By LTG
We begin right where we left off last week: with the assembled dignitaries at Camp David applauding Jed's welcoming remarks. Jed goes on to note that any agreement reached at the summit must provide for both a safe and secure Israel, and a sovereign state for the Palestinians.
Cut to the White House briefing room. At first, we see C.J. on monitors as she reviews the morning's schedule of activities at Camp David. As we move to a shot of C.J. in corpus, she introduces General Locke, who is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Did we know that before? In any case, General Locke informs the press about the attack on the Ein Hawa terrorist camp in Syria.
Back to Camp David, where Debbie (remember her?) has just slipped a note to Jed. Toby (who must have some secret background as a diplomat about which we have never learned) stands to tell the assembled group that the parties have agreed to break into subgroups in the afternoon, after Jed, Chairman Farad, and the Israeli PM have met to set the agenda. Jed interrupts Toby to stand and let everyone know that the U.S. has just attacked the camp in Syria. There is virtually no response in the room to this news. Jed tells the Chairman and the PM that he will see them at noon, and we cut to the credits.
Y'all, this episode was so bad, I was sick that I had to watch it. Now, I don't have the option of skipping bad episodes, but you do. So I've decided to give you a few ideas of better ways to kill an hour than watching a bad episode of The West Wing. Suggestion #1: you could watch the video for "Mosh" twelve times.
We open on a shot of the U.S., Israeli, and Palestinian flags flying side by side at Camp David. Toby, Will, and Kate are sitting on a screened-in porch, arguing about the potential topics of discussion for the summit. I'm sad to report that Kate has apparently not had an opportunity to visit the Camp David hair stylist -- the bangs are still very much with us. As the three of them talk, Will immediately rejects every statement that comes out of Kate's mouth, while Toby plays referee. Jed comes in and asks them if they have a draft. Will: "No." Toby: "Yes." Toby takes the draft from Kate and hands it to Jed, while Will says that the Israelis are never going to agree to give up full sovereignty over Jerusalem. Jed looks over the draft and expresses his frustration that they haven't gotten any further than they did last night. Charlie enters to tell Jed that the delegation is on its way, and Jed turns to leave, telling Toby et al that they will punt on Jerusalem for the time being and tackle it later. At the tail end of the scene, we hear Will ask in a quiet voice, "Why isn't Leo up here?"
Because he is in his office, where we now see him. He's sitting at a table in his office, looking over some papers as the Speaker of the House rants in a televised speech. C.J. enters to tell Leo that Josh will be landing in an hour. C.J. points out that the news networks have the Speaker's speech on an endless loop as a way of punishing the White House for cutting off press access to Camp David. Leo tells C.J. that they are losing the media war, and that they need to get on every show they can: "Book This Old House if we can figure out an angle." When C.J. asks who Leo wants to send, he says, "You, me, the Assistant Deputy Secretary for Fisheries Exploitation, I don't care, we gotta get our message out." C.J.: "What is our message?" Leo: "Shut up while we try to get them to stop killing each other."
Camp David. Jed is meeting with the PM and the Chairman. Farad asks Jed how his children and grandchildren are. He tells them that they are all well, and that Annie started high school last week. As many forum posters have observed, Annie should actually be near the end high school, seeing as how she was twelve in the pilot. Unless she failed the seventh grade four times. The three leaders are sitting around a small table on a verandah. Despite the fact that Jed was in a suit when we last saw him, he is now wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. The PM and the Chairman are still wearing their suits. Jed tells the Chairman and the PM that they need to decide on the topics of discussion for the subgroups. Debbie is sitting behind the PM, typing on a laptop. As Jed runs down the topics, the PM and Chairman start to disagree over the substance of any eventual deal. Jed reminds them that the actual discussions will be held by the subgroups, and that they are only there to decide on the topics. Farad notes that there is no mention of Jerusalem on the list proposed by Jed. Jed tells them both that he thought it best to put off a discussion of Jerusalem, and Farad and the PM each take the opportunity to stake their claim to the city. On hearing the PM say that Israel will never give up control over Jerusalem, Farad asks, "Why are we here?" The PM says that, for once, he agrees with Farad, and he stands up and tells Jed that he never should have accepted the invitation. Jed: "Stop it, both of you!" He tells them that he has staked his, and the U.S.'s, credibility on the success of these talks, and that no one is leaving after less than a day. He tells them that discussion on the topics he named will begin after lunch, and dismisses them. Jed asks Debbie, "That went well, don't you think?" She just gives him a wry look. I just have to point out that the producers of this steaming pile of poo brought Lily Tomlin on location while they shot an episode's worth of material, and gave her no lines. Genius.
