By Miss Alli
Previously on Imperiling People You Love For Fun And Profit, But Mostly Just Fun: Josh booked Donna on the CODEL to Gaza in order to shut her up about nitpicky things like job satisfaction. Andy told Toby that she was going, too, and they bickered about whether that was a good idea. Jed asked a reluctant Fitz to drag his recurring-character fanny along as well, to try to keep the congressmen from screwing anything up to a point where it couldn't be saved.
"Gaza," says the black screen. We fade in on a close-up of a soccer ball at rest, and then see a foot come flying to kick it into the distance. Over that same distance, a helicopter approaches, sweeping over the pickup soccer game. We settle in at Erez Checkpoint, according to the on-screen study guide, where a tangle of cars and people is stopped on the road, and a makeshift market is in full swing. Fitz strolls out of a trailer with Andy, who is talking about how she's not adjusted to the time yet after four days, and still finds herself awake at 4 in the morning. Fitz suggests looking at the briefing books if she needs a nap, and I think that goes for pretty much any government document. I think that's actually why the General Accounting Office was invented. Fitz and Donna walk up to a dark SUV, where two guys whose appearance screams "junketeers" are debating the "displaced population." Another on-screen study hint informs us, in case you're wondering, that this is the "Visiting United States Congressional Delegation." One of the guys tells the other that he doesn't see what the big deal is for the Palestinians to move fifteen or twenty miles -- "Did you ever move? I grew up in Dayton." Oh, yes. Yes, that's exactly the same thing. All they really need over there, you know, is a few Mayflower trucks to make sure nobody's knickknacks get broken. Fitz says, not really that helpfully, that "one option might be to get over it." Again, yes, it's really too bad they can't stick that on a greeting card, because it would probably clear the entire situation right up. It's good that Jed sent Fitz so nobody would say anything stupid. Just then, Donna approaches, wearing a silly white hat and talking about how hot it is. Andy asks where Donna was, and Donna looks over her shoulder, smiles slightly, and says, "It wasn't what you think." The call comes to move out, and Donna remarks on the foolishness of black cars in hot weather as she heads for an SUV with Andy. Fitz makes a "lucky we have air conditioning" joke, and he joins them in the car. Just then, a smokin' fellow with a camera around his neck emerges from the crowd wearing a mysterious smile. As Donna opens the door, she looks at him, and they smile at each other. He raises his camera and takes several shots of her. Click. Click. Click-click. He moves the camera and makes moony eyes at her again. As Donna's SUV drives off, she looks over at him shyly and quite happily out the open window. Hot Photographer stares after her.
In the SUV, Fitz talks about the travel and the new cultures, and seems to be ribbing Donna about making some "new friends." "What do photographers say in the digital age now that the old 'come up and see my darkroom' line has gone the way of the dodo?" he wonders. Hey, just because the technology doesn't support it doesn't mean it wouldn't work, Fitz. Did you get a look at HP, there? Donna starts to answer: "They offer their high-speed inter --" Just then, there is an explosion. The SUV flies into the air, flips, and lands and skids on its top. Hot Photographer looks on in horror. The burning car slides to a stop. The SUV in front of it in the convoy screeches to pull the U-turn and come back. Guys in black outfits with machine guns (now, who are those guys?) run toward the wreckage, and so does Hot Photographer. HP actually passes the machine gun guys, but as he gets near the car, he is intercepted by a police type and not allowed any closer. He stares at the smashed-up car quite miserably as the black-outfit guys work busily all around it. Reluctantly, devoid of other options, he raises the camera again and snaps. Now, we see that he is snapping a lifeless Donna, suspended upside-down with her face pressed to the window and delicate trickles of blood dropping from a couple of small cuts. Uh-oh. Photogenic but dangerous, those end-of-season injuries.
Flapping flag.
When we return, we are inside a plane. We slide along until we find Josh, who is sitting motionless with his hands in his lap. We pass right by him, heading for the part of the plane where the nonlinear timeline is located.
And now, Toby and Josh are coming down a White House hallway at 7:31 AM -- "Before the Explosion," we are told helpfully, as if we couldn't tell from the way Toby is casually asking Josh whether he's heard from Donna. Josh snorts about the "daily interminable emails" that he doesn't have the time (or, more precisely, the inclination) to read. "She doesn't seem to have mastered pith," he complains. Josh asks Toby in return if he's heard from Andy, and Toby says that Andy has no problem getting to the point -- she just tells him to go see the kids. Imagine the nerve. Toby complains that, "before email, it was a lot harder for your ex-wife to hock you from six thousand miles away." Oh, for the days when you could just forget people who were far away. Josh clarifies that the kids are with Andy's mom, and Toby grimaces that it's "an approach-avoidance situation."
