Ep 4. On the Day Before

On the Day Before is the fourth episode of season three of the American television drama series, The West Wing. The show aired from 1999 to 2006, and it chronicles the lives of staff members working at the West Wing of the White House under the administration of fictional President Josiah Bartlet. In this episode, the team gears up for the State of the Union address, which is the most critical speech of the President's year.

The episode revolves around the staff as they prepare for the President's State of the Union (SOTU) address. The President and his staff want to make the speech memorable and impactful, and hence they are working tirelessly to ensure that the President's message resonates with the public. As they prepare for the speech, the team reviews and revises drafts of the President's address, anticipating their responses to the reaction it may get from the public.

Meanwhile, Sam Seaborn (played by Rob Lowe), one of the President's senior advisors, is tasked with convincing Nobel Prize-winning economist, Dr. Lawrence Lessig (played by Richard Schiff), to join the team. Dr. Lessig is unhappy with the administration's decision to cut funding for a research department that he is closely associated with. Sam knows that Dr. Lessig would be a valuable asset to the team, and hence he attempts to persuade him to join the team to work with them on campaign finance reform.

Elsewhere, Press Secretary C.J. Cregg (played by Allison Janney) is not happy with the way the press has been questioning her about the President's upcoming State of the Union address. C.J. feels that the press is not taking the President's agenda seriously enough and that they are focused on non-issues. She feels like the press is more interested in sensationalizing things and creating a controversy rather than focusing on the real issues.

In the meantime, the senior staffers at the West Wing discuss whether or not to release a memo that assigns responsibility for the attack on a US military vessel. They are unsure how the public may react given the timing, just before the President's speech.

The episode also sheds light on the personal lives of the characters. The President has to deal with his daughter Zoey's (played by Elisabeth Moss) penchant for dating unauthorized people. One of these people is Charlie (played by Dulé Hill), the President's personal assistant (a character who becomes an important member of the team in later seasons), whom Zoey has been seeing secretly. The President is unhappy with this and asks her to stop seeing Charlie, resulting in a tense exchange between the two.

In conclusion, On the Day Before is an excellent episode that provides a glimpse into the workings of the West Wing as they prepare for one of the most important speeches of the President's year. The episode highlights how the team works tirelessly to ensure that the President's message resonates with the public. The episode is well-written and acted, and it strikes a perfect balance between serious political drama and light-hearted moments.