20 Hours in America
| "20 Hours in America" | |
|---|---|
| The West Wing episode | |
 |
|
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 1 & 2 |
| Directed by | Christopher Misiano |
| Written by | Aaron Sorkin |
| Production code | 175301 175302 |
| Original air date | September 25, 2002 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
Ron Silver
John Amos
Anna Deavere Smith
Amy Adams
NiCole Robinson
Renée Estevez
Valorie Armstrong
Alan Dale
Danielle Harris
John Gallagher Jr.
Lily Tomlin
John P. Connolly
Don Perry
Andrew McFarlane
"20 Hours in America" is the two-part fourth season premiere of The West Wing.
The episode opens with President Bartlet giving a speech in Indiana, while Toby and Josh converse in a field with Cathy (Amy Adams), a farmer who is also a Democrat despite her concerns that neither party holds adequate concern for the plight of farmers. They realize that the motorcade has gone without them, leaving them, along with Donna who was sent to fetch them, stranded. Much of the episode deals with the trio's attempts to get home; however, their journey is delayed by several mishaps (Cathy's truck runs out of biodiesel, they miss their plane due to confusion over Indiana's time zones, they board the wrong train, etc.) As their journey continues and Josh and Toby debate campaign strategy (eventually concluding that the election should be about the voters' everyday concerns, and not about Bartlet vs. Ritchie), the three of them are exposed to the culture of rural Indiana. Josh and Toby remain largely oblivious to the problems of the people around them, until they meet Matt Kelley, an affable man in a bar who is concerned about how he's going to pay for his daughter's college tuition. This sets into motion a storyline that continues across later episodes, as Josh and Toby, inspired by their conversation with Matt, later spearhead an attempt to make tuition tax deductible.
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