The West Wing S02E15: Millie's resignation

[@davidhobbs3181]

I just want to say for the record that I am a lifelong hard-core Republican but after watching the West Wing with perspective God we need Jed Bartlett more than ever

[@theoutlook55]

Thanks for saying that, and especially believing that.

[@ianbrewer4843]

Agree

[@tpl608]

You helped build this. From tea baggers backward to war criminals weapons of mass destruction mushroom cloud over a major US city lying torture sedition Bush and Cheney through war criminals Iran contra negotiated with iran before the election sedition Reagan and daddy Bush backwards to war criminal negotiated with north Vietnam before the election sedition southern strategy Watergate Nixon and Johnson couldn't say anything or it told the north we broke their code. The fact is there have only been 3 decent Republicans. Eisenhower and people didn't know what party he would run on, teddy Roosevelt and they kicked him out. Lincoln and he gave companies rights to win the war. Before then it was only charter companies. If you voted for any republican, ever, you helped build up to the coup attempt last year.

[@tpl608]

Best to learn your history,if a republican can step away from their bubble of lies and conspiracy theories.

[@bridgecross]

The weird part is, for a while we had something as close to Bartlett as real life would allow, and Republicans couldn't see it.

[@michaelhayden725]

"She ain't the only one", its a great line from Millie! Jed's line "I don't accept, you GO when I tell you to"!! Another great line!

[@CodaMission]

For those who haven't read it, King Lear is a play about a king who parcels out his lands to his three daughters based on public displays of their love for him. The first two, hungry for their inheritance, put on lavish displays of daughterly affection, but the third refuses to go along with the charade. She states plainly that she loves him, but that she won't brown nose him because she respects his senses. He completely disinherits her, yet by the end of the story, when he is betrayed by his daughters, he realizes she loved him most of all.

[@ThomasFromTN]

Thanx for giving the story away. How about, instead, following the lead of the script writers of this show...and simply reiterating that King Lear is a good play, relevant to this storyline...and worth READING.

[@curtismurphy6206]

@@ThomasFromTN Grow up

[@stars9084]

Thanks for this. King Lear wasn't one of the ones we got to in High School, I never understood what he meant by that. It didn't seem that important so I never looked at it, but it really enhances this scene just that little bit

[@Mozart1220]

@@ThomasFromTN Because most people don;t have the time to sit with Shakespear.

[@spacedad1853]

Thanks! The internet would've taken an hour to explain it.

[@WeirdViking]

Oh cmon you left out the best part. When he goes back to his seat in the movies he says to his daughter "The only thing you ever needed to do to make me happy is come home safe at the end of the day" and she gives such a sweet but teary eyed warm smile.It's such a heartwarming father daughter moment, I wanted to see it again.

[@stephaniegittinger7980]

That's on KZbin 🙂

[@liman42]

That's what I said.

[@abrahamalfaro7908]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZO8YWivpa2iga8si=fZkkYQAVYIFPCdRb

[@abrahamalfaro7908]

​@@liman42kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZO8YWivpa2iga8si=fZkkYQAVYIFPCdRb

[@steveneilsut]

"My God, King Lear's a good play." It is amazing how well this aside works. Bartlett's entire plot for this episode, and his character overall, summed up in one line.

[@ArgonTheAware]

How about the part in Act 1, Scene 4 "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!" does that cover it?

[@martijnspruit]

Well, West Wing is an excellently written series, plus performed by excellent actors.

[@danieldickson8591]

@@ArgonTheAware Definitely part of it, but there's so much more.

[@cameronmartin3616]

For all the fathers who work harder to do the right thing because they want to live up to the expectations of an adored daughter

[@nickwiddows1264]

True!

[@Mozart1220]

I understand 100%, as well as another episode where he said he got sympathy from the locals in Egypt because he was the "Father of daughters"

[@michaelreidperry3256]

I love that character. I will always love that character. Sheen played him as well as a concert pianist plays Rachmaninov, seemingly on automatic. It’s as if he was born to play President Bartlett.

[@MichaelLee-dt1iw]

You are both right. Synergy in action.

[@stevepipenger4651]

He bought me dinner a number of years ago. He’s actually a nicer guy in person.