Toby now encounters C.J. "Say you're from Minnesota," she says. "I'm from Minne-soo-ta," Toby replies, reaching for the accent. She says no, she's pretending Toby's from there. And, moreover, that he wants prescription drugs from Canada. Toby resists the game by griping that he needs to know what kind of drugs he wants, in case they're clouding his judgment, and C.J. finally has to roll her eyes and just tell him that the news is that Minnesota just set up a state website to facilitate people buying prescription drugs from Canada "in violation of federal law." And that's true, by the way. And unlike the usual practice, where if it's Minnesota on the show it will be Wisconsin or some other equivalent in real life, it actually is Minnesota in this case where that happened, although whether it's in violation of federal law kind of depends on whom you ask. C.J. says she's getting curious phone calls about why the administration doesn't seem to care about enforcing this particular federal law in light of the St. Paul scofflaws. (We're bad here. It's the cold. It makes us mischievous, because we wear three pairs of socks from October to March.) "Shouldn't somebody be applauding our bold affirmation for states' rights?" Toby asks. "Is that what we're doing?" C.J. asks. "Not really," Toby admits. "We need a policy," C.J. tells him, pointing out that it's got people's attention now, so ignoring it won't work. He promises to get on it, "after [he sees] how the Timberwolves and Twins fared last night." "That's over," C.J. says. Hey, why is that funny? That's what I do first thing in the morning.
Will comes in to see Leo, and tells him that the VP was at a fundraiser last night. Leo says he heard that Bingo Bob was good, and Will asks him not to sound so shocked. Leo explains that it's sort of a compliment, so Will might want to chill out, and Will does his best. Will explains that the VP got a question about the CODEL, and whether it means that the administration is considering getting into the peace process again. "It's a tar baby, Sisyphus, hijacks your entire agenda and lands everyone right back where they started, only angrier." So that's a no, apparently. Hardly anyone uses a comparison to Sisyphus as a motivator.
On the mysterious plane (so we're now rather dizzily working on three different timelines -- Donna in Gaza, Josh on plane, White House prior to explosion), Josh starts Outlook Express, and opens his Inbox. Among emails from "Senator Jenkins" and "Linda0468" (shout-out!), he has several from Donna. He opens one of them. As he reads it, we move to her reading it out loud over footage of the trip she's describing. She explains that she doesn't understand the money, and is still probably over- or under-tipping. Man, I do the same thing, and it's not even a currency issue. She explains that she has been attending a very boring series of meetings that have been quite "coma-inducing," and she notes how similar that is to the way things are back home.
We move to one of these meetings, where Donna sits in the peanut gallery with a scarf covering her head, looking -- indeed -- like she's halfway to a coma. Andy, at the table, asks if the Fatah leaders are willing to agree that the Israeli army doesn't target innocents intentionally, and one fellow says that, in fact, he doesn't agree. Fitz brings up the suicide bombers who aren't exactly limiting their operations to military targets, and we're off to the races. And who, at this point, should come and sit to Donna but Hot Photographer? "Same old story, same old song and dance," he says in a bewitching accent, and Donna remarks on the paucity of Aerosmith fans in Gaza. HP introduces himself as "Colin Ayres, photojournalist," which I guess means I can't call him HP anymore, although he will remain HP in my heart. The meeting continues, and remains locked in back-and-forth. Colin flirts to Donna in a low voice that she'll never learn about Gaza from the politicians. "Not with you distracting me," she flirts back. He tells her that's fine -- she can listen to the presentation, and he'll be happy to meet her in the bar after it's over. She starts to say it might run long, but he assures her with a smile that he'll wait, and he leaves. She seems impressed and surprised. Because he, I am here to tell you, is a lot hotter than Josh, who's been breaking her in half for several years now with his inattention.
The bar, later. Wisely, Donna has chosen to show up. She sits down to Colin, and he offers her a drink. She requests juice, which he orders for her, and then he complains that part of the difficulty in Gaza is "the inability to get a proper pint." I have the same problem in my kitchen on many days, so I sympathize. He asks her what she likes to drink when she's not "subjugated by fundamentalists." She tells him she likes a good Rusty Nail, since she's "an old-fashioned girl." She tells him it's what her dad drank -- "Still enchanted?" she asks. "Less," he allows with a grimace. Hee. She asks if this is a routine he has, scouting out "the newest blonde." He clarifies that it's not always a blonde, which is pretty much the only response he can give to an opening as obvious as that. She asks him what he's got against conferences, and he sneers about how dumb the whole "fact-finding" thing is. Their drinks arrive, and they toast. "To an old-fashioned girl," Colin says. Donna laughs. "I'm sorry, that was just really cheesy," she says. She says she'd hate to Colin him "blow the whole dashing mysterioso foreign-correspondent thing." He thanks her for that pseudo-casual recognition of how hot he is, and they sip in silence for a minute. "So show me," she finally says. He asks what she means, as if he didn't leave her this opening earlier, and she says -- quite predictably -- that she's ready for him to show her the real Gaza. "See, what I was hoping --" he starts to say conspiratorially, but she cuts him off: "I know what you were hoping." He gives her a little "Hm?," and she snaps a "The Magic 8-Ball says 'Ask Again Later'" smile at him. She asks when they can start.
