Will, Toby, and C.J. are in the War Room. ["Dude. Which one? I don't get it!" -- Wing Chun] Will says that Social Security is an entitlement, as Toby selects a pizza slice. C.J. says it's one way to make the shutdown seem real: don't mail 11,000,000 cheques. Will says if they let this happen it will be catastrophic. Toby: "FDR will rise from the dead?" If he does, I hope he kicks the sorry ass of each person in this building. Will paints a dire picture of geezers marching on Washington and rioting in the streets. Toby says Josh is taking care of it. Leo and Angela come in, announcing that they still have the offer; the Republicans are holding at 3\%. Will asks if POTUS will accept he. Leo says he has to. Toby: "Yeah, but will he?" Leo says, "Desperate times call for desperate measures." Pause. "I made a call." He looks ominous. Will: "To who?" Toby and C.J. exchange significant glances, chewing their pizza slowly. Will: "Who? Who'd he call?" Oh, lord.

More dramatic music as we see a limousine door open and watch the reflection, in the door, of a mysterious black-clad figure going into the building. Then we see a shot of the person's torso walking through the halls. The suspense is boring me silly. Finally we see her walking into the hallway near the Roosevelt Room. It's Abby, of course. Hands up, everybody who thought it would be somebody other than Abby. Yeah, that's what I thought. (Hands up, everybody who wishes it were Ainsley instead. Cripes, I'm even on the point of wishing that.) Abby struts into the Roosevelt Room (pardon me, the War Room -- I have such trouble keeping things straight without flash cards) and demands to know, "What the hell have you all been doing down here while I've been gone?" Stockard Channing often reminds me of Elizabeth Taylor (sort of middle-era, '70s/'80s Taylor) and it's true here. It's not always in a good way, either. The staffers all stand there like nervous schoolchildren.

God help me, this isn't even half over.