[@BlackDiamond2718]

This show is the reason i was hyped about him being another uncle ben.

[@mfisher1952]

This has to be one of the best-acted, best-directed and finest-written shows in TV history. It may be about politics, but it transcends politics, too.

[@michaelvidal1971]

I think that it is a toss up between Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister (British Politics) which although a comedy there is a body of opinion that it is in fact a documentary and The West Wing. I am not sure which is the best as both have superb acting and the story lines have survived the test of time.

[@martijnspruit]

@@michaelvidal1971 Exactly. Both series have that "I must remember that line"-quality in practically every dialogue.

[@dexterellis7818]

My memory of this episode was Bartlett discovering that his daughter Ellie, did not think he loved her as much as his other two daughters. He found that very painful.

[@maragathm]

There is some truth to that. How many times does Jed mention Liz or Ellie but he constantly dotes on Zoe, she is this or that even the audience forgets he has three daughters. But here is the truth Ellie was the one who made him the most proud, she became a doctor and married a good man, Zoe was a flake who could never decide what she wanted whether it be men or her career and Liz an unaccomplished house wife with a cheating husband her fault being she puts up with it. King Lear is a great play the unappreciated quiet child is always the one you watch out for.

[@lughildana]

@@maragathm damn

[@宋庆礼]

@@maragathm Also when Zoe got kidnipped only Ellie understood he did what he had to do.

[@MaxMckayful]

@@maragathm Putting up with a husband as a housewife is a very complicated thing. Where's the blame for the husband not being a better person? Yes, we also bear some accountability for who we interact with. But where's the accountability of others to do better. Where's the accountability of broader society to help those who are lost, hurting, and destructive? And, one final note, there is nothing wrong with maintaining a household as a form of work.

[@tachyontee3877]

@@MaxMckayful Yeah, the cheater is the issue. But for that, we wouldn't be talking about the following stuff. I won't deny you that. I just, from the outside looking in, as a guy wonder why some women put up with the BS and I don't want to blame the one who was betrayed. Yes, I've heard the "for the children argument," but kids pick up on the resentment and it's toxic. Divorce blows, but to stay with a guy who cheated on you? Ugh...I don't know if I could do that. I don't understand how anyone can stay with anyone else who treats them like dirt whether it's the husband screwing around or the wife. Even if you live 100 years, that's only 1,200. The first third of that you're living under your parents' rule and the last third you're life is winding down. The last third you're working your butt of trying to make a living. People in general have very little time to waste on folks who crap on them and that goes for all types of relationships. All the time you're putting up with the crap is less time you have to enjoy life is my take.

[@Jman7133]

You can always tell when one of Bartlet's old friends in the administration is fed up with him - they call him "Jed" as opposed to "Mr. President" or "Sir" - Millie did it here and Leo did it when he found out Jed had been hiding the fact he had MS from Leo.

[@Tazdingo01]

Exactly.

[@joecook5689]

I thought Leo knew the whole time though. One of the three

[@Jman7133]

@@joecook5689 Leo did not. Only the first family and Millie knew, I think.

[@joecook5689]

@@Jman7133 oh, right on.

[@shawncallaghan2276]

Up to the episode where President Bartlett gets shot 14 people know including (VP, Chief of Staff and the chairman of the joint chiefs) the anesthesiologist becomes the 15th person

[@SN-sz7kw]

I always appreciated that Bartlett was so highly educated in the humanities. The sublime joy of watching a broadly educated, brilliant, ethical leader. Sigh.

[@bbag1550]

You telling me bankrupting your own companies several times and embezzling political donations and much more does not entail a tremendous, very stable genius?

[@cherylmckeage4289]

I know what you mean.

[@SonicandTheTailsbrothers]

@@bbag1550 Yeah we need a genius who thinks the passage of time means time has passed and holisiically thinks that if you are holistic enough you won't fall out of a coconut tree.

[@SN-sz7kw]

My favorite response to the favorite child question came fm a woman who said, “Whoever is giving me the least amount of grief at any given time.”

[@kinsmed]

Sorkin has given us a wealth of legendary story-telling. And The West Wing is even better than that.

