S5E2 · The Dogs of War

Bombs drop on Qumar upon Walken's orders; as the hours pass without any word on Zoey's whereabouts, tensions increase within the Bartlet family; Walken and Leo clash after Josh's suspicion that the opposition is using Walken's tenure in the Oval Office to advance their agenda is confirmed; Andy takes the twins home; Leo inflicts a new intern from a prominent political family on an unwilling Josh; Jed's staff is less than thrilled when they learn who will succeed Walken as Speaker of the House; the search for a new Vice President is accelerated; Zoey is rescued.

Plot summary and ending

Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.

Complete story — includes the ending

The international crisis concerning the abduction of President Bartlet's daughter Zoey reaches a critical point as acting President Walken orders the bombardment of Qumari terrorist camps and fences with Leo over the impact of his actions. Toby and Will prepare two speeches, one for each possible outcome of Zoey's abduction. Josh fumes over his perceived notion that the Republicans will exploit and push forward their own legislative agenda, and Toby visits his newborn twins while pondering what will happen. The kidnappers issue a 24-hour deadline for the removal of American troops from Qumar, but an intelligence break brings an end to the crisis. Note: The episode title refers to a phrase spoken by Mark Antony in William Shakespeare 's Julius Caesar.

Sources and content license

Source and revision history · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, The West Wing season 5. HTML formatting and reference markers removed. · Content license