Character

Newseum Passersby

anxious expectant reactive observant panicked terrified disoriented vulnerable responsive supportive transient expressive provocative partisan ephemeral vocal cheerful passive ambient

A non‑individualized collective of civilian onlookers present at Newseum/related events who function as an anxious, expectant backdrop that influences White House tactical priorities. In the episode 'What Kind Of Day Has It Been' this collective is instantiated as panicked attendees when gunfire erupts at the Newseum; across scenes they appear as a reactive mass that shapes crowd‑management, triage, and public messaging. (Consolidates general role and the specific 'panicked attendees during shooting' instance into a single canonical entity.)

6 appearances

Public Spectatorship / Media Optics

Also known as: fellow fourth from the back, crowds, Bystanders, people in the corner, spectators, Passersby, bystanders, hotel audience member, panicked attendees, Newseum Crowd, crowd, onlookers, passersby, audience member, member of the audience who called Bartlet 'a socialist', Passersby / Crowd, Crowd, panicked attendees during shooting, audience

Newseum Passersby's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

6 moments

S1E22 · What Kind Of Day Has It Been

Strip the Jacket — Town Hall's Tone Pivot

Amused shifting to attentive seriousness as the rhetorical pivot lands.

The assembled audience laughs at Bartlet's joke, then responds with applause when he removes his jacket; they provide the immediate emotional feedback that allows the President's tone to change.

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S1E22 · What Kind Of Day Has It Been

Bartlet Closes Town Hall with a Joke

Amused and relieved — receptive to the comedic close and willing to be guided back into applause and orderly exit.

The assembled audience (a fellow fourth from the back and the general crowd) are the target and source of the joke: one voice labeled him 'socialist' while the wider group …

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S1E22 · What Kind Of Day Has It Been

Class Dismissed — Bartlet's Rousing Close

Moved and approving; the crowd experiences communal uplift and momentary unity.

The assembled Newseum audience responds with enthusiastic, sustained applause to Bartlet's closing, converting his rhetorical claim into social validation and publicly manifesting agreement with the call to civic participation.

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S1E22 · What Kind Of Day Has It Been

Gina Sees the Threat — Gunfire at the Newseum

Panic and terror on the surface; shock and urgent survival instinct dominate.

The crowd scatters, screams, and scrambles for cover; some bystanders are hit and lie prone, while many frantically search for safety or try to help the wounded.

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S1E22 · What Kind Of Day Has It Been

Exposed at the Ropeline

Collective terror and confusion; individuals oscillate between instinctive flight and shock.

The Newseum passersby form the crowd that scatters and drops as shots ring; many are driven to the ground, scream, flee to cars or lie prone and injured while agents …

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S1E22 · What Kind Of Day Has It Been

Gunfire at the Newseum — Gina's Scream

Terrified, confused, and desperate for safety; emotions shift quickly between shock and frantic self-preservation.

Passersby and onlookers at the rope line collectively scream, scramble for cover, some are knocked or shot down — the crowd becomes both victims and propulsive force for the agents' …

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