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The West Wing Season 1 Episode 18

Six Meetings Before Lunch

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8.8

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AIRED: 4/5/00

Mendoza is confirmed by the Senate; Mandy needs Toby's help to replace a dead panda bear; Sam angers Mallory when she reads a position paper that he wrote supporting school vouchers; Josh meets with Jeff Breckenridge, who is irritating certain Congressmen with his stance on slavery reparations.moreless

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Fan Episode Reviews (4)

The Jackal, two pandas, and 1.7 trillion dollars.

9.0

By kickdoor, Dec 24, 2010

I felt like popping a bottle of something myself during the cold open, really was nice to see them get a big win that they so richly deserve(and need). And it got even better after that,

Sam: Now we're gonna go in there and we're gonna watch CJ do The Jackal, and believe me if you haven't seen CJ do The Jackal, than you haven't seen Shakespeare the way it's meant to be done.

I concur, though I might give up getting to watch it for Malory. Seeing Toby in such a good mood was nice, and a little odd.

Toby: You on the other hand should turn that frown upside down.

Margaret: I'm sorry?

Toby: Let a smile be your umbrella, Margaret.

Margaret: Okay, now you're scaring the crap out of me Toby.

Leave it to Mandy to find a way to ruin it with her panda bear plan. Bartlet didn't have much time in this episode but he still killed it when he was talking about George Washington to Charlie. Josh's meeting with Breckenridge was interesting, discussing reparations, I agree its the kind of thing that's never going to stop being debated.

Great getting to see the team have something to celebrate, and the plot kept me interested through out the episode.moreless
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10

By CTUBauer24, May 11, 2010

Spoilers – In the 18th episode of the first season of the hit TV show The West Wing titled Six Meetings Before Lunch. Toby is happy about getting the person on The supreme Court who they wanted on The Supreme Court.

Josh has a conversation about civil rights reparations. Sam and Mallory argue about school vouchers and Zoey goes to a party where someone was arrested and it creates problems for The West Wing Staff. Over all I liked the episode and the thought Sam's storyline was the best out of all of them all the end of the review.moreless
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Toby is in good mood until.. candy bar.. no.. panda bear.

8.4

By Parricida, Nov 20, 2007

It was charming episode with many different storyline, focus in many characters. Toby has his glory when Mendoza is accepted by Senat. Sam has troubles with Leo's daughter who read some paper he wrote not knowing that it did not reflect his real opinion - but he does not say that and continues arguing with her and all ends quite nice. Josh has to deal with man who has some interesting thoughts about history and slavery and he will have debat all day long. But the main trouble seems to be Zoey again - she was in party where they arrested a young man who had drugs. Zoey is ambushed by a reporter and she lies...moreless
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Toby's day of jubilee.

10

By amfarley84, Jun 11, 2007

Six Meetings Before Lunch was a great episode of The West Wing. I really liked that the White House was able to get Mendoza confirmed by the senate. I thought that it was great that Toby was in a good mood that Mendoza was confirmed and that before they got all the votes Toby was freaking out about people celebrating to early. I thought that it was funny that the President got mad at the reporters because one approched Zoey at her school. How funny was it that Toby's mood changed as soon as Mandy asked him about getting a new panda bear.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Martin Sheen	President Jed Bartlet
Dule Hill	Charlie Young
Allison Janney	Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg
Moira Kelly	Mandy Hampton (Episodes 1-22)
Rob Lowe	Sam Seaborn (Episodes 1-84)
Richard Schiff	Toby Ziegler

