Narrative Web
S2E2
· In the Shadow of Two Gunmen Part 2 Flashback

Isobel's Dawn Call Rouses a Groggy C.J.

In a sharp flashback pivot three years earlier, C.J. is jolted awake in her bedroom by a ringing phone. Groggily reaching for it, she sits up, checks her watch, and snaps at Isobel—her PR firm boss—for calling at 6:30 AM. Irritation evident, she hangs up abruptly and climbs out of bed, shifting from private vulnerability to reluctant action. This setup beat launches the backstory arc revealing C.J.'s career dissatisfaction, priming her firing and fateful leap to the Bartlet campaign amid the larger crisis narrative.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

C.J. is abruptly awakened by an early morning phone call, revealing the interruption as both unexpected and bothersome.

sleepiness to irritation ["C.J.'s bedroom"]

C.J. hangs up the phone and physically rises from bed, transitioning from irritation to reluctant action.

irritation to resignation ["C.J.'s bedroom"]

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
C.J. Cregg
primary

Groggy disorientation sharpening into indignant irritation

Reaches across bed for ringing phone, sits up groggily while answering 'Hello?' and 'Yeah?', picks up bedside watch to check time, snaps irritably at Isobel for the early hour, abruptly hangs up, then climbs out of bed—transitioning from disoriented slumber to defiant wakefulness.

Goals in this moment
  • • Rebuke the untimely intrusion and end the call swiftly
  • • Reclaim control over her morning routine
Active beliefs
  • • Personal rest time deserves respect, even from bosses
  • • Early morning calls signal inconsiderate demands
Character traits
irritable assertive vulnerable
Follow C.J. Cregg's journey
Isobel
primary

Professionally urgent, oblivious to personal boundaries

Initiates a dawn phone call to C.J., her subordinate, prompting groggy response and sharp rebuke over the 6:30 AM timing—her off-screen urgency invading C.J.'s private space and igniting conflict.

Goals in this moment
  • • Mobilize C.J. immediately for work crisis
  • • Exert authority to ensure team readiness
Active beliefs
  • • Business imperatives trump personal schedules
  • • Subordinates must be instantly responsive
Character traits
demanding pragmatic unyielding
Follow Isobel's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
C.J.'s Bedside Watch

C.J. snatches the bedside watch amid the phone conversation, squinting to confirm the egregious 6:30 AM hour, which fuels her sarcastic snap at Isobel—functioning as a stark reality check that amplifies her annoyance and underscores the call's boundary violation in her pre-political life.

Before: Resting undisturbed on the bedstand beside the bed
After: Briefly grasped in C.J.'s hand during check, then …
Before: Resting undisturbed on the bedstand beside the bed
After: Briefly grasped in C.J.'s hand during check, then presumably returned to bedstand

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"C.J.: "Hello? Yeah? Isobel, it's 6:30 in the morning! Yeah.""