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Aaron Sorkin, often cited as one of the greatest dialogue writers of modern-day TV and film, has a weakness: This one super corny joke that combines French and English wordplay.
The joke, which Sorkin has now used in both The West Wing and The Trial of the Chicago 7, is this: “Why do they only eat one egg for breakfast in France? Because in France, one egg is un oeuf.” The joke, for those who haven’t taken an intro to French language course, is that “un oeuf,” which translates to “an egg,” sounds like “enough.”
It’s one of those so-terrible-that-it’s-actually-kind-of-funny jokes. And apparently, Sorkin really, really loves it. Admittedly, when Margaret utters it to Leo in Season 1, Episode 21 of The West Wing, it’s absolutely hysterical. It’s one of the first times on the show that Margaret lets her weird personality shine through, and NiCole Robinson’s deadpan delivery is priceless. Even better is the late, great John Spencer’s non-plussed reaction to the joke. He doesn’t even crack a smile, just side-eyes his assistant suspiciously, and responds, “OK.”
Twenty years after Margaret and Leo shared this special moment, Sorkin returned to the “one egg is un oeuf” joke in The Trial of the Chicago 7, the courtroom drama he wrote and directed which premiered on Netflix today. The film—which tells the true story of a group of anti-Vietnam War protestors who were wrongly charged with conspiracy in 1969—is complicated. But all you need to know for the egg joke scene in question is that Masters of Sex star Caitlin FitzGerald is playing an undercover FBI agent named Daphne, and she is wooing anti-war activist Jerry Rubin (played by Succession‘s Jeremy Strong) at a bar. And lo behold, how does she decide to get Jerry to like her? By whipping out the “one egg is un ouef” joke!
For a moment there, Jerry reacts exactly as Leo did two decades earlier—by not reacting at all. But in the end, he’s a nicer guy than the fictional White House chief of staff. He gives her a pity laugh.
It’s yet another entry into Sorkin’s re-used and recycled dialogue bin, aka a “Sorkinism.” Maybe Sorkin simply forgot he already used this joke 20 years ago. Or maybe he just really, really loves that egg joke. Isn’t that reason un oeuf?
