The Worst Episodes of The West Wing

#1 Worst Episode
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7.1/10(1008 votes)
#1 - Access
S5:E183/31/2004
A documentary camera crew follows C.J. around for a not-so-typical day in the White House.
Director:Alex Graves
Writer:Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
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Director:Alex Graves
Writer:Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
7.1/10(787 votes)
#2 - Ninety Miles Away
S6:E193/16/2005
New rumors about Fidel Castro's health cause the President to re-examine the economic sanctions against Cuba that haven't worked for 40 years, and he sends Leo McGarry to meet secretly with the Cuban dictator. The occasion causes C.J. to check into Kate Harper's past with the C.I.A., but she is unaware of a past encounter between Kate and Leo. Meanwhile, Charlie discovers the complexities of dealing with a termite invasion of the White House.
Director:Rod Holcomb
Writer:John Sacret Young
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Director:Rod Holcomb
Writer:John Sacret Young
7.5/10(910 votes)
#3 - Privateers
S4:E183/26/2003
Toby's old friend approaches him ready to blow the whistle on his employer's violations of environmental laws; staff pranks abound on Amy's first day at the office; Abbey charges Amy with the task of convincing the President to threaten a veto on a foreign aid bill containing an abortion gag rule provision; claiming that Abbey's ancestor was a pirate rather than a privateer, a prominent member threatens to mount a boycott of the D.A.R. dinner at which Zoey will be inducted until Will, C.J. and Amy devise a plan to defuse the situation; at the behest of Jean Paul, Zoey sends Charlie a "Dear John" email, but Charlie refuses to accept the brushoff and declares his love for Zoey; Donna is less than thrilled when Josh assigns her the job of shadowing a possible security risk at Zoey's D.A.R. induction; Will takes one for the team in putting an environmental and political face on the destruction and deaths which resulted from the melting of an Alaskan glacier.
Director:Alex Graves
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Alex Graves
Writer:Unknown
7.5/10(891 votes)
#4 - Jefferson Lives
S5:E310/8/2003
When he realizes that his first choice for Vice President faces an uphill fight for nomination, Jed nominates a congressman that none of the staff can get excited about; Josh is less than thrilled with his new intern.
Director:Alex Graves
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Alex Graves
Writer:Unknown
7.5/10(873 votes)
#5 - Constituency of One
S5:E510/29/2003
Will Bailey receives an offer to become Vice President Russell's top aide. Amy Gardner does some skillful lobbying for domestic violence prevention which gets the wrath of Bartlet. A conservative democratic senator switches parties.
Director:Laura Innes
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Laura Innes
Writer:Unknown
7.5/10(871 votes)
#6 - The Stormy Present
S5:E101/7/2004
President Bartlet attends the funeral of a former president with other former presidents Glenallen Walken and D. Wire Newman, while monitoring a possible situation in Saudi Arabia. Josh Lyman mediates an argument between a representative from Connecticut and one from North Carolina who wants her state's copy of the Bill of Rights returned. CJ is concerned about a scientist's invention which could interfere with privacy.
Directors:Alex Graves, John Sacret Young
Writer:Unknown
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Directors:Alex Graves, John Sacret Young
Writer:Unknown

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7.5/10(799 votes)
#7 - Talking Points
S5:E194/21/2004
Hail the conquering hero. Josh returns after nailing down details for a trade agreement. But the devil in the detail, including information kept from Josh. C.J. fights megamedia ownership of local TV.
Director:Richard Schiff
Writer:Eli Attie
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Director:Richard Schiff
Writer:Eli Attie
7.5/10(741 votes)
#8 - The Dover Test
S6:E611/24/2004
The peace mission suffers its first American casualty, whose father is sharply critical of the administration; Santos breaks ranks with the party by signing onto Republican legislation for a patient bill of rights when his own bill dies in committee; Margaret searches for a new office for Charlie; Leo struggles to recover his health, his strength, and his appetite with the help of his nurse, who looks after both his body and his soul with wisdom and determination; Donna, out of her wheelchair and onto crutches, is besieged by the media for interviews; C.J. has harsh words for Toby when he lets his personal feelings take him off-message in the briefing room; Leo contemplates a post-recovery job offer in the private sector before his nurse reminds him why he left there in the first place; Will calls Josh out about the staff's disrespect for Russell's candidacy; as Annabeth finds a way to turn around a bad news cycle, Toby admonishes C.J. about micro-managing the press office.
Director:Laura Innes
Writer:Carol Flint
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Director:Laura Innes
Writer:Carol Flint
7.6/10(1208 votes)
#9 - The Lame Duck Congress
S2:E611/8/2000
The president considers recalling the Senate to push ratification of a nuclear-test-ban treaty. Meanwhile, Donna lobbies new legislation introducing ergonomic standards in the White House; A Ukrainian politician shows up at the White House drunk demanding to see the president.
Director:Jeremy Kagan
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Jeremy Kagan
Writer:Unknown
7.6/10(887 votes)
#10 - Swiss Diplomacy
S4:E911/20/2002
The 15-year old son of an Iranian leader needs a heart transplant in the U.S. Problem is, the only man who could do it is an enemy of the Iranian government; The Senate minority leader threatens to thwart the President's legislative agenda when he believes that Hoynes is doing some political maneuvering for the next Presidential election; Toby offers a Congresswoman a Cabinet position but is forced to take back the offer.
