And It's Surely to Their Credit
Encyclopedia
"And It's Surely to Their Credit" is the fifth episode of the second season of the television series The West Wing
, which premiered on NBC
on November 1, 2000.
) first day as an Associate White House Counsel and fellow West Wing
employees' reactions to her employment, as she is a Republican
in a Democrat
ic administration. Early in the day, she is presented to her new boss, White House Counsel
Lionel Tribbey (played by John Larroquette
), who is angry about her hiring and distrustful of her motives. He also is angry about two junior West Wing staffers who have represented the White House badly before Congress, and he assigns Ainsley to visit Capitol Hill and try to placate the Republican leadership. Before leaving, she points out to Tribbey that, like her, he serves the president from a sense of civic duty despite disagreeing with many of his positions, and he responds with a reference from a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta
; however, they disagree on the source of the quote. On her return, the two staffers are overtly hostile to Ainsley and later send her a wilted plant with an unsigned card calling her a bitch. Sam
starts to reprimand her for addressing the two staffers directly, but upon discovering their inappropriate response, he storms to their office and fires them. Tribbey is standing nearby and seconds their dismissal, after which Sam disputes the operetta reference, alluding to his collegiate expertise in the matter. In the closing scene of the episode, he gathers Josh, C.J., and Toby
in Ainsley's basement office to welcome her with a chorus from the disputed song, "He is an Englishman."
Elsewhere in the episode, C.J. faces off with a retiring Army General (Tom Bower
) who is planning to publicly criticize the president. The general is angry about military budget restrictions that he claims leave the U.S. military unprepared. C.J. first notes some flaws in both the budget views and the scope of conflicts envisioned in that assessment, then calls out that he has been wearing medals he did not earn. The general backs down, but the president later tells her that as the retiring leader fought valiantly ("he was the first in and the last out") in a war in which Bartlett did not want to serve, the general has earned the right to speak.
Sam tries to convince Josh to sue a variety of hate groups indirectly responsible for his shooting, citing precedents of damages collected from several neo-Nazi organizations. Toby is against the idea, pointing out that the sued organizations could then launch their own discovery motions against staffers. Josh decides not to sue the hate groups because he feels it trivializes the matter, though he will pursue action against his obstinate health insurance company.
Meanwhile, the president has difficulty recording his weekly radio address and also finding time to spend with the First Lady
now that he is sufficiently recovered from the shooting to resume sexual activity. She halts one encounter to chastise him for not being aware of the accomplishments of the prominent woman she was travelling to honour, journalist Nellie Bly
, which inspires him to create a new radio message about the need for more monuments to the women who helped build the nation.
, a comic opera
by Gilbert and Sullivan
. Whether the line is from Pinafore or The Pirates of Penzance
, also by Gilbert and Sullivan
, is the source of a running joke throughout the episode.
The West Wing (TV series)
The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
, which premiered on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
on November 1, 2000.
Plot
The episode features Ainsley Hayes's (Emily ProcterEmily Procter
-External links:...
) first day as an Associate White House Counsel and fellow West Wing
West Wing
The West Wing is the building housing the official offices of the President of the United States. It is the part of the White House Complex in which the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room, and the Roosevelt Room are located...
employees' reactions to her employment, as she is a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
ic administration. Early in the day, she is presented to her new boss, White House Counsel
White House Counsel
The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States.-Role:The Counsel's role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and the White House...
Lionel Tribbey (played by John Larroquette
John Larroquette
John Edgar Bernard Larroquette, Jr. is an American film, television and Broadway actor. His roles include Dan Fielding on the series Night Court, Mike McBride in the Hallmark Channel series McBride, John Hemingway on The John Larroquette Show, and Carl Sack in Boston Legal.-Personal...
), who is angry about her hiring and distrustful of her motives. He also is angry about two junior West Wing staffers who have represented the White House badly before Congress, and he assigns Ainsley to visit Capitol Hill and try to placate the Republican leadership. Before leaving, she points out to Tribbey that, like her, he serves the president from a sense of civic duty despite disagreeing with many of his positions, and he responds with a reference from a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
; however, they disagree on the source of the quote. On her return, the two staffers are overtly hostile to Ainsley and later send her a wilted plant with an unsigned card calling her a bitch. Sam
Sam Seaborn
Samuel Norman "Sam" Seaborn is a fictional character portrayed by Rob Lowe on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is best known for being Deputy White House Communications Director in the Josiah Bartlet administration throughout the first four seasons of the series.-Creation and...
starts to reprimand her for addressing the two staffers directly, but upon discovering their inappropriate response, he storms to their office and fires them. Tribbey is standing nearby and seconds their dismissal, after which Sam disputes the operetta reference, alluding to his collegiate expertise in the matter. In the closing scene of the episode, he gathers Josh, C.J., and Toby
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
in Ainsley's basement office to welcome her with a chorus from the disputed song, "He is an Englishman."
Elsewhere in the episode, C.J. faces off with a retiring Army General (Tom Bower
Tom Bower
Tom Bower is a British writer, noted for his revelatory investigative work such as his unauthorized biographies.A former Panorama reporter, his books include unauthorised biographies of Tiny Rowland, Robert Maxwell, Mohamed Al-Fayed, Geoffrey Robinson, Gordon Brown and Richard Branson...
) who is planning to publicly criticize the president. The general is angry about military budget restrictions that he claims leave the U.S. military unprepared. C.J. first notes some flaws in both the budget views and the scope of conflicts envisioned in that assessment, then calls out that he has been wearing medals he did not earn. The general backs down, but the president later tells her that as the retiring leader fought valiantly ("he was the first in and the last out") in a war in which Bartlett did not want to serve, the general has earned the right to speak.
Sam tries to convince Josh to sue a variety of hate groups indirectly responsible for his shooting, citing precedents of damages collected from several neo-Nazi organizations. Toby is against the idea, pointing out that the sued organizations could then launch their own discovery motions against staffers. Josh decides not to sue the hate groups because he feels it trivializes the matter, though he will pursue action against his obstinate health insurance company.
Meanwhile, the president has difficulty recording his weekly radio address and also finding time to spend with the First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
now that he is sufficiently recovered from the shooting to resume sexual activity. She halts one encounter to chastise him for not being aware of the accomplishments of the prominent woman she was travelling to honour, journalist Nellie Bly
Nellie Bly
Nellie Bly was the pen name of American pioneer female journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochran. She remains notable for two feats: a record-breaking trip around the world in emulation of Jules Verne's character Phileas Fogg, and an exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from...
, which inspires him to create a new radio message about the need for more monuments to the women who helped build the nation.
Title
The episode title is based on a line from the famous "He is an Englishman" solo and chorus from Act II of H.M.S. PinaforeH.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
, a comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
by Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
. Whether the line is from Pinafore or The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, also by Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
, is the source of a running joke throughout the episode.
Trivia
- C.J. says that a three-star general is the Army Chief of Staff; that position is a four-star billet. (When the general shows up in CJ's office he has three stars on his shoulder boards.)