being blown to hell by 9.30"—that they said encapsulated the show's narrative well. Writing for the Daily Bruin, Alex Driscoll briefly praised the episode's format of interwoven plotlines and the episode's combination of past in present in letting Josh narrating backstory to an ongoing plotline before focusing on Mendoza's being racially profiled. Driscoll writes that while Mendoza was released quietly and quickly, many cases of a victim being racially profiled do not have the same outcome. She praises Sorkin for providing attention to the point that race can matter more than guilt or innocence in determining how a suspect is treated by police. Driscoll notes in her October 2020 article that most suspects in this case will not have powerful members of the U.S. government to bail them out, and said that forms of protest similar to Mendoza's refusing of a breathalyzer test have spread across the United States. CCH Pounder, who guest starred as Debbie O'Leary in this episode, was initially considered for the role of C. J. Cregg. Instead, Allison Janney was cast for the role. References External links The West Wing (season 1) episodes 2000 American television episodes