The ending to the last episode of Season 1. President Jed Bartlet is leaving an event where he had just got done speaking, and heads out to his limousine when shots ring out.
One of the most frustrating moments in all of West Wing. Having to wait until the next season to answer the question, the last words you hear: "WHO'S BEEN HIT!?"
It still makes me duck for cover especially after the Las Vegas shooting. That shooting and this scene have two important things in common: shooter(s) was/were in a vantage point high above the target and victims were defenseless.
Instead of yelling "GUN," she should have opened fire. Also, how is there a Secret Service sniper from, what it seems across the street, and doesn't see anything? It is television. The Secret Service looked pretty incompetent in this scene.
@@timothyfavasoli7224 Trying to look for and aim and kill or arrest the people involved is slow and ineffective. Their guns are going to go off at any second. Secret Service protocol is covering the protectee and pushing him inside the car.
that’s literally the most close minded thing i’ve ever heard. all crazy conservation and crazy democrat people are all the same. doesn’t matter the party. it’s close minded and not progressive at all. talking about wanting to be the party of the people but when it’s not the party you like you ignore them. that’s funny. i’m a Democrat and what you just said shows what is going wrong in America right now
One of the good moments comes after this. Hoynes is in the WH hosting some sort of winning team get-together, you hear the sirens roaring outside as all the motorcade heads towards the hospital, and then the door flies open and a team of Secret Service agents comes in, grabs Hoynes, and rushes him out. The look on Hoynes' face, as he realizes what's happening, is perfect.
Yes, that scene, and the scene where Donna and Mrs. Landingham see the breaking news on the TV, and the camera turns back to Mrs Landingham, and that sweet old lady is hauling ass back to her office.
@@stacymar684 and the one where Ron discovers Bartlett's gunshot wound and yells into the radio "GW! BLUE! BLUE! BLUE!" Then the reception lady at the hospital who's working the late night shift gets a call that the president's been shot and thinks it's a prank call until the motorcade pulls up outside.
@@spicetruckin Ah okay. When I first saw the scene I didn't understand why Bartlett didn't just tell anyone he'd been shot. Now I think it's because he was trying not to make himself the center of attention and have the agents focus on his daughter and the other victims. Man I'd give anything to go back and watch this show again.
When the Secret Service guy screams, "Who's been hit?! Who's been hit?!" I felt like I was waiting for updates on how a close friend was after such a tragedy. Then to find out that Josh, most innocent person on the main White House staff, was the one most wounded... It felt like watching a close friend die. That's how powerful this show is.
Look back at JFK Assasination Nobody was able to save JFK Look at Ronald Reagan he was shot walking to his limo by a crazy guy , Other Presidents came close but were never assasinated What is this world coming to
I was so mad the first time I saw this episode. I was a kid--10 or 11 years old--and I flipped out because i thought the shooters might have killed Zoe or Charlie or President Bartlett. THEN I found out Josh was shot--he was my 2nd favorite character at the time, and that was NOT a good day at my house.
I've seen this show multiple times and know what's going to happen and who is going to be ok and who isn't and why... This is still one of the most absolutely chilling moments in the entire show.
Between the cinematography and the music it does a great job at building the suspense. Then the music stops when they open fire so all you hear are screams and gunshots. It cuts back and forth to different people giving a sense of the chaos, until fading to black with the only clear words being "who's been hit?" A brilliantly done scene.
The sound design amplifies the sounds of all shots to the same volume, making it impossible for the brain to fully understand what's happening, or where.
He is a very talented actor who can do a lot of roles well. He played the very liberal President Bartlet and also Confederate General Robert E Lee. In both cases he won critical acclaim.
The original whiz bang cliffhanger was “Who Shot JR?” on Dallas. The dramatic cliffhanger that was unintentionally funny was the wedding massacre on Dynasty.
Well there was the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Best of Both Worlds Part 1 when Riker ordered Worf to fire and kill the borgified Captain Picard
I’ve never seen two seconds of this tv until now . Wow! I think I will buy the whole series and find out what happens... Thank you Stephen Colbert does have time actors on your show just now ...... 10-10-2020
I love all the people in the comments who seem to have not watched the show. The entire point of the handguns was that it wasn't the type of gun you use if you're trying to kill the president. They wanted this to be something a group of teenage racist skinheads did. Maybe the intention was they didn't put a ton of thought into it. Maybe the idea was they grabbed what was easiest for them. In any way, the real point is this was not an attempt on the president. They wanted to kill, of all people, the black bodyman who was dating the president's daughter.
Mark Neuse Not really, Loading the "magazine" (the actual name of it by the way.) prior to the shooting doesn't mean it wasn't well planned. They might have just got the bullets, or in some regards they kept everything seperate in case they where caught. except for having a fully loaded weapon, they would have probably had the magazines, the actual pistols, and the bullets in separate places. Beyond that, yes it was probably not completely planned out. Their only goal was probably just to kill charlie an not much else.