C.J. is pedeconferencing with Carol, who has booked C.J. on several shows. Just then Josh walks in behind them. C.J. lets out a sappy "heeeey," and then gives him a very warm and sincere hug. She immediately asks him how Donna is doing. Josh: "She threw me out. Her mother's driving her crazy, and her I.R.A. boyfriend is plotting sedition. Or maybe it was seduction. Probably both." C.J.: "Dashing photojournalist?" Josh: "I believe the professional term is 'wanker.'" Josh expresses some surprise that Leo is at the White House and not up at Camp David.
Josh knocks on the door of Leo's office and enters, asking, "So, where do you want me?" Leo also immediately asks how Donna is. See, I told you Toby was being a dick last week. Josh tells him that she's doing better, and that she may be able to fly in a few days. Leo tells Josh to "get up to Camp David. Toby's climbing the walls, he thinks the President's going to give away the store." Josh asks how Leo is doing, and Leo just starts talking about the outrage being expressed by the Syrian government. Well, Leo, you did drop some bombs on their country. I think Emily Post would agree that's a good reason to express anger. Josh leaves to pack a bag and head to Camp David, and Leo calls for Margaret. He asks her if they've heard anything from the President that morning. She hasn't, and he declines her offer to call Debbie for an update.
Suggestion #2 of a better way to spend your time instead of watching a bad episode of The West Wing: check out the Utah Baby Namer. You can easily kill way more than an hour there. Just beware that you are going to laugh out loud.
C.J. is in the briefing room, giving a...briefing. She's just going over the schedule of the activities at Camp David. She also starts going over the menu, which includes Maryland crabcakes. That's just lovely. Why don't they also serve some ham and some cheeseburgers. And drench everything with a lovely burgundy sauce while they're at it. Unless they're serving Maryland genuine imitation "crabcakes." That would be acceptable. Otherwise, I either have to believe the people who produce this show are stupid, or that the producers want me to believe that the White House staff is stupid. Can you guess which one I think is more likely?
Camp David. Groups of people are sitting around different tables, carrying on discussions, while waiters deliver beverages. The camera pans over to a group of sofas and easy chairs near a large fireplace, where Toby, Josh, Will, the Israeli PM, the Israeli Defense Minister, and the Palestinian PM discuss possible post-withdrawal security arrangements. The talks seems to be going nowhere, as the Palestinian PM insists that Palestinian sovereignty is meaningless if Israeli troops remain in the territories, and the Israeli Defense Minister insists that Israel must be allowed to keep troops in the territories to protect itself.
In some other room at Camp David, Farad is sitting at a conference table and discussing Palestinians who lost their homes in 1948. Ambassador Nechayev insists that those Palestinians were not expelled, but that they left of their own accord. After some shouting back and forth, Kate interrupts to try to get the parties to focus on current problems rather than historical grievances. Farad asks if there is room in Israel for one million Russian Jews, why there isn't room for Palestinians who wish to return home? Commercials.
A title tells us that we are on Day Three. C.J. is briefing the press on the schedule, which includes the fact that Jed and Abbey will be joining the Israeli delegation for a Shabbat dinner, at the invitation of the Israeli PM.
Cut to an overhead shot of a basketball going through a hoop. Jed, Toby, Will, and Josh are playing basketball while they talk through some of the issues that have come up in the summit. Abbey and Kate are sitting on a bench to the side while the boys play, occasionally sticking an oar into the conversation. I know it's pretty consistent with this show's general sexism to have the men play while the women watch, but in fairness I have to point out that Mary McCormack was seven months pregnant when they filmed this scene. I have to allow for the possibility that it was her choice not to run around on a basketball court with these sweaty behemoths. As they go through the issues, it's clear that the Israelis and Palestinians are still pretty far apart on just about everything. As they wrap up the game, Jed tells them to work for any small point of agreement they can find so that they can start building on it. As everyone else leaves the court, Josh asks Jed if there's anything else he can do to help. Jed tells him to work with Toby and Will: "I think they need some positive reinforcement." Josh asks Jed, "Sir, should we be here?" I'm not sure if he's asking if the U.S. should be there, or if he's wondering whether this important bit of diplomacy might not be better handled by, oh, say, the Secretary of State, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, the National Security Adviser, or any of the myriad trained diplomats on the payroll of the U.S. government. Because I'm right there with him on that second question. Jed doesn't seem to want to discuss it, however. He just tells Josh that he's glad he's back. Josh leaves, and Abbey asks, "Jed, where's Leo?"