[@albertjester]

2:00 To be fair Mr President, you did just spend the last few seconds comparing her, not exactly glowingly, to her sisters.

[@Vesperitis]

Jed's greatest weakness is that he needs to be liked. He's got a bit of cognitive dissonance with Ellie because he thinks she doesn't like him, when in fact out of all the people in his life, her quiet love for him is one of the strongest.

[@trulybtd5396]

King Lear is a good play

[@r.c.auclair2042]

Old song. Dads identify w/the kids who are like themselves, which she isn't.

[@HeikeWie]

That's what the "King Lear is a good play" quote is about. I read it again after watching this episode and oh boy, it is true.

[@r.c.auclair2042]

@@HeikeWie, funny you should happen to mention that. I'd never read it, but this is the second time in as many days that someone's mentioned it in front of me. Suppose I should finally get around to reading it.

[@nxtwomenfan497]

"I will bear with the nonsense of the Christian Right and the Hollywood Left and the AFL-CIO and the AARP and the Cannabis Society of Japan, but I will not stand and allow someone to tell me that I love one of my children less than the others."

[@Vesperitis]

There are some lines you do not cross with some people.

[@mytmyt]

That's where Sorkin missed a step. He should have had Millie come back and say, "Who said anything about love? I said she wasn't your favorite." Being a parent's favorite has nothing to do with "love" it has to do with "like". I remember a Cosby Show episode where Denise is heading off to college and Claire says to her (paraphrasing): "I'm going to miss you when you are gone. Not because I love you, but because I like you."

[@scottmatheson3346]

what? don't demand answers to personal questions if you don't want to hear uncomfortable truths.

[@DrownedInExile]

"You asked me why you can't get her to like you. If you don't want to hear the answers, then don't ask the questions."

[@Silk1970]

It's not about love. He doesn't like her as much as the others and he resents some of her choices.

[@rgwak]

"You'd be stunned how soon they figure out they're not their father's favorite." - Milly "Yeah, tell me about it." - Eric and Don Jr.

[@Shockwave33]

His favorite is himself and self alone. To him children are a means to an end.

[@robertspray7472]

Shockwave33 spot on. Just tools to used and put away when their usefulness isn’t needed for a time.

[@Lucy-ng7cw]

Ro G Tiffany is the least favourite

[@tomevans5458]

"If Ivanka wasn't my daughter perhaps I'd be dating her"

[@cim888]

@Leo Peridot JFK also allowed agent orange to happen in Vietnam and went to great lengths to not compensate them or the Viets whom were affected.

[@googoo-gjoob]

The *GREATEST* show in the _HISTORY_ of television.

[@meredithchandler73]

Great scene but it’s the lines between Jed and Ellie at the end (after this video cuts off) that always make me cry.

[@enzov9772]

This scene is great on so many levels but the one thing I wanted to point out is the "roles" the characters play. There are 2 people in this scene however they are playing 4 different people without a change of costume. Millie first plays the Surgeon General then Ellie's godmother while Jed initially plays the President of the United States then Ellie's dad. The transition of roles comes when Millie says "Jed!" at 1:40.

[@thomash.schwed3662]

I agree with you except that I think the transition came when Jed said: “My God, ‘King Lear’ is a good play.”

[@MrGruffteddybear]

Ellie was my favorite of the Bartlet daughters.

[@zzzroxyzzz]

Calling him jed is like his mother calling him by his first middle and last lol

[@luvmydeck]

This was such a well done show - writing, acting, all of it. It made me more aware of what our govt was doing or trying to do. I look at politics today and wonder where we went wrong. I wish we had people who i thought cared about our country as much as these actors made me feel.

[@kevinjordan1146]

I think one thing I forgot about West Wing was its score. The music in the background seems to fit each scene flawlessly.

[@robschmidt3078]

If my memory serves me correctly she was only the 3rd person to call him Jed in the oval office. Abby did it often and his priest only did it once.

[@faltasian]

leo did it once.

[@Pius-XI]

It's a tv programme not real

[@nigelft]

Actually, four ... Mrs. Landingham (or rather, her ghost thingy ...) did in 'Twin Cathedrals', whilst Jed was alone in the Oval Office ('Give me numbers' 'No, you know them; give them to me ...') ...

