Continuity mistake: When the plan to kill the Qumari defense minister is being contemplated, several times in the last episodes of Season 3, and at least once in season 4, he 's referred to the Sultan's brother. In season 5, he is referred to as both his cousin and his brother.
Plot hole: The Zoey Bartlett kidnap crisis cliffhanger that stretches across the end of Season 4 and the beginning of Season 5 makes no sense in terms of time. Charlie pulls out a note from his wallet that says they will dig up a bottle of champagne on May 7 - Zoey's graduation night. They do. Later that night she is abducted. She is gone three days. Four days later (in "Jefferson Lives") Abby chews out Leo, saying, "It's only been four days and her bruises have not yet begun to heal." The date should be May 14th. However, "Jefferson Lives" supposedly occurs on the Fourth of July - Zoey says it's the Fourth and they all watch the Capitol Fireworks at the end.
Plot hole: As Josh arrives at the security gate of the White House, protestors are gathered, chanting and otherwise talking loudly. He enters the gate, makes his way to the north entrance of the West Wing, and as he enters the lobby, the crowd is still heard quite plainly, just as loudly as at the gate, as if they were right outside the door, yet the protestors are much too far away to be heard so loudly, if at all. (00:00:40)
Continuity mistake: Josh is in his office with Donna and Pierce and as Pierce says "you're the 101st senator", he's holding some papers that are stapled, and one is hanging apart from the rest. Josh says, "I'm impressed", and the shot now shows the papers are all together in Pierce's hands.
Other mistake: As Donna and the photo-journalist are about to leave the checkpoint, they each shake the soldier's hand. Just before the journalist passes in front of the soldier, the soldier goofs and looks directly into the camera, then catches himself and instantly tries for a 'thoughtful gaze' at the ground. (00:31:50)
7A WF 83429 - S5-E1
Continuity mistake: Will, Josh, Donna and Toby are in Josh's office talking about Toby's twins; Josh leaves the office with his arms by his side, but when the shot switches to show him coming through the doorway, he is clutching his books to his chest. There was no time for the change.
Continuity mistake: Leo and his daughter could not go to the theater because the former president had passed away. Later, when his daughter tells Leo that her mother is getting married, he says that he is only sorry he couldn't spend more time with his daughter, who thought they would have a good time the other night at the theater, but that they had a problem with the Middle East. It doesn't make sense, they didn't go to the theater because the former president passed away, not because of problems with the Middle East.
Abu el Banat - S5-E9
Continuity mistake: When the president is in the oval office with the first lady and they are called by Charlie to receive their daughter Liz, the office does not have a Christmas tree, however, in the next scene when he leaves his grandson to go with Leo and C.J. to the office, the Christmas tree is already set up.
7A WF 83429 - S5-E1
Continuity mistake: When Margaret walks into Leo's office and he sleeps, the screen says it's the sixteenth hour of Zoey's kidnapping. Leo asks Margaret what time it is and she says it's almost 5:00. At the beginning of the episode when Abby and the president talk at the residence, the president says it's 6:30, and the screen says it's the eighth hour of the kidnapping, then if we move another eight hours until we get to the sixteenth hour of the kidnapping, it would be 2:30, not 5:00.
Character mistake: Toby says that Judge Ashland is 82, but in 5-7 'Separation of Powers' he said he was 84. (00:18:00)
7A WF 83429 - S5-E1
Factual error: In the television clip introducing the bombing in Turkey, the footage almost certainly comes from a Palestinian terror attack in the vicinity of Tel Aviv, Israel. Clearly visible in the frame is a Magen David Adom (Israeli Red Cross) ambulance marked with the Hebrew word "Dan" - a term for the area around Tel Aviv. The vast majority of raging fires that MDA ambulances responded to around Tel Aviv were the result of suicide bombings.
Continuity mistake: When Toby and Josh meet with Judge Ashland, a teacup and teapot appear in front of the judge without either him or anyone else putting them there. (00:20:20)
Answer: One of the kidnappers was having an argument with his girlfriend and dumped her. She called 911 about Zoe.
No, some woman had an argument with her boyfriend, and he kicked her out of the car in the rain. She tried to take shelter in an abandoned farmhouse and noticed the kidnappers holed up in there, and called 911.
Brian Katcher