Firan25 probably not planned out? i think that would be safe to say. trying to kill somebody who just happens to be standing by the president of the untied states, surrounded by an army of security, wasn`t the brightest plan ever devised. actually, in an otherwise wonderfully scripted show, this scene was very likely the most preposterous.
+smellykelley69 I have to disagree with the "preposterousness" of the scenario. We all know that white supremacists are not the brightest people in any room. In fact, in almost any room, they are, generally speaking, the dimmest, most easily dominated, feebleminded people. They are, almost by definition, idiots. I don't think they would put a lot of thought into this, and in 1999, it WAS easier to acquire pistols than rifles or rocket launchers, both of which are now easily acquired in 2016, thanks to Congress (particularly the controlling Republican Party) being owned by the NRA, and those few not owned by the NRA not being willing to stand up for fear of not being reelected.
Seeing something like this and other shows/movies explain the importance of the Secret Service and the part they play and how difficult it is when they are in crowds like that. They have taken an oath to step in front of a bullet
It's explained in the next season when people criticized how it was handled that the president didn't want them hovering over him during crowds. The Secret Service and President relationship at least back then was... complicated. During a high-level threat (i.e: An assassination attempt) the Secret Service had higher say than the president. But when it came to events where it seemed a low threat, the president could ask for a lower detail so he could greet the crowd and Secret Service would constantly be in contact with each other and sweeping the crowds with one or two with the president in case there was a threat in the crowd. A shooting attempt from high up would've not been enough to save him from a bullet at that moment. Hence they shoving him into the limousine that's bulletproof as soon as the shots were fired. So they even explained it better than people thought they did after this episode as to why he got shot. And why they couldn't have stopped it even if they were trained to take a bullet.
The West Wing first seasons were untouchables. There were great moments even after Sorkin and Schlamme went away (the whole primary and Santos/Vinick election story arc was great), but this was TV at its finest. And they had to write 22+ episodes!
That was the TENSEST hiatus and most anticipated season premiere of any show I've ever watched. They left you for months wondering "Who's been hit?!" and it was more powerful than the "Who shot J.R.?" line from Dallas.
It's incredible: this episode clinched the next five seasons for The West Wing, and set the arc for so many of the stories that would ultimately seal the fate of so many characters in this scene alone. They don't make TV like this, or like The Sopranos, anymore.
Not since FALCON CREST's 2nd and 3rd seasons has a season finale captured my attention like this episode of THE WEST WING did. Amazing writing, acting, and casting. Wonderful series. Great finale!
I miss this incredibly good show! And I miss staying home in anticipation of the next episode with not having everything available at any moment. These days watching a show is like playing a game with cheat mode on
I’m currently watching west wing with my parents (I’m not saying my age but I’m still a kid lol so I’m not living on my own) and we got to the end of this episode and I had tears in my eyes and was like “DEAR GOD I SWEAR IF YOU TWO DONT LET US WATCH THE FIRST EPISODE OF SEASON 2-“
Just noticed something in Toby for the first time. From where he's being bundled underfoot of the crowd to where he collects Josh's head as he falls. He's surprised but not shocked. It's like he knew this was gonna happen at some point. A President who pushes the ideas and language Toby writes for him draws a big target on the back of head. When he talks to Bartlett later, how he's got the wobbles and not sure he can come back from this. It's because he assumed the President was the target, because of what Bartlett and Ziegler stand for. He had made peace with the dangers of that. Then he finds out it was a lynching, just pure personal hatred. Thats the surprise.
Fun fact: Aaron Sorkin wrote this scene specifically to let the entire cast know that nobody was immune to layoffs due to requests for a raise. Not one cast member bothered him after this if I'm not mistaken.
@John James no, but they'd write them off with barely a passing reference (Mandy, Ainsley etc.) Except for Sam Seaborn, the core cast stayed the whole time, which doesn't happen in a real 8-year presidential administration.
@@milesconerly5818 Rob Lowe wasn't fired, though. He left, because the show stopped being about him. I think the congressional campaign was Lowe's final warning to get in line with the rest of the cast. He didn't and decided to leave, so they wrote Lowe off without a word of mention whether Sam won the election or not. I think Lowe has since regretted leaving as he showed up during the finale. He learned how to be part of an ensemble cast during his time working on Parks and Recreation.
Rob Lowe was featured less and less. The cast did a magazine cover without him, and they grouped together to go to Sorkin for raises without Lowe because he was no longer starring. They all got raises and that’s when Lowe left. He talks all about it in his book.
The New Hampshire signatories to the Declaration of Independence were William Whipple, Matthew Thornton, and Josiah Bartlett. Josiah had 3 sons, so it is theoretically possible that he has living descendants with the same last name.
