Isaac and Ishmael

Isaac and Ishmael

Infobox Television episode
Title = Isaac and Ishmael
Series = The West Wing


Caption =
Season = 3
Episode = 0
Airdate = October 32001
Production = 227206
Writer = Aaron Sorkin
Director = Christopher Misiano
Guests = Ajay Naidu
Michael O'Neill
Jonathan Nichols
Jeanette Brox
Episode list = List of "The West Wing" episodes
Season list = Infobox The West Wing season 3 episode list
Prev =
Next ="Isaac and Ishmael" is a non-sequential episode of "The West Wing" which unofficially launched the third season in 2001. The episode was a response to the 9/11 attacks and was written and filmed within two weeks of that event and aired before the third season officially began.

Plot

The main cast introduces the episode out of character by paying tribute to those affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks and informing viewers about what to expect from the delayed premiere of the third season. The cast also makes it clear that this episode doesn't fall in the West Wing continuity. However, some characters make reference to events that occurred within the true continuity of the series.

In the episode, the White House is "crashed" due to a staff member having the same name as a known alias of a person on a terrorist watch list. The lock-down leaves a group of students selected for Presidential classroom stuck in the mess hall with Josh as well as other staffers—and the President and First Lady—drop in to join the discussion about terrorism. Meanwhile, Leo and Ron confront a potential threat from within. The episode tackles issues of race and intolerance.

The episode's title stems from the story the First Lady tells at its end. It is the classic tale of Abraham and his two sons Isaac and Ishmael in the Book of Genesis, and explains how the source of conflict between Arabic and Jewish descendants first appeared in the world.

Mistakes and Errors

When special agent Ron Butterfield is briefing Leo on a suspected terrorist, he claims that he was caught crossing "from Ontario into Vermont". Ontario and Vermont do not border each other. Vermont shares a border with the Canadian province of Quebec.

External links

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


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