Kate, Farad, and Ambassador Nechayev continue to discuss the issue of the right of return. Once again, it's hard to see any progress being made. After a few minutes of this, Farad stands up and says, "We are prepared to sacrifice, but not to formalize our dispossession." And with that, he leaves.
Discussions also continue with the security group, and again, there is no progress. They end the talks early so that the Israeli PM and Defense Minister can prepare for Shabbat. After they leave, the Palestinian PM tells Leo, Toby, and Josh that the Israeli government continually undermines moderate Palestinian leadership by motivating the population to become more radical.
Leo exits a limo. Although his driver holds an umbrella above the door of the limo as Leo gets out, it doesn't seem to actually be raining. I think they did that just to create some mystery about who might be arriving. It didn't work. The rest of the staff is meeting with Jed in a cabin, going over the status of each issue and how far apart the two sides remain. Leo enters the cabin, and although Josh looks over at him, not one person says hello. The meeting breaks up, and most of them leave the cabin. Leo walks over to Toby; both of them seen almost entirely in dark silhouette in front of a picture window looking out onto some really lush trees. Josh walks up and joins them. Leo asks them how it's going, and they both just look down. Toby asks Leo if he's going to talk to him, and Josh says, "Somebody better do something, or this time week we're going to be the ones to lose our right to return." These last few lines were incredibly hard to hear over the thunder in the background. It was either thunder or falling anvils. They can sound so much alike.
Cut to the Palestinian delegation outside, shoes off, beginning their evening prayer.
After a few moments, we cut to an interior scene where the Shabbat service is beginning. The Israeli PM's wife lights some candles as prayers are chanted. (And for those who like to play six degrees, I would like to inform you that the beautiful candelabra used in this scene -- along with Jed's kippah -- were provided by the director of a local Jewish school attended by the children of a good friend of mine.) Jed, Abbey, and Leo are present. People in the forums have expressed some concern that the depiction of the Shabbat service was not entirely realistic. The woman lighting the candles does not have her head covered, for example, and the prayers are being chanted rather than sung. But it's also been suggested that Israeli politicians, except for those from the religious parties, are fairly secular, and that they might not conduct their religious observances in the most traditional manner. Although this would lend itself to one of my favorite games ("Non-Experts Discuss"), I will leave the subject behind after pointing out that the producers of the show had available to them some folks who are very knowledgeable about Judaism, so any deviation from tradition is (I hope) intended.
The scene cuts back and forth between the two groups. At times, we hear the prayers of one group over a visual of the other, or the two prayers intermingling. At one point we cut to Kate and Charlie, who are watching the Palestinians at their prayers. Kate: "It's beautiful, isn't it? It's the law, they have to do it five times a day." The montage continues. Kate: "The tragedy is that the Palestinians and the Jews are so much alike." Charlie: "How's that?" Kate: "All through history, nobody's wanted either of them." Thanks for that startling insight, Kate. I don't know that we ever would have gotten that without your help. The scene ends when both the evening prayers and the Shabbat service are completed. On the one hand, I enjoyed this scene for the fact that it was one of the rare times that non-Christian religious rituals are presented on American television in a really tender and lovely manner. And it was certainly gorgeous, both visually and aurally. But I'm not sure that I actually trust the producers to have any good motivation in presenting the two groups this way. Instead, I fear that they were just trying to present both the Palestinians and Israelis as exotic. So I have mixed views. (Which is more than I can say for my views about the rest of this piece of crap.)
Suggestion #3 of a better way to spend your time instead of watching a bad episode of The West Wing: read some classic Krazy Kat comic strips online. One of the greatest American works of popular art and literature of the twentieth century, it tells in surreal form the classic love triangle between a dog, a mouse, and a cat of indeterminate gender.