[@PHOTOGRAPHYBYDEREK1]

And that supreme court judge. I forget his name. And Mrs. Landingham when she game back from the dead.

[@philledwith8307]

And Leo when he found out about the MS, but I'm not sure if that's before or after this.

[@michaelcarroll2824]

I wanted to be so mad at her... But the truth is, it's the nicest thing she's ever said about me.

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

He PLAINLY prefers his other daughters over Ellie and he's in complete denial over that.

[@scottmatheson3346]

given that nothing you said rebuts anything in the op's comment you should really be pointing that finger at yourself.

[@mahmoudeltayeb2771]

It's not that he necessarily prefers them, I think it's just that he finds it easier to relate to them AND he also felt like Ellie always preferred Abby over him

[@Joe-zk8gk]

@mandellorian amen to that

[@fayesouthall6604]

All people are different people.

[@jcs1025]

My 12 year old daughter asked me a few years ago if I had a favorite child. I honestly don’t. I told her there are different things about each of my children that are my ‘favorite’, but I love them each with the same parental ferocity. Before we had kids someone told me that you don’t realize how deeply you can love someone until you have children. Boy was she right.

[@fifthbusiness1678]

We parents always have a favourite, like it or not.

[@Admiral_John]

It's true until you have grandkids... I told my son once "there are three people on this planet I loved unconditionally at first-sight. You, and you're two kids."

[@trulybtd5396]

@@fifthbusiness1678 Sure, but liking someone more doesn't mean you love them more.

[@BlackDiamond2718]

The thing is that you do tend to favor things over others from simple color to your own flesh and blood. For me it can mean a big difference or a small one. If you don’t have favorites then that is wonderful. If you do then remind then that it does not change their value in any way.

[@BlackDiamond2718]

@@fifthbusiness1678favorite or not, keep parenting equal

[@yumpinyiminy963]

Actually my addiction was to this show. I started watching in the 5th year and was hooked. I went through withdrawal when the series ended. My Wednesday night after golf relaxation show.

[@heisdeadjim]

I'm Australian. I knew the States has a Surgeon General, but then I saw this scene and thought why is she wearing the rank of a Navy three star Admiral? Then I realised it wasn't quite a Navy uniform at all, but, the uniform of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and that the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is one of the seven, soon to be eight, uniformed services of the United States.

[@daviddundas4140]

Ive learned so much about the structure of US politics from watching this show, good to see Im not alone.

[@MHurtado89]

*States have

[@expediter99]

C Everett Koop... remember?

[@jbauer140]

@@daviddundas4140 and im sure this current administration ruined everything you learned about politics!!!! LMAO!!!

[@nicolehunter5927]

I love the WEST WING . 👍on the uploads

[@robbkinnin1988]

Nicole Hunter the entire series is on Netflix

[@YDNTK-ui4uc]

There were times when I was Literally Screaming back at the TV because of the politics but The West Wing was an Intelligent Well Written Thought Provoking Television Show and is still one of my Favorites

[@notthatyouasked6656]

I always thought this sequence was Sorkin's version of Jocelyn Elders being fired by Bill Clinton for saying that masturbation wasn't harmful.

[@mahmoudeltayeb2771]

It has to be!

[@Nekulturny]

My favorite part of that was where she drops the formality because of how blatantly absurd "Jed" was being.

[@trevorfrost8953]

Dam I miss this.

[@xaenon9849]

"THESE are the bigger things." The man has incredible perception.

[@tomroxburgh2441]

‘These are the bigger things’

[@spacedad1853]

You cut it off?!! The next seen was the crying moment. Damn Aaron Sorkin for always making me cry.

[@michaelmuldowney8]

This shows the arrogant side of Jed - upset that his adult daughter did not support his run from President. A GOOD father would have respected her right to decide for herself. I did like though that after Zoe was kidnapped , Ellie was the only one not pissed at Jed over the Sharrif assassination.

[@stephaniegittinger7980]

He is a good father. I always thought he was confused and frustrated, and maybe a little frightened by his inability to connect with her the way he did with her sisters. And maybe a little jealous of her close relationship with her mother.

