‘West Wing’ Gives Lessons on the Effects of Terrorism

NBC’s White House drama “The West Wing” delivered a primer on the history of terrorism as well as a morality play on issues of prejudice and tolerance during a special one-hour episode broadcast Wednesday night.

The program, which chronicles the inner workings of a fictional administration, used a security breach during a visit by a group of high school students to explore issues surrounding the roots of terrorism, Islamic extremism and the U.S. response, as various characters took turns discussing the issue with the teenagers.

“Killing yourself and innocent people to make a point is sick, twisted . . . murder,” the fictional president, played by Martin Sheen, told the students at one point, adding in reference to martyrdom versus heroism, “A hero would die for his country, but he’d much rather live for it.”

A secondary plot delved into racial profiling, as government agents and the White House chief of staff, played by John Spencer, questioned an Arab youth suspected of being a terrorist mole.

Cast members of the show introduced the episode, explaining that it departed from the continuity of the Emmy-winning program, which ended last season with a cliffhanger. That story line will be picked up again next week.

“Don’t panic,” co-star Bradley Whitford said during the opening. “We’re in show business, and we’ll get back to tending our egos in short order.”

ABC News analyst George Stephanopoulos, who served as a senior policy advisor during the Clinton administration, described the episode as “a prime-time town meeting on a lot of the issues raised by the attacks. . . . You’d be hard-pressed to find this sophisticated a debate on most news shows. If the goal was to stimulate and provoke discussion, I’ve got to believe it did that.”

While initially reluctant to delay the start of the show’s third season, NBC officials have pointed out that series creator Aaron Sorkin deserves credit for having the courage to address the Sept. 11 attacks within the context of the show at a time when most prime-time entertainment programs are rushing to excise any material that might evoke thoughts of it.

Sorkin has declined to discuss the episode, but executive producer John Wells said when the plan was announced that the producers felt compelled to pause and acknowledge current events before proceeding, in the same way most late-night talk show hosts did.

“West Wing” fans quickly reacted to the program on Internet message boards. Though many were ambivalent about the idea of blurring fiction and reality before the episode, the lion’s share of the response in its aftermath, at least among dedicated viewers, appeared positive.

“I’ve watched the show since day one, [and] it teaches me things,” said Karen Karas, 32, of Paddock Lake, Wis., adding that the episode “hit on all the subjects that people have been asking about.”

Others were less impressed by the hour, which, due in part to an accelerated production schedule to meet its airdate, had the feeling of a stage play, employing two primary sets.

“While Sorkin’s points are well-taken, and I agree with his point of view, I did not enjoy the manner in which they were delivered,” said Lesley Gayle, 38, of New York City, who organizes a “West Wing” message group and called the episode “preachy.”

Instead of the opening credits, NBC ran phone numbers for donations to charities benefiting those killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

It was also stated that profits from the episode would be donated to such charitable organizations. Representatives of NBC and Warner Bros. Television, which produces the series, clarified that the producers will donate any future profits from the episode to charity and the network’s advertising revenue from Wednesday’s telecast was not part of that contribution.