone claiming responsibility? NANCY Al Jazera is saying they received a fax from the Bahji. WALKEN So, nothing from the kidnappers? CASPER No, sir. But we're making progress on the three suspects in Baltimore. WALKEN Why have we not heard from them? CASPER We don't know, sir. It's probably time for us to encourage them to clarify their position. FITZWALLACE Maybe they just did. WALKEN What about the five sleepers? CASPER No, sir. SLATTERY We're hearing a lot of displeasure from the Middle East over the Shareef assassination. WALKEN Well, if the Arabs are mad at us, we must be doing something right. Dr. McNally. NANCY Sir, this would be the first time in our history that we have violated the sovereign soil of an ally. WALKEN Admiral. FITZWALLACE Our people are at DEFCON Alpha, waiting for your go. WALKEN What would be involved? FITZWALLACE 12 F-14B Tomcats and eight F/A-18E Super Hornets off the George Washington. Then the Marine 3/7 will drop 1,100 Special Ops forces in to clean it up. NANCY So, a bombing and an invasion? FITZWALLACE We'll be in and out in three days. LEO We bomb Qumar and the kill her. Everybody drops silent for a moment. WALKEN They're going to kill her anyway. [pause] When do you want to go, Admiral? FITZWALLACE It'll take Special Ops nine hours to get in position. On your order, we'll be over the targets in ten. 6:30 our time tomorrow morning. WALKEN Do you want to tell the President, Leo, or should I? LEO Thank you, but I'll do it. WALKEN Get the Qumari Ambassador over here. Let him know we're going to bomb his country. CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE ELEVATOR - DAY Again, Leo is inside. He steps out and heads for the Residence. When he walks in, Bartlet is standing at the window. He walks over to him. LEO Where is everybody? BARTLET Getting dressed. We're going to St. Joseph's. Father Hughes offered to celebrate a private mass for the family. LEO The Secret Service is letting you go? BARTLET I still have a little pull around here. Charlie enters and speaks to Bartlet. CHARLIE Excuse me, sir. The cars are ready. BARTLET [to Leo] Ellie came too, did I tell you? LEO No. BARTLET Mm-hmm. LEO That's great. BARTLET All the things we wanted to do, Leo. All the things we believed in and wanted to fight for. LEO Sir... BARTLET He's going to bomb, isn't he? LEO Yes, sir, he is. Bartlet stares out the window reflectively as Leo turns and walks away. CUT TO: INT. - JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA - NIGHT A few employees are still at their desks. We see and hear a TV broadcasting a story about Zoey and the Shareef assassination. NEWSCASTER [on TV] Approximately three hours ago, President Walken announced the United States' conspiracy to murder Qumari Defense Minister Abdul Shareef. He mysteriously disappeared... We see other TV sets on as Donna leaves her cubicle and goes into Josh's office. Josh is typing at his computer. DONNA I though Leo told you to go home? JOSH Yeah. DONNA Come on, get your coat. JOSH There's some things I want to finish up. You go ahead though. DONNA Harold says people have been leaving stuff by the fence for Zoey all day long. Thought I might walk by on my way home, check it out. Josh. Come on. CUT TO: INT. - TOBY'S OFFICE - NIGHT Toby is sitting at his desk writing on a legal pad. A news broadcast can be heard in the background. Leo walks in and stands in front of the TV. TOBY Leo? LEO They were just boys - oldest was only 24. TOBY Are we going to respond? Will walks in from his office. WILL Any word on Zoey? LEO I need you to start two speeches. TOBY I already started working on the first one today. LEO Go home tonight, get some rest. Come back fresh in the morning - both of you. I need you at your best tomorrow. TOBY You going, too? LEO Yeah, uh, absolutely. I'm beat. He turns and walks out of the office. Will steps further into the office. WILL Why two? TOBY One if they find her alive, one if they don't. CUT TO: EXT. - STREET - NIGHT The presidential motorcade is driving down the street headed for St. Joseph's Church. The cars arrive at the church. Secret Service Agents can be seen opening the doors, letting the family out of the car. They all walk together into the church. CUT TO: INT. - SITUATION ROOM - NIGHT A map of the Middle East can be seen displayed on the screen. Leo comes in and sits at the table. CUT TO: INT. - ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH - NIGHT The Bartlets are seated together in a pew. They are obviously very solemn. Liz gets up to take her communion. CUT TO: EXT. - WHITE HOUSE FENCE - NIGHT Josh and Donna walk up to the fence to see many people standing around. There are a lot of lit candles on the ground as well as other various items including teddy bears, photos, and American flags. DONNA Oh, my God. CUT TO: INT. - ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH - NIGHT Ellie comes forward to take her communion. CUT TO: INT. - SITUATION ROOM - NIGHT Several members of the National Security Team are now seated at the table. We see the screen showing the map. CUT TO: EXT. - PORTICO - NIGHT President Walken steps out of the office and sits down on a bench. CUT TO: INT. - ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH - NIGHT Abbey is seated. We see her get up to take her communion. Charlie, sitting behind her, is solemn-faced and pensive. CUT TO: EXT. - WHITE HOUSE FENCE - NIGHT We see along the base of the fence. There are many candles placed in front of pictures of Zoey. We see Josh and Donna walk up and view the scene. CUT TO: INT. - ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH - NIGHT Abbey is taking her communion. CUT TO: INT. - SITUATION ROOM - NIGHT The map is now showing the flight paths of the aircraft on their way to Qumar. CUT TO: EXT. - WHITE HOUSE FENCE - NIGHT We see a poster that someone has made. It says "WE LOVE YOU ZOEY". CUT TO: INT. - SITUATION ROOM - NIGHT We again see the map of the flight path. CUT TO: INT. - ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH - NIGHT Bartlet gets up from his seat and goes forward to take his communion. As he takes the wafer and eats it, he folds his hands in prayer. DISSOLVE TO: END CREDITS. FADE TO BLACK. THE END. * * * Episode 5.01 "7A WF 83429", Original Air Date 29 September, 2003.