Written by Aaron Sorkin
Directed by Anthony Drazan

The Crackpots and These Women is a character-building episode with a lot of humor in it. How the various members of the President’s staff handle some of the things thrown at them this day says a lot about them and helps us understand their characters early in the series. Looking back after having viewed the entire series, some of it is obvious, but there are other parts that really humanize these people.

The episode opens with a pickup basketball game outside of the White House between President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and his staff. There’s a lot of smack talk going on, and the President is getting tired. Bartlet introduces his newest member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Rodney Grant, a college basketball player from Duke. Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) reminds him of the time President Bartlet tried to tell them Steffi Graf worked at the US Consulate so she could be the President’s partner in mixed doubles. It appears the President doesn’t like to lose.

Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) is on his way to a staff meeting as his assistant, Donna (Janel Moloney), tries to update him with messages. Today is the day of the month when the staff is tasked with meeting with some of the fringe groups out there. Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer) comes in and tells the story of the block of cheese and Andrew Jackson.

Leo and Josh meet with the NSC, and Josh gets a card telling him where to go in the event of a nuclear attack. Josh questions if his staff comes with him, and gets the message that it’s for him and him alone.

President Bartlet is practicing for a press conference with Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe), Media Director Mandy Hampton (Moira Kelly), Josh, Leo, and the President’s Secretary Mrs. Landingham (Kathryn Joosten). Toby wants the President to answer questions about the gun legislation they just got passed. The President doesn’t really want to. Press Secretary CJ Cregg (Allison Janney) enters the room and passes Josh on the way. Josh doesn’t want to be in the room. CJ makes him come in with her as Toby and the President start arguing.

Sam wants to stay and help the President practice instead of going to a meeting with US Space Command. They want the White House to pay more attention to UFOs. He says something is in the sky over the Pacific Ocean and headed towards California.

The President learns his youngest daughter, Zoey (Elisabeth Moss), is in town looking for housing at Georgetown. The President decides to make chili. Toby is working on a speech about the amount of violence and sex in the movies for their trip to California. He thinks it’s a bad idea to give the speech and then do a fundraiser.

Josh asks Sam about when he got the NSC card. He realizes Sam didn’t get one.

CJ is meeting with people who want a $900 million wolves-only roadway between the US and Canada. Sher laughs at them repeatedly as they are pitching the idea to her. In the end, though, she ends up writing a paper on wildlife protection.

Mandy tries to make up to Toby and accidentally reveals that David Rosen was up for the job of Communications Director before him.

Josh visits his psychiatrist, which he hasn’t done in months. He’s upset about the card, but also reveals that he’s still struggling with the death of his sister, Joanie. There was a fire, and Josh ran out of the house and survived, while Joanie didn’t. This is why the card bothers him, especially since he knows others don’t have one. He finally confesses this to C.J., who tells him not to be upset by it, but Josh is plagued by doomsday scenarios.

Toby uses the casual gathering to talk to the President about their fractious relationship. The President confesses that he really needs Toby and is glad David Rosen turned down the job,

The President’s Personal Aide, Charlie (Dulé Hill), meets Zoey for the first time, and they go to work fixing the President’s chili.

There’s a good bit of character development in The Crackpots and These Women, particularly when it comes to Toby and Josh. Viewers learn of the tragedy in Josh’s life that is still affecting him. He still has survivor’s guilt over surviving the house fire that killed his sister. This troubles him when he thinks about surviving a nuclear war, especially since the rest of the staff isn’t included in the group. This is a different Josh than the one in the previous episode, who was a lot of bravado to the point of almost bullying. CJ helps him put this in perspective when she responds to the revelation, saying that in the event of a nuclear attack, there’s going to be no press left, so no need for a press secretary. The residual feelings from the loss of his sister tell Josh he doesn’t want to be a survivor again when the people that he loves are dead. Instead of just taking the card and filing it away, Josh experiences a great deal of introspection, which causes him to give Leo the card back.

Toby, on the other hand, is dealing with a bit of a bruised ego. At first, it seems he and President Bartlet are just arguing quite a bit. I said in an earlier review that Toby is something of a Jiminy Cricket for Bartlet. He’s the one vocalizing Bartlet’s own conscience when Bartlet can’t even put his finger on it. The President tells him that everyone wanted Toby except him. He was the one who wanted David Rosen, and he thanks God that Rosen turned him down. Toby has a moral line in the sand and doesn’t do well when he feels he’s being pushed close to it.

Viewers learn President Barlet likes to win. His character here is akin to Captain Kirk in the second Star Trek film, dealing with the Kobayashi Maru. When there’s no clear path to victory, change the circumstances to make one. Is that a good thing in a leader or not? We will see how this hurts the President in the future, as well as several times when it helps him.

At this point, it already feels like “Why is Mandy here?” With the terrific way she was introduced in the pilot, I was expecting much more from the character. Instead, she seems relegated to the background. There is chemistry between the remainder of the staff, but Mandy seems to be on the outside looking in. She could have been used as much more of a foil for Josh in this episode. Instead, it’s CJ who tries to put the card in perspective for Josh.

The first meeting between Charlie and Zoey doesn’t seem to be much on the surface; however, knowing what is happening in the series, it’s a really cute moment for them. They are the two youngest in this entourage, so it’s natural that they will gravitate to each other. What that means for the future likely had more of an impact back when the series aired than it does now, even with racism still so prevalent.

• Bob Engler: I would like you to show the President some data we’ve collected on some possible extraterrestrial contact.
• Sam Seaborn: I really can’t do that.
• Bob Engler: May I ask why not?
• Sam Seaborn: Because the President will either yell at me or laugh at me. Either way it won’t work out well for me.

All in all, The Crackpots and These Women balances levity with the right amount of gravitas, building a world in the White House where there’s humor even at the most difficult of times. Viewers learn more about the characters they’ve been introduced to in the series so far in a meaningful, fun way. Even when meeting with “the crackpots,” there is something to be learned from them, which is Leo’s point in having the exercise.

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