After commercials, we return to the sprinklers turning on at the Camp David golf course. A title tells us that it is Day Four. We hear C.J.'s voice as she gives a briefing, offering a "tantalizing but maddeningly generic rundown of what's happened since yesterday afternoon's briefing." We pan over a large common room in which some people are sleeping. In the kitchen, Josh, Toby, and Kate are getting some breakfast and talking about how much one party will not like the other party's offer. Leo comes in and asks how things are going. Josh asks him if he's all right, because, to be honest, he looks like death warmed over. Leo blames it on the leftover taquitos he found in the kitchen the night before, and asks for an antacid: "Or maybe an aunt who knows how to cook." Toby tosses him some antacids, and Kate gives Leo an update on a proposal for maintaining Israeli security posts on the West Bank for a limited period of time. Leo is surprisingly not opposed to the idea, and when Toby complains that the Israeli PM will never go for it if the Defense Minister is with him, Leo suggests that Toby find a way to split the two of them up. Leo wanders off, and they all look after him with some concern. This is the only scene in Mary McCormack's time on the show that her pregnancy has been remotely noticeable. Kudos to the wardrobe team and the camera crews.
Toby and the Defense Minister are riding in the back of a golf cart, each carrying a shotgun. The DM tells Toby that he always wanted to try skeet shooting. The cart stops and they get out. The DM asks Toby if he shoots often. Toby: "Yeah, once or twice a week, when it's in season." Yeah, that highly anticipated clay pigeon season. Don't shoot them without a license. The fines are stiff. The DM asks Toby how it works, and Toby gives the non-expert overview of what skeet shooting is. As they arrive at the range, the military type who is running the joint asks Toby if he's ever fired a gun before. Toby claims to know what he's doing. The DM shoots the first pigeon and nails it. It's now Toby's turn, and as he raises his shotgun to his shoulder, the DM tells him to stand "more firm." Toby tells him, "This is the way we do it in Brooklyn." Toby calls out "pull," fires the shotgun, and falls over on his ass. Theft!
While the writers embarrass themselves and Toby degrades himself, Kate and Josh are eating lunch with the Israeli PM. They are giving the PM their latest proposal on post-withdrawal security measures. He takes a long sip of his iced tea and then tells him that they would need some mechanism for emergency developments.
Kate, Josh, and Will are discussing the results of the meeting with the Israeli PM. Jed is surprised that the PM agreed to the proposal. They talk about how to get Farad to accept it, and then Jed asks them where they are on right of return. Will says that the Israelis will not accept a full right of return for all Palestinians and that Farad is standing firm on principle. Kate volunteers to try to work on Farad. In response to their quizzical looks, she says, "I think he likes me." That reminds me of a little song I wrote in honor of Kate "Bangs" Harper. It goes something like this (with apologies to They Might Be Giants, and a tip o' the nib to my friend Lisa G):
Bangs
She cannot replace our Fitz
Because our Fitz was bald and he had no bangs.
Bangs
Her long hair hides her forehead
That's a really unattractive look for her.
Once with a show we fell in love sometime ago, now it has...
Bangs
She solves all of the world's problems
But she cannot style her own hair. That's so sad.
Bangs
She flirts with Chairman Farad
To bring to peace to Palestine and Israel.
And in case you think I watch this show because I still like it,
Just remember that I'm only here for the paycheck.
Bangs
Her long hair hides her forehead
That's a really unattractive look for her.
And although she's a fine actor, check out her haircut.
What did she do to piss off the folks in hair and makeup?
Bangs
She solves all of the world's problems
But she cannot style her own hair. That's so sad.
But she cannot style her own hair. Thaaat's sooo saaad.
Jed tells Josh and Will to get the Israeli PM to commit on security "before Toby has to start feeding the clay pigeons." As they staffers walk away, Leo walks up. Jed: "We may just have our tennis match." But Leo thinks it's too soon to celebrate, because they haven't gotten to the hard stuff yet. He points out that they haven't even started discussing Jerusalem. Jed tells him that it will be the last thing they discuss. When Leo starts to say that it's the hardest thing, Jed blows up. "Dammit! Don't you think I know that?" Leo looks shocked, and he leaves to talk about Ambassador Nechayev about compensation.
A wooden footbridge over a stream in the woods. There is a small waterfall under the bridge. Farad is standing on the bridge as Kate walks up to him. She tells him that she knows how difficult it would be for him to appear to abandon his principle, but that an unrestricted right of return will not be acceptable to the Israelis. He tells her a moving story of the town where he was born, and the process by which his family was forced out of the town: "I still remember the view of the valley from the roof of our house." He asks her if he will get to go home. Kate: "No sir. Probably not. Is that worth not having any home at all?"