@hollywoodwerewolf She is seriously dense in that scene. Of course she's like that in all the episodes leading up to this as well. She obviously missed the memo that Gina isn't there to be her 24/7 gossip buddy. She's always like, "OMG Gina, you're so silly! OK, I'll walk over here, whatevs!"
So they were aiming for Charlie. And the agent knocks him over, saving his life. But somehow Bartlett and Josh (nowhere close to Charlie) got hit. Kinda odd. Must be some seriously bad shots
Because it wasn't one. They weren't aiming for the President. They were trying to kill Charlie because he was dating the President's daughter while black.
I know it’s for dramatic effect, but there is no way, NO WAY the gunmen wouldn’t have been spotted by the Secret Service prepping their firearms in the window. Also, the motorcade just wouldn’t have been that close to an uncleared building. I’m certain this has been raised, but I think it bears repeating.
3:12 Gina spots the shooter 3:13 first shot 3:14 Gina gets Charlie to the ground 3:17 Secret Service on the ground shoot back 3:22 Marksman shoots, hits window beside the shooters Then have to wait 4 months to find out what happened.......ah, the olden days.
I've missed those days when the show ended.The season in april or may and left us hanging until september or even october to find out what happened. And? We would hang on every little report about who was on set for the new season.Blah blah blah blah. And it was all network television for the most part. And? The west wing was one of the best shows ever. The acting was wonderful.The stories were great and festive.It had such wonderful humor. Especially josh and sam.
Great show. Superb writing/acting/directing, etc... HOWEVER. While recognizing that this scene was crafted for dramatic effect on a TV series, in real life? Those assassins would NEVER (never, never, ever), have been able to occupy that building (or ANY building) with such a clear and easy shot at a president. The Secret Service clears an area of at least a half sq. mile before declaring it safe for any president to pass thru or occupy, 24 hrs before any event. That particular building would not only have been cleared of any people long before Bartlett had left the auditorium, it would've been occupied by SS snipers. The Secret Service DOES NOT PLAY when it comes to presidential safety. Too many bad memories.
Mandy got shot and killed that night. The staff loved her so much that it was too painful for them even to mention it to each other for the rest of the series...
Oh the advantages of having a box set and getting into the series ten years after everyone else! Although when I lent my friend the West Wing I did it season by season for this very reason.
It's for effect. Remember in all things Hollywood...suspension of disbelief. Just like in SciFi we elect to forget that sounds does not travel in a vacuum, and that a magazine has limited rounds in it...unless you are Rambo.
@daytripper270 The following scene is from Season 2, Ep 01, and is called, ''In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Part One.'' But there are even more scenes from when Josh is found, (w/paramedics treating him, etc,) in flashbacks during an episode called ''Noel,'' which is also in season 2. -Just fyi.
Well they want you to keep seeing the shooters to amp up the pressure, watching someone load a gun is a pretty clear message too. First you see the creep on the ground and the reaction of the secret service woman (something's up), then zoom in on the window. Then you see shady people inside. Then you see them loading the guns (So you 'know' they're about to shoot somebody) all of this is mixed in amongst footage of the main characters, one last look at the bad guys and then: action!
These gunmen really sucked, considering Charlie was their target. They shot everywhere but his direction. I love Charlie, so I'm glad and all, but they hit the president, Josh, and almost hit CJ...none of whom were even anywhere near their target.
I have seen this at least 10 times. One thing that I always wonder about. Why were the assassins only just loading their guns as everyone was coming out? I assume it is shown for dramatic effect, but why would they wait until then? The would have had plenty of time to get that shit together.
That's all it is. Dramatic effect, you nailed it. Everybody else who's bitching about this like it's so unrealistic. Duh. It's a fictional TV show. This is why even reality shows are fake. Reality is usually kind of boring.
they hating the black kid so much they tried to kill him with 2 handguns and thought it would be a good opportunity while he was with the protected man on the planet....ummmmmm
@Parrotguy1999 I was thinking the same thing! I mean, would it have been that tough to bring along a simple hunting rifle? (Btw, watch again and you'll see they opened the window, but no matter.)
If I'd been watching the live i would have been so angry having to wait months. When i watched it in 2006 luckily my roommate had season 2 and i ran to his room to take his box set
This sorta reminds me of hearing about Reagan's assassination attempt, or even reading about the assassination attempt on FDR. Jesus....Why can't I find this series?!
I have never watched the show and I thought that was the case but I saw something in Rob Lowe's book in his pictures when he talked about his character it was a picture of him President Clinton and President Bartlett as well as "Sam Seaborn" and I thought that Sam Seaborn was George Stephanopolous' equivalent but the guy with him was a much older guy. Am I missing something? I am going to admit as I am typing this I am on the young end--I was just passing elementary school when Clinton = pres.
An impossibly infantile premise... that secret service would not be scanning every overlooking window, like the one in which the perps were visibly loading magazines.