Now, we are back on the plane with Josh, and he is continuing to read Donna's emails about Gaza. Her voice-over starts to talk about what you see in Gaza when you get out into it, and we move back to Gaza itself, watching her tour it with Colin. She tells Josh that she notices "idleness," and "a sense of a people waiting, but with no expectation." Hm. Okay. She and Colin get out of a taxi and approach some guys he clearly knows, who are sitting around outside a storefront. Colin introduces one of the guys to Donna, explaining that she's with the CODEL, and that she'd like to get a better understanding of Gaza. The guy explains that he works as an electrician in Israel, but that because the Israelis have closed the checkpoints after a recent suicide bombing, he isn't able to get to work and support his family. Another guy calls out to Donna, and the guy translates that he's telling him to become a martyr. Colin explains that the Palestinian authority pays $2000 to "martyrs'" families, plus a monthly stipend as long as there are kids at home. Electrician Guy tells Donna he wants to work, and he believes it's the fault of the "martyrs" that his kids can't eat.
Look, I apologize for the lack of jokes in this recap, but...yeah, the Israeli-Palestinian jokes are kind of difficult to pull off.
Back on the plane, Josh is still reading, and Donna voices over that when the Erez Checkpoint is open, 19,000 Palestinians a day pass through it to go to work in Israel.
And just like that, we're back at the White House before the explosion. Josh is in the middle of explaining that, no, we're not cutting cotton subsidies. It turns out he's explaining this to New Kate, and it's now 8:17 AM. Josh wants to know why she cares, and she talks about heroin traffic spikes, and how when cotton farmers in other parts of the world can't compete with subsidized U.S. cotton, it drives them to heroin. And apparently, she's against heroin. Josh begins to look past Kate's shoulder, distracted, as he says something about subsidizing profits, and just then, his beeper goes off, as does Kate's. Josh walks quickly out of his office, where he runs into C.J. "What's up?" he asks her. "Explosion in Gaza," C.J. says, tightly but evenly. "The CODEL. Some fatalities." "Donna?" Josh asks in a softer, higher voice than usual. "It just happened; that's all I know," C.J. says gently. They turn to look at Toby, just entering through the French doors. He looks at them miserably. Yeah. Wishing your ex-wife were hocking you right about now, there, Toby?
After a commercial, we come back to news coverage of the explosion on one of the high monitors, and underneath it, to Carol, waiting on the phone and yelling that MSNBC has coverage. Through the windows, we can see C.J. also on the phone, explaining that she's already been holding for some time. She tells Carol to try "his cell phone," and Carol insists that she just gets cut off. Josh is on the phone, too, and Toby is pacing. Will is in C.J.'s office, asking if she knows anything. She says they're trying to find out by calling a field producer, but no luck yet. "Donna? Andy?" Will asks. "We don't know anything," C.J. repeats. Carol confirms that nobody is getting through.
And then, Toby's cell phone rings. He answers it. "Andy," he says with huge relief. Activity in the room stops, it gets quiet, an all eyes to go Toby. "She's all right," Toby says to the room. "She's...she was in the other car...." "Oh my God, I see her!" C.J. says, pointing at the TV. "On the right, on the cell phone, right there." Indeed, there is Andy on TV. Toby tells her that they can see her on television, and on the monitor, Andy waves frantically at the camera. Toby, dazed, seems unconnected from his hand as it reflexively drifts up to wave back at her as he stammers into the phone that he can see her. Josh turns back to Toby. "How's Donna?" he asks, a little desperately. "Two congressmen confirmed dead," is all Toby says. "Korb and DeSantos." "What about Donna?" Josh repeats, more urgently. Toby asks Andy about Donna. He looks back at Josh, saying quickly, "She was in the car, that..." Toby stops and listens. "Andy saw people put in ambulances, that's all she knows." Josh stands and stares, looking like somebody just snipped about six of the primary wires that run his body. As Toby turns away to tell Andy how glad he is that she's all right, Josh ages about ten years as he turns to look again at the monitor. C.J. looks up at it with him, and wraps her hand around his elbow.
Leo's office. Leo sits behind his desk. He looks about as unhappy as the people out in the offices do. He doesn't move for long seconds, and then he finally stands. As he walks toward the door, we find that Kate is there, and apparently has just brought some news, given that she is standing in front of his desk. She turns to follow Leo into the Office of O. They stand and wait, and before long, Jed comes in through the door from outside, a dark expression on his face. "Mr. President," Leo says. "Three dead so far, sir," Kate says. "Congressmen DeSantos and Korb." "Oh, God," Jed says with a low rattle in his voice. But the worst is yet to come. "And we just got word," Leo says quietly, "Admiral Fitzwallace." Jed's stunned, sad expression takes over the room. Oh, the cruelties of sweeps. Kate says that others are injured, and are going to hospitals nearby. Charlie, standing just behind Jed, says he'll go and get the phone numbers of the Congressmen's families. Leo turns and looks at Kate, and she walks away. Leo looks at POTUS. "I asked Fitz to go," Jed says in a half-whisper. He turns away from Leo and looks out the window.
