The Black Vera Wang

"The Black Vera Wang" is episode 63 of The West Wing. The title refers to a black dress by the designer Vera Wang.

Plot

While C. J. Cregg (Secret Service code name: "Flamingo") gets used to being tailed by Secret Service Special Agent Simon Donovan (Mark Harmon), the President must deal with a terrorist threat on a military installation. The threat begins with a general assessment of risk for overseas bases, but then shifts to some installations on the East Coast--including the White House. A lead on a possible terrorist operative also puts the Supreme Court on a security alert. When a terrorist is arrested outside Oakland, the President and his senior staffers realize the terrorists had targeted the Golden Gate Bridge. As shocking as this information is, the true stunner comes when information from Russian sources leads to the possibility that a high-ranking Middle Eastern diplomat is the terrorists' leader, and the President says they need to get more data to make a definite assessment.

Meanwhile, the networks are threatening to cut coverage of the upcoming conventions and Toby must deal with it. After some back and forth about the value of the civic process and the low ratings/lack of surprises, Toby uses anti-trust law to make his case. Sam receives a copy of a TV commercial attacking the President. Sam has a Republican friend he wants to tell about the video they received. Bruno counsels him against it, but he goes ahead and does it anyway. This results in an act of betrayal that leaves Sam reeling. Bruno tells him: "When are you going to listen?"

Josh, back from the Helsinki summit, gives Donna a box of cured moose meat. It turns out to be even more unappetizing than it appears. Worse than that, it shows up on eBay and Donna realizes an unpaid West Wing intern she gave the stuff to sold it. Josh wants the intern's name in order to fire him, but Donna refuses to let him do that. She then finds the intern, is not impressed by his excuses and says he won't be fired but will be transferred out of the West Wing and will have to pay back the money he got for selling the moose meat. C.J. tells Donovan that she is going shopping with her niece to buy her a junior prom dress, however, it is she who ends up buying the "Black Vera Wang" of the title. We also learn that Donovan shot and killed at least one of the men who tried to kill Charlie in Rosslyn. The significance of this shopping trip is revealed at the end of the episode, when Donovan learns that he may have had C.J.'s stalker in his sights and didn't realize it.

Notes

Leo mentions that Ft Myer is in Maryland. It's actually in Virgina just to the West of Arlington National Cemetery, putting it about 2 miles SW of the White House. Given the scale of the map showing the locations of Dover, the White House, and Ft. Myer, the locations of the later two places would overlap. The coordinates of both are 39N, 77W.

Additionally, the coordinates of all three locations are incorrect as they are indicated as 29 30 N, 45 45 E, which is a location in southern Iraq.

External links

• The West Wing Episode Guide