Goofs over the years


This is my favorite show probably of all time. I have watched each episode many times and love almost all of them (a few not as much). One thing I do hate about a series like this, with many writers for various episodes, is that sometimes they apparently don't bother to keep up with "facts" from earlier shows or episodes. The audience, especially if a loyal following, WILL remember those items whether the writer knew them or not. In starting at the beginning one more time, I am making notes to myself about the things I find from one episode to another that would be considered an error or blooper or something. Would love to have others add ones they know of.

1. Leo's house in pilot episode is shown as 2 story brick. In episode 4, when he goes home after work and arrives at front, it is shown as a large modern style tannish house.

2. Leo says he has known President for 40 years -- but in season 3 during hearings he says Abbey has known him longest. In season 1 President said they had been married 32 years. Later episode says he married her during grad school -- so he would have been in early 20s. When Leo died he was only 59.

3. President says in first episode that granddaughter is 12. Later in season 5 it says she is starting high school. At that time she should have been at least 16 -- should already be into second or third year of high school at that point.

4. When Zoey is introduced in season 1, in episode 5 they said she was down there getting ready to start Georgetown in January. In episode 6, where she has the run-in at the bar, she says she is 19. Yet the following year Charlie and her father say she was 17 when she started Georgetown and that's why she needed parents permission on the medical papers.

5. Most everyone other than Leo and President are wearing badges when series starts. After a few episodes the main characters (Josh, CJ, Toby, Sam) no longer are seen with badges whereas assistants continue to have them.

6. Some episodes show people having to sign in at front desk or scan in when they come in, including Leo in a few episodes and CJ in season 3. Yet other episodes people just walk right in with no stop at the desk or a scan machine.

7. Episode 1 Toby says Honor thy father is 3rd commandment -- it's 5th.

I plan to continue trying to keep track as I work my way back through the episodes of each season. Again, please add to list ones you know of.

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The easy answers are that they never had a really a long-term plan. Aaron Sorkin has said before that he never had a "show bible" or anything and just tailored facts to the story he needed to tell at the time.

A major thing they always mess up is how long and when Bartlet was Governor of New Hampshire. Multiple times in flashback episodes they refer to him as a former governor but other times he was governor when he was running for President. They also say that he was a two-term governor and served 8 years, but the problem with that is that the Governor of New Hampshire only serves a two-year term.

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Serving Maryland crab to the Israeli and Palestinian delegations at Camp David in the beginning arc to season 6.

"Smokey, this is not 'Nam, this is bowling. There are rules. "
-Walter Sobchak

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[deleted]

CJ refers to brothers in the episode where she goes shopping with her niece, but in the homecoming episode it's implied that she's solely responsible for her ailing dad, and no siblings are mentioned.

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Often only one child is responsible or willing.

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Regarding CJ's brothers, maybe they're just jerks who refuse to help their dad. Or, maybe they were transported to the same dimension that Chuck Cunningham went to.

Regarding the vetos, maybe he vetoed the education bill when he was Governor? Perhaps when they said this was his first veto they meant, his first veto as president? Just a guess.


I have some other goofs:

1. There has never been a president named Josiah Bartlett

2. There has never been a vice-president named John Hoynes.

3. The people that work in the west wing are not nearly as good looking as the people on this show.

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CJ refers to brothers in the episode where she goes shopping with her niece, but in the homecoming episode it's implied that she's solely responsible for her ailing dad, and no siblings are mentioned.

Regardless of the fact this was the only episode not written by Sorkin during the first 4 seasons and a completely new writer was brought in for it, maybe they had a fall-out with their dad.

For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco

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In the episode where Ainsley & Sam debate on Capital Beat, it's mentioned that Bartlet vetoed an education bill. But in the later episodes where he vetoes the repeal of the estate tax, they refer to it as his first veto.

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It sounds odd, but different religions (even among the Christian religions) have different versions of the Ten Commandments, so your #7 isn't really a goof.

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[deleted]

I've always been a bit disappointed when shows don't track this stuff.

Here is one that may not be a goof, but I wasn't sure: We just watched "Access," the mockumentary about CJ's life on the job, and in it Toby is interviewed about when he first encountered CJ. He talks about her work for a PR concern in New York, but didn't he go out and hire her in Hollywood as the campaign was under way? Then again, he seemed to know her already, so perhaps that was later.

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I've always been a bit disappointed when shows don't track this stuff.

You must be disappointed a lot then.

Here is one that may not be a goof, but I wasn't sure: We just watched "Access," the mockumentary about CJ's life on the job, and in it Toby is interviewed about when he first encountered CJ. He talks about her work for a PR concern in New York, but didn't he go out and hire her in Hollywood as the campaign was under way? Then again, he seemed to know her already, so perhaps that was later.

Anything after season 4 is a West Wing parody really but yeah I imagine since she wasn't 19 when she started working on Bartlet for America, the odds that she could have lived and worked in two major cities in the US before she worked for Bartlet are not exactly mind-blowing.

For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco

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Whoosh! Snarky much?

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