Back in Gaza, Before, Donna is tip-tapping on a computer, telling Josh about getting in and out of the settlements, and how during the pre-dinner break, she met an Israeli settler family. "Two days before, a mortar round had exploded in their kitchen." We look in on said settler family's home, and I am told by knowledgeable Eagle-Eyed Forum Posters that it's actually fairly unlikely that a neighborhood in a settlement would look like a neighborhood somewhere in Rancho Cucamonga, what with the charming stucco house and attached garage. The family is giving Donna and Colin a tour, explaining how they get bombed from time to time. And not in the good way. See how you can't make that joke, even? Sigh. Donna mentions the talk in Israel of giving up the settlements, but Settler Wife tells her that "God wants [them] in this place." She considers staying to be a "divine moral obligation." Settler Husband says that if they give up the settlements, Israel will lose more and more ground, and "all end up in Tel Aviv." Donna asks if the danger makes them want to leave, and SH tells her that this environment is actually more safe. SW elaborates that, in Jerusalem, if you see an Arab, he might or might not be dangerous. In the settlement, if you see one, you know he's bad, so you can shoot him. Well, that would be comforting, I suppose, the indiscriminate shooting. The Settler Couple moves along, and Donna makes her frowny-face of concern.
Now, we are back in the post-explosion White House, where the TV screen shows pictures of Fitz and the congressmen. "Moss, Moss," we hear Josh pleading into the phone. "Donnatella Moss, tall, blonde...do you have any idea of her condition? Of where she was taken?...I understand, is there anyone there who -- yeah, this is Josh Lyman, calling from the White House...the White House...yes, where the president lives. I'm looking for information about one of the U.S. bombing victims, Donnatella Moss." I think I've done this phone call with my bank. Though obviously, the stakes were somewhat lower.
Cut to Toby's office, where he is barking into the phone about a "decent interval." Then he barks, "Go away," and hangs up. Heh. Will is standing in the doorway. Toby turns and tells him that the guy from the DNC wants to discuss whom to put up for the dead congressmen's seats. "You're joking," Will says. Oh, Will. You're so young. Toby says with disgust that they're not through "picking up pieces of these guys," and the guy wants to talk about how one of them has a "poachable district." Will wonders why they called Toby, and Toby says that they thought Josh might be "upset" about Donna's situation, so they called Toby. As he puts it, on the apparent theory that Andy is only almost dead, so they figured he'd be doing just peachy. They then talk about the pro-Israeli lobbies and their strangely mixed reaction, in that some seem grimly glad it happened, or at least glad to have their fears validated. Will cautiously brings up the fact that POTUS is giving an address. Toby, looking suspiciously at Will, confirms. Will says that the VP would like to see an advance copy. Toby snarks about whether Bingo Bob will be offering his valuable advice about spelling and grammar, and Will, trying not to bite on the bait, just says that it's a big speech, and that it's hardly surprising that the VPOTUS would take an interest. Toby accuses Will of caring about the politics, and calls him "as bad as that clown from the DNC." Will calmly tells Toby that it's a major address, and that, yes, the speech will have political ramifications, and that it's part of the job to care. Toby rubs his head in frustration, because he never worries about the political ramifications of anything, being the communications director and stuff. When Toby gripes impatiently that "some of us are trying to govern," Will reminds him that a heads-up really isn't that hard a request, but Toby coldly answers that he plans to be "polishing" up until the last minute, so no dice. Or at best, warmed-over dice, I guess. Will nods warily and starts to leave. He turns back, though, and says to Toby, quite genuinely, "I'm glad Andy's okay." Toby gives a little nod. "I wonder who they would have called had she been one of the ones killed," he wonders aloud. "Yeah," Will says, and he leaves.
Jed comes into the crowded Situation Room. There, he asks what they know. The answer? Not a lot. Remote explosive, undoubtedly targeting the Americans given that the black SUVs are identifiable. Apparently, this is a shift from a past in which U.S. officials were generally considered "off-limits" to terrorists. Kate brings up the fact that there's no claim of responsibility, and that all of the usual suspects are actually coming out hard to clarify that they had nothing to do with it. Jed wants to know what's being done, and the usual probably ineffectual measures are being taken, as it turns out. General Alexander adds that they're preparing a list of targets for retaliation. "Are there any?" Jed wonders. "We can't just go and flatten some refugee camp," he snorts. Just then, they get a call from the Palestinian chairman on the phone. They put him on speaker, as you do when you want everyone to hear you kick a guy around for a few minutes. The chairman starts out with an apology, and Jed opens with a comment that there are plenty of people who think that assassinations of your legislators would be considered "an act of war." The chairman says that the authority condemns the attack, and says that "all Palestinians" would do the same. "Not the perpetrators, Mr. Chairman," Jed says, less angrily and more sadly than you'd think from reading the line on paper. The chairman promises that those responsible will be found and punished. The chairman insists that the perpetrators are traitors and criminals, and that "no organized group would do this." Jed isn't buying. The chairman claims that everyone knows that targeting Americans "would be catastrophic to the Palestinian cause." "In this, Mr. Chairman, they are entirely correct," Jed says, delivering that last bit with an ominous rumble. They wrap up the call. The talk in the room turns to speculation that the chairman in fact does know who did it, though Kate maintains that it's possible that he doesn't. Somewhere about here, Jed's face goes blank and his eyes wander, and you can tell that he's thinking about Fitz. At least that's my opinion. Leo calls him back to reality, and Jed gravely asks for a moment of silence in memory of those who died. When that's over, he says that he wants contingency plans to be made for retaliation against Palestinian terror targets, "including the chairman's headquarters." That's what you get for being unconvincing in your big moment when they put you on speakerphone. Jed gets up and leaves.
