S1E7 · The State Dinner

Complete story — includes the ending

The President and his senior staff deal with major problems – a hostage standoff between the FBI and a group of survivalists in Idaho, a pre-season hurricane headed toward the Atlantic Coast, and the threat of a crippling nationwide trucking strike by the Teamsters – all while preparing for a state dinner to honor the new President of Indonesia, whose behavior is distant and uncommunicative. Toby requests a favor from a senior aide to the Indonesian president; the aide not only refuses but also lectures Toby about human rights, and for being a hypocrite. At the state dinner, the First Lady, Abigail Bartlet, makes her first appearance, and Sam sees Laurie, who is working as an escort for one of the attendees. In a predictable move to evade the storm, an aircraft carrier task group of the US Navy, including two cruisers and two destroyers, gets underway from Norfolk, Virginia, and heads into the Atlantic Ocean; however, the hurricane makes a surprise course change and moves directly toward and across the naval vessels. With difficulty, the President chats via radio with a young petty officer in the radio shack aboard a small ship in the task group. Note: Stockard Channing submitted this episode as a nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.