The West Wing

Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc - S1-E2

Continuity mistake: After President Bartlett sits down (while speaking to CJ and the staff) he removes his glasses. The shot then changes to one from his back where he's wearing glasses. When the angle changes to the original, he's not wearing his glasses again. (00:06:30)

admsteiner

The West Wing mistake picture

A Proportional Response - S1-E3

Continuity mistake: When Leo asks Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Fitzwallace about the optics of hiring Charlie, a black man, to carry the president's bags, Fitzwallace's ribbons on his Navy uniform are upside-down. This mistake is very visible because he has two ribbons on the bottom when there should always be three. On his way out the door, there is one shot where Fitzwallace's ribbons have been fixed, but then as he walks out the door his ribbons are upside-down again. (00:25:50 - 00:27:10)

A Proportional Response - S1-E3

Continuity mistake: The president is snapping at everyone while looking for his glasses. Newcomer Charlie addresses Bartlet, who turns and takes off CJ's glasses he'd been trying on. Everybody freezes in surprise at Charlie's interruption, including Bartlet who can be seen holding the glasses away from his body. In the immediate next shot, Bartlet can be seen on the monitor still wearing CJ's glasses, and then interrupts Charlie while removing the glasses once more. (00:33:20)

Take Out the Trash Day - S1-E13

Continuity mistake: This episode takes place in early 2000. 7 or 8 months before the midterm. When Bartlet tells C.J. to drawer the sex education report until after the midterm she exclaims, "next year?"

Take Out the Trash Day - S1-E13

Continuity mistake: This episode takes place in February or March of 2000. Josh and Donna have worked in the White House for 13-14 months, but in the beginning of the episode Donna is asking Josh what 'take out of the trash day' is, when she has been working in the White House for many, many Fridays.

Let Bartlet Be Bartlet - S1-E19

Continuity mistake: When CJ leaves Toby's office and Josh sits town on the couch next to Toby she closes the door as she walks out and we can hear it close. But the camera switches to a different angle as Josh sits down and the door frame is still in picture and is open as we hear the sound of it closing the door frame is still open. (00:20:40)

Mandatory Minimums - S1-E20

Continuity mistake: When Toby is walking back to his office from the press room with his ex-wife, the ex-wife's tag and chain keeps changing through the entire sequence. Sometimes it's over her jacket and the tag's just hanging or it's under the jacket and the tag is sitting just inside her jacket.

Election Day (Part 1) - S7-E16

Continuity mistake: When Bruno and Bob are poring over exit polls, they mention that Santos seems to be leading in North Dakota, and comment that it is a state that hasn't gone Democratic in forty years. While that is true in the real world, in the fictional West Wing world, it is stated in Season 4 that Bartlet won the Dakotas in his landslide reelection.

marathon69

More mistakes in The West Wing

Pilot - S1-E1

Laurie: Tell your friend POTUS he's got a funny name, and he should learn how to ride a bicycle.
Sam Seaborn: I would, but he's not my friend, he's my boss. And it's not his name, it's his title.
Laurie: POTUS?
Sam Seaborn: President of the United States.

More quotes from The West Wing
More trivia for The West Wing

In Excelsis Deo - S1-E10

Question: This is as good a place to ask as any. In various US TV shows (including this one, and this episode), someone says "I could care less", when they always seem to mean "I couldn't care less", ie. they have no interest in what's going on. Surely if they COULD care less that means they actually care a reasonable amount? Is there any logic to this, or is it just a really annoying innate lack of sense?

Jon Sandys

Chosen answer: A really annoying innate lack of sense. My friends and family say the same thing all the time, and I'm endlessly trying to correct them. I think people just don't know any better and (ironically) couldn't care less that they're speaking incorrectly.

Answer: It's an endlessly annoying dropped negative, and it's been a common colloquialism for far too long. I believe it comes from an original (and now omitted and merely implied) "As if" preceding the statement. "As if I could care less." (Meaning "As if it were possible that I could care even less than I do.") But there's really no way to know.

More questions & answers from The West Wing

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.