johnrosa

365 Days - S6-E12

Continuity mistake: As the President leads the staff out of the Oval Office, the rear angle shot shows Kate Harper is ahead of Annabeth Schott. But the angle reverses to show them emerging from the office as Kate is coming around Annabeth's right side to pass her. (00:40:00)

johnrosa

The Drop In - S2-E12

Factual error: Leo asks how long it will be before the missile system being tested will hit the target, and is told "two minutes, ten seconds". He decides the President should see it, and leaves to fetch him. But doing so results in them both arriving back In the Room exactly 3 minutes later. 7 seconds after that, they are told there are still 50 seconds to impact (but it should have occurred 57 seconds ago). After the 50 seconds pass, Leo states the impact will occur in 20 more seconds, and the moment of expected impact does pass at that time. In all, 4 minutes, 16 seconds pass from when "2 minutes, 10 seconds" to impact was announced. (00:01:30)

johnrosa

Trivia: Janel Moloney (Donna Moss) was originally intended to be a rarely seen or heard background player (similar to Tobey and Sam's assistants). But very quickly, her banter and rapport with Josh became a fan favorite and she was promptly made a regular cast member and given much more screen time. When Mandy was dropped from the show after season one, Moira Kelly's name and image were dropped from the opening credits, replaced by Janel. As they say, "There are no small parts. Only small actors."

johnrosa

NSF Thurmont - S6-E1

Deliberate mistake: While a nice approximation, the helicopter used as 'Marine One' is significantly different (and much smaller) than the real ones used by the real White House (http://www.minihelicopter.net/Marine1/MarineOne.jpg). (00:38:10)

johnrosa

NSF Thurmont - S6-E1

Continuity mistake: Leo enters the situation room and is told the "planes are on the deck". He watches a video feed as a plane is launched from the USS Lincoln. The S3-B Viking is seen approaching one camera (single vertical tail fin, wing-mounted engines), then from another angle, we see an F-14 Tomcat lifting off (dual tails and fuselage-mounted engines) and moving away from camera. This is supposed to be live video, and it isn't possible two different jets are launching from the same carrier at the same exact moment, so it can only be a bad choice of stock footage by the show's makers. (00:38:55)

johnrosa

The Supremes - S5-E17

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)

johnrosa

Gaza - S5-E21

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)

johnrosa

Life On Mars - S4-E21

Continuity mistake: Newly hired Assistant White House Counsel Joe Quincy is looking over his new "office". He's told it is the office traditionally given to newly hired lawyers, and is known as the "Steampipe Trunk Distribution Venue". In prior episodes, Ainsley Hayes, the previous Assistant White House Counsel, was also given this office, but this space is significantly altered in size from the earlier appearances. Essentially, the length of the space has been cut in half and the intervening wall with door is gone. Yet the room is not newly remodeled. It's a basement space with old pipes and walls, etc. The makers simply shrank the set without explanation. (00:06:30)

johnrosa

Twenty Five - S4-E23

Other mistake: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Fitzwallace tells Bartlet that he wants to attack targets in Qumar. The first he mentions is "the Bahji C3I" which he explains is "Communications, Command, Control and Intelligence." The explanation shows the actor John Amos flubbed his line and should have said "the Bahji 3CI", as in "C.C.C.I" or "Triple-C I." This is common governmental and military abbreviation jargon, much as the show often uses "D-triple-C" to mean the D.C.C.C. (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee). (00:16:50)

johnrosa

What Kind of Day Has It Been? - S1-E22

Other mistake: I call this one an "Escher Mistake". As Donna and Josh near the end of their chat about the chair that needs repairs, they pass an office door on their left (Nancy McNally's office) just before going through another doorway. The camera that follows them passes "through" a solid wall and emerges in an office, facing a hall and stairwell as Josh and Donna enter from our left as if this has all been a continuous shot. But the camera-through-the-wall moment is actually a cut so that the actors can be on a totally different part of the set. This would be fine, except the staircase they are about to turn left to and climb only rises up about 3 feet, then the user turns left again and heads to our left - but that sends the user into McNally's office, and does so 3 feet off the floor, yet they are seen entering the press room instead. (00:11:50)

johnrosa

Angel Maintenance - S4-E19

Factual error: The "NY" tail markings on the fighter jet denote an F-16 model based in Syracuse, NY. Yet the plane is an F-15, of which Syracuse has had none. (00:13:05)

