Back in the conference room, Toby, Alana, and one or two other people are sitting in the room, not speaking, when the U.S. Attorney enters. He's tall, blond, generically handsome. I definitely recognize him as a refugee from some failed NBC sitcom. There may have been a girl and a pizza place involved, or maybe a southern, not at all gay comedian forced to live in Boston, or maybe Mark Feuerstein. You know the kind of show I'm talking about. Toby's still working on his crossword puzzle, and he asks again for a five-letter word for "blowhard." I think it might be "whale." The U.S. Attorney has called Toby there to repeat the deal he's offered in the past -- namely, if Toby gives up the name of the person who told him about the shuttle, he will be allowed to plead guilty and receive a one-year sentence. Toby repeats his response to this offer, which is "no," and that the U.S. Attorney tells him that he's adding "a sweetener" to the deal. Unless Toby gives up the name of his source by the next day, the U.S. Attorney will go to a grand jury and indict Toby for obstruction of justice. In so doing, it will cause subpoenas to be served on C.J., Leo, and President Bartlet. That doesn't sound very sweet to me. Toby and Alana both immediately conclude that this would throw the election to Vinick. Toby asks, "You're gonna sabotage a national election over this?" U.S. Attorney: "No, you are." The U.S. Attorney gets up to leave, and then he tells Toby, "Oh, by the way, it's 'storm.' Five letters for 'blowhard'? 'Storm.'" I would still go with "whale." Commercials.













Comments