Interesting that the principle that the President of the United States is subject to the same laws and penalties as everyone else - as opposed to being completely immune from prosecution for breaking said laws - was considered so obvious at one point that it was the basis of a throwaway line in a comedy plot of a TV episode! Someone should play this clip to today's US Supreme Court!
Also interesting how the plot involved democrats hiding the truth of the President's health because their priority was winning the office, even it it meant lying to the American voters.
Reminds me of the time Bill Clinton asserted "protective function privilege" to prevent his Secret Service agents from testifying about his actions with Monica Lewinsky.
Can we just not? Can we have one clip we don’t have to do this on? If SCOTUS thinks a drug addicted year Aaron Sorkin from 2000 tv writing isn’t prescient, are we going to have hissy fits in the TH-cam comments of clips of Sports Night? Save it for the Reddit groups.
Yeah, it's so annoying when people discuss presidential politics when watching clips of a show that is 100% about presidential politics. You heard the man, people. And while we're at it, no more discussing sports when watching sports clips. Save it for Reddit.
Wait, Sam is supposed to be the handsome one? I thought most women considered Rob Lowe to be mid. I thought he was the boring guy in the Brat Pack? Have I been misinformed?
The part about this that I always found strange is why Mallory would say that it's not a date because there'd be no sex. She does know... that's not the only thing that constitutes a date right???
Leo and even the President are wrong on this one. Yes this is a job that leaves nothing for leisure time, that said Sam did have the evening off. It's not that something of actual importance came up, it's that Leo gave this assignment to Sam not because he was best suited for it, but just to mess with him (and by extension, her). So Leo's objective was "you can't go" not "you need to do this assignment". The actually important meetings Leo's had on his schedule are irrelevant.
Well, he was making a point. In this case Leo was having a little fun, but Sam's reaction was more important-that their professional lives are a Big Deal and take priority over things like a date with the boss' daughter.
I think you missed the point, but only because the clip didn't show it - there was some backstory to these scenes, and IIRC it was because Leo and Mallory's mother were in the middle of a divorce. She didn't understand how important his job was to the most powerful person in the world, and the last scene shows it to her. You would also expect Mallory to invite either of her parents to the event as well, but she didn't.
@@redwall1521 You miss the point. Of course you don't show favoritism to either parent by inviting one of them to a show when they are going through a divorce. This was about the president and his chief of staffe being uptight and condescending to their daughters, not fathoming they have agency and sexual lives of their own. Thankfully we're moving away from that downright patriarchal misygonist way of thinking. It's not about Leo having fun. It's about Leo deliberately sabotaging a relationship his very clearly adult daughter wants to pursue. Fuck that. Sam has clearly demonstrated he's a perfectly nice and conscentious guy. Leo should be so lucky if he ends up a grandson. Or if his daughters just wants a one night stand with Sam, that's none of Leo's concern either way.
@@redwall1521 The opera tickets were Leo's and his soon to be ex-wife's, he had offered them to her but she didn't want them so he gave them to his daughter, especially since he wouldn't be able to use them due to his job.
This was about the president and his chief of staffe being uptight and condescending to their daughters, not fathoming they have agency and sexual lives of their own. Thankfully we're moving away from that downright patriarchal misygonist way of thinking. It's not about Leo having fun. It's about Leo deliberately sabotaging a relationship his very clearly adult daughter wants to pursue. Fuck that. Sam has clearly demonstrated he's a perfectly nice and conscentious guy. Leo should be so lucky if he ends up a grandson. Or if his daughters just wants a one night stand with Sam, that's none of Leo's concern either way. I hated the way the President was portrayed as an old fashioned guy trying to protect his daughter's virginity. He isn't the leader of the Taliban. Young women have every right to go out, wear makeup and have sex with anyone they please. Yeah kids grow up. Deal with it and support them. Don't fucking build a wall and shame them for having sex.
They would have a point if Sam had truly gotten the assignment randomly or through Charlie. But Leo pulled Sam into it and circumvented the process creating a conflict where one didn't need to be.
This scene bothered me. The idea of old men having input who their adult daughters date is shameful. Mallory is obviously well into adulthood and hardly a teenager, she is entitled to make her own decisions on who she spends time with. This just reeks of misogyny and control issues.
Fathers of daughters have to stick together. Any guy dating a daughter better get that father on their side, especially if the father is his boss, or his bosses boss.
Sorry, are we talking about 15 year old daughters, or grown-ass adults who can live their own damn lives and make their own damn decisions? Hell, even for 15 year olds this kind of bullcrap is over the line. These are two men acting like children who can't accept that their children are now adults, and that its supposed to be the President of the USA and his chief of staff (well, a pair that we're supposed to like and/or respect) is just cringe worthy.
