# I spotted a gaffe in the premiere of West Wing. Did you catch it too? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 5, 2000, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spotted-a-gaffe-in-the-premiere-of-west-wing-did-you-catch-it-too/35740 "2000-10-05T06:24:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bean\_Counter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/db5fbb/32.png) [@Bean\_Counter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bean_Counter)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spotted-a-gaffe-in-the-premiere-of-west-wing-did-you-catch-it-too/35740/41 "2000-10-06T18:06:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Connor \* > \*\* > As for telling the anaesthesiologist (that’s not fun to spell) and not the chief surgeon, going under anaesthisia always carries a risk of death, no matter your health. I’m no doctor, but I would imagine that any margin of error for this is even narrower for an MS patient. Again, just a WAG. \*\* Actually the anaesthisia or the surgery could set-off an epidsode of his MS. My wife, an RN, has seen MS patients given a stereoid before surgery in hopes of fending off such an episode. Hence it was definitely a “need to know” situation for the anaesthesiologist. Regards ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spotted-a-gaffe-in-the-premiere-of-west-wing-did-you-catch-it-too/35740/42 "2000-10-06T18:25:37Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by stuyguy_ > > **Since I’ve got all your attention, I’ve got a little Q that has me and another WW pal puzzled. Who was the tallish, woman with the long, straight, blonde hair that showed up in Toby’s office after she “heard the news on tv and though she should come [to the White House]”?** IIRC from last season (and Wednesday night’s episode), that was Toby’s ex-wife. I believe she’s a congresswoman. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spotted-a-gaffe-in-the-premiere-of-west-wing-did-you-catch-it-too/35740/43 "2000-10-06T18:47:16Z")
My wife caught this one: In the scene where the 3rd conspirator is caught, he’s coming out of the [Dixie Pig Restaurant](http://www.mapquest.com/cgi-bin/ia_find?link=btwn/twn-map_results&zoom_level=7&uid=umrc00h3blb9u4ve:rshaawl01&SNVData=3mad3-5.fy%28ayg9r7_%29zt2qz7%3bah7-%3duald%2bWIPMVV%12%11%2bF%17%3aVCJ%13VRIND%13%3dTV_10bnq%3d2xu4%28%11E%3abg5uy2%3d%3dtauwt2%3d0,rb%3b7) in Alexandria, VA. Before all the Feds spring the lights on him, you hear a semi zooming by in the background. Thing is, this place is about 1 1/2 miles from the nearest interstate. I used to work near there, and you can’t hear any interstate sounds from there. US-1 and the George Washington Parkway are nearby, but the former is through town where trucks wouldn’t be going very fast, and the latter doesn’t allow truck traffic. Also regarding the same scene (I caught this one): The subtitle at the beginning says it’s 3:30-ish in the morning. But most restaurants in Northern Virginia close between 12 and 1; bars 1:30 (by law). Only Denny’s and other breakfast diner places are open at that hour. (Dixie Pig, BTW, is a BBQ rib place.) ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spotted-a-gaffe-in-the-premiere-of-west-wing-did-you-catch-it-too/35740/44 "2000-10-06T18:55:39Z")
Oops. If you look at the map from my last post, the red star is missing. ☹ Basically, Dixie Pig is centered in the map. Also, this place is only about 4-5 miles from the assassination site, Rosslyn, VA. You think the guy would’ve either high-tailed it much further away, or found a less public venue. From Rosslyn, I would’ve walked over to the GW Parkway and across the pedestrian bridge to Theodore Roosevelt Island. At that time of night, _nobody_ would’ve been there, and there’s no lights there, so laying low would’ve been cake. Of course, the plot for this show was written by the same people who have important White House operatives meet people near the Lincoln Memorial. If you stop by there any given day, 99% of them are tourists, and the other 1% are POW/MIA activists selling merchandise to fund their cause. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spotted-a-gaffe-in-the-premiere-of-west-wing-did-you-catch-it-too/35740/45 "2000-10-06T20:03:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bean Counter \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Connor \* > > \*\* > > As for telling the anaesthesiologist (that’s not fun to spell) and not the chief surgeon, going under anaesthisia always carries a risk of death, no matter your health. I’m no doctor, but I would imagine that any margin of error for this is even narrower for an MS patient. Again, just a WAG. \*\* > > Actually the anaesthisia or the surgery could set-off an epidsode of his MS. My wife, an RN, has seen MS patients given a stereoid before surgery in hopes of fending off such an episode. Hence it was definitely a “need to know” situation for the anaesthesiologist. > > \*\* The thing that bugged me was when the ER nurse leaned over Bartlett when he was first brought in and asked “Do you have any medical conditions?” He flippantly replies, “Well, I’m in shock!” This is of course supposed to invoke our fear over the Big Presidential Multiple Sclerosis (also not fun to spell!) Secret–but it had already been established that this hospital has been prepared for just such an emergency–the red phone installed, the ER nurse asking, “Is this a drill?” etc. . . so wouldn’t they have the President’s medical records??? Even if they don’t contain the BPMSS. . . ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spotted-a-gaffe-in-the-premiere-of-west-wing-did-you-catch-it-too/35740/46 "2000-10-06T20:08:22Z")
He said, “Well, I’ve been SHOT.” Very funny. But I’m sure the RN’s asking was just another way to cover their butts. ---
**Author:** ![keeper0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@keeper0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeper0)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spotted-a-gaffe-in-the-premiere-of-west-wing-did-you-catch-it-too/35740/47 "2000-10-06T20:44:17Z")
C’mon guys cut them a little slack about shooting on location. It is very expensive (have to ship all of the actors and film crew from Hollywood) and difficult (have to convince all of these people in the background not to stare at the camera), so you might as well make sure it is someplace recognizable or distinctive. That’s why they use the Lincoln Memorial or the funky BBQ joint, even when the locals know better. As for the signal man only being a few miles away, contrary to popular thinking most perpetrators of a crime don’t run far away. In fact, they are often drawn back to the scene of the crime or to the victim. I half expected him to be in the crowd outside the hospital, and recognized by Gina. In the end, I think most people would have thought that was too contrived, no matter how common it may be in reality. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-spotted-a-gaffe-in-the-premiere-of-west-wing-did-you-catch-it-too/35740.md?page=2)