H. Con-172

"H. Con-172"
The West Wing episode
Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 54
Directed by	Vincent Misiano
Written by	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Eli Attie (story)
Production code	227211
Original air date	January 9, 2002
Guest actors
Mary-Louise Parker Joanna Gleason Mark Feuerstein NiCole Robinson
Season 3 episodes
October 10, 2001 – May 22, 2002 Isaac and Ishmael Documentary Special Manchester Part I Manchester Part II Ways and Means On the Day Before War Crimes Gone Quiet The Indians in the Lobby The Women of Qumar Bartlet for America H. Con-172 100,000 Airplanes The Two Bartlets Night Five Hartsfield's Landing Dead Irish Writers The U.S. Poet Laureate Stirred Enemies Foreign and Domestic The Black Vera Wang We Killed Yamamoto Posse Comitatus
List of The West Wing episodes

"H. Con-172" is the 54th episode of The West Wing, an American television series.

Plot

Leo defiantly rejects the Congressional Oversight Committee's offer of a public censure of President Bartlet that would finally bring an end to the investigation into Bartlet's concealment of his illness and spare Leo any possible personal repercussions. He is committed to protecting the President and continuing the testimony that was suspended in Bartlet for America, even though his lawyer says (correctly) that the hearings will return to testimony revealing Leo's alcoholic relapse, spelling the end of his career.

Donna figures out that Cliff Calley got the Republican committee leader to stop the questioning before Leo was ruined, and relays the information to Josh. In a conversation with Leo, President Bartlet reveals that he will accept the censure and bring an end to the proceedings. When Leo protests, the President tells Leo that he was wrong to hide his illness and that he must take responsibility for his mistake.

In other stories, Bartlet's staff reacts to an exposé published by a terminated White House photographer. Sam is angry because the photographer, who was bad at his job and didn't last long, is getting media coverage for his outrageous and insulting fabrications. Sam later admits he is driven by his own guilt, in part because he hired the photographer in the first place. After informing the President of the situation, Toby mentions to the President that he saw one of the President's favorite movies, The Lion in Winter (1968 film) on television the night before, and points out the notable scene where Richard states "When the fall is all that is left, it matters a great deal," a quote that the President finishes for him. The President asks Toby if he is implying something, and Toby excuses himself, knowing that his point was made. Meanwhile, other staffers urge Sam to ignore the book's lies, but when discussing it with the President, Sam says that he believes they should not be casual about the truth. These comments from Toby and Sam clearly resonate with the President: it is implied that they led him to decide to accept the humiliating censure deal. Later, C.J. points out that while she understands Sam's agony, she will not respond to every idiotic lie in the exposé and give more exposure to the book. Toby makes a strong analogy about not fouling basketball players who can't shoot the ball, instead letting them shoot and miss repeatedly.

Josh awkwardly schemes to socialize with a women's rights leader, Amy Gardner, whom he finds attractive. He is annoyed when Toby tells him they're in great shape on issues important to women, but a $500,000 funding gap for a Family Leave Law allows Josh the excuse he needs to meet with Amy. Things go well until, Josh being Josh, he decides to talk about his own history instead of listening to Amy's.

Also, Bartlet wants to frame an eighteenth century map of Palestine and the Holy Land that Charlie got him from a flea market, and put it in the Oval Office, but C.J., Toby, and Leo warn the President of the political implications, since the historical map excludes Israel and would be construed in the wrong way if it was put in the office of the President of the United States. The President is irritated that anyone would be offended by the fact that the map excludes Israel, given that the map was drawn long before there was a country called Israel, but seems to decide to keep the map somewhere else.

Episode title

The title is the United States House of Representatives reference number for the concurrent censure resolution.

Notes

At one point, Toby says that President Bartlet's "favorite movie was on TV last night." Although they do not mention it by name, the movie is The Lion in Winter (1968 film).

External links

• The West Wing Episode Guide