Bartlet Exits Bullpen as Hartsfield's Primary Triumph Fades to Credits
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Bartlet and an agent walk out of the bullpen as staffers continue working, with the sounds of a television in the background.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Enthusiastic reverence for civic ritual
Reporter's voice narrates on desk TV from Hartsfield's Landing, evoking the town's humble democratic origins—two roads, no lights, Town Hall basement—as registrar begins roll call, framing superpower election's grassroots dawn amid White House screens.
- • Highlight primary's historic purity
- • Connect local event to national import
- • Small towns birth superpower democracy
- • Ritual sustains republic's foundation
Proud officiation of democratic milestone
Registrar, moonlighting school principal, calls voters on ceiling-mounted TV—Claire Abernathy, Diana, Barney Braddock, then 18-year-old Lillian with special congratulations—her voice threading small-town roll call into live broadcast spectacle watched in bullpen.
- • Conduct flawless primary roll call
- • Celebrate first-time voter's entry
- • Local rituals embody national democracy
- • Youthful participation renews process
Steady commitment to franchise
Claire Abernathy steps up to the polling counter on TV as first called, dropping her ballot into the box amid crowd applause, embodying resolute civic participation in Hartsfield's midnight primary broadcast to White House.
- • Cast vote promptly
- • Uphold electoral tradition
- • Individual votes power democracy
- • Primary sets national tone
Contented civic engagement
Diana Abernathy follows Claire, stepping forward on TV to cast her vote into the ballot box under cheers, linking family resolve in the primary ritual beamed into the crisis bullpen.
- • Fulfill voting duty
- • Support communal democratic moment
- • Family unites in electoral acts
- • Grassroots votes matter profoundly
Satisfied participation
Barney Braddock advances to the counter post-Abernathys on TV, deposits ballot amid applause, contributing to Hartsfield's prophetic primary sequence dissolving White House tension.
- • Exercise franchise efficiently
- • Bolster local primary's momentum
- • Every vote echoes nationally
- • Tradition strengthens democracy
Thrilled milestone achievement
18-year-old Lillian Braddock steps up last on TV as highlighted first-time voter, casts ballot to thunderous applause and registrar's congratulations, injecting youthful vitality into broadcast climax.
- • Claim first vote triumphantly
- • Inspire peers through example
- • Youth renews democratic future
- • First votes spark generational chain
Joyful collective exuberance
Hartsfield's Landing crowd erupts in applause with each voter's ballot drop—Abernathys, Braddocks—under the banner on TV, their unified cheers piercing bullpen screens as emotional counterpoint to crisis.
- • Celebrate primary's democratic purity
- • Amplify event's national resonance
- • Grassroots joy sustains republic
- • Small-town spirit conquers distance
Quiet satisfaction amid lingering tension
President Bartlet strides purposefully out of the bustling Communications Bullpen accompanied by his Secret Service agent, departing the crisis-charged space as staffers hustle and TVs broadcast the triumphant Hartsfield's Landing primary, marking a subtle narrative pivot to closure.
- • Transition from bullpen operations to next phase
- • Absorb symbolic victory of primary as morale boost
- • Democracy's rituals endure beyond crises
- • Small victories fortify national resolve
walks out of the bullpen with Bartlet
- • accompanying President Bartlet through the communications office
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Ceiling-mounted TV in bullpen broadcasts Hartsfield's primary live—registrar calling voters, ballots dropping to applause—serving as narrative bridge contrasting crisis grind with prophetic victory, pulling remote democratic ritual into White House immediacy for symbolic closure.
Ballot box under 'America's first primary' banner receives votes from Abernathys and Braddocks on TV feed—each drop triggering crowd cheers—symbolizing untainted electoral heart beating remotely against superpower brinkmanship, focal prop in coda's democratic affirmation.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Hartsfield's Landing polling counter, shown on bullpen TVs, hosts voters plunging ballots amid applause under banner; remote humble site becomes emotional fulcrum, contrasting via broadcast with D.C. frenzy to underscore enduring civic bedrock.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Bartlet's mention of Hartsfield's Landing primary symbolically connects to the registrar calling voters, highlighting democracy's purity in both macro and micro contexts."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"REPORTER ([on TV]): "Two roads, no traffic lights and Town Hall's a filing cabinet and a countertop in the clerk's basement. But Hartsfield's Landing, New Hampshire, is where democracy begins for the world's only superpower. It's 12:01am, and the registrar of voters who's also the principal and only teacher at the Hartsfield's school, calls the roll of voters.""
"REGISTRAR ([on another TV]): "Claire Abernathy, please step up and cast your vote. [beat] Diana Abernathy, please step up, cast your vote. [beat] Barney Braddock, please step up, cast your vote. [beat] Lillian Braddock, Lillian's 18, everyone! This is her first vote. Please step up and cast your vote. [beat] Congratulations, Lillian.""