question: West Wing: Why did Toby need a pardon?

[FallingWaters]

I used to be a big fan of the show, I recorded almost every episode of the first two seasons. I have transcripts of the show on my computer!!

Anyway... I stopped in the middle of the third or fourth season when Aaron Sorkin started freely writing in toilet language in the name of "pushing the envelope". I hadn't watched again until this year when my husband was watching and I stopped in for a bit a few times (I watched a little of the elections, and I saw when Leo died), and last week's episode because I got the date of the Finale mixed up.

Needless to say, I have no idea what in the world Toby did, or why he needed a pardon... and why he didn't want one, which is what he told CJ last week... and that didn't exactly look like a jail he was in. Also, I read a comment that someone said Toby shouldn't have gotten pardonned, so if you could explain the politics of that, that would be great. Thanks!

 

[FallingWaters]

I sure would appreciate it if someone could answer these questions for me

 

[FallingWaters]

Anybody watch West Wing?

 

[FallingWaters]

Why did Toby need a pardon?

 

[Col303]

Hi FallingWaters,

I missed a bunch of episodes this season but what I can gather is that there was an air leak on the space station and three astronauts were trapped. President Bartlet need to decide to save them by using a top secret military shuttle or let them die. The problem with the shuttle is that it violates international law and he can't admit the US has it. There was a leak about the shuttle and after a huge investigation it turns out that Toby was the leaky. Or should it be leaker? Oh well, anyway he ending up putting national security at risk. I'm not sure what happened to the astronauts.

Hope this helps catch you up. I'm hoping BRAVO will show the re-runs this summer so I can catch up to speed. It was really sad to see the show end.

 

[FallingWaters]

Thank you so much. I was starting to wonder if anyone was ever going to answer me. It sounds like a complicated story line. I loved the show in the first two seasons, but then they just made me mad by introducing all the vulgar language, and at the time I was visiting a West Wing forum every week, and someone suggested that if I was a good Christian I wouldn't watch it anymore, so I quit watching it.

The snipets I've seen in the last year as my husband watched it were complex and kind of over my head. I don't like the way the show had so much turnover. Aaron Sorkin was always getting rid of people and/or killing them off. I hated to see Mrs. Landingham go, though the bits I saw of Lily Tomlin were good.

My favorite scene with Mrs. Landingham was when Pres. Bartlett shouts for her from his office, and she suggests to the President that he should really learn how to use his intercom to call her. He says he can't figure out how to work that thing. (There are some visiting school kids in the White House that morning) and she says, "Would you like me to get one of the 4th graders to teach you how to use it?" (Just going from memory) That was priceless! Absolutely loved it!

Well, thanks again.