5.20: No Exit (with Fmr. Senator Tom Daschle, Wilson Cruz, and Eli Attie)
[ download ] [ transcript ]
We’re joined by three guests for our discussion of "No Exit." Former Senator Tom Daschle tells us about what it was like getting sent anthrax in the mail; Wilson Cruz tells us about playing Jack Sosa for his two episodes on The West Wing; and Eli Attie tells us about the writing of the episode, specifically the Will and Toby scenes, which he co-wrote with Peter Noah. But first, a poem that this episode inspired Hrishi to write:
Albert Camus
Cried, "What do we do?
We're all stuck here in a cell!"
So Samuel Beckett
Got totally nekkid.
"Let's go!" he started to yell.
But Jean-Paul Sartre
Just let out a fartre
And said, "Other people are hell."
footnotes —
Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense
Eli Attie’s Beat Sheet
5.19: Talking Points (with Richard Schiff)
[ download ] [ transcript ]
We're joined by Richard Schiff to discuss this episode, his television directing debut! Hear what it was like for him to step behind the camera for this story about power and labor and international trade.
footnotes —
Farmers protesting on the streets of Ireland
Sinclair’s synchronized script for local media
Russell Brand on Hugo Boss
A staged shot for an article about Richard Schiff directing “Talking Points”
The Josh Lyman slide (gif by @creggmoss)
5.18: Access
[ download ] [ transcript ]
In "Access," we're given a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to work inside the West Wing. …wait a second, what have all these other episodes been about? Let's discuss.
5.17: The Supremes (with Debora Cahn)
[ download ] [ transcript ]
We hereby appoint the Honorable Debora T. Cahn, West Wing writer, for the position of Chief Guestice of The Supremes episode.
footnotes —
The basketball court above the Supreme Court [article]
Big Night (film)
5.16: Eppur Si Muove (with Dr Muller Fabbri and Jason Zengerle)
[ download ] [ transcript ]
They tried to get us to renounce The West Wing, but Eppur Si Puodcaste! Josh and Hrishi investigate some of the real world mechanics behind NIH grants and the federal judiciary with help from cancer researcher Dr Muller Fabbri and political journalist Jason Zengerle.
footnotes —
UH Cancer Center
The Pablove Foundation