Later, Kate shows up at Leo's office, saying she heard he wanted to see her. He ushers her in. He says that with Too-Tall McNally "out of the country," it will fall to Kate to be "our go-to...I was going to say 'guy.' The problem with English. 'Guy' is wrong, 'gal' is patronizing, and 'person' sounds arch." "Go-to guy's fine," she says. Leo goes into an explanation of how Kate will need to coordinate all the agencies, and how she shouldn't be nervous about beating up anybody who resists. He also suggests that she keep in mind that Jed doesn't like the CIA director, so a go-between might be wise if the CIA has something. Kate agrees to keep it in mind. "You're the White House point...person," Leo says with discomfort. Is Leo really still this stilted about having women around? That seems weird and kind of shipped-in for this episode. I just don't think somebody in Leo's position would have this much difficulty adjusting to the presence of boobs in his office. Hasn't he met C.J.? Because C.J. has them, too. "I won't let you down," Kate says. She stands up and says she has one other thing. She was in the military, and what with "manning" ships and such, she's "made [her] peace with the colloquial." Leo smiles and says he's glad. "Just between us girls," she adds, and Leo smiles. She thanks him and leaves. Again, that conversation? Funny, kind of, but really, really dated.
At C.J.'s press briefing, everybody is yelling over each other and C.J. is quickly losing her cool. "HEY!" she finally yells. They stop talking all at the same time. C.J.: "Is this working for you? Now if you'll ask your questions one at a time like, oh, I don't know, every other time we've done this for the last five years, maybe you'll come away from this with something to write, and maybe I'll still be speaking to one or two of you when I climb down from here." Ooooh. They're in trouble. C.J. takes a couple of questions about whether retaliation is being considered, and emphasizes that nothing's happening right now and that they don't want anything to happen -- but that yes, in the long run, this may have policy implications. Then she calls on a guy in the back. "Does the White House have a comment on today's FDA warning on safety violations at Canadian internet pharmacies?" C.J., barely restraining herself from clambering down into the crowd and taking him out with one punch: "What?"
In his office, Josh is on the phone, saying that he hasn't been able to get good information on Donna's injuries. It turns out that this is Donna's mother, and that Josh has called to tell her all he can, although that isn't very much right now. Aw. Such a nice boy, when he's not an overbearing ass.
Elsewhere, Jed is on the phone making his own unpleasant phone call to one of the congressmen's family, talking about a grateful nation and so forth. When he hangs up and Charlie hands him the file, Jed offers a heavy sigh and asks Charlie whether he got one of these calls from someone when his mother died. Charlie says that he did, from his mother's captain. Jed asks him if it made him feel better. "Not really, sir," Charlie says. "Nothing makes you feel better." As he dials for Jed, Charlie adds, "But it did make me feel proud." And that's Charlie for the week. Damn, they waste that kid every week, the bastards.
In the weirdest scene of the week, Josh encounters Will in the hallway. "How's Donna?" Will asks as they walk. Josh: "Potential bleeding issues." Will: "Dire issues?" Josh: "Significant's the word they used, but dire's good." C.J., entering from the side and joining the walk: "How's Donna?" Will: "Some issues. C.J.: "Life-threatening?" Will: "Significant." Toby, joining the walk: "Hey. Donna okay?" C.J.: "Some issues, I'm not really sure...." Josh turns around to the little clump that's now following him, and says that maybe they should do it all at once. Just then, though, Leo calls Josh over. Josh goes, and the clump walks on, until it runs into Charlie and Kate waiting by Charlie's desk. "Any news on Donna?" Charlie asks. "Some issues," Toby says. "Potentially significant," C.J. asks. "With bleeding," Will asks. Yeah, okay. I get it. That's supposed to be the Sorkin-y dialogue, but you know what? Of all the complete B.S. that Sorkin wrote for this show, I give him credit for the fact that he knew how to do that weird thing with the dialogue very well, and nobody else can do it, and they should really stop trying, because it's extremely conspicuous and annoying when they do. Just get over it. You can't do it. Watch a few old episodes of Sports Night on DVD and accept that it's over. Because it's over.
