Good Cop, Bad Cop
Updated 2006-04-28 17:00:00
Sam's back! It's not clear whether it is for good or only temporary; Josh offers him the Deputy Chief of Staff position, and Sam says he will consider it. Josh is busy becoming so wrapped up in work that he can't do anything but chug Mylanta and yell at everyone, especially poor Otto. After Sam witnesses one especially bad meltdown, he gives Josh an ultimatum -- he'll only consider the position if Josh takes a vacation and calms down. Oh, and one other detail that's not helping Josh's anxiety is Donna, who very nicely tells him they've got four weeks to figure out what's going on with their relationship, which Josh thinks is an impossibly quick timetable. Fortunately, she sticks to it and seems pretty sure that he'll figure it out sometime. Donna's also in a good mood since Helen asked her whether she'd like to be the First Lady's Chief of Staff. Santos is working on taking over the Kazakhstan situation and does so by undermining what Bartlet has already done on the phone to the Chinese President, which the NSA learns of through a wiretap. Bartlet's staff freaks out after delivering a warning to look like he's keeping up Bartlet's efforts, but when Santos meets with Bartlet, he admits he wants to take action, and is working to try and scare both China and Russia out of beginning a war. With everyone slightly more comfortable with their various transitions Josh does take that vacation, and in the best idea he's had since the election, he invites Donna to go with him.