has a chronic illness that would render any significant drinking fatal. During Toby's conversation with Mendoza, he expressed frustration at how he'd been treated by the police, telling Toby that he'd been searched and handcuffed by police in front of his wife and nine-year old son. Mendoza vowed to use the criminal justice system to acquit himself, instead of letting the White House get him out, but Toby countered that Mendoza could make a much bigger difference on the Supreme Court, and that he would be unable to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate if the story circulates. Toby also sympathized with Mendoza's desire to not face his wife and son after what had happened to him. Mendoza agrees to be released, and Toby tells the officers on duty that in exchange for Mendoza's release, and the officers' apologizing to Mendoza and to his son, the incident will remain off the record and no lawsuit will be filed against the county. Mendoza gets in the car with Sam and Toby, and Josh finishes his interview by beginning to take questions from the audience. Reaction and trivia Steve Heisler, writing for The A.V. Club, describes the episode as "the flat-out funniest West Wing I've seen", complimenting Allison Janney's performance as C. J. when she has cotton in her mouth. He also noted Donna's line to Josh after his press briefing, where she tells Josh to "go to your office, and come up with a secret plan to fight inflation". Heisler praises Edward James Olmos for his vigor and introspection in his scene with Toby, and said that he wanted to see more characters reveal what motivates them. Liz Shannon Miller with IndieWire included the episode in a list of episodes "Binge View in Celebration of America". Miller noted Josh's scene where he created a "secret plan to fight inflation", and noted that while the episode wasn't "plot heavy... it is a delight". The Guardian included the episode in its list of the top ten episodes of The West Wing. They contrasted the episode to "In Excelsis Deo", an episode earlier in the season, noting that the tone of "Celestial Navigation" was much lighter. The Guardian praised Aaron Sorkin for his successful experimentation with the format of the show, incorporating flashbacks. They also highlighted a line from Josh—"It starts off as a nine-to-five job, but you can pretty much count on it