Anyway, just then, Josh comes in with Leo. Josh is explaining that Donna has experienced blood loss, and he is not looking good. "Poor kid," Leo says. When all are standing around outside Charlie's desk, Will asks what the response will be, and Leo asks what Will thinks it should be. "Regime change," Will says simply. C.J. asks whether this means taking out the chairman. "He is the impediment," Will argues. Toby gets his digs in, saying that the Palestinians "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." "The guy in Tel Aviv's no picnic, either," C.J. says, despite the fact that -- again, thanks, Eagle-Eyed Forum Posters, for noticing -- "the guy" isn't in Tel Aviv, "the guy" is in Jerusalem, as is Parliament, so quit it. Leo agrees that State is convinced that the situation won't improve until both of "the guys" are gone. Will insists that isn't fair, because Israel isn't the issue. C.J. wearily references the settlements and the wall, and Charlie says that Israel doesn't blow up Americans. Just other people, I guess, so that's fine, then. Don't do that, Charlie. Will insists that the Israelis don't talk about "driving the Palestinians into the sea." Kate begs to diffah: "Some do." Will blows her off, but C.J. backs her up with a mention of the concept of "Greater Israel." Kate argues that, in fact, part of the problem may be that old attitudes persist at the top that are dying out in practice -- she claims that no credible Arab leader actually thinks they're going to get rid of Israel at this late date. Leo takes issue, and Kate starts to say, "Well, there's a view that --" "Don't keep saying 'some argue' and 'there's a view,'" Will bitches. "Can we restrict it to your view?" I hope Will is aware that, in government, there are some jobs in which it is not actually your job to give your personal view, and it seems like Kate has come from that environment and is taking some time to adjust to this one, in which people actually want to hear what she thinks. He could stand to be a little less of a dick about it. Kate, however, does offer her view that the Palestinians don't want to get rid of Israel; they want a state of their own. She also points out that, historically, revolutionaries are going to beat out an occupying force every day of the week and twice on Sunday, as Sorkin himself once wrote. "I don't know if that's more simplistic or naïve," Will snots. Wait, what? No, it's not. It's actually kind of true. Toby, noted sophisticated thinker on this issue, calls it "tribal" and says "it can't be solved."
Now, we return to pre-explosion Gaza, where Donna and Colin are sitting in what I guess is her room, watching a video of a woman who later became a suicide bomber. In the video, she is explaining how she came to do this. Colin tells Donna that the tape says the woman wanted to die as a martyr and "turn [her] body into shrapnel." She even left behind children. He hands Donna pictures of the children, and says that families left behind in situations like this are "showered with gifts." The kids even get sweets at the funeral. [Shudder.] Donna stares at the frozen screen of the woman on the TV and sighs. "It's unimaginable," she says. "Well, you don't have to imagine it, do you? It's real," he says.
And now, back to the offices, where Will is still arguing for retaliation. C.J. argues that this would make us combatants in the whole mess, and Leo says we already are, what with the fatalities and such. Kate argues that it might be "an opportunity" to get "moral authority to re-engage." Josh is pacing more and more frantically off to the side, not participating in the conversation at all. Finally, he spins around and spits, "We need to kill them." Everyone stares at him. "We need to find them, and to kill them. We kill them, and then we find out who sent them, and we kill them, too." "Josh," Leo says warily. But Josh is on a roll: "You kill the people who did it, you kill the people who planned it, then you kill everyone who was happy about it." Everyone stares at Josh. Charlie picks up the phone on his desk and talks to Jed, and then indicates that they can all go in now. Leo, however, has a bit of a diversion he needs to take care of first, so he pulls Josh into the room as Josh scoffs about Kate's "opportunity" remark. "Where's Donna now?" Leo says simply, getting to the point in rather a hurry. Josh says that she's being sent to Germany. "If there's someplace you'd rather be, everyone would understand," Leo says with a concerned look. Josh flatly says, "I'm fine." Leo just looks at him. Doesn't move. Doesn't say anything, just looks at Josh. You can certainly imagine, even if you can't hear, a clock ticking in the background. Tick, tick, tick. Finally, Josh sighs, "Thanks," and heads out.
See, while Josh's rant was obviously off-putting, I have to say that his outburst didn't bother me the way that some of the stuff they do sometimes does. It's okay with me to have people say angry, irrational things, provided that the story recognizes them as angry, irrational things. Yes, Josh was advocating a "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out" strategy, which is brutal and angry and not a good idea, and Leo treated it as such. He clearly realized that Josh's frame of mind was not appropriate for participation in the process, because Josh is too upset about Donna to think clearly. What I don't like is the way that remarks that are just as offensive go unchallenged and are treated by other people like they're perfectly normal. Toby is allowed to basically say, "There are no rational people living in the deserts of Arab countries," and nobody even blinks. For Josh to be hateful and frustrated seemed natural and predictable to me under the circumstances, and Leo gave the appropriate response, as did everyone else who stared at Josh like he'd gone round the bend.
