Not So Quiet Nights in the "West Wing" Quiz

Answer: National parks

Josh mentioned that he had to be back in his office in four hours but the President, a self-described national parks buff, was getting too much enjoyment from his captive audience to let him go. I suppose late nights and early mornings are easier to tolerate when you live and work in the same building, so that helps explain Bartlet's enthusiasm, and Josh was too respectful to just walk out. Still, post-midnight lectures from my boss? No thanks!

Answer: He had to wake the President up

In this particular episode Charlie had to wake up the President, physically, at 6am after he had gone to sleep only three hours earlier. That's pretty bad as it is, but I noticed that Charlie was awake, dressed and in his office when he made the call. Elsewhere we learned that his gross income was $35,000 per annum. Hats off to the Charlies of the world - that's some dedication.

Answer: Funding for autism research

The filibuster went for nine hours, which while impressive is far short of the real-life record. In order to hold the floor, Senator Howard Stackhouse read a recipe book, the rules to card games, and the Dickens novel "David Copperfield". Meanwhile various staff in the West Wing occupied themselves during the late evening wait by writing to their parents.

This was an odd episode to watch for those of us unfamiliar with US Senate procedures.

Answer: The building was on fire

Sometimes The West Wing opened dramatically, sometimes with humour. "The Leadership Breakfast" was an example of the latter. Sam and Josh's attempt to warm up the building backfired due to the small matter of the chimney being sealed, setting off the smoke alarms.

Being woken up by a smoke alarm is not the best experience, but remember: fire safety is important folks!

Answer: They are poetic

To quote directly--

President Bartlet: "A long flight across the night? You know why late flights are good? Because we cease to be earthbound and burdened with practicality. Ask the impertinent question. Talk about the idea nobody has thought about yet. Put it a different way."
Sam: "To be poets."

I must admit, if I had a plane with an office, couches and a bedroom suite I expect I'd be well disposed to night flights too.

Answer: Bartlet's insomnia

The episode began just after 10pm and finished after midnight. It focused on a discussion between President Bartlet and a psychiatrist (played by Adam Arkin) brought in to get to the bottom of Bartlet's sleeplessness. Like many things in the "West Wing" universe, Toby started it :)

In this episode we learned that the President normally slept four to five hours a night. That's four hours a night too little as far as I'm concerned!

Answer: "Well, you earned it."

This episode took place after (and, in flashbacks, before) President Bartlet's fourth State of the Union address. In the conversation quoted in the question, staff were celebrating the positive poll results that came through in the hours immediately following the speech.

I'll allow one very late night on the day of the speech itself, but the story showed that West Wing staff had been burning the midnight oil for a long time in the lead-up, too. A focal point of the episode was Bartlet's late night fancy for something grand and inspiring (namely, a cure for cancer) that pulled everyone into the office at night for a few hours of dead horse flogging.

Answer: Social Security

Toby noticed something small in the audience at the State of the Union and thought about it obsessively until his curiosity turned into a tactical move to save Social Security. I'll accept that that's worth staying up all night for.

If you have a colleague like Toby--thoughtful, dedicated and fiercely intelligent--never give them your home phone number.

Answer: Donna

Good guy Republican and former love interest of Donna rang her late at night when Josh had refused to return his calls. Using the clandestine backdoor channel that is Ms Moss, he got the President to hear and accept the Republican offer to end damaging congressional hearings--an offer that Leo was not willing to consider. So perhaps what government needs to function effectively is more inter-party dating.

Answer: Christopher Lloyd

Christopher Lloyd's character was an American legal professor who was advising a delegation from Belarus on the creation of a new, democratic constitution. In this episode, a British passenger plane was shot down by an Iranian fighter jet in the middle of the night, US time. Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg had to decide whether to wake the President, against the explicit instructions of the First Lady, to alert him of an international incident that he could do very little about. The key message from this episode was not to make Stockard Channing angry.

"The Wake Up Call" was one of six West Wing episodes directed by Laura Innes, best known as a long-standing cast member of the TV show "ER".