Director:Christopher Misiano
Writers:Kevin Falls, Eli Attie
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Director:Christopher Misiano
Writers:Kevin Falls, Eli Attie
7.6/10(852 votes)
#11 - Disaster Relief
S5:E611/5/2003
The fallout on the Hill from Carrick's switch to the Republican party exiles Josh deep into a White House doghouse, so C.J. gives Donna some tips on how she can support him; Jed gets a harsh reality check from C.J. when he lingers too long in a small Oklahoma town devastated by a deadly tornado; in Jed's absence, Leo juggles an impending war between Albania and Greece, a visit from the German chancellor, a tussle over tax cuts, and an over-reaching Secretary of Defense; Josh and Toby are less than thrilled when Leo brings Angela on board to assume some of Josh's responsibilities.
Director:Lesli Linka Glatter
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Lesli Linka Glatter
Writer:Unknown
7.6/10(852 votes)
#12 - Abu el Banat
S5:E912/3/2003
The Bartet clan attempts to gather for a holiday dinner. Jed must deal with a hostage situation in Sudan, an assisted suicide in Oregon, his son-in-law's yearn to run for the House of Representatives, and his grandson's want to spend time with his grandpa. C.J. takes a stand on the assisted suicide because of her father's worsening condition.
Director:Lesli Linka Glatter
Writer:Debora Cahn
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Director:Lesli Linka Glatter
Writer:Debora Cahn
7.6/10(844 votes)
#13 - The Benign Prerogative
S5:E111/14/2004
In the days leading up to the State of the Union address, Toby gets crucial voter feedback when he accompanies Joey as she mall-tests the speech around the nation; Jed and the staff wrestle with the issues of presidential pardons and mandatory minimums; Charlie dates an attractive woman who's not what she seems; Joey Lucas derails Josh's plans when she arrives at the White House carrying a surprise; Jed and Abbey reach out to an old friend on the eve of his ex-wife's remarriage.
Director:Christopher Misiano
Writer:Carol Flint
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Director:Christopher Misiano
Writer:Carol Flint
7.6/10(838 votes)
#14 - An Khe
S5:E142/18/2004
When five navy E-2C Hawkeye crew members are stranded in North Korea, Bartlet orders a risky Navy Seal rescue attempt. C.J. agrees to one on one with a motormouth conservative talk show host.
Director:Alex Graves
Writer:John Wells
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Director:Alex Graves
Writer:John Wells
7.6/10(810 votes)
#15 - Eppur Si Muove
S5:E163/3/2004
When a conservative Republican Congresswoman targets Ellie's research project in an effort to discredit Jed, Toby discovers that the source of the leak is uncomfortably close to home, and Will realizes that they've all greatly underestimated his boss; Josh investigates the wisdom of a recess appointment as he tries to convince an old friend to be patient with the Sixth Circuit judicial nomination process and keep his hat in the ring; C.J. completely misreads Ben's intentions; Donna tracks down an AWOL Ryan; an opening is created on the Supreme Court; in an effort to redefine Abbey's image with the press, C.J. sets her up to do a public service announcement with the Muppets, which inspires Ellie to stand up before the press in defense of scientific research unhampered by politics.
Director:Llewellyn Wells
Writer:Alexa Junge
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Director:Llewellyn Wells
Writer:Alexa Junge
7.6/10(787 votes)
#16 - The Wake Up Call
S6:E142/9/2005
Valentine's Day starts badly when the Iranian air force shoots down a British airliner, killing 100 passengers. The U.K. Prime Minister threatens to retaliate by bombing nuclear reactor sites, which could doom future support for political reformers in Iran. But C.J. has made an agreement with Abbey to allow the President to get more rest, and she is reluctant to awaken him at 5 A.M. to deal with the crisis. Meanwhile, Toby and a visiting law professor answer questions from a foreign delegation that is trying to write a new constitution for the former Soviet Republic of Belarus, and harried staffers pass the buck of Leo's traditional meeting with the new Miss World.
Director:Laura Innes
Writer:Josh Singer
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Director:Laura Innes
Writer:Josh Singer
7.6/10(782 votes)
#17 - The Hubbert Peak
S6:E511/17/2004
Hours before the CAFE standards amendment is defeated, Josh succumbs to the lure of test driving a monster SUV while shopping for a Prius and gets into a fender-bender that proves embarrassing to the administration, so he's saddled with heading up a task force on alternative energy sources; after hosting a surprise graduation party for Charlie, Zoey agrees to his taking her out to a thank-you dinner; Annabeth educates Toby on the art of "charm and disarm" in handling the press; Charlie is offered an attractive way out of his employment dilemma; Kate extents a hand of friendship and support to Donna; C.J. gets some crucial insight from Leo on keeping Jed healthy; Margaret's plan to redecorate Leo's former office meets with resistance from her new boss.