Cut to the bullpen. Josh is surprised that Kate got Farad to go along on right of return. Will says, "I'm taking her with me the time I buy a car." Toby points out that they still have to discuss Jerusalem. Kate: "Any chance we can just give Jerusalem to the Swiss?" I think Tom Clancy has a copyright on that idea. They wonder who will start the discussion of Jerusalem. Jed says that he will.
Jed is sitting at a table with Farad. Farad is still in a suit, by the way, while Jed is wearing his jeans and a polo shirt. Jed tells that Farad that shared sovereignty over Jerusalem is the only answer. Farad rejects the idea. He points out how important Jerusalem is to Muslims. Jed: "Mr. Chairman, there isn't a single member of your delegation who doesn't think turning down the U.N. offer of a Palestinian homeland in 1947 was lunacy, a colossal mistake. Please do not make the same mistake today." Farad does not answer.
Josh and Toby toss a football. I think Josh might have damaged his eyesight spending all that time in a dark hospital, because he's wearing sunglasses in the shade. Josh doesn't think that Farad will accept the offer of shared sovereignty. "Farad's elevated being a victim into an art form." But Toby isn't so sure. Josh jumps on Toby for seeing the Palestinian point of view. Toby: "What, now suddenly you're Jewish. I don't remember seeing you at temple." Bah. They've already had this fight. Josh thinks that, after the Holocaust, it's important to preserve Israel as the one place that it's okay to be Jewish. Toby points out that America is a pretty safe place to be Jewish. They argue about this for a while, and then Will runs up to them: "Bartlet got Farad." As folks on the forums pointed out, it should be pretty deeply ingrained in the White House staff that it's "President Bartlet" and not "Bartlet." But Will is the new chief resident, so I assume he's entitled to take some liberties.
Jed is walking with the Israeli PM, outlining the deal that Farad has agreed to concerning joint sovereignty. The PM tells Jed that he has stayed there for five days working hard on the negotiations because he values the friendship of Jed and the U.S., but that he has taken an oath not to give up control of Jerusalem: "My right eye will fall out, my right arm will fall off, before I will sign a document giving up Jerusalem." Jed tries to persuade him, but he will not hear it. He tells Jed that the Israeli delegation is going home. Commercials.
Jed, Toby, Kate, Josh, and Will are sitting around a fireplace in a cabin. Leo is standing nearby. They're discussing possible proposals they could bring to the Palestinians that might be acceptable to the Israelis, perhaps involving some kind of custodial arrangement over Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. Charlie approaches Jed and tells him that the departure of the Israeli delegation has been delayed. When Jed asks how, Charlie tells him, "We told them the state police needed ten hours to secure the road." Jed tells Charlie to let C.J. know there will be a statement in the morning. Jed ends the meeting and tells them to get a good night's sleep. Leo tells Jed that he'll get C.J. working on some strategies to get the administration's side of the story out. As he leaves, Leo says, "They weren't ready."
Suggestion #4 of a better way to spend your time instead of watching a bad episode of The West Wing: watch two episodes of Arrested Development, which was just released on DVD.
Josh is standing outside, holding his cell phone in his hand. Kate tells him, "Cell-phone service sucks up here." He tells her that this is one of the few good spots in the area. She asks who he's calling at 2 in the morning. He tells her he's calling Germany, where it's already morning. She asks him how "his assistant" is doing. I'm glad they remembered that Kate never met Donna. Josh keeps trying his cell phone while Kate talks about a book on the Six Day War that she read. She suddenly has an inspiration, and tells him to find Toby and Will and that she will meet them at Aspen. (Which is presumably the name of a cabin or conference room.)
Josh has found Jed, along with Toby and Will, because they are all listening to Kate talk about a proposal that was made in peace talks in 1967. The essential deal is that Israel would give the Palestinians the same kind of custodial rights over the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem that a nation has over its foreign embassies. The idea seems promising, because it does not require Israel to give up sovereignty over Jerusalem while still giving the Palestinians a sovereign-like status over the parts of the city that are most important to them. The only catch is that when Israel made the offer in 1967, they wanted peacekeepers placed in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Abbey (who I did not notice before) suggests that the U.N. will provide peacekeepers, but Toby points out that U.N. peacekeepers have no credibility with Israel: "It'll have to be us." Will estimates that it would take 20,000 troops to patrol the West Bank, and Kate suggests that European nations might provide 10% of that number. Which leaves 18,000 U.S. troops in the West Bank. Josh whispers to Will, "Where the hell is Leo?"
