Evidence of Things Not Seen
Encyclopedia
"Evidence of Things Not Seen" is episode 85 of The West Wing
. The episode introduces Matthew Perry
to the series.
staff and the President are engaged in a game of poker
, but keep getting interrupted by various crises. Josh
is in the middle of interviewing Joe Quincy (Matthew Perry
) for Ainsley Hayes' old job in the counsel's office, when shots are fired at the building, and the West Wing goes into lockdown
because earlier incidents in Germany, Malaysia and Guam suggest a larger terrorist event is looming. President Bartlet
is also interrupted, while trying to retrieve an unmanned spy plane
from Russia
n territory without giving away too much information. The UAV crashed due to a quirk of satellite positioning and the Russian President is not impressed by the cover story involving beach erosion. President Bartlet finally tells him they're tracking nuclear smuggling that the Russian government is not taking action against, and says that they can do one of two things: retrieve the UAV and share the pictures taken (not the technology) or destroy the UAV. The Russian President decides on the former plan. Josh is surprised that Joe is a Republican, and Joe surprises Josh by saying his party doesn't care about Josh's emotional roller coaster as he recovered from being shot and having PTSD; Josh says he will recommend Joe get Ainsley's job. Will Bailey's work as a JAG Air Force Reserve officer involves a tricky case where two airmen refused to launch nuclear missiles after a false report of a North Korean attack. C.J. tries to balance an egg on its bottom side and succeeds.
, Hebrews
11:1 – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...”, which is also quoted by C.J. in 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...
. The episode introduces Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry (actor)
Matthew Langford Perry is a Canadian-American actor and comedian, best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Chandler Bing on the popular, long-running NBC television sitcom Friends...
to the series.
Plot
On the night of the vernal equinox, the West WingWest 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...
staff and the President are engaged in a game of poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
, but keep getting interrupted by various crises. Josh
Josh Lyman
Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
is in the middle of interviewing Joe Quincy (Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry (actor)
Matthew Langford Perry is a Canadian-American actor and comedian, best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Chandler Bing on the popular, long-running NBC television sitcom Friends...
) for Ainsley Hayes' old job in the counsel's office, when shots are fired at the building, and the West Wing goes into lockdown
Lockdown
There are several definitions for the term lockdown, the most common of which pertains to a state of containment or a restriction of progression....
because earlier incidents in Germany, Malaysia and Guam suggest a larger terrorist event is looming. President Bartlet
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
is also interrupted, while trying to retrieve an unmanned spy plane
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n territory without giving away too much information. The UAV crashed due to a quirk of satellite positioning and the Russian President is not impressed by the cover story involving beach erosion. President Bartlet finally tells him they're tracking nuclear smuggling that the Russian government is not taking action against, and says that they can do one of two things: retrieve the UAV and share the pictures taken (not the technology) or destroy the UAV. The Russian President decides on the former plan. Josh is surprised that Joe is a Republican, and Joe surprises Josh by saying his party doesn't care about Josh's emotional roller coaster as he recovered from being shot and having PTSD; Josh says he will recommend Joe get Ainsley's job. Will Bailey's work as a JAG Air Force Reserve officer involves a tricky case where two airmen refused to launch nuclear missiles after a false report of a North Korean attack. C.J. tries to balance an egg on its bottom side and succeeds.
Episode title
The title of this episode comes from the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, Hebrews
Hebrews
Hebrews is an ethnonym used in the Hebrew Bible...
11:1 – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...”, which is also quoted by C.J. in the episode.