Anyway, Josh walks past Leo, and Leo heads for the meeting with Jed. We follow Josh down the hallway, and the music shifts as he breaks into a jog. He busts through the door near his office, ducks in for his bag, and heads back out. We stare at Donna's empty desk.
And then we are back in Gaza, watching Donna type on her laptop, back in the days when she was well. And the camera slowly rotates, and she looks over at her bed, and...what do you know? Donna has gone and slept with Hot Photographer. Good for her. There is life, indeed, besides Josh.
And then we are at the checkpoint, on the day of the explosion -- which you can tell, because Donna is wearing the same white floppy hat and orange shirt she had on when the car blew up. She meets up with Colin, apologizing for being late. He takes some pictures of her, and says they still have time before she has to go. He calls over one of the guards, and he and Donna go over and chat with him. Donna asks how old Tall Cute Guard is, and he says he's twenty-two. She asks if he likes the Army. "It's an Israeli's most sacred duty," he answers. She adds that chicks dig uniforms. TCG winks that it's him, and not the uniform, that the girls like. Donna laughs. TCG tells her more seriously that "it's no good, Gaza." He goes on to explain that 7500 Israeli settlers surrounded by 1.3 million Palestinians who don't want them to be there is not a good equation for anyone, particularly for him, here "in the middle." He tells a story of being attacked by settlers when he was sent to break up an illegal settlement. He talks about the losses, about the difficulties of seeing comrades killed, and Donna can do nothing but tell him she's sorry. He tells her, at Colin's urging, a story about some women soldiers who were killed, and how after that happened, some of the guys in his unit taunted young Palestinian boys over a loudspeaker into coming out of hiding, and even though the kids only had rocks, the soldiers shot them. Donna cautiously says, "You..." "I do not shoot children," he answers stiffly. He clarifies, though, that the people who did "are not evil." He says that if you have monstrous acts from people who aren't monsters, that's how you know it's "the situation...the circumstances." Donna says she has to go, and she thanks him for speaking with her. She and Colin turn and head back to the convoy, and as they get close, he leaves her, telling her she'd better go back by herself. They touch hands just a little bit as she walks toward the SUVs, and then this is where we came in earlier, with Donna complaining about the heat. Colin takes pictures. The SUV takes off. Yeah, that scene -- and the whole episode, I guess -- can be interpreted as kind of facile, but that's sort of the nature of the beast, and at least they managed not to be incredibly maddening, at least to the extent they could have been. (Well, putting aside the realism issues, which I am not qualified to address, but which have been discussed at great length by the EEFPs.)
And then, we return to Josh on the plane, which we now know is his plane to Germany, on which he is taking the opportunity to read Donna's emails. It's a little late, there, cowboy. He stares at the screen, tired and terrified and undoubtedly without even a bag of peanuts, considering how paranoid they are about food allergies these days. And how cheap. The voice on the PA says that electronic devices have to be turned off, so he shuts down the laptop and closes the lid.
It's the situation room again. Kate tells Jed that the FBI team is on its way to the scene. McNally, Kate explains, is on her way over there as well. The latest news is that the chairman seems at least to be giving the appearance of making an effort, carrying out a night raid in which he took in some suspects. The Israelis say, however, that it's the wrong people -- that the people picked up are just folks the chairman didn't like anyway. Kate weakly defends the chairman for at least doing something, and Leo wonders if they're supposed to "give 'A's for effort now." Jed asks what's known about the bombing, and it turns out that the execution is considered too sophisticated for low-level "guys freelancing." Jed asks about military options, and sums up that we don't know who did it, and we don't know what we would do to them anyway, and we don't know who the chairman arrested, and we don't know why he arrested them. "Is there anything -- anything at all -- that we are certain of, other than [that] three U.S. officials were brutally murdered?" As it turns out, we know that young Palestinians stoned Western reporters at the blast site, shouting "God is great." Well, that's something. Somehow, Jed fails to find it comforting.
Josh runs up the steps of a hospital and heads inside. He introduces himself and says he's looking for Donna.
We then see Josh getting on an elevator, still looking a little bit stunned. The doors close.
