The Ticket (The West Wing)
Encyclopedia
"The Ticket" is episode 133 of The West Wing
, and the first episode of the seventh season.
Lyman arrives and says, "The President is here," but the shot of the leader emerging from his limousine fades into the credits before his identity is revealed.
The show then returns to the main timeline with the Santos/McGarry campaign getting off to a rough start with tensions between Santos and Leo and between the campaign and the White House, despite poll numbers which show the campaign doing better than expected. Donna
wants to join the Santos campaign but Josh refuses to let her do so because she hammered Santos while working for Russell's campaign.
Back at the White House, C.J. is questioned by White House Counsel
Oliver Babish as to her involvement with the leak about a secret military space shuttle
. It appears she is his primary suspect, but he does not tell the president and instead asks for a different type of investigation. Josh is angry when C.J. and Toby want to accept an educational stimulus package from the Republicans in Congress that will undercut Santos' own education reform plans. The representatives from the Santos campaign (Leo and Josh) and those from the White House (C.J. and Toby) part on bitter terms.
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...
, and the first episode of the seventh season.
Plot
The season opener starts with a scene from three years in the future; a reunion of several main characters at the opening of Bartlet's Presidential library. References are made to the lives of the characters since the end of the Bartlet administration:- C.J. Cregg and Danny ConcannonDanny ConcannonDaniel "Danny" Concannon is a fictional White House correspondent for the Washington Post played by Timothy Busfield on the television serial drama The West Wing. Danny first appeared in the third episode of Season 1, "A Proportional Response," where he mentioned that he had been a White House...
are married with a young child, and residing in Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and... - Will BaileyWill BaileyWilliam "Will" Bailey, is a fictional character played by Joshua Malina on the television serial drama The West Wing, holding various posts in the White House Office of Communications, Office of the Vice President and a backbencher Congressman .-Character biography:Will grew up in Belgium, as his...
has become a Congressman from Oregon and has been appointed to the Ways and Means CommitteeUnited States House Committee on Ways and MeansThe Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership... - Kate Harper wrote a book which is complimented by President Bartlet as being written in 'a magnificent prose' and by Charlie as a 'total hogwash.'
- Toby ZieglerToby ZieglerTobias 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:...
is teaching at Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the... - President Bartlet himself was involved in peace negotiations in Jakarta, Indonesia
- Josh LymanJosh LymanJoshua "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 still working in politics - Charlie YoungCharlie YoungCharles '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:...
is also present; he intended to attend the Georgetown University Law CenterGeorgetown University Law CenterGeorgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
after Bartlet's term expired. - Though this episode was shot and aired before John SpencerJohn Spencer (actor)John Spencer was an American film and television actor. He was most widely known for playing White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on the NBC political drama series The West Wing, which earned him an Emmy Award in 2002.-Early life:Spencer was born as John Speshock, Jr. in New York City, and...
's death, Leo McGarryLeo McGarryLeo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. McGarry's character, the former United States Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White...
does not appear in this scene.
Lyman arrives and says, "The President is here," but the shot of the leader emerging from his limousine fades into the credits before his identity is revealed.
The show then returns to the main timeline with the Santos/McGarry campaign getting off to a rough start with tensions between Santos and Leo and between the campaign and the White House, despite poll numbers which show the campaign doing better than expected. Donna
Donna Moss
Donnatella "Donna" Moss is a fictional character played by Janel Moloney on the television serial drama The West Wing. Donna is a recurring character during the first season, although she appears in every episode, making her a de facto regular...
wants to join the Santos campaign but Josh refuses to let her do so because she hammered Santos while working for Russell's campaign.
Back at the White House, C.J. is questioned by 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...
Oliver Babish as to her involvement with the leak about a secret military space shuttle
Military space shuttle
A military space shuttle would be the military equivalent of NASA's space shuttle. Many experts believed that it is extremely unlikely that NASA, the United States Department of Defense or any other Federal agency could keep the existence of such a spacecraft secret, given the official knowledge...
. It appears she is his primary suspect, but he does not tell the president and instead asks for a different type of investigation. Josh is angry when C.J. and Toby want to accept an educational stimulus package from the Republicans in Congress that will undercut Santos' own education reform plans. The representatives from the Santos campaign (Leo and Josh) and those from the White House (C.J. and Toby) part on bitter terms.