The West Wing

Correction: While it may traditionally be done, it's not a rule and not a mistake. In the past, some members of the First Family have had names starting with different letters (Rose Kennedy for example), and some presidents and First Wives have been given two code names with different letters (Barbara Bush was Snowbank and Tranquility).

Bishop73

Access - S5-E18

Corrected entry: At the end of this episode the narrator of the documentary claims that C.J. Cregg is the only woman in history to serve two full terms as White House Press Secretary. In later episodes C.J. is promoted to Chief of Staff; not serving a full eight years as Press Secretary.

Correction: The narrator only says "two terms", never "two full terms". Her first term was served in full, her second term partially served (perhaps 2/3 of it).

johnrosa

An Khe - S5-E14

Corrected entry: Early in the episode a four-star US army general notifies President Bartlett that a US Navy E2 "Hawkeye" was shot down over the Sea of Japan. The footage shows the operators of said aircraft sitting in single file. E2 operators sit side by side. The pilot is controlling the aircraft with a control stick. E2's have a steering yoke. The footage shows the operators ejecting. E2's don't have ejection seats. Finally, the sound of the plane is that of a turbojet. E2's are turboprop powered aircraft, and are, in fact, known for the distinctive humming sound that they make. (00:01:40 - 00:04:40)

Correction: The opening sequence is that of Leo and his friend in Vietnam in a Thunderchief - no footage of the Hawkeye is shown. Leo being shot down in Vietnam provides the backstory for the episode and helps to explain his limp.

Pilot - S1-E1

Factual error: The Lockheed 1011 was only produced until 1984. There's no way that in 1999 Toby would be flying on one that "just came off the line 20 months ago."

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.