johnrosa

Angel Maintenance - S4-E19

Factual error: The fighter jet alongside Air Force One has "NY" tail markings which designate it's with the 174th fighter wing, with a home base of Syracuse, New York. Surely, in this emergency over Washington, DC, jets from a more local base (like the 113th's F-16s at Andrews AFB) would have been dispatched to aid the President's plane. (00:13:05)

johnrosa

Angel Maintenance - S4-E19

Factual error: Will Bailey (son of the Supreme Commander, NATO Allied Forces, Europe, and an Air Force officer himself) states the fighter jet alongside Air Force One is an "F-16 Falcon", but it is actually an F-15 Eagle. (00:13:05)

johnrosa

Inauguration: Over There - S4-E15

Continuity mistake: When the guys arrive outside Donna's building, Josh wears a tux and a long black coat with a white scarf. After Josh says, "The buzzer's not working", a few quick camera cuts occur, and as he says "Nah, I know women-" and turns, the scarf is missing. It is back as the cameras cut again and he says, "I know what they like." (00:33:30)

johnrosa

Debate Camp - S4-E5

Continuity mistake: In season one, CJ's office was right next to Josh's office, but from season two on, it was at the opposite end of a long walkway that runs between several glass cubicles (one of which Donna uses). The later location for CJ was the press room for season one. The differences are not furniture, etc, but wall and door locations have been revised. This season four episode features a flashback where Donna visits the White House prior to Bartlet's inauguration, and she is led to her future cubicle. In this scene, we see the floorplan is not the earlier version, but the newer version. While the between-season changes can be excused as 'remodeling' that took place off-screen, this episode's arrangement can't make sense. (00:09:20)

johnrosa

100,000 Airplanes - S3-E12

Plot hole: Joey and Kenny are led to the Oval Office by Charlie through the Presidential Secretary's (and his own) office. Charlie ends the scene saying, "Okay, you're in the Oval Office" as he sends Joey and Kenny that way. Charlie always knows the President's whereabouts and schedule. Yet moments later, Josh arrives in Leo's office where others have gathered to await the start of the same meeting - and Joey and Kenny are also here. Then everyone goes into the Oval Office to await the arrival of the President. It is as if the makers forgot Charlie led Joey and Kenny here moments earlier.

johnrosa

H. Con-172 - S3-E11

Character mistake: Bartlet tells Leo that Jackson's censure was expunged in 1836, but it was actually January, 1837. (00:41:10)

johnrosa

H. Con-172 - S3-E11

Audio problem: Toby enters the Oval Office at the end of a meeting the President is holding with about a half-dozen people. The meeting breaks up and Toby follows Bartlet toward the desk as the others meander toward the door. A few seconds after the camera pans away from the others, we hear the door close and the room is now silent as Toby and Bartlet begin to converse. But the door closing happens way too soon for all those people to have gotten out of the room. Two men are especially just standing there, looking as if they aren't planning to leave at all. The other doors aren't used nor heard. (00:14:15)

johnrosa

Gone Quiet - S3-E7

Factual error: Hal Holbrook's character is called in to assist in solving an incident where a US sub has gone missing in hostile waters. Despite being elderly, he is considered an expert in such matters, and is advising the President in that capacity. Yet while relating similar historical submarine incidents, he makes two significant errors. First, he describes the "Glomar Explorer" and the K-129 Russian sub as "two subs", but the Glomar was a surface ship, not a sub (See http://www.espionageinfo.com/images/eeis_02_img0482.jpg). Then he states the USS Gudgeon was trapped by Russian ships for four days, but the entire incident took 30 hours. He is never challenged on these facts, and his advice is unquestioned. Rather than character mistakes, as the character's meant to be an expert, this is more likely bad research and embellishment by the writers. (00:28:00)

johnrosa

In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part II - S2-E2

Factual error: Sam says the "state-of-the-art" oil tanker he recommends can carry 2.2 million gallons of oil and weighs 308,000 tons. The Exxon Valdez could carry over 60 million gallons (1.48 million barrels) and weighed only 211,500 tons. The writers mistakenly swapped 'gallons' for 'barrels' so that this enormous tanker carries very little oil. It would actually carry 2.2 million "barrels", which equals 92 million gallons.

johnrosa