The Archives: The Space Shuttle Leak | The West Wing

“He should have added, ‘Only sometimes, I hit London.’”

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[Kate-uikc]

The long painful silence between CJ and Tony ( eyes welling with tears) was such a statement during a show that is so full of efficient powerful language.
Amazing 👏

[r-nr]

you skipped the most important scene, the one where the president does not let Toby resign, he has to fire him.

[MrTaylor]

Some of these episodes were strongly written but ‘Toby’ shouldn’t have gone out this way.

[A.D.]

This is my opinion: President Bartlett gave the nod to the NASA Administrator to give the slip up in front of CJ. Toby was another chess piece in the game. It was the President that was the leak.

[celticlofts]

Toby: " I thought about coming as Julius Rosenberg." Ironically he was the conscience of the White House. He knew the difference between right and wrong.

[captainjoshuagleiberman]

Toby's mistake was not to get Bartlett to appoint a superincompetent judge to supervise the case.

[gregrtodd]

I saw this when it originally aired and I assumed it was Toby (and I could see his character doing this). Watching it now, cut together like this, especially with the wordless scene between CJ and Toby, I'm in two minds. They are both such great actors, and their scenes were played with such finesse, that I could totally buy CJ being the leak, and Toby falling on the grenade to protect her. They've always had a brother/sister love relationship. Toby would have done it, and CJs expression could be read as her realising what Toby is doing for her, and for the administration. Or it could've been the other way... Brilliant nuanced performances either way.

[endalynch]

Recall back to Ainsley Hayes’ time - when CJ thought she had leaked information to a young reporter and was sleepless. She got an exercise bike into her office.

She asked Toby the hypothetical question and later realised she’d done it again.

Let’s assume she also asked Greg Brock what such a story would do to the media before an election…..

Greg figures out the reality of the space shuttle, then asks Toby for comment as Press Secretary as his second source (which NY Times would demand before printing). Toby realises either he protects CJ and his brother by telling Greg the truth so that the story came from him, or Greg keeps digging, finds a difference second source and publishes - which would leave CJ hanging as the only White House person who spoke to media about it.

She leaked indirectly, he then leaked directly to protect her and his brother.

[JamesSmith-xovj]

Charlie and Bartetts relationship is some of the best in tv history

[tcdan-cm]

"Are we weaponizing space?"....well we do have the Space Force now.

[CommanderOshawott]

It always annoys me to no end that they try to keep the secret FROM THE PRESIDENT’S CHIEF OF STAFF AND NUMBER ONE ADVISOR

Like that’s just terrible writing. It’s something that CJ ABSOLUTELY should know about.

[TheNukewarfare]

I always loved the SecDef’s “The answer to that would be ‘yes’.” in response to CJ’s line of questioning about the space bomber.

[SWOBIZ]

Toby should have given that final speech to Merrick Garland.

[gregrtodd]

I saw this when it originally aired and I assumed it was Toby (and I could see his character doing this). Watching it now, cut together like this, especially with the wordless scene between CJ and Toby, I'm in two minds. They are both such great actors, and their scenes were played with such finesse, that I could totally buy CJ being the leak, and Toby falling on the grenade to protect her. They've always had a brother/sister love relationship. Toby would have done it, and CJs expression could be read as her realising what Toby is doing for her, and for the administration. Or it could've been the other way... Brilliant nuanced performances either way.

[michaelmuldowney]

Toby was covering for someone - his brother likely revealed the shuttle information before his suicide to someone who then spilled the beans to Greg Brock. Toby knew who it was and took the rap to protect his brothers family and from CJ getting blamed.

[charlievoges]

Oh crumbs… I don’t eve remember Toby ‘going out’ this way….,
but gings! .
this was a compelling program… with things the way they are
today …. What a show!😊

[shalashaska]

I'll say it again, this is totally something Toby would've done. He was the most arrogant person on the show, he always thought he knew better than everyone and was confident he was right to do whatever he wanted.

[Gredddfe]

I think it was really shitty of the press to nail Will with all those questions and be sulky when he didn't answer them. There's an ongoing investigation. I'm not going to let you try to trick me into undermining the investigation by leaking its details. Next question please!

[jamest]

Its a hell of a thing to have access to information that could save someone or someone's lives AND NOT SAY ANYTHING! Not just every now and then but regularly... To have access to information that is beyond top secrete not every once and a while but everyday.... And yes it does suck that Toby went out this way....

[dealinginfiction]

The writers did Toby dirty with this story arc. His character is such an idiot.