Director:Julie Hébert
Writer:Peter Noah
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Director:Julie Hébert
Writer:Peter Noah
7.6/10(756 votes)
#18 - 365 Days
S6:E121/19/2005
On the day after Bartlet gives his last State of the Union address, Leo returns to the West Wing but has difficulty getting the attention of the rest of the staff for a meeting about what to do during the remaining 365 days of Barlet's term. Kate and C.J. have to deal with emergencies in Bolivia and North Korea. Charlie tries to figure out how to get Congress to support funding for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Toby solicits Annabeth's advice regarding proper behavior for Abbey at a NASCAR event. Will asks why they originally chose Russell to be Vice President. And Bartlet seems to have recovered most of his strength after his recent bout with MS.
Director:Andrew Bernstein
Writer:Mark Goffman
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Director:Andrew Bernstein
Writer:Mark Goffman
7.7/10(1327 votes)
#19 - The White House Pro-Am
S1:E173/22/2000
Abbey keeps the staff busy with the fallout when she leaks her personal preference for a Federal Reserve Board appointment and discusses child labor on a talk show, prompting a Congresswoman to offer an amendment which could shoot down the entire international tariff bill. Charlie's date with Zoey is cancelled because of threats by a white supremacist group.
Director:Ken Olin
Writers:Aaron Sorkin, Lawrence O'Donnell, Paul Redford
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Director:Ken Olin
Writers:Aaron Sorkin, Lawrence O'Donnell, Paul Redford
7.7/10(1208 votes)
#20 - The Portland Trip
S2:E711/15/2000
After ridiculing Notre Dame, C.J. is forced to accompany the President on a trip to Oregon; Toby and Sam struggle to write Jed's education speech for the following day; back at the White House, Josh tries to dissuade a gay Congressman who supports legislation banning same-sex marriages and Leo gets divorce papers, which causes Margaret to worry that he may fall off the wagon.
Director:Paris Barclay
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Paris Barclay
Writer:Unknown
7.7/10(1172 votes)
#21 - The Long Goodbye
S4:E131/15/2003
While Toby unsuccessfully attempts to fill her shoes in the briefing room, C.J. returns to Dayton, where she gives a speech at her high school reunion, reconnects with an old friend, and struggles with her father's worsening Alzheimer's.
Director:Alex Graves
Writer:Jon Robin Baitz
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Director:Alex Graves
Writer:Jon Robin Baitz
7.7/10(1138 votes)
#22 - The Drop-In
S2:E121/24/2001
The test of a missile defense program meets 9 of 10 essential criteria. But the 10th is the sticking point: hitting the target. Sam is livid when a speech he wrote is changed without consulting him.
Director:Lou Antonio
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Lou Antonio
Writer:Unknown
7.7/10(933 votes)
#23 - Han
S5:E410/22/2003
Josh fails to sway an unruly congressman who insists on voting against the administration on the vice presidential confirmation, but Ryan reaches out to get him to change his mind; Leo fears that the potential defection of a prominent North Korean pianist will jeopardize secret nuclear disarmament talks; Will and Toby are humiliated when an early draft of a speech outlining their struggle to laud Bob Russell's confirmation is erroneously substituted for the final version; Donna's aunt and uncle from Wisconsin pay a visit, testing Josh's ability to refrain from bad cheesehead jokes during their tour of the White House; the staff struggles over how to language the state of the economy; fearing that the administration is drifting off-course, Toby wants to hand over more responsibilities to Will in order to focus on getting back to their core message.
Directors:Christopher Misiano, Peter Noah
Writer:Unknown
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Directors:Christopher Misiano, Peter Noah
Writer:Unknown
7.7/10(931 votes)
#24 - The Red Mass
S4:E410/9/2002
Leo meets with the Israeli Foreign Minister to enlist Israel's assistance with the Shareef investigation, but is ultimately foiled by the Qumari; the debate about the Ritchie debates rages on until the staff comes up with a brilliant tactic; Josh and Amy argue over whether Stackhouse is siphoning votes from Bartlet; Ritchie tries to bait Bartlet on needle exchange programs; Bartlet is faced with resolving an 11 day standoff with the KSU bombers in Iowa who are holding an injured child; Josh sends Donna undercover to a seminar held by one of Ritchie's advisors in an effort to expose the "fortune cookie candidacy"; Stackhouse comes to a momentous decision about his campaign and provides inspiration for Bartlet.
Director:Vincent Misiano
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Vincent Misiano
Writer:Unknown
7.7/10(889 votes)
#25 - Angel Maintenance
S4:E194/2/2003
Air Force One is forced to keep aloft for almost 24 hours when an indicator light leads the flight crew to believe that the landing gear isn't functioning properly; Bartlet and Will have a spirited discussion on Colombian recertification, which is ultimately rendered moot when Air Force One doesn't land on time; the Black Caucus plays hardball with the Oval Office to gain a Congressional debate on the merits of reinstating the draft; legislation to clean up Chesapeake Bay is sacrificed to partisan politics; Will is unsuccessful in hiding his fear of flying from C.J. and Charlie; deaths in Kundu continue to mount.
Director:Jessica Yu
Writer:Unknown
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Director:Jessica Yu
Writer:Unknown