@@Wraithfighter Absolutely not. A man doesn't stop being a father because his daughter is an adult, and no man worth a damn would EVER stop protecting his daughter.
She should've said, "I expect your senses of justice and fair play to override your pettiness, gentlemen. Don't make me call your wives." That would've ended it instantly.
She should have told her father, "I told Sam there would be no sex. Now, there will be sex tonight, tomorrow, all next week, next weekend and maybe for the next month. Don't mess with me, again."
Mollory to Sam: "You are so incredibly like him."
Sam: "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."
"I really wanna knock this out" 🤣
I love that best friends Bartlett and Leo are both utterly flummoxed by their daughters. Like, every time.
They are used to dealing with staff who want their bosses to succeed and use logic.
Neither really applies to their daughters.
1:34
"I'm fine!"
2:06
"Okay, I'm not so fine!"
Aren't we all...
Aren't we all...
I really wish they'd done more with Sam & Mallory, romantic or not. They both played off each other so well and had great chemistry.
If Sam wasn’t getting with Ainsley then I needed him and Mallory.
He probably got with both on the DL, honestly. It's Rob Lowe in his prime.
I agree. They work well together.
The next few lines make the end of the scene:
MALLORY
Thank you, sir.
BARTLET
Are you blowing me off?
MALLORY
Yes, sir.
BARTLET
Okay.
"Like what?"
"Let's stay away from that."
"Best that we do."
I really liked Sam and Mallory's banter back and forth.
Especially in the pilot!
3:20
That's a switch! The president bellowing out, *"MARGARET!"*
Literally could not love this show any more than I already do.
Plus when Sam first meets Mallory and he somehow thinks one of the little girls in the class is Leo’s daughter and actually Mallory is the teacher 😂👍
Roosevelt room named after eisenhower obviously who was our 17th president. 😂😂😂😂
Should I step out?....sounds like it. 😂
“How’d that go by the way?”
“We’re fine.”
“Cool.”
I don’t know why but that “cool” from Jed makes me giggle every time I
Interesting that the principle that the President of the United States is subject to the same laws and penalties as everyone else - as opposed to being completely immune from prosecution for breaking said laws - was considered so obvious at one point that it was the basis of a throwaway line in a comedy plot of a TV episode! Someone should play this clip to today's US Supreme Court!
Also interesting how the plot involved democrats hiding the truth of the President's health because their priority was winning the office, even it it meant lying to the American voters.
Reminds me of the time Bill Clinton asserted "protective function privilege" to prevent his Secret Service agents from testifying about his actions with Monica Lewinsky.
Can we just not?
Can we have one clip we don’t have to do this on?
If SCOTUS thinks a drug addicted year Aaron Sorkin from 2000 tv writing isn’t prescient, are we going to have hissy fits in the TH-cam comments of clips of Sports Night?
Save it for the Reddit groups.
Yeah, it's so annoying when people discuss presidential politics when watching clips of a show that is 100% about presidential politics.
You heard the man, people. And while we're at it, no more discussing sports when watching sports clips. Save it for Reddit.
@@NiceTryLaoChe actually, it is. We are soaked in politics.
West wing is a make believe show.
Can we just have a wee bit of escapism?
Mallory and Ainsley were two characters for Sam that would've taken the show to even greater heights.
It must be so annoying sometimes to have Sam Seaborn, possibly the World's Handsomest Man, as a subordinate and surrogate son.
Wait, Sam is supposed to be the handsome one? I thought most women considered Rob Lowe to be mid. I thought he was the boring guy in the Brat Pack? Have I been misinformed?
@@Mark-ke1rjyes. Deeply and intentionally it seems.
Best show ever made
The part about this that I always found strange is why Mallory would say that it's not a date because there'd be no sex. She does know... that's not the only thing that constitutes a date right???
Wait - what??
the fact that she said "no sex" means she's thought about it.
Of course she did. It's Rob Lowe. There's no possible way she didn't have sex with Rob Lowe.
For Rob Lowe at the time, yes, a date often meant sex. This was covered in the pilot episode.
They are democrats so…😂😂😂
Leo and even the President are wrong on this one.
Yes this is a job that leaves nothing for leisure time, that said Sam did have the evening off. It's not that something of actual importance came up, it's that Leo gave this assignment to Sam not because he was best suited for it, but just to mess with him (and by extension, her). So Leo's objective was "you can't go" not "you need to do this assignment". The actually important meetings Leo's had on his schedule are irrelevant.
Well, he was making a point. In this case Leo was having a little fun, but Sam's reaction was more important-that their professional lives are a Big Deal and take priority over things like a date with the boss' daughter.
I think you missed the point, but only because the clip didn't show it - there was some backstory to these scenes, and IIRC it was because Leo and Mallory's mother were in the middle of a divorce. She didn't understand how important his job was to the most powerful person in the world, and the last scene shows it to her. You would also expect Mallory to invite either of her parents to the event as well, but she didn't.
