The Red Mass

The episode opens with a contentious debate in Senator Stackhouse's office, where his aides, Susan Thomas and Amy Gardner, clash over whether the Senator should respond to Governor Ritchie's public attack on needle-exchange programs. Susan advocates for Stackhouse to seize the opportunity to call for federal funding for needle exchange, viewing it as a chance to address an important issue. Amy, however, shrewdly identifies Ritchie's move as a deliberate political trap, a "baiting of the hook" designed to force President Bartlet into a difficult position. She argues that if Stackhouse responds, the President will be compelled to take a stance, potentially jeopardizing crucial swing states in the upcoming election. Simultaneously, in the White House, Josh Lyman, frustrated by a baseball game, quickly grasps the political implications of Ritchie's speech. Upon reading the advanced text, Josh immediately recognizes Ritchie's calculated strategy to leverage the needle-exchange issue to his advantage, setting the stage for the political maneuvering that will dominate the episode. This initial sequence establishes the central political conflict and introduces the high stakes involved for both the Bartlet administration and Senator Stackhouse, highlighting the immediate pressure on the White House to anticipate and counter Ritchie's strategic moves.

Act One plunges the White House staff into immediate political challenges. C.J. Cregg faces the press, skillfully deflecting questions about the upcoming presidential debates and managing expectations, humorously stating that merely "participating in one would be a victory." In the Oval Office, President Bartlet and his senior staff, including Leo McGarry, Toby Ziegler, Josh Lyman, and Sam Seaborn, discuss campaign strategy, particularly the need to line up validators for the President's tax plan. The conversation quickly shifts to Ritchie's needle-exchange attack. Toby passionately articulates the public health and economic benefits of needle exchange, highlighting the hypocrisy of Ritchie's stance and the cost-effectiveness of prevention. Josh warns that a response from Stackhouse would force the President into an untenable position, risking three crucial states: Ohio, Michigan, and Maine. Simultaneously, Josh and Donna Moss devise a plan to embarrass Ritchie by sending Donna to infiltrate a self-help seminar run by Teddy Tomba, a consultant advising the Republican campaign, aiming to expose the superficiality of Ritchie's intellectual backing. Meanwhile, Leo McGarry navigates a delicate international crisis, hosting Israeli official Ben Yosef. Yosef questions Leo about ongoing U.S. operations, including a standoff in Iowa. Leo then faces a diplomatic challenge: he must convince Israel to delay public accusations against Qumar for a week, in exchange for Israel refraining from retaliatory strikes against Qumari training bases, underscoring the constant balance between domestic politics and global security.

Act Two broadens the scope of the administration's challenges, intertwining domestic political pressure with a life-or-death national security crisis. Senator Stackhouse meets with various political figures, including Josh Lyman, who continue to pressure him to drop out of the race and endorse President Bartlet. Stackhouse, however, remains noncommittal on the needle-exchange issue, hinting at his independent stance and desire to raise issues. Josh, observing from the waiting room, later engages in a tense conversation with Amy Gardner. Amy expresses her personal frustration over losing her previous job due to Josh's political maneuvering but reaffirms her commitment to the issues, particularly women's rights and the future of Roe v. Wade, which makes the next Supreme Court pick decisive for her. She reiterates her warning against the President taking Ritchie's bait on needle exchange, while Josh argues that Stackhouse is siphoning Bartlet's votes, to which Amy counters they are not "his" votes. Concurrently, in the Outer Oval Office, Charlie Young educates Anthony about the historical context of the Red Mass and the separation of church and state, challenging him to prove his legal claims from the Constitution. Sam Seaborn, tasked with lining up validators for the President's tax plan, learns about the dire state of Democratic candidates in unwinnable districts, exemplified by a candidate suffering his fourth heart attack, highlighting the party's struggle for resources and viable representation. Most critically, in the Situation Room, President Bartlet authorizes a high-stakes, C-4-assisted storming operation to rescue a young boy with congestive heart failure from an 11-day FBI standoff in Iowa, demonstrating the President's direct involvement in urgent security operations and his commitment to saving lives.

Act Three brings several storylines to a head, revealing the consequences of political tactics and the constant pressure of governing. Donna Moss returns from Teddy Tomba's self-help seminar, initially bewildered and ironically claiming to have "located the light switch" and to "own herself." She dismisses Tomba as a harmless buffoon, but Josh Lyman vehemently disagrees. Josh launches into a passionate critique of Tomba's "fortune-cookie candidacy," arguing that reducing complex philosophical thought (from Kant, Plato, and Frost) to pithy, oversimplified slogans is dangerous for a presidential candidate. He emphasizes that a President must grapple with intellectual depth to handle the "fifty life-and-death matters" that cross his desk daily, asserting that the American people should not "require any less of the person sitting in that chair." Donna, convinced, agrees to research Tomba's sources. Meanwhile, Leo McGarry receives devastating news: the debate commission has only granted two debates, not the five the President requested, a clear tactical win for Ritchie. Toby Ziegler, upon hearing the news, reacts with furious indignation, seeing it as a direct result of Ritchie's stalling tactics and fearing the limited opportunities for the President to shine. The act culminates with the successful resolution of the Iowa standoff, as Mike Casper reports that the boy has been rescued and is in stable condition, and dangerous explosives have been seized. However, this relief is immediately overshadowed by a new, critical international crisis: Jerry reports that Israeli official Ben Yosef's plane is missing over southern Lebanon, confirming Leo's earlier premonition and escalating the diplomatic tensions.

Act Four focuses on President Bartlet's principled leadership and his staff's strategic adjustments in the face of mounting challenges. Bartlet, watching football, reflects on the difficulty of changing a winning strategy when it's no longer effective, a clear parallel to his campaign. He expresses frustration with the restrictive two-minute debate format, advocating for a more substantive exchange where moderators can press for answers, lamenting the decline of true debate. C.J. and Sam discuss strategies to lower expectations for the debates, but Bartlet, inspired by historical examples of rigorous debate from Cicero and Cato, pushes for a different format. C.J. realizes they can leverage their desire for more debates to bargain for a better format, a high-stakes gamble. Meanwhile, Charlie Young and Bartlet discuss the Red Mass and the constitutional principle of separation of church and state, with Bartlet emphasizing the intent to prevent a national religion or forced piety. Charlie receives an amusing, if insulting, note from Anthony, written on the First Amendment, highlighting the ongoing education of junior staff. Josh encounters Amy, who explains her unwavering support for Bartlet, primarily due to the critical importance of the next Supreme Court appointment for women's issues like Roe v. Wade, even performing a balloon animal trick she learned after Josh got her fired as a playful jab. At the Red Mass, Sam reassures Leo that he's still searching for answers to the complex global conflicts. Toby, after an intense discussion with C.J. about the risks of only two debates, decides to clear Bartlet's schedule for 24 hours of intensive debate prep, signaling a shift to a more aggressive strategy. The act culminates with Senator Stackhouse praising Bartlet's speech and, using a pilot anecdote about trusting instruments over instinct, privately signaling his endorsement for the next morning. In a decisive move, Bartlet then instructs C.J. to move the press off church grounds so he can directly address the needle-exchange issue, taking control of the narrative on his own terms and demonstrating his commitment to principle over political expediency.