[@coena9377]

I would challenge your premise that he isn't a good father. I think the point he was trying to make with that line was that they just didn't have a bond the way he did with his other children or the way she did with her mother. He was upset because he felt like he held an insignificant role in his daughter's life and was using her not being around much when he was running as an example of that, not being mad at her for it. He's always struck me as a rather exceptional father, even if he makes mistakes. One thing I thought was significant was that when he was mad at her and they were arguing in the oval office in the beginning the first thing he brought up was that she didn't come and visit very often.

[@macbuff81]

I really wish we had this type of President. An imperfect man, but a man of courage and reflection. Instead, we got the exact opposite now residing in the White House

[@djshotty]

Certainly Jed Bartlett was a President that Obama aspired to be.

[@theolamp5312]

+Christian O. Holz - As much as I dislike DJT, I would prefer to have him be an honorable man, a president we could respect.

[@Mark-xh8md]

No, that person left the white house on January 20th 2017

[@rgwak]

t'rump has the attention span of a goldfish. And the throughline for every action and thought he has is: how does it affect me. Not one moment ever spent in the service of others, only a lifetime of lying, cheating, and stealing. From his marital affairs, to his fraudulent businesses, the only consistent thing about him is that he'll fuck you over without a second thought if it makes him feel better about the empty hole that is his soul.

[@brontewcat]

To G. That is the real issue with Trump - he has never served the public good and even now I don’t think he understands the concept. His ego drives him.

[@mikeyoung9810]

I watched this as it unfolded when it was new. I rewatched it recently and for the life of me I don't remember this scene.

[@sammangalick5326]

Love this coming full circle with her helping him on Air Force One

[@Bazookatone1]

It's nice to see someone stand up to Bartlett,

[@davidpaul9204]

Friend of the Bartlet's before Jed's political career. Both were Dr.'s, Jed in Economics and Abby in something medical.

[@kevincarroll3914]

Thoracic surgery.

[@markkond8565]

@@kevincarroll3914 and Internal medicine.

[@nates1092]

Jed met Abby as undergraduates at Norte Dame. In season 6, Millie mentioned something about Jed getting a B+ in a class they took together, so I deduce that Millie was Jed and Abby’s friend since college.

[@michaelvidal1971]

I think the reason he did not accept her resignation is that he wanted her around if he had an MS episode. Which was the reason for her going on the China trip.

[@marcopl17]

Uh. His wife is a doctor...

[@stephaniegittinger7980]

@@marcopl17 who legally isn't supposed to treat him. That's why she got in trouble earlier in the show.

[@alvinwagner6085]

There is a difference between loving all your children the same and having a “favorite.” It’s possible to do both

[@marcokite]

yes, i was thinking that

[@PaperbackWizard]

The children can't always tell the difference, though, and *that* was Millie's point. Ellie grew up thinking her father didn't love her.

[@BOLANAREDE321]

It's times like this that I think of the subtle arrogance that was played into the character of Jed Bartlett. It's very well acted, and probably quite accurate for men like him, thinking that they are so important.

[@Chrissummerill]

Well he’s the president of the US. Leader of the free world. It’s pretty important. 😂

[@BOLANAREDE321]

@@Chrissummerill Not that important. Not more important than the people who he's called to serve.

[@cityboydanny1758]

He’s the most powerful man on planet earth he’s pretty important

[@BOLANAREDE321]

@@cityboydanny1758 hardly the most powerful man on the planet. And any president who believes he falls into that category shouldn't be in the office.

[@jbfarley]

You're not smart

[@colin8696908]

Half way through I realized this had evolved into a episode of full house. I really have to start watching this show.

[@Helbinor]

Josh: You know it's going to seem to some people like you did it because your daughter asked you to. Jed: Yeah? You know Josh I think if you ever have a daughter you're going to discover there are worse reasons in the world to do something. TRUTH

[@HeikeWie]

"King Lear is a good play." Oh boy, is it ever!

