Memorial Day (The West Wing)

"Memorial Day"
The West Wing episode
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 110
Directed by	Christopher Misiano
Written by	John Sacret Young & Josh Singer
Production code	176071
Original air date	May 19, 2004
Guest stars
Mary McCormack Gary Cole Jason Isaacs Gerald McRaney Lily Tomlin Steven Culp Ron Canada Steve Ryan Natalija Nogulich Renee Estevez
Season 5 episodes
September 24, 2003 – May 19, 2004 7A WF 83429 The Dogs of War Jefferson Lives Han Constituency of One Disaster Relief Separation of Powers Shutdown Abu el Banat The Stormy Present The Benign Prerogative Slow News Day The Warfare of Genghis Khan An Khe Full Disclosure Eppur Si Muove The Supremes Access Talking Points No Exit Gaza Memorial Day
List of The West Wing episodes

"Memorial Day" is episode 110 of The West Wing.

Plot

In the season finale, Gaza slayings of key U.S. officials might drag the fuming President into an unending cycle of violence. Events in the tinderbox Gaza Strip spin out of control after the murders of high-ranking U.S. officials as the angry President weighs appropriate military action—even as Israel launches its own strikes and surrounds the Palestinian chairman, prompting more retaliatory action. The dangers are compounded when Bartlet suddenly cannot communicate with the chairman and a strange undertow of intrigue finds a wary Josh meeting with a mysterious foreign operative while tending to Donna in Germany. Meanwhile, Bartlet dons a bulletproof vest and practices his sluggish fastball when he's called to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a game in Baltimore.

The episode also introduces tension between Bartlet and Leo that will play out over the next few episodes of following season.

Series context

During a flashback in this episode we find out Bartlet received 303 electoral votes during his 1998 campaign for the presidency (in which he won 48% of the popular vote). We also do not learn the identity of Bartlet's predecessor – he is mentioned only as the President during the flashbacks set 72 hours after Bartlet's win.

The First Pitch

The episode ends with Bartlet somewhat reluctantly throwing out the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The scene was shot prior to a game on April 23, 2004 against the Toronto Blue Jays. April 23 was a Friday, which is "student night" at Oriole Park; anyone with a valid student ID (or attending the game along with someone who has a student ID) was able to purchase an upper level reserve ticket for $5 (the price has since been increased). As a result, there were significantly more fans in the upper deck at the time the scene was being shot, between 30 and 60 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the game, and the crew invited fans to come down and fill in the sections of the park that would be seen by the cameras in the scene. The scoreboard, visible in the scene, named President Bartlet as that game's first pitch participant.

The scene was shot several times, with the PA announcer introducing President Bartlet and Martin Sheen throwing a pitch to the Orioles' then-starting catcher Javy López. Because of the time needed to set the scene and the number of takes needed, the start of the game was delayed by approximately 30 minutes.

Reference List

External links

• The West Wing Episode Guide