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Score: 8.9 Great 83 votes

20 Hours in America (1)

Episode Number: 66    Season Num: 4    First Aired: Wednesday September 25, 2002    Prod Code: 175301
Toby, Josh, and Donna learn the hard way about the lack of accessible public transportation in the heartland when they spend a long day trying to get back to Washington after the motorcade leaves them behind during a campaign stop in Indiana; Bartlet interviews potential replacements for Mrs Landingham while C.J. tries to find someone to fill Simon's shoes as Anthony's Big Brother; the Ritchie campaign whips up a furor when Abbey claims to be "just a wife and mother"; Qumar reopens the Shareef investigation; and the Dow takes a dive.

Cast and Crew

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Writer: Aaron Sorkin
Director: Christopher Misiano
Star: Martin Sheen (President Jed Bartlet),  Dulé Hill (Charlie Young),  Allison Janney (Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg),  Rob Lowe (Sam Seaborn (Episodes 1-84)),  Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler),  John Spencer (Leo McGarry),  Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman),  Janel Moloney (Donna Moss (Episodes 23-, recurring previously))
Recurring Role: Victor McCay (Henry),  Nicole Robinson (Margaret),  Renee Estevez (Nancy),  Melissa Fitzgerald (Carol Fitzpatrick),  William Duffy (Larry),  Peter James Smith (Ed),  Kim Webster (Ginger),  John Amos (Percy Fitzwallace),  Ron Silver (Bruno Gianelli),  Anna Deavere Smith (Nancy McNally),  Kris Murphy (Katie Witt),  Timothy Davis-Reed (Mark)
Guest Star: Tommy LaFitte (Earl),  Rohn Thomas (Sy),  Ron Newell (Store Manager),  Constance Pfeiffer (Elderly Woman),  Larry Cox (Staffer),  S.E. Perry (Tommy),  Tori Reid (Aide),  Jack Tate (Civilian),  Dan Gerrity (Civilian),  Marina Gonzalez Palmier (Civilian),  Harry O'Toole (Man At Counter),  Amy Harmon (Volunteer),  Danielle Jones (Friend),  Jennifer Armour (Friend),  Amy Adams (Cathy),  Joan MacIntosh (Meredith Walker),  Valorie Armstrong (Mrs. Harrison),  Alan Dale (Mitch Bryce),  John Gallagher Jr. (Tyler),  Ernestine Jackson (Fiona),  Joel Marsh Garland (Cap),  Allan Wasserman (Gen. Baker),  Art Chudabala (Peter Lien),  Danielle Harris (Kiki)

Notes

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Awards and Nominations:
Episode received nomination in 2003 at the Emmys for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series along with the Part 2 (Kenneth Hardy, Ellen Totleben)

Bradley Whitford received a nomination at the 2003 Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in this episode and in the Part 2 and in "Evidence of Things Not Seen"

The episode along with the Part 2 and many other episodes from the season won the 2003 for Outstanding Drama Series (Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, John Wells, Kevin Falls, Alex Graves, Christopher Misiano, Paul Redford, Kristin Harms, Llewellyn Wells, Neal Ahern, Jr.) (edit)
Music:
1. "National Emblem March" by the Boston Pops plays before Bartlet takes the podium to address members of the Navy at the Naval Warfare Center Crane. The song was written by E.E. Bagley.
2. The Navy men sing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." (edit)
The outdoor Indiana scenes in this episode were actually filmed in Western Pennsylvania. (edit)

Quotes

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(Toby is obsessing about the President's speech)
Josh: Take you mind off it. Think about the lovely Cathy; farmer's daughter with a master's degree. Wholesome but... maybe not too wholesome. I think she liked you too. (to Cap) How do you know Cathy?
Cap: She's my girlfriend.
Josh:[awkward pause] That's great. She's really nice! Is that corn out there?
Cap: Nope.
Josh: What is it?
Cap: Trees.
Josh: Okay. (edit)
Sam: Do we have some sort of condensed, Reader's Digest Index of, well, all human knowledge?
Ginger: We usually just use Margaret. (edit)
Toby: Toby Ziegler. I work at the White House.
Friend: Wow. Humongous whoop.
Josh: Come on! He's Communications Director. It's a decent sized whoop.
Friend: How many unborn babies did you guys kill today?
Josh: Whoa, hey. Danger, Will Robinson. (edit)

Trivia

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Leo: Qumar's reopened the investigation.

Qumar is not a real country. (edit)

Unionville, Indiana, where Jed is giving his speech, is close to Bloomington, Indiana, an urban area where Josh, Toby, and Donna wouldn't have been stranded for long. There is also no passenger train station in Bedford, Indiana, which is north, not south of Unionville, Indiana. (edit)
When one of the reporters tells C.J. about the Abbey incident, he claims the story came from The Milwaukee Sentinel. Milwaukee's newspaper has been named The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel since the two papers merged in the early 1990s. (edit)

Allusions

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Throughout the series, there have been several parallels between the Clinton and Bartlet administrations; the controversy surrounding Abbey's statments about being "just a wife and mother" seems, in gist and response if not in origin, to a similar incident with Hillary Clinton. She was questioned about her legal activities while her husband was governor, and responded that she could just have stayed home and baked cookies, inciting a national furor and confirming, for some, their suspicions about her contempt for traditional motherhood. (edit)
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Community Reviews (3)

 
6.8
Fair
20 Hours in America (1)
"Filler episode"
A touching but obvious attempt to explain the pain and fear of our working and middles classes.
Continue » Posted Oct 13, 2007 5:04 pm PST
10.0
Perfect
20 Hours in America (1)
"Exactly why I watch this series"
Donna Josh and Toby get left behind by the motarcade.
Continue » Posted May 21, 2007 11:37 pm PST
9.4
Superb
20 Hours in America (1)
"Character development"
Since no one has written a review I will write what I think of this episode.
Continue » Posted Apr 19, 2006 12:25 pm PST
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Episode Vital Stats

 
Episode: 20 Hours in America (1)
Season Number: 4
Episode Reviews: 3
Episode
Score:
8.9 Great 83 votes
Rating Statistics:
superb: 34 (41%)
great: 22 (26.5%)
perfect: 17 (20.5%)
good: 5 (6%)
Other: 5 (6%)
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