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Christopher Wynne	Edgar Drumm	Guest Star
Carl Lumbly	Jeff Breckenridge	Guest Star
Erin LeShawn Wiley	College Student #2	Guest Star
Jorja Fox	Gina Toscano	Recurring Role
Suzy Nakamura	Kathy	Recurring Role
Elisabeth Moss	Zoey Bartlet	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (2)
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- Goof: The Andrew Johnson fireplace in "Mural Room" - (room with the big fireplace and the painted walls) is lid in the scene with Josh and Donna while in season 02 episode 11 "Leadership Breakfast" opening scene it has been welled shut since 1896.
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- Sam's middle name is Norman.
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QUOTES (8)
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- Mallory: Wow.
  Sam: What?
  Mallory: For a guy who's trying to date me, that was pretty snotty.
  Sam: Well, hang on. These are office hours. If I'd know I was working on that I would have had a whole different attitude.
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- Mallory: How could you write that position paper?
  Sam: Which position paper?
  Mallory: Don't play dumb with me.
  Sam: No, honestly I am dumb. Most of the time I'm playing smart.
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- Gina: I'm gonna look through an FBI photo album of teenage Nazis.
  CJ: Why?
  Gina: I'm on a break.
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- Mandy: I think we should get a panda bear.
  Josh: You say that now, but I'm the one who's gonna end up feeding him.
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- Margaret: Hey, Toby.
  Toby: Hey there, Margaret.
  Margaret: You all right?
  Toby: Of course I'm all right. Why wouldn't I be?
  Margaret: You don't usually say "Hey there Margaret."
  Toby: What do I usually say?
  Margaret: You usually growl something inaudible.
  Toby: Not today... You on the other hand should turn that frown upside down.
  Margaret: Excuse me?
  Toby: Let a smile be your umbrella.
  Margaret: Okay, now you're scaring the crap out of me.
  (They walk off in separate directions.)
  Toby singing: Gray skies are going to clear up... Hi Bobby. Put on a happy face. Hi Janet.
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- Toby: You're talking to me during "The Jackal"?!
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- Bartlet (quoting from a book by George Washinton): "In public, put not your hands on any part of your body that is usually covered."
  C.J.: Well, I do what it takes to keep the press corps happy, Mr. President.
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- Sam: It's my day of jubilee.
  Mallory: I despise you and everything you stand for.
  Sam: All right, my day was a little bit better a few seconds ago, but that's all right.
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NOTES (3)
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- The staff making a big deal about C.J. singing "The Jackal" is similar to another of Aaron Sorkin show's episode plot. In the Sports Night episode "Dear Louise" the staff of the show makes a big deal about Dana (Felicity Huffman) drinking Margarita's and singing "Boogie Shoes." Several other plots from Sports Night will show up on The West Wing in one form or another along with several actors from the show.
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- What are the six meetings?
  1. Josh and Jeff Breckenridge
  2. Sam and Mallory
  3. C.J. and Zoey
  4. Mandy and Toby
  5. C.J. and Gina
  6. C.J. and the President
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- Music:
  Allison Janney lip syncs "The Jackal" from Ronny Jordan's The Quiet Revolution CD.
  Toby sings "Put on a Happy Face" in the hallway. The music is by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams. The song if from Bye, Bye, Birdie.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- "The Jackal": the lyrics C.J. lip-syncs:
  Did I ever tell you about the man who changed my life? The one I thought, oh Lord, when I saw him walkin' back in that bar, all tall and lean with them broad shoulders, sweeeet lips, I knew that I had died and gone to... chocolate heaven.
  He had a real deep voice, white pearly teeth, his shoe was always shiny. Long slender fingers manicured perfectly. The man wore 800-dollar Italian suit, straight from, I dunno, what would they call it, Milan or Rome or someplace like that? I knew it wasn't local. I said, I got to get next to that.
  I haven't seen him in a long time. The man was so fine, he could get any good girl into trouble... Can you guess what his name was? Well... 'The Jackal'... 'The Jackal'. Say, 'The Jackal.'
  He was fat back cat cool like a Friday afternoon martini, chillin' at a quarter after 5. Twist of lime, coke on the side. The brother loved the high life. Had a Ph.D. in street stride. They called him 'The Jackal'.
  He was big Mack daddy super black stylin' o' diamonds in the back Cadillac. Fur-lined boards, white wall wheels, cruise control, built for speed, chrome on evray-thang. And stereophonic speakers, though he really didn't need them. When they called him... 'The Jackal.' Say, 'The Jackal.'
  Fly boy was in the buttermilk, hard, livin' fast, livin' large, 6 foot 4 and not an ounce of fat. When women asked, 'is you a fat cat?' He said 'I did fat more that that. I'm the firmest of the fat. And in case you, hadn't known, they call me 'The Jackal'.
  Served the 18-year bid, first Riker's Island, then they hid him in the state penitentiary. Said the charge was Grand Larceny. That was 1975, and today, if he's still alive, he'd be living in the park. Hmm. The brother whose claim to fame was that they called him 'The Jackal'. 'The Jackal'.
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