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Written by: Debora Cahn, Directed by: Lesli Linka Glatter
- Takes Place: Two weeks before January 20th
- Broadcast: Sunday, May 7, 2006
- Query: What was that about Toby finding a typo in the Constitution?
- C.J.'s job is ending but she isn't letting go easily and yet she is unimpressed by those who want to offer her a lot of money to sit on a board for an hour or two a month. Franklin Hollis (very rich, very well known) makes her a different kind of offer,
- "I'm starting a foundation 'cause if I hold onto all this money, I start to look impolite. I want to find a single problem I can attack. Something which might actually have some kind of substantial effect. Maybe I should be fighting AIDS in Africa. Or maybe it's malaria. Could be clean air or election reform. I don't know. But my sense is that you would have a unique perspective on what that could be and how to make it happen."
"A single problem."
"It's a complicated question."
"Highways — Is what you're looking for."
""Really?"
"It's not sexy. No one will ever raise money for it. But nine out of ten African aid projects fail because the medicine or the personnel can't get to the people in need.... Blanket the continent with highways and then maybe get started on plumbing."
"Also not sexy. Well, if you think that's what needs fixing, I'll give you $10 billion to fix it." C.J. has no answer to this.
- Then Santos calls her in for a meeting. She thinks they are just going to be polite.
- "C.J., this isn't a courtesy call. This is an offer."
"Seriously?
"Institutional memory is an invaluable commodity.... We don't just want you, we need you... Give me two years, C.J. Just until we get things settled. Special Counselor to the President.... I'm the President-Elect of the United States and I'm asking you to help your country, so I'm probably not gonna accept 'no' for an answer so you go home and think about it and call me back with a 'yes'."
- She mulls all this over on her own and just mentions something in passing to Danny who thinks they should talk about it.
- "We don't have that kind of relationship, yet," she tells him.
"Apparently.... We keep shoving the conversation downstream. At some point you have to choose to have a relationship, but you don't even see me in the picture, do you?" When she doesn't answer, Danny says, "Thank you. That's useful information."
- Toby's ex-wife, Andy, has talked to C.J. about the possibility of the President pardoning Toby. But Toby didn't apply for a pardon. So, C.J. goes to see him.
- "What have you been doing?"
"...I read a lot. I've really read all the books at this point."
"Anything good?"
"I can make you a list.... I read the Constitution — I think I found a typo.... There's an inconsistant comma.... It changes the meaning of the takings clause...."
They then talk about the prison he is headed to. "Maybe we should try to do something."
"Dig a tunnel?" C.J. mentions Andy's idea of a pardon, but Toby objects. "I don't want a pardon."
"Well, that simplifies matters, thanks."
"You show up here.... asking me about a pardon we both know is out of the question.... I think you don't know why you came here. You're a woman with a lot of options. You're acting like the world's backing you into a corner.... Maybe you should... pick something. What do you want?"
- C.J. stops as she leaves and thinks about it and decides what she wants. She heads for Danny's place. She tells him that she isn't sure she can do a relationship.
- "This is who I am. I'm good at my job. I'm good at working...."
"We'll figure it out. All of it.... I want you to do what you want.... I just want you to talk to me about it. I want us to talk about what it'll mean and how we'll make it work.... I want us to talk...."
"Franklin Hollis wants me to take $10 billion and go and fix the world."
"That sounds like fun. Does that sound like fun to you?" She nods. "Do you want to work at the White House?" She shakes her head.
---Corrections to follow---
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For anyone interested in guest stars of this episode (as well as more information),
let us recommend the West Wing Episode Guide.
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#721 "Institutional Memory"
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