The West Wing

10 Best Episodes of The West Wing - Season 4

The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life.

Written by Sophie and last updated on feb 02, 2023.

PS: The following content contains spoilers!

PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!

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The West Wing - S4E11

#15 - Holy Night (Season 4 - Episode 11)

It's December 23, and the holiday brings several visitors to the White House: Zoey comes home with her new French boyfriend in tow; aided by Josh, Toby's father seeks a reconciliation; and Danny arrives bearing gifts of gold and a heads-up for C.J. about Shareef's death. Will moves into Sam's office at Toby's insistence, and is treated to some good-natured ribbing by the rest of the staff. Bartlet and Leo try to exorcise their guilt about Shareef by adding eleventh hour funding to combat infant mortality in the federal budget, and promoting peace in the Mideast, respectively.

The episode was rated 8.00 from 253 votes.

The West Wing - S4E7

#14 - Election Night (Season 4 - Episode 7)

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Election day finally arrives with the staff eagerly anticipating the outcome; Sam is increasingly concerned about the Wilde campaign in Orange County; Toby worries about the effect of Andy's pregnancy on the voters; Donna accidentally votes for Richie and tries to rectify the situation by trying to find someone who will vote-swap; Josh resists Deborah's new office rules until she reveals their basis; Bartlet has some new health issues to worry about.

The episode was rated 8.00 from 285 votes.

The West Wing - S4E20

#13 - Evidence of Things Not Seen (Season 4 - Episode 20)

The White House is locked down after a gunman on the street fires shots into the West Wing; Josh interviews a candidate to replace Ainsley Hayes; Bartlet negotiates for the return of a spy plane is forced down over Russia; the staff plays poker.

The episode was rated 8.02 from 260 votes.

The West Wing - S4E12

#12 - Guns Not Butter (Season 4 - Episode 12)

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Josh, determined to make sure a foreign aid bill passes even though it's a hopeless cause, sends Donna out to track down a reluctant senator; in an attempt to impress Zoey's new boyfriend, Charlie unwittingly gets over his head with the Department of Defense; Danny continues to pursue the Shareef matter; a Bartlet photo op with Heifer International creates unexpected opportunities -- for C.J. to perfect her spin-doctoring techniques, and for the staff once again to test Will's mettle and sense of humor.

The episode was rated 8.02 from 250 votes.

The West Wing - S4E10

#11 - Arctic Radar (Season 4 - Episode 10)

When a celebrated female fighter pilot is threatened with a dishonorable discharge for refusing to end her affair with an enlisted man, the staff, though full of opinions, agrees that the White House should not get involved; Donna asks Josh to find out if Jack Reese likes her, and is horrified to discover some of the anecdotes about her that Josh has shared with Jack; Sam heads out to California to begin his election campaign, and sends Will Bailey to the White House to help Toby with the inaugural address; despite the best efforts of Leo and Charlie to keep him out of it, Bartlet blows a gasket over complaints from U.N. diplomats about parking enforcement in New York City; and Josh takes issue with a temporary worker's choice in accessories.

The episode was rated 8.07 from 260 votes.

The West Wing - S4E17

#10 - Red Haven's on Fire (Season 4 - Episode 17)

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While Toby and C.J. are in California working on Sam's campaign, Josh drops Abbey's agenda in favor of his own, Jed deals with a military hostage situation, and Will runs his intern writing staff ragged.

The episode was rated 8.08 from 250 votes.

The West Wing - S4E14

#9 - Inauguration (1) (Season 4 - Episode 14)

The staff wrangles with the State Department over language in the inaugural address; a genocidal war breaks out in Kundu, and Bartlet weighs his options as Will pushes for American military involvement based on Bartlet's statements in the past; the Chief Justice's increased propensity for writing opinions in verse causes concern about his competence; Bartlet keeps Charlie busy on the hunt for the perfect Bible for the inauguration; Donna becomes upset when Jack is transferred out of the White House and reassigned to Italy after getting caught in a squeeze play between the Oval Office and the Pentagon.

