20 Hours in America, Part I
Encyclopedia
"20 Hours in America" is a double episode of The West Wing
(originally running as one two-hour episode, but running as two separate episodes in re-runs, and officially listed as episodes 67 and 68).
giving a speech in Indiana
, while Toby
and Josh
converse in a field with Cathy (Amy Adams
), a farmer who is also a Democrat
despite her concerns that neither party holds adequate concern for the plight of farmers. They realize that the motorcade has gone without them, leaving them, along with Donna
who was sent to fetch them, stranded. Much of the episode deals with the trio's attempts to get home; however, their journey is delayed by several comical mishaps (Cathy's car runs out of diesel, they miss their plane due to confusion over Indiana's time zones
, they board the wrong train, etc.) As their journey continues and Josh and Toby debate campaign strategy (eventually concluding that the election should be about the voters' everyday concerns, and not about Bartlet vs. Ritchie), the three of them are exposed to the culture of rural Indiana. Josh and Toby remain largely oblivious to the problems of the people around them, until they meet Matt Kelley, an affable man in a bar who is concerned about how he's going to pay for his daughter's college tuition. This sets into motion a storyline that continues across later episodes, as Josh and Toby, inspired by their conversation with Matt, later spearhead an attempt to make tuition tax deductible.
Meanwhile, an exhausted and overworked Sam Seaborn
is supposed to be taking the day off for some much-needed sleep, but Josh instead enlists him to staff the President until they return from their escapade in Indiana
. Sam is eventually left with a new appreciation for the intelligence Josh must use on a daily basis.
At the White House, the President deals with minor crises both home and abroad: A dip in the stock market
makes the President superstitious about meeting a man who met with President Hoover just before the stock market crash of '29, and the President later receives news that the Qumar Government is to reopen an inquiry into the disappearance of the Defense Minister's plane. Increasingly disturbed, he is nonetheless reassured by Admiral Fitzwallace
that they have successfully covered their tracks. Qumar, however, falsely claims that it has found an Israeli Air Force parachute, in an attempt to provoke a military confrontation with Israel through a false flag
operation. Fitzwallace and McGarry agree that they cannot exonerate Israel and denounce the false evidence without admitting their own culpability.
Meanwhile, C.J.
approaches Charlie
about taking over Simon's role as a big brother
to a young black man, Anthony, who has started to act up as a way to cope with Simon's death. Charlie is at first unwilling to lend his new-found free time to volunteer, but when Anthony lashes out at C.J., Charlie has a dramatic change of heart.
Later in the episode, a report comes in that two pipe bombs have exploded during a college swim meet, killing 44 people and injuring over 100. The Chief of Staff is discussing a cooking show he hoped to have watched with Margaret (she refers to it as soft porn and this is thought to be a reference to a Nigella Lawson show) when he hears the news. Everyone is disturbed by this event, but it inspires Sam to write a powerfully up-lifting speech, which the President delivers to great effect. Part of the content of this speech is actually spoken by Bartlet earlier in the first episode. Bruno Gianelli refers to Sam as a 'freak' for being able to write an important portion of the speech during the ride to the event.
This entire reference to plagiarism in this 2002 episode of The West Wing would later prove prophetic when, on May 6, 2006 (by coincidence, immediately after a commercial for the final two episodes of NBC
series The West Wing), NBC Sports
aired a special program before the Kentucky Derby
that plagiarized two passages from the speech that Sam writes for the President following the explosion of the pipe bombs in "20 Hours in America Part II".
Specifically the West Wing line "every time we think we've measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless" was used nearly verbatim on the Kentucky Derby special. Another linked pair of West Wing lines, "ran into the fire to help get people out." (dramatic pause) "Ran into the fire.", was used nearly verbatim, complete with the dramatic pause. The nameless freelance writer responsible for this content in the Kentucky Derby special was fired.
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...
(originally running as one two-hour episode, but running as two separate episodes in re-runs, and officially listed as episodes 67 and 68).
Plot
The episode opens with Jed BartletJosiah 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...
giving a speech in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, while 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:...
and 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...
converse in a field with Cathy (Amy Adams
Amy Adams
Amy Lou Adams is an American actress and singer. Adams began her performing career on stage in dinner theaters before making her screen debut in the 1999 black comedy film Drop Dead Gorgeous...