Josh is then by a nurses' station, where he is finally joined by a doctor who operated on Donna. And what, Josh wonders, was wrong with Donna when she came in that needed operating on? The doctor says that Donna had "multiple compound fractures of her femur and a pneumothorax." Josh stammers, and the doctor clarifies that this means a collapsed lung and a broken thigh bone. Josh's face brightens. "A collapsed lung, that's no biggie, right?" The doctor mentions a chest tube, and Josh starts to get frowny again, but the doctor smiles and says, "No biggie." Donna's lung should re-expand within a couple of days. Josh asks about the broken leg, and the doc explains that a compound fracture is where it protrudes through the skin, and Josh starts to get queasy. "And this was a multiple," the doctor says, "so..." "Got it, I got it," Josh says uncomfortably. The doctor asks if he's all right, and Josh lets on that he doesn't take this kind of stuff so well, stomach-contents-wise. "Plus, the, you know, jet lag," he says, which was really funny. Because, no, Josh. The doctor says that the main fracture repairs went well, and that the doctors put a rod through the bone in Donna's leg. This sends Josh bending at the waist to keep from passing out, which is highly amusing, since it looks at first like he's dropping in a dead faint. The doctor asks him if he needs to sit, but Josh claims to be fine. "So she's going to be okay?" he mutters, still bent over and talking into his own chest, pretty much. The doctor bends down as well, saying he's more worried about Josh at this point than he is about Donna. Josh gamely stands up. "I'm good," he says. The doc says they'll need to monitor Donna and make sure there are no clots, and that recovery from the collapsed lung may take a few weeks. Josh: "Great. Well, not great, but, considering." The doc smiles a little teasingly: "You can see her. If you'd like." The doc doesn't quite say, "You loooooooove her," but he's kind of thinking it. Josh picks up his bag wordlessly and follows the doctor.
Back at the Office of O, Charlie ushers Kate in to talk to Jed. He thanks her for her work, and calls it "a hell of an orientation." "No thanks necessary, sir," she says. He says to Kate that it's his understanding she knew Fitz. Kate explains that, indeed, he was one of her mentors. "I had a mild tendency toward insubordination," she says. "Which he helped you correct?" Jed asks. "Which he enjoyed," Kate recalls with a smile, "when not directed at him." Jed smiles. "I have a similar taste." "I'll bear that in mind," she says warmly. "Sir," Jed says. "Sorry?" Kate asks. "I'll bear that in mind, sir," Jed says as he heads for the door. "Oh!" Kate says as she turns to follow him. "No, I --" "I'm just jerking your chain," POTUS says, and calls for Charlie to see whether the Secret Service has the car. Charlie says they do. Jed asks Kate to walk with him. As they go, Jed tells an optimist/pessimist joke about the horrors of the Middle East situation, and Kate talks ruefully about the "silent majority on both sides who just want to live their lives." Jed says that, unfortunately, all the energy goes to the troublemakers. Jed dismisses efforts at getting involved as "an ego trip...chasing that Nobel Peace Prize." Kate maintains that, after such a long battle, "there's no dishonor in failure. The only dishonor might be not to try." Jed regards her for a moment, and then asks her to come with him in the car. She hesitates only an instant before stepping into the car.
In Germany, the doctor opens the door to Donna's room, and Josh stands there, not even really wanting to go in at first. She is lying in the hospital bed, looking awfully good, considering. Her hair's even neat. Josh walks into the room, and the doc closes the door. Josh comes and stands by the bed, realizing that even though he's relieved that Donna's all right for the moment, he was not prepared to see her with oxygen prongs in her nose and tubes in her arm. He looks down at her with a combination of guilt and pity and fear and much-deserved self-loathing for being such a dick so terribly often. And I must say, it's about time.
The car carrying Jed and Kate finally stops at a big house, and Jed steps out. She follows. Looking up at the house, she knows where they are. We are then on the steps, and the doorbell rings. The door opens, and it's Mrs. Fitz. "Gail," Jed says sadly. "Mr. President," she says weakly. "Please, come in." She stands aside and brings Jed and Kate into the house. The door closes.
Inside, Jed tells Mrs. Fitz how sorry she is, and Kate echoes the sadness. Mrs. Fitz tells them how, at this stage of Fitz's career, she wasn't living in as much fear as she would have, had he been an ordinary soldier. "You don't spend a career preparing for this," she says sadly. "Seemed like a blessing until today." Fighting through the guilt he feels for asking Fitz to go, which Mrs. Fitz undoubtedly knows all about, Jed tells her that the people responsible are going to be punished. "Don't promise that," she says softly. "I know the world." Jed can say nothing, because she's right.
We sweep back to the offices, where Leo and C.J. are discussing the funerals and other various problems. Leo tries to send C.J. home; she protests that she could say the same to him. Leo answers his ringing phone, and as he listens, he sinks into his chair. C.J. can tell it's not good, and she comes over to hover. When he gets off the phone, he confirms that it isn't good: Israel just fired on an apartment house in Gaza City, targeting a Hamas leader. Twelve dead, four children. Millionth verse, same as the first. Little bit louder and...sigh.
And now we are back at the hospital in Germany. Josh is in a chair to the bed of a still-sleeping Donna. He stares at her. He has moved, it would seem, from shock to pondering, and what he's pondering? Well, that's the great mystery, I suppose. He watches her, he watches her, and he watches her some more. And...fade to black.
week: Retaliation. Donna awake. Josh with flowers. Signs of an emergency scattered on the floor of Donna's room, with no Donna in sight. Crazy Josh, demanding to know where she is. Another operating room. A complication. The finale! You won't want to miss it. There's going to be bleeding.