Written by Aaron Sorkin
Directed by Tommy Schlamme

One of the main things that made The West Wing such a distinctive series was the rapid-fire dialogue. The show originated as being mostly about the staff, and they get most of the best lines in this second episode of the first season. However, this episode, along with the next one, shows the evolution of President Bratlet as a leader. Influenced by the presidency of Bill Clinton, there are questions here about President Bartlet’s ability to navigate a violent conflict. He’s pretty liberal and hasn’t served in the military beyond a stint in the New Hampshire National Guard. This was at a time before National Guard units were deployed to the Middle East. Therefore, President Bartlet had no military experience, which left the Joint Chiefs of Staff uncertain of how he would handle a crisis.

Once again, the episode opens with Mandy Hampton (Moira Kelly) driving around Washington DC in her convertible BMW and jumping the curb when she spots her boyfriend and boss, Lloyd Russell (John Bedford Lloyd), talking to other Washington wonks. She’s frustrated that he made a deal that will keep Lloyd from challenging the President’s re-election. Meanwhile, Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford)is celebrating at the White House.

The President has made a joke that offended the Ryder Cup golfers. It’s not the first time his sense of humor has been a little off. C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) holds a press conference. One of the reporters gives her information about something Vice President Hoynes (Tim Matheson) said. Viewers are then introduced to VP Hoynes.

• Sam Seaborn: About a week ago I accidentally slept with a prostitute.
• Toby Ziegler: [pause] Really?
• Sam Seaborn: Yes.
• Toby Ziegler: You accidentally slept with a prostitute?
• Sam Seaborn: A call girl.
• Toby Ziegler: Accidentally?
• Sam Seaborn: Yes.
• Toby Ziegler: I don’t understand. Did you trip over something?

Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) tells Josh about his tryst with Laurie (Lisa Edelstein), the call girl. Sam really likes her. Josh tells him to talk to Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff). Sam ends up finding her in a restaurant where she’s “working,” and it doesn’t go well. The two argue, then end up going for a drink.

Morris Tolliver (Ruben Santiago-Hudson) is President Bartlet’s (Martin Sheen) new physician and a Naval Officer. He won’t be official until after he spends a week at a teaching hospital in Jordan. Every week, the President has to get a quick check-up.

Leo McGarry (John Spencer) informs Josh that they are hiring Mandy as a media consultant. Josh objects because of their past relationship. He is overruled. Josh is the one who offers her the job and stresses that she answers to just him and Toby.

Viewers are also introduced to Mrs. Landingham (Kathryn Joosten), the President’s personal secretary, as well as Nancy (Renee Estevez, Martin Sheen’s daughter). She removes the steaks from the gifts he received per Tolliver’s instructions. Leo meets with Vice President Hoynes. It’s very volatile and makes it apparent that Hoynes doesn’t much care for Leo or President Bartlet.

• Toby Ziegler: Mrs. Landingham, does the president have free time this morning?
• Mrs. Landingham: The president has nothing but free time, Toby. Right now he’s in the residence eating Cheerios and enjoying Regis and Kathie Lee. Should I get him for you?
• Toby Ziegler: Sarcasm’s a disturbing thing coming from a woman of your age, Mrs. Landingham.
• Mrs. Landingham: What age would that be, Toby?
• Toby Ziegler: Late twenties?
• Mrs. Landingham: Atta boy.
• Toby Ziegler: Can I have a cookie?
• Mrs. Landingham: No.

President Bartlet is awakened in the middle of the night to the news that Tolliver was killed in an apparent terrorist attack that has ties to Syria. His first thought is to call Tolliver’s wife, who gave birth to their first child less than two weeks earlier.

Building on the characters who were introduced in Pilot, Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc sets some things in motion, as well as giving the viewer a good idea of what a typical day is like in the White House. There are small fires that always seem to flare that need to be put out, such as the Ryder Cup golfers not being able to take a joke. The staff is busy trying to address things like this as well as trying to get a feel for what legislation they can advance next. There is also plenty of time for sarcasm.

Mandy is furious at Lloyd Russell because she finds out from sources other than him that he’s decided not to run. They are supposed to be a couple in addition to her quitting her job to lead his campaign, and it’s apparent that isn’t going to work out. She’s shown to be very volatile, and I can’t imagine that is a good thing for a Presidential staffer. I think the writing for the character likely doomed her early on.

Sam Seaborn was supposed to be one of the main focuses of the show initially, which is why his story gets so much time. He knows he screwed up sleeping with Laurie, but he wants everyone to tell him it’s okay. He likes her, but he also wants to “save” her, something both Toby and Josh confront him on. Josh doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on, though, as his main objection to hiring Mandy is that they were once in a relationship. Sam may not have thought much about the consequences of what he did, but neither does Josh when it comes to hiring a media consultant. He refuses to acknowledge that Mandy is the best person for the job, despite all of the President’s staff knowing that.

Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc shows a little more of what the Press Corps of the White House looks like. Again, this visual wasn’t what I expected. I’m sure it’s somewhat different now, but the White House press pool was very integrated into the operations of the West Wing without being right in the offices of the staff.

More of the support staff is introduced with the assistants to various White House personnel making their first appearance, or being in the midst of the action for the first time. That is the case with Mrs. Landingham, Nancy, Margaret (Leo’s assistant), Cathy, and Daisy. Not all of these characters will continue in the series, but it’s a great ensemble with people who are prominent characters and those who are support characters we might not see regularly. I appreciate that these characters are developed and introduced to us slowly, rather than trying to cram all of them into the first episode.

It’s the evolution of the President that is the most profound from the beginning to the end, though. He talks to his personal physician about his trepidation if he has to decide on military movements. He believes himself to be a man of peace. However, once the actions of the terrorists become personal to him, he’s ready to lash out the way anyone else would. It’s a shame they spend so much time developing the character of Morris Toliver in this episode only to kill him off, but that’s because they want viewers to feel invested in his death as well.

“Walk-throughs” weren’t a common style before this series. Most television shows were filmed with static sets and stationary cameras. The West Wing pioneered the use of hand-carried cameras. The trick was doing this without having them shake too much. Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc shows Josh walking through the offices in a victory lap for having stopped Mandy in her tracks from putting Lloyd Russell forth as a possible challenger to the President’s re-election.

Although Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc doesn’t have quite the impact the next episode will, it’s a strong bit of character development for the series. It introduces some of the minor characters in the ensemble cast and establishes something of a chain of command among the staffers. It’s a solid episode, just not a particularly memorable one in the scope of the overall series.

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