[@maxpeck4154]

I found it interesting in this episode that it is mentioned several times that marijuana "does not hold the same addictive properties as heroin or LSD". Hallucinogens are NOT known as addictive drugs. Sure, they can be abused but so can anything else. West Wing was quite accurate with regard to science, law, constitutionality, etc, but I think either someone didn't do their homework on this point, or it was used as a PSA of sorts to discourage the use of hallucinogens.

[@mrpavopeacock]

Out of curiosity, did we know that hallucinogens were not addictive in 2001?

[@maxpeck4154]

@@mrpavopeacock That has been widely known at least since the 50s. My mother did medical transcription when I was young and had a few Physician's Desk Reference and drug books lying around and I used to read a lot about LSD specifically.

[@paulzammataro7185]

Damn...I almost got choked up when he gave the letter back to her. .....but I caught it ....

[@TexasWildheartsFan]

Mary Kay Place is a national treasure...

[@jimmy2k4o]

My god King Lear’s a good play *I proceed to pause the tv and open up Google* I love sorkin because he gives you tastes of things you don’t know in a way that makes you want a whole meal of it. We’re meant to keep doing better, even if it’s just Googling a play synopsis.

[@rugbynimbus]

Poetic to be watching this while lightly toasted on legally purchased (and properly highly taxed and regulated) flower.

[@charleschuckfinley3304]

If only Jed had been the real 45....

[@chewy739]

I love when they call him Jeb, It is like a wake up call to him.

[@jbfarley]

Jed

[@TzunSu]

It makes me a bit sad to make her state that LSD was addictive. In studies for 30+ years we've seen that it's the opposite, both humans and animals do not feel the urge to self-dose like they do in addictive substances.

[@1angelsigh]

lsd? oh west wing, you're usually so good

[@50srefugee]

And now, psilocybin (magic mushrooms) are in clinical trials for treating depression and (wait for it...) drug addiction. But you know, that doesn't matter. The Federal Government has no business telling people they can't ruin their own lives. Jed Bartlett may have been a good Dad, but he was President, not OUR Dad. Big, Big difference, that far too many real politicians forget.

[@Penguin_of_Death]

@@50srefugee *Jed Bartlet

[@50srefugee]

@@Penguin_of_Death Yes, thanks. Fixed.

[@SecretJanitor]

@@50srefugee LSD in moderate quantities can cause, at best, extreme anxiety, at worst psychotic breaks in people. Others here are right about psilocybin mushrooms though. Good for testing PTSD. PS Heads up about pot: not good too have while young brain is still developing. Not touching it until 21 is advisable, though many cannabis doctors (e.g. in Canada) recommend not starting until 25 to be on the safe side (i.e. most brains are fully developed by then, so risk of affecting brain chemistry is way way way lower). Also, very small portion of the population that gets crippling paranoia accompanied by auditory hallucinations should stay off of pot for good since there's at least a correlation w/ onset of schizophrenia. Hopefully a West Wing crowd can appreciate nuance. If pot is safe for, say, 90% of people 90% of the time, that's a hell of a lot better than alcohol, but let's not treat it like pure magic.

[@50srefugee]

@@SecretJanitor The question isn't whether or not drugs are dangerous. That's like asking if table saws are dangerous--of course they are, but they can be useful enough to be worth the risk when used properly. The real question is, which is more dangerous, drugs, or anti-drug enforcement, especially by the federal government.

[@genehenrylindgren]

They are watching " Dial M for Murder" by Alfred Hitchcock.

[@briang9581]

It's funny that I watched this clip directly after one where the MS patient (Bartlet) got caught smoking in a theater's lobby.

[@schytzo]

Imagine thinking LSD was in any way addictive when in the 1950s they used it to treat various addiction disorders.

[@MrMike77471]

This video cuts off about 30 seconds too soon. If memory serves, after his little quip to Josh about fathers and daughters, he goes to his seat in the front row, where he is sitting next to Ellie. After a couple of quick "back-and-forths", he looks at her and says something like "all you ever had to do to impress me...…..was come home at the end of the day." It's actually a poignant moment between a father and his daughter. Politically, I believe Martin Sheen is an idiot, but the man is one hell of an actor.