The episode was rated 8.10 from 252 votes.

The West Wing - S4E1

#8 - 20 Hours in America (1) (Season 4 - Episode 1)

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Toby, Josh, and Donna learn the hard way about the lack of accessible public transportation in the heartland when they spend a long day trying to get back to Washington after the motorcade leaves them behind during a campaign stop in Indiana; Bartlet interviews potential replacements for Mrs Landingham while C.J. tries to find someone to fill Simon's shoes as Anthony's Big Brother; the Ritchie campaign whips up a furor when Abbey claims to be "just a wife and mother"; Qumar reopens the Shareef investigation; and the Dow takes a dive.

The episode was rated 8.11 from 283 votes.

The West Wing - S4E16

#7 - The California 47th (Season 4 - Episode 16)

Bartlet plays hardball to end the genocide in Kundu; after the entire speechwriting staff quits, Will is forced to rely on Elsie and some inexperienced interns to write tax policy remarks; the trip to California to help Sam's campaign gets off to a rocky start; Sam refuses to let Bartlet hold off the Democratic response to the Republican tax plan because it might hurt the campaign; Toby and Charlie get arrested coming to Andy's defense after a drunk accosts her; Bartlet fires Sam's campaign manager and replaces him with Toby.

The episode was rated 8.11 from 261 votes.

The West Wing - S4E21

#6 - Life on Mars (Season 4 - Episode 21)

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On his first day at work, Joe Quincy pieces together three news leaks and uncovers a scandal which forces Hoynes to resign.

The episode was rated 8.22 from 261 votes.

The West Wing - S4E6

#5 - Game On (Season 4 - Episode 6)

Bartlet, Leo, Josh, Sam and C.J. pull a practical joke on Toby; Sam's mission to end the Wilde campaign leads him to make a career-altering decision; Jordan backs up Leo as he deals with the Qumari; Toby continues to press his case with a resistant Andrea; and Bartlet cleans Ritchie's clock in their debate.

The episode was rated 8.23 from 288 votes.

The West Wing - S4E2

#4 - 20 Hours in America (2) (Season 4 - Episode 2)

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Donna teaches Toby and Josh an important lesson as their trek homeward continues; Sam staffs the President in Josh's absence and welcomes an old friend home; Bartlet hires a secretary and C.J. finds a Big Brother for Anthony; the situation in Qumar continues to escalate; Bartlet gets spooked by a photo op as the Dow continues its dive; and a pipe bomb kills 44 students at a Midwest university swim meet.

The episode was rated 8.26 from 274 votes.

The West Wing - S4E15

#3 - Inauguration (2): Over There (Season 4 - Episode 15)

Toby discovers that Will's frankness, stubbornness, and commitment to ideals is much like his own; Charlie remains on the hunt for an inaugural Bible; Bartlet and the staff continue to debate over sending American troops into Kundu to stop a genocidal war until Laurel and Hardy provide some needed inspiration; Bartlet appoints Will Deputy Communications Director; Donna takes one for Jack when a comment he thinks he is making off the record is included in a "Post" article by Danny's editor.

The episode was rated 8.32 from 273 votes.

The West Wing - S4E22

#2 - Commencement (Season 4 - Episode 22)

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Bartlet finally tells the staff the truth about the death of Shareef; Danny agrees to hold off on the story after five alleged terrorists go missing; Andy goes into labor after once again refusing Toby's marriage proposal; Zoey is kidnapped from a nightclub on the night of her college graduation.

The episode was rated 8.42 from 268 votes.

The West Wing - S4E23

#1 - Twenty Five (Season 4 - Episode 23)

When Bartlet learns that Zoey's kidnapping is the work of Qumari terrorists, he invokes the 25th amendment to diminish their leverage and eliminate any conflict of interest; since there's no Vice President, the power of the Presidency passes to Bartlet's chief political rival and the most powerful Republican in the country, the Speaker of the House, who immediately takes a very hard line; now that twins Huck and Molly have arrived, Toby wonders if he's capable of loving them enough.

The episode was rated 8.45 from 266 votes.

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