20 Hours in L. A.

Infobox Television episode
Title = 20 Hours in L. A.
Series = The West Wing


Caption =
Season = 1
Episode = 16
Airdate = February 232000
Production = 225915
Writer = Aaron Sorkin
Director = Alan Taylor
Guests = David Hasselhoff
Jay Leno
Veronica Webb
Marlee Matlin
Bob Balaban
Tim Matheson
Jorja Fox
Janel Moloney
Elisabeth Moss
John de Lancie
Bill O'Brien
Michael O'Neill
Chris Hogan
Episode list = List of "The West Wing" episodes
Season list = Infobox The West Wing season 1 episode list
Prev =
Next ="20 Hours in L. A." is the 16th episode of "The West Wing".

Plot

It's time for a one-day trip to Los Angeles for the President, Josh, Toby, C.J. and Donna. The agenda includes a meeting in Orange County about flag-burning and a celebrity-packed reception and dinner at the house of studio boss Ted Marcus. President Bartlet meets his daughter's new Secret Service agent, Gina Toscano (played by Jorja Fox), and she later notes two unpleasant looking teenagers are lurking outside a restaurant where the President and his daughter are having lunch.

The studio boss threatens to cancel the fundraising reception when he learns that the White House isn't actively opposing a conservative congressman's bill to ban same-sex marriage. Josh is concerned by the threat, but cheers up considerably when he learns that Joey Lucas is in town and wants to meet with him. Josh and Toby agree they can't stand an aggressive pollster named Al Kiefer who says the President can guarantee his legacy by banning flag-burning, and are very happy later when Joey Lucas produces data to show the issue is not very important to most voters. (Joey thinks that the President should simply say that flag-burning is wrong).

Back in Washington, Leo and Sam note that the Senate vote on ethanol production is tied 50-50 and that VP Hoynes will have to cast the winning vote. The problem is that Hoynes has never been a fan of ethanol production, calling it wasteful and useless in reducing foreign oil dependence and even campaigning in Iowa against ethanol. Leo threatens his position, and the President says he wants to fire him, but Sam says that the VP is right. They decide to let some reluctant Senators vote "no," letting the VP off the hook. The President later actually compliments Hoynes for sticking to his guns, and then is unable to get a good night's sleep on the flight back to D.C.

Trivia

* In the shot where the motorcade is heading into Los Angeles from the airport, it is going the wrong way. Heading westbound on Manchester Blvd, the motorcade makes a left-hand turn on to southbound Sepulveda Blvd., from where it will be at LAX in about 2 minutes.
* In this episode, President Barlet is excited to go to a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles because they make the guacamole at your table. However, later in the season, the President says that he doesn't like Mexican food.
* During the party Donna spots Matthew Perry (who does not appear on screen) and decides to go over to him. Matthew Perry would later appear in The West Wing during season four and five as Associate White House Counsel Joe Quincy. Matthew Perry also goes on to star in Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip alongside Bradley Whitford who plays Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman and Timothy Busfield who plays Danny Cancanon on The West Wing.

External links

* [http://epguides.com/WestWing/ The West Wing Episode Guide]