[@ktwashere5637]

It is quite outrageous that he's angry she wasn't there when he was running for President. SHE WAS AT MED SCHOOL AT THE TIME. Is she supposed to give up her life for his?

[@seanwebb605]

Well she took the time to write the letter of resignation. He should have given it a read. It might have been well worded. She seems like a very thoughtful woman. In addition doesn't the official records act require that all correspondence be filed, copied and stored?

[@anthonyphilip1732]

Too bad fictional characters cannot hold real public office… oh wait, there was tfg.

[@joecook5689]

Bartlett for president.

[@MarcusLeepapi]

Really nice...

[@SeattlePioneer]

What is the movie they are watching?

[@robertschmidt7879]

I would like to make a few points if I could 1. Other than Dr. Bartlett and his priest,. nobody called him Jed in the oval Leo, did it a couple times upstairs. But never in the oval. 2. People in power need someone willing and close to them to call them on things. Maybe nobody else does, but even as a well qualified surgeon general, Millie put it on the table with her friend. That does make a difference in powerful positions. 3. I would dearly love to hear from women who serving the uniform. Can we take the skirt and tie off and put them in the same uniform that everybody else wears. No I am not exhibiting prurient feelings towards the surgeon general, I would just like to see her and every other female officers stand in the same uniform. I happily invite constructive comments on that.

[@ReaverLordTonus]

I feel like there was a lapse in Judgment on Bartlett's part to appoint someone with close ties to his family to such a position. Vice Admiral Griffith may be qualified, and he could have sided with her on other grounds, but the fact is there was a personal conflict of interest in this situation that came out of her familial connection to him. Even a paragon of the ideal president like Bartlett would not have put himself in that position in the first place.

[@daltongalloway]

Love seeing older stuff where the freak out about weed 😂 can’t believe that stuff ain’t 100% legal yet

[@yumpinyiminy963]

Although LSD can be a wonderful experience, there is no physical addiction to it.

[@MerchantIvoryfilms]

Millies resigned because she asked the producers for a raise...

[@paulshawley6490]

Such a great series and it's a shame that the picture quality is so awful.

[@BlackDiamond2718]

If only the president accepted the resignation of the director. 😂

[@andyh4518]

I wonder if Josh and Donna ever had kids. It seems like being CoS to the POTUS and FLOTUS wouldn't leave anyone enough time for it.

[@dcrab93]

If having kids is important truly important you make the time. Then you put in the time

[@keithziegler8881]

"I will not allow someone to tell that I love one of my children less than the others." I always thought we would have been lucky to have a president like Jed Barlett, and I would've loved to have a man like him in my life, but this is not what she said Say that he loved her less, it's not about me, she said that Ellie is not his favorite. Hello I have no doubt that he loved Ellie with all of the parts sold to a he loved all of his children, and even those he is taking as his adopted children, like Josh, Charlie, and the others, their personality is such that they were never good have a good relationship that he had with Zoey or Liz

[@SpydeyDan]

Is it "Sir, you're back," or "Sir, your back"? I've never understood that line. Neither read seems to fit the scene or make any sense in context.

[@coena9377]

My interpretation was that it was "Sir, you're back". Meaning he was back to being the type of president he ran for office to be. Ethical, logical, and not the type of president to make small compromises of character because they think it might have a better payout in the end. That said, I'm not really sure. The line doesn't really make sense to me either.

[@rangerdave1973]

She's his doctor and was nagging him about his back

[@jackgriffiths2020]

It's 'So You're Back'

[@Goldnfoxx]

It's a pun, people. She meant one thing. He meant another.

[@jimreily7538]

0:29 LSD does not have any addictive properties. It is, in fact, anti-addictive, less so than cannabis. It is not possible to take LSD in a dose sufficient to produce a moderate response, and then take it again the next day, owing to the 5-HT binding properties, and its half life. The effects produced by a 500mcg dosage would not be replicable, if one was to take that dosage a week later. The binding affinity and the lengthy half life, the effects themselves, and thousands of other psychopharmacological properties, the route of ingestion, and too many other things to list here, render it anti-addictive. To compare it to heroin is obscene. It is less harmful even than cannabis. It has medicinal uses, primarily in aiding mental health, it has neuroprotective properties, it has physically protective properties: it stimulates nitric oxide release and so is a vasodilator. Sorkin, an avid user of LSD and psilocybin should know better than that.

