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With only two more West Wing episodes left this season, the impeachment plot leading up to the season finale continues to thicken! This week, the cover-up of President Bartlett's illness begins to unravel, and fear of impeachment and criminal prosecutions dominate the storyline. The President reveals to his senior staff (Josh and C.J, in this episode) that he has been battling multiple sclerosis, and new and incriminating facts about the alleged cover-up of his illness come to light.

Before jumping into the story developments of this week's show, let us review why the cover-up of his illness is such a hot issue. Viewers will recall that in a prior episode, Toby had been suspicious of the Vice President's aspirations to run as the Presidential candidate in the next election - especially as this is President Bartlett's first term in office, so he should have been the obvious contender for the next four years. Toby later figures out that the Vice President has information that is causing him to believe that President Bartlett will not seek re-election. Toby then confronts the President and his Chief of Staff, who tell him that the President has multiple sclerosis and that he never planned to run for re-election.

So, why is this now such a big deal? We know, from previous episodes, that the President really always intended to serve just one term. Why, then, should it matter that he covered-up his illness? Because when he announces that he is not going to seek re-election, the public and the media will want to know why. They will probably find out about his illness, realize he lied about his physical condition to obtain office, and then discover that once in office, there were times when he was physically unfit to make crucial decision.

His daughter Zoe's college admissions health form, signed by the First Lady and confirming that the President has no physical illnesses, is the evidence that he has been covering up his illness.

This week's show focuses on the First Lady and her knowledge of the facts implicating her husband. In meetings with Oliver, the Counsel to the President, Mrs. Bartlett simply explains that she signed her daughter's college form like it were any other form, and she did not read it fully. She also explains that she does not remember whether her husband was present when she signed the form. She basically portrays herself as having acted innocently, even though her actions will appear suspicious and probably be deemed criminal… Viewers will recall that during the Clinton Presidency, First Lady Hillary Clinton had similar explanations for her alleged roles in various political scandals.

From an Insider perspective, there were two small, but interesting "insider facts" from this episode worth mentioning. Charlie, the President's aide, is seen carrying legal-sized folders that are each a different color. Each folder has the President's seal emblazoned on the front. Color-coded folders are actually used in the real West Wing. The different colors indicate what must be done to the contents in each folder. For example, the contents in one folder will need to be signed, while the contents in another folder (of a different color) will need to be read.

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In the final scene, Josh and C.J. are walking outside the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB). The scene was shot outside the real OEOB, and was filmed at night to portray C.J. leaving the White House after a long day at the office. However, Any "insider" would tell you that C.J. probably would not be exiting the White House from an OEOB exit. The Press Secretary's office is located in the West Wing. The West Wing staff, departing by foot, would most likely exit through the Northwest Gate, because it is located just in front of the West Wing. Of course, CJ may have walked through the OEOB because she wanted to stop by the White House Post Office or the White House Credit Union, which are both located on the ground floor of the OEOB. However, both of these offices would have been closed by the time C.J. was leaving, so she could have stopped by one of those automated machines to obtain cash or postage stamps… Of course! (Or was it because the real-life republican president would not let the real liberal leaning show film in front of the real West Wing?)

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