Leo's phone is ringing in his cabin, and he wakes up. He looks like hell. Of course, if you woke me up at 2:00 AM, I'd look pretty crappy myself, and I don't think I'm about to have a heart attack. At least, I hope not. (Uh oh, spoiler.)
Back in Aspen, the discussion is continuing. Leo enters the room just in time to hear Josh ask whether "folks in the West Bank are just going to roll out the welcome mat for G.I. Joe when he climbs out of his Humvee in Ramallah?" Leo asks them what they're talking about, and when he hears that it's about placing U.S. troops in the West Bank, he asks, "And we think that's a good idea?" Josh: "Some of us do." Leo speaks out forcefully against the idea. And then Jed indicates that he supports the proposal. Leo: "Can I speak to you privately for a moment?"
Jed and Leo walk away from the cabin. The sound is awful, and the dialogue is hard to make out. Leo thinks that U.S. troops might be welcome at first, but wonders what happens when they have to use force to combat extremists or declare martial law: "This isn't Iraq in the desert. You're committing American lives to something that may go on for decades." Don't look now, Leo, but it seems to me that there is a real danger that Iraq will go on for decades. Jed screams, "How are we not involved now?" He clamps down hard on the last word and regains his composure. "We can't keep having this argument." Leo: "My counsel is no longer of use to you." Jed: "So if I disagree with you, you have to threaten me?" Leo: "This is your own League of Nations, and it will ruin you like it ruined Wilson." Jed: "Okay. I'll need your successor in place before you leave." Leo: "I'll get you some names." Jed: "Yeah." And just like that, one of the greatest relationships on television is ruptured. Jed walks back to the cabin. Josh steps out of the cabin and calls to Leo, asking if everything is all right. Leo tells Josh to get back in the cabin and find out what Jed needs from him. Leo tells Josh he just needs some air. Josh returns to the cabin. Leo buttons his jacket, and a button falls off. For some reason, the director shows the button falling in slow motion and splashing in a puddle. That choice was completely inexplicable to me.
Leo goes for a walk. He crosses a bridge over a rushing stream, and stops for a moment. But despite my fears, he does not throw himself off the bridge. He's clearly experiencing some heartburn, and his breath is coming in gasps. The director gives us some ridiculous "Leo P.O.V." shots as he walks through the trees, and then a few from immediately behind him. A number of shots are out of focus, and at times Leo seems to leave a trail across the screen as he moves. It's like the Blair Witch Heart Attack (tm immaf). But through all of this absolutely ridiculous cinematic crap, John Spencer acts the hell out of this heart attack. The pain, both physical and emotional, that Leo is experiencing is completely present in his face. Despite everything the producers did to screw this up (including the mawkish piano and violin music), it was one of the most incredibly sad things I have seen in a long while. John Spencer's acting alone saved this episode from an "F." At the end, Leo lets out a muted cry and falls to his knees. We don't see him fall all the way to the ground. Instead, we hear his body crash to the leaf-covered forest floor as the camera pans up to the treetops.
A title tells us it is Day Five. Jed is at the door of the cabin of the Israeli PM, and asks him if they can take a walk. As they walk off, he begins to describe the proposal.
White House briefing room. C.J. tells the press that there will be a joint press conference with the President, the Chairman, and the PM in which they will describe a tentative accord.
Camp David. Chopper alert! Jed, Abbey, and Charlie board Marine One. No one is injured. Yet. Will, Kate, Toby, and Josh are debating the chances of the agreement actually being carried out as they climb into a black SUV. Will: "No round trip on Marine One?" Kate: "Yeah, what a shame." Toby asks Josh if he spoke to Leo. Josh says, "He must have headed back early this morning." Toby: "Any idea how he wants us to handle this?" Josh: "I'll try calling him." They climb into the SUV, and it drives off.
Marine One takes off. View from above as it flies above the Maryland woods. Cut to a view of it from beneath the tree canopy. As the noise of the helicopter passes, the camera pans down to the forest floor, and we can barely hear Leo's phone ringing.
Suggestion #5 of a better way to spend your time instead of watching a bad episode of The West Wing: watch a good episode of the show from the third season. The DVDs will be released on Tuesday, November 2. The only downside is that too much exposure to good episodes might make it impossible for you to watch the current season ever again.
P.S. Go vote on Tuesday. I would really like the real West Wing to be less depressing than the West Wing I have to write about each week.