Hartsfield's Landing
Encyclopedia
"Hartsfield's Landing" is episode 58 of The West Wing
. Dulé Hill
, who plays Charlie Young
, was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for his performances in this and the Enemies Foreign and Domestic
episodes.
that Bartlet is playing with the Chinese, who are conducting war games
in the Taiwan Strait
. The Chinese threaten real war if Taiwan
begins test firing its new U.S.-made Patriot
defense missiles, so a Navy group is ordered to be sent into the area. Leo laments how dangerous the area is (second only to Kashmir for global risk) and Josh wonders about the price of supporting Taiwan against such pressure. This subplot is similar to the real-world Third Taiwan Strait Crisis
.
President Bartlet has just returned from a successful trip to India and the chess sets were a gift from the Indian Prime Minister. During the game with Sam, he is subtly but clearly giving Sam more information about the international crisis and testing his younger staffer's instincts in the process; during Toby's game, he is ending his estrangement from Toby that began during "The Two Bartlets" and grappling with the issue of how to win an election versus the Republicans and their anti-intellectual campaign. Toby pitches an idea that the President likes: rather than downplaying his intellect to appeal to mainstream America, the President should make the election about education and press the theme of "qualified versus un-qualified".
With the President's encouragement, Sam deduces that the President put together a deal that would save face for China and give Taiwan room to test a few Patriots, and is in awe the President's political skill. President Bartlet responds by telling Sam that he will one day run for President and that he believes in him. Sam is clearly touched by the exchange.
Meanwhile, Josh is nervous about the 42 votes in a remote New Hampshire
town called Hartsfield's Landing. The town votes at 12:01 a.m., hours before the rest of the state, and has accurately predicted the winner of the presidential election for decades. In an attempt to win the town, Josh sends Donna outside into the February night's chill to make phone calls, and they both are surprised by a couple who campaigned for Bartlet before but are now supporting the Republican candidate. When Josh learns the issue is salmon fishing rights, he first tries to strong-arm the couple, then finally tells them to vote the way they feel is right.
After he forces her to sign out a copy of the President's private daily schedule when she loses hers, C.J. tries to upset Charlie by hiding his copy of the President's private daily schedule. As revenge, Charlie crazy glues her phone together, then swaps C.J.'s ID with his so that she gets frisked by the Secret Service after a pizza run. The prank war ends when Leo tells them to knock it off, but Charlie has a final gag set up: when C.J. throws a book on her desk, it collapses.
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...
. Dulé Hill
Dulé Hill
Karim Dulé Hill is an American actor and tap dancer. He is best known for his roles as personal presidential aide Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series The West Wing, and as pharmaceutical salesman-private detective Burton "Gus" Guster on the USA Network television comedy-drama Psych...
, who plays Charlie Young
Charlie Young
Charles 'Charlie' Young is a fictional character played by Dulé Hill on the television serial drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he is the Personal Aide to President Josiah Bartlet.-Creation and development:...
, was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for his performances in this and the Enemies Foreign and Domestic
Enemies Foreign and Domestic
"Enemies Foreign and Domestic" is episode 62 of The West Wing. Dulé Hill, who plays Charlie Young, was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for his performances in this and the Hartsfield's Landing episodes.-Plot:...
episodes.
Plot
Bartlet engages both Sam and Toby in intricate chess matches that mirror the wily game of brinkmanshipBrinkmanship
Brinkmanship is the practice of pushing dangerous events to the verge of disaster in order to achieve the most advantageous outcome...
that Bartlet is playing with the Chinese, who are conducting war games
Military simulation
Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Many professional contemporary analysts object to the term wargames as this is generally taken to be referring to the civilian...
in the Taiwan Strait
Taiwan Strait
The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait, formerly known as the Black Ditch, is a 180-km-wide strait separating Mainland China and Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to East China Sea to the northeast...
. The Chinese threaten real war if Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
begins test firing its new U.S.-made Patriot
MIM-104 Patriot
The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. It is manufactured by the Raytheon Company of the United States. The Patriot System replaced the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army's primary High to Medium...
defense missiles, so a Navy group is ordered to be sent into the area. Leo laments how dangerous the area is (second only to Kashmir for global risk) and Josh wonders about the price of supporting Taiwan against such pressure. This subplot is similar to the real-world Third Taiwan Strait Crisis
Third Taiwan Strait Crisis
The Third Taiwan Strait Crisis, also called the 1995–1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis or the 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, was the effect of a series of missile tests conducted by the People's Republic of China in the waters surrounding Taiwan including the Taiwan Strait from July 21, 1995 to March 23, 1996...
.
President Bartlet has just returned from a successful trip to India and the chess sets were a gift from the Indian Prime Minister. During the game with Sam, he is subtly but clearly giving Sam more information about the international crisis and testing his younger staffer's instincts in the process; during Toby's game, he is ending his estrangement from Toby that began during "The Two Bartlets" and grappling with the issue of how to win an election versus the Republicans and their anti-intellectual campaign. Toby pitches an idea that the President likes: rather than downplaying his intellect to appeal to mainstream America, the President should make the election about education and press the theme of "qualified versus un-qualified".
With the President's encouragement, Sam deduces that the President put together a deal that would save face for China and give Taiwan room to test a few Patriots, and is in awe the President's political skill. President Bartlet responds by telling Sam that he will one day run for President and that he believes in him. Sam is clearly touched by the exchange.
Meanwhile, Josh is nervous about the 42 votes in a remote New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
town called Hartsfield's Landing. The town votes at 12:01 a.m., hours before the rest of the state, and has accurately predicted the winner of the presidential election for decades. In an attempt to win the town, Josh sends Donna outside into the February night's chill to make phone calls, and they both are surprised by a couple who campaigned for Bartlet before but are now supporting the Republican candidate. When Josh learns the issue is salmon fishing rights, he first tries to strong-arm the couple, then finally tells them to vote the way they feel is right.
After he forces her to sign out a copy of the President's private daily schedule when she loses hers, C.J. tries to upset Charlie by hiding his copy of the President's private daily schedule. As revenge, Charlie crazy glues her phone together, then swaps C.J.'s ID with his so that she gets frisked by the Secret Service after a pizza run. The prank war ends when Leo tells them to knock it off, but Charlie has a final gag set up: when C.J. throws a book on her desk, it collapses.