[@ered203]

BTW - There are NO Addictive properties to LSD. Good writer or not, Sorkin is still a boomer.

[@EdgemanLL2]

3:52 AWESOME MOVIE!!!!

[@alleyesallsides]

LSD does not hold addictive qualities. And it is not comparable to heroin. Poor writing and research.

[@dirdib69]

She looked much better with the straight hair than later.

[@BillJohnson-p6t]

Agreed

[@jimmy2k4o]

Christian Right Hollywood left Aaflcio AARP Cannabis society Japan If you didn’t see this episode that must make your mind boggle.

[@GMHSVE]

Since when was lsd addictive?

[@andrewhoyle1521]

Just thinking that... ITS NOT!!!!!

[@joecook5689]

I know. How did sorkin's let that stupid statement in the script? Embarrassing. Like someone ever has ever needed more lsd to not have withdrawals.

[@bcbock]

@@joecook5689 Ironically, Sorkin was drug addict during production of that show. Crack cocaine. He also used magic mushrooms and pot.

[@joecook5689]

@@bcbock I know. That was my point. He knows drugs. He knows lsd isn't addictive. It can fuck you up permanently, but your body doesn't need it to avoid feeling sick.

[@rpgeek22]

It was the late 90s they didnt have research we do now. If you watch the whole episode they even say 68% of americans dont support legalization, nowadays those numbers are reversed

[@kalijasin]

“I will bear with the nonsense of the ChristianRight” 🙈

[@phrophetsamgames]

Legalize Weed!

[@rangerdave1973]

What movie are they watching?

[@H1delta]

I recognize Ray Milland and I believe it's "Dial M For Murder", a Hitchcock film.

[@michaelvidal1971]

I wonder if he refused to accept her resignation because he wanted her arou nd if he had am MS episode ?

[@sethtubman1229]

Maybe but that attack was in season 6, this was season 2. Also, the Surgeon General is the head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps in charge of disseminating important *public* health issues to the American public. This is an echo (as many of the first couple seasons were of Clinton admin. controversies) of the controversy over Vice Admiral Joycelyn Elders, the then-incumbent Surgeon General, who endorsed masturbation as a form of "safe sex" at a U.N. conference on AIDS in 1994 and was fired by Bill Clinton as a result. The President has his own personal physician and medical staff responsible for his personal health and that of the First Family and the visiting public at the White House. In Bartlet's world, it was first Captain Morris Tolliver, who was killed on a medical mission to Jordan when Syria shot down his helicopter (and nearly led to Bartlet blowing up the Middle East as a result), then Admiral Hackett, who was on-duty during the MS attack around the State of the Union in "He Shall from Time to Time...", then Admiral Jarvis during the assassination attempt on the President. But he did deliberately have Millie go on the China trip because he knew he was having an MS attack and wanted a doctor around.

[@cynthiacassel]

You need to let me take my much scarred body and have a life of my own. It was wrong to accuse me of killing Eddie. Face it. Wrong.

[@karanveersingh6367]

what's the name of the movie josh is watching?

[@ulfben]

I am pretty sure it's Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder". www.imdb.com/title/tt0046912/

[@Blaqar]

LSD isn't addictive.

[@Pww642]

Uhhhh LSD is not addictive, Millie.

[@adamdymke8004]

Yeah, but it makes the dialogue flow better.

[@norvillerogers8326]

Now we need General Milley to resign.

[@evanolet]

LSD is not addictive

[@keithss67]

The Mormon mom from latter days

[@thijsg8549]

Implying lsd is addictive is despicable

[@eliduncan-gilmour5028]

The west wing calling lsd illegal...lmao

[@wn8022]

Pizza sub. Hot

[@joecook5689]

Lsd? Addictive? Nope. Sorry though. And Sorkin knows better. Weed, also not addictive.

[@joecook5689]

@mandellorian it's psychologically addictive. But one doesn't physically withdraw like one does after stopping doing heroin or pills or meth. That's what I meant.