The Great West Wing Rewatch: 3.7 "The Indians in the Lobby"

Joel: We’ve finally made it you guys. We’ve finally gotten to the scene in The West Wing where the President calls the official Butterball hotline. It’s strange how this one little scene is so fondly remembered by fans of the show, but there’s no question that it’s one of the highlights of the season for many people. I think because in a way, this scene very much encompasas the charm of The West Wing. We have Bartlet at his most Bartlet here, filled to the brim with random facts about something obscure, and sure, beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is correct. We have him caring about a silly idea way too much (the idea of a Thanksgiving themed hotline) only to have Charlie simply and politely inform him of something he never knew before (that such a hotline already exists). Then comes the phone call where Bartlet and company stumble through trying to pull off the idea of Bartlet being Joe Bethersonton from North Dakota. Bartlet’s confidence in himself shines through despite several near slip ups and his inability to come up with reasonable alias names on the fly. Only for all the stumbling to work out just fine in the end. It’s a silly scene, based around a silly premise, but it’s so much fun to watch that it’s etched in our memories of just how much fun this show can be, even when the surrounding episodes are filled with all the heavy topics an administrator has to deal with on a daily basis. The concept of a sitting president taking time to call the Butterball hotline is just too enjoyable to ignore.

Chris: I perked up when we reached the previous Thanksgiving episodes because I thought that maybe it was the Butterball hotline episode but was disappointed. That disappointment is now over, thanks be to the almighty Butterball and their sensible methods of cooking stuffing. Thanksgiving is a tricky holiday to discuss because you want to focus on the time spent with family, enjoying the day and relaxing and then there’s that one friend (we all have at least one) that posts a snark, sarcastic Facebook update about the true ugliness behind the origin of the holiday (same goes for Columbus Day). I’m not saying they’re particularly wrong for pointing this out because it’s easy to push it away from social consciousness and believe the whitewashed version of history we’re taught as children to save us from the uneasiness of true history. That’s what the situation with CJ and the Native Americans in the lobby keeps in focus because it’s a relatively upbeat episode and while they’re talking about a grim past and a present day system that is still failing them, the show still never descends into total doom and gloom.

A good president has an alias name Joe Bethersonton for turkey cooking purposes.