@@redwall1521 You miss the point. Of course you don't show favoritism to either parent by inviting one of them to a show when they are going through a divorce. This was about the president and his chief of staffe being uptight and condescending to their daughters, not fathoming they have agency and sexual lives of their own. Thankfully we're moving away from that downright patriarchal misygonist way of thinking.
It's not about Leo having fun. It's about Leo deliberately sabotaging a relationship his very clearly adult daughter wants to pursue.
Fuck that. Sam has clearly demonstrated he's a perfectly nice and conscentious guy. Leo should be so lucky if he ends up a grandson. Or if his daughters just wants a one night stand with Sam, that's none of Leo's concern either way.
@@redwall1521 The opera tickets were Leo's and his soon to be ex-wife's, he had offered them to her but she didn't want them so he gave them to his daughter, especially since he wouldn't be able to use them due to his job.
This was about the president and his chief of staffe being uptight and condescending to their daughters, not fathoming they have agency and sexual lives of their own. Thankfully we're moving away from that downright patriarchal misygonist way of thinking.
It's not about Leo having fun. It's about Leo deliberately sabotaging a relationship his very clearly adult daughter wants to pursue.
Fuck that. Sam has clearly demonstrated he's a perfectly nice and conscentious guy. Leo should be so lucky if he ends up a grandson. Or if his daughters just wants a one night stand with Sam, that's none of Leo's concern either way.
I hated the way the President was portrayed as an old fashioned guy trying to protect his daughter's virginity. He isn't the leader of the Taliban. Young women have every right to go out, wear makeup and have sex with anyone they please. Yeah kids grow up. Deal with it and support them. Don't fucking build a wall and shame them for having sex.
Ever heard the saying, don't do a dump on your own doorstep.
They would have a point if Sam had truly gotten the assignment randomly or through Charlie. But Leo pulled Sam into it and circumvented the process creating a conflict where one didn't need to be.
God I used to crush so hard on Mallory 🤩
I had a crush on her back when she was on Kate and Allie.
I do have a thing for gingers
Where I lived Spy Game aired late at night after The West Wing had begun airing.
This scene bothered me. The idea of old men having input who their adult daughters date is shameful. Mallory is obviously well into adulthood and hardly a teenager, she is entitled to make her own decisions on who she spends time with. This just reeks of misogyny and control issues.
Here's a good point. Perhaps everyone should give their dad a break. I wish I had. Now it's too late.
I wish Mallory had a bigger part.
Fathers of daughters have to stick together. Any guy dating a daughter better get that father on their side, especially if the father is his boss, or his bosses boss.
You would think Leo WOULD be on Sam's side, as they're coworkers and friends who support each other.
*boss' boss
@@Mark-ke1rj Leo was on Sam's side, but he still had to give him the run around to show him who's the boss both at work and at home.
Sorry, are we talking about 15 year old daughters, or grown-ass adults who can live their own damn lives and make their own damn decisions?
Hell, even for 15 year olds this kind of bullcrap is over the line. These are two men acting like children who can't accept that their children are now adults, and that its supposed to be the President of the USA and his chief of staff (well, a pair that we're supposed to like and/or respect) is just cringe worthy.
@@Wraithfighter Absolutely not. A man doesn't stop being a father because his daughter is an adult, and no man worth a damn would EVER stop protecting his daughter.
She should've said, "I expect your senses of justice and fair play to override your pettiness, gentlemen. Don't make me call your wives."
That would've ended it instantly.
How that go by the way we’re fine “cool” such a bro moment
So gorgeous.
She was so hot and then dropped her from the show just like that.
I know right. Such a tragedy when hot people get dropped from things.
I wanted Sam and Mallory to end up together. I don’t think they did if I recall correctly.
Mallory is too good for Sam. She's saving herself for me dammit
Oh, the horror of your daughter dating a saint who’s a Princeton/Duke Law grad. This was kinda silly.
It takes all night to do a birthday card?
A birthday message.
A Monday night opera performance?
Not just opera. CHINESE OPERA.
@@jeffreyjeziorski1480 I grant you that. But on a Monday evening? Who does that?
@@seanwebb605 I assume that the Chinese are on a radically different time zone....that's good TV logic right there.
@@jeffreyjeziorski1480 My understanding is that they were dressing up really nicely to see a live performance in the Washington D.C. area.
for someone who said "no sex' she sure chose a dress that might suggest otherwise lol
God Mallory was unbearable as a character so boring
but really, really pretty.
She's a school teacher to small children
She should have told her father, "I told Sam there would be no sex. Now, there will be sex tonight, tomorrow, all next week, next weekend and maybe for the next month. Don't mess with me, again."
😂