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Note: broadcast dates on future episodes are subject to change. SEASON ONE The first season, which begins in the middle of Bartlet's first year in office, is loaded with images of a West Wing "stuck in neutral" and powerless to govern (thought by many to mimic President Clinton 's early days in office, when he was forced to compromise on campaign promises such as gays in the military). Several episodes (notably "Five Votes Down" and "Mr. Willis of Ohio") feature the White House desperately digging for a backdoor through which to pass a particular piece of legislation. This powerlessness ends in "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet" when Leo and the president finally agree to fight any battle they believe to be important, even if they are not sure they can win. The season ends with a cliffhanger assassination attempt with an ominous call over a Secret Service radio: "Who's been hit?! Who's been hit?!" Episodes SEASON TWO The second season, which encompasses the end of Bartlet's second year in office through the middle of the third, covers a wider legislative array than the first, with issues ranging from the rights of hate groups to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty . Bartlet and his staff are able to legislate this season both due to increased polling numbers (thought by the staff to be a temporary "bubble" due to the assassination attempt) and the new doctrine for legislating laid out last season in "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet." The driving plot point for several seasons to come is revealed to the Bartlet staff that the president was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis prior to the election and kept it from the public. Bartlet's personal secretary dies in the second-to-last episode, "18th and Potomac," and the last episode, "Two Cathedrals," is centered around her funeral and whether or not the president will run for re-election. He ends the season having announced his multiple sclerosis, just about to answer a reporter's question, "Mr. President, will you be seeking a second term?" Episodes SEASON THREE The third season, which covers the administration's third and fourth years in office, starts off with Bartlet announcing his intention to run for reelection and is heavily devoted to the Upcoming Presidential Election . Other prominent plotlines include Congressional investigations into whether or not Bartlet committed electoral fraud by concealing his MS, a death threat against CJ and the ensuing relationship she develops with a Secret Service agent assigned to her, the Qumari defense minister Abdul Shareef plotting terrorist attacks against the US, and a troubling meeting between Toby and the president that leave Bartlet with a bout of insomnia in "Night Five." The season finale, "Posse Comitatus" closes several of these storylines as Bartlet meets his opponent in the elections and reaffirms his commitment to beat him. The episode ends with the president finally deciding to order Shareef's assassination (a questionably legal act) and CJ's agent getting killed just after the man threatening CJ was caught. Episodes Special Episodes SEASON FOUR The fourth season covers the end of Bartlet's fourth year and first term in office through the beginning of the first year of his second term. The season begins with the continuation of the election storyline with the president touring the nation and his staff trying to firm up presidential debates. Surprisingly the election is not used as a cliffhanger, but seen as a clear victory for Bartlet, the storyline ending less than halfway through the season in "Election Night." Other plots include Sam leaving the White House to run in a special election in California, Will Bailey taking Sam's position having come from the California campaign's staff, and Vice President Hoynes being forced into resignation after a sex scandal is uncovered. The fourth season ends with Bartlet's youngest daughter being taken hostage by Qumari forces that know the US was behind Shareef's assassination. Bartlet ends up invoking the 25th Amendment in the final episode, Twenty Five." Since Hoynes had recently resigned, the presidency passes to the Republican Speaker Of The House , Glenallen Walken. Episodes SEASON FIVE The fifth season opens with US forces successfully rescuing Zoey Bartlet (the president's daughter) from her abductors. Bartlet takes the presidency back from Walken, but is forced back into a Season One level of powerlessness. He comes to terms with his actions at the end of Season Three leading to his daughter's kidnapping, a powerful new Republican Speaker of the House (Walken had to resign in order to assume the presidency) who forces Bartlet into several decisions he didn't want including the nomination of a less-than-stellar Democrat, "Bingo Bob" Russell, for Vice President. This conflict with the new Speaker comes to a head in "Shutdown," when the Speaker tries to force Bartlet into cutting federal spending more than had been agreed to and Bartlet refuses to sign the budget (forcing the federal government into a shutdown). Bartlet regains some minor power, cutting a deal to get a liberal Chief Justice Of The United States , and season five ends with a bombing in Gaza leading Bartlet to push for Israeli peace talks and Josh to come closer to Donna. The fifth season begins toward the end of Bartlet's first year of his second term (fifth year overall) in office. By the end of the season, however, significantly over a year has elapsed. Episodes SEASON SIX The sixth season starts with the president negotiating an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, Leo having a heart attack and leaving the staff, and the president trying to fund peacekeepers for the accord. The later parts of the season center heavily around the 2006 Presidential Election (in which Bartlet cannot run). Josh leaves with Santos , a Congressman from Texas who had planned to leave Congress before Josh convinced him to run for President, on the campaign trail while Donna leaves with Vice President Russell's campaign staff (further fraying Josh and Donna's relationship). Leo returns near the end of the season to refocus the Bartlet administration (in a similar style to Season One's "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet") in "365 Days." Russell is the consistent leader for the Democratic nomination with former Vice President Hoynes a close second and Santos a distant third. After another sex scandal, Hoynes is forced into the third position, and Santos ends up winning a closely contested Convention (and announces Leo as his running mate). The final episode also features a leak from the White House about a classified military space shuttle to the press (similar to the real-life Plame Affair ), which is heavily investigated in Season Seven. Episodes SEASON SEVEN The seventh and final season is currently being broadcast in the United States and mainly follows Santos on the campaign trail and the aftermath of the shuttle leak investigation. The Bartlet administration's last year in office is featured, but not prominently. Toby admits to leaking the story and is forced to leave the staff. Later, he refuses to name his brother as the source of the classified information. Also, C.J.'s tenure as Chief of Staff becomes more stressful as she deals with the war between Russia and China over Kazakhstan . The presidential race tightens up when Vinick makes a number of mistakes on the campaign trail. As Bartlet prepares to send troops over to Kazakhstan, the candidates realize that they are in for more than they bargained for. Episodes EXTERNAL LINKS
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