), a farmer who is also a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
despite her concerns that neither party holds adequate concern for the plight of farmers. They realize that the motorcade has gone without them, leaving them, along with Donna
Donna Moss
Donnatella "Donna" Moss is a fictional character played by Janel Moloney on the television serial drama The West Wing. Donna is a recurring character during the first season, although she appears in every episode, making her a de facto regular...
who was sent to fetch them, stranded. Much of the episode deals with the trio's attempts to get home; however, their journey is delayed by several comical mishaps (Cathy's car runs out of diesel, they miss their plane due to confusion over Indiana's time zones
Time in Indiana
Time in Indiana refers to the controversial time zone division of Indiana, and to the state's historical response to daylight saving time. The official dividing line between Eastern Time and Central Time has, over time, progressively moved west, from the Indiana–Ohio border, to a position where it...
, they board the wrong train, etc.) As their journey continues and Josh and Toby debate campaign strategy (eventually concluding that the election should be about the voters' everyday concerns, and not about Bartlet vs. Ritchie), the three of them are exposed to the culture of rural Indiana. Josh and Toby remain largely oblivious to the problems of the people around them, until they meet Matt Kelley, an affable man in a bar who is concerned about how he's going to pay for his daughter's college tuition. This sets into motion a storyline that continues across later episodes, as Josh and Toby, inspired by their conversation with Matt, later spearhead an attempt to make tuition tax deductible.
Meanwhile, an exhausted and overworked Sam Seaborn
Sam Seaborn
Samuel Norman "Sam" Seaborn is a fictional character portrayed by Rob Lowe on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is best known for being Deputy White House Communications Director in the Josiah Bartlet administration throughout the first four seasons of the series.-Creation and...
is supposed to be taking the day off for some much-needed sleep, but Josh instead enlists him to staff the President until they return from their escapade in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. Sam is eventually left with a new appreciation for the intelligence Josh must use on a daily basis.
At the White House, the President deals with minor crises both home and abroad: A dip in the stock market
Stock market
A stock market or equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.The size of the world stock market was estimated at about $36.6 trillion...
makes the President superstitious about meeting a man who met with President Hoover just before the stock market crash of '29, and the President later receives news that the Qumar Government is to reopen an inquiry into the disappearance of the Defense Minister's plane. Increasingly disturbed, he is nonetheless reassured by Admiral Fitzwallace
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....
that they have successfully covered their tracks. Qumar, however, falsely claims that it has found an Israeli Air Force parachute, in an attempt to provoke a military confrontation with Israel through a false flag
False flag
False flag operations are covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is flying the flag of a country other than one's own...
operation. Fitzwallace and McGarry agree that they cannot exonerate Israel and denounce the false evidence without admitting their own culpability.
Meanwhile, C.J.
C. J. Cregg
Claudia Jean "C. J." Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the television serial drama The West Wing. From the beginning of the series until the sixth season, she is White House Press Secretary in the administration of President Josiah Bartlet...
approaches 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:...
about taking over Simon's role as a big brother
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501 non-profit organization whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that try to have a measurable impact on youth....
to a young black man, Anthony, who has started to act up as a way to cope with Simon's death. Charlie is at first unwilling to lend his new-found free time to volunteer, but when Anthony lashes out at C.J., Charlie has a dramatic change of heart.
Later in the episode, a report comes in that two pipe bombs have exploded during a college swim meet, killing 44 people and injuring over 100. The Chief of Staff is discussing a cooking show he hoped to have watched with Margaret (she refers to it as soft porn and this is thought to be a reference to a Nigella Lawson show) when he hears the news. Everyone is disturbed by this event, but it inspires Sam to write a powerfully up-lifting speech, which the President delivers to great effect. Part of the content of this speech is actually spoken by Bartlet earlier in the first episode. Bruno Gianelli refers to Sam as a 'freak' for being able to write an important portion of the speech during the ride to the event.
Plagiarism
At one point in the episode, Sam says, "Good writers borrow from other writers. Great writers steal from them outright." The quotation is slightly ironic, in a sense, because it is itself a paraphrase from T.S. Eliot, who wrote, "Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal."This entire reference to plagiarism in this 2002 episode of The West Wing would later prove prophetic when, on May 6, 2006 (by coincidence, immediately after a commercial for the final two episodes of 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...
series The West Wing), NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
aired a special program before the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
that plagiarized two passages from the speech that Sam writes for the President following the explosion of the pipe bombs in "20 Hours in America Part II".
Specifically the West Wing line "every time we think we've measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we're reminded that that capacity may well be limitless" was used nearly verbatim on the Kentucky Derby special. Another linked pair of West Wing lines, "ran into the fire to help get people out." (dramatic pause) "Ran into the fire.", was used nearly verbatim, complete with the dramatic pause. The nameless freelance writer responsible for this content in the Kentucky Derby special was fired.