Access (The West Wing)
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| “Access” | |
|---|---|
| The West Wing episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 106 |
| Written by | Lauren Schmidt |
| Directed by | Alex Graves |
| Guest stars | Clark Gregg Sam Robards Albie Selznick NiCole Robinson Wilson Cruz Michael Gallagher Michael Kagan Joseph Vassallo Will Lyman (narration) |
| Production no. | 176068 |
| Original airdate | March 31, 2004 |
| Season 5 episodes | |
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| List of The West Wing episodes | |
"Access" is episode 106 of The West Wing.
[edit] Plot
Producing a program on past and present White House press secretaries, a television documentary crew follows C.J. around to film a "typical" day. But the presence of outsiders adds stress when a crisis involving a terrorist shootout with the FBI has a smiling C.J. trying to keep the story a secret. Meanwhile, C.J. supervises her team in preparation for a formal papal visit with Bartlet and dodges difficult questions about the imminent future of the current FBI director.
The show concludes with a statement, seemingly made after the conclusion of Bartlet's presidency, that C.J. Cregg is the only White House Press Secretary to have served two terms - a claim somewhat undermined by the storyline of the Sixth and Seventh Seasons of the West Wing, in which C.J. becomes Chief of Staff. However, since the commentary did not say C.J. had served two full terms, it may not be considered a retcon.
The hostage situation at Shaw Island was the second such situation on the show; the first was in The State Dinner, in McClane, Idaho. Interestingly, the episode cites a third hostage crisis during Bartlet's first term at Casey Creek.
