Fabula
S2E22 · Two Cathedrals
S2E22
· Two Cathedrals Flashback

Mrs. Landingham Persistently Challenges Young Jed's Privilege

On sunlit school grounds amid chapel bells, young Mrs. Landingham intercepts book-reading young Jed Bartlet, demanding he hear her case despite his week's worth of brush-offs. Their walk-and-talk sharpens into combative banter: Jed mocks her persistence and home life, she retorts on his family's money taboo fueling his complacency. He demands 'numbers' to prove her point before striding away, forging their formative, friction-fueled dynamic that echoes in adult Bartlet's grief-stricken reverence. This flashback excavates Jed's early arrogance and her incisive moral spark, revealing backstory pivotal to his character arc.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

5

Mrs. Landingham confronts young Jed Bartlet on the school grounds, demanding an opportunity to present her case about an ongoing issue.

neutral to confrontation ['School grounds with chapel bells ringing']

Jed dismissively questions Mrs. Landingham's persistence and personal life, attempting to deflect her concerns.

confrontation to irritation

Mrs. Landingham challenges Jed's dismissive attitude, turning the conversation back on him with sharp retorts.

irritation to defiance

Jed reveals his family's avoidance of money talk, prompting Mrs. Landingham to call out his privilege directly.

defiance to revelation

Jed demands concrete evidence ('numbers') to support Mrs. Landingham's claims, then walks away, ending the confrontation.

revelation to resolution ['Gray stone school building']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Dolores Landingham
primary

Determined resolve masking irritation at dismissal, fueled by righteous indignation over injustice

Waits patiently at end of school day, spots Jed reading while walking, intercepts to demand hearing her case, engages in rapid-fire combative banter defending her persistence and retorting on privilege, walks determinedly inside gray stone building after his dismissal.

Goals in this moment
  • • Force Jed to engage with teachers' pay issue
  • • Challenge his privileged complacency to spark awareness
Active beliefs
  • • Economic injustice demands confrontation regardless of status
  • • Privilege blinds to others' struggles, requiring hard evidence to pierce
Character traits
persistent resolute incisive morally steadfast
Follow Dolores Landingham's journey
Josiah Bartlet
primary

dismissive and sarcastic

reads while walking across school grounds, dismisses Mrs. Landingham's persistence, mocks her home life and meddling, demands numbers as proof, walks away

Goals in this moment
  • • brush off Mrs. Landingham's issue
  • • demand concrete evidence before engaging
Character traits
protective resolute self-aware principled
Follow Josiah Bartlet's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

3
School Grounds, New Hampshire

Vast sunlit expanse serves as the dynamic stage for Landingham's interception of walking Jed and their escalating walk-and-talk banter, where pastoral summer heat amplifies the clash of moral fire against youthful arrogance, rooting their lifelong dynamic amid shimmering grass and forceful idyll.

Atmosphere Warm afternoon glow humming with summery heat, wet earth tang, pierced by soft chapel bells …
Function Site of interception and verbal confrontation
Symbolism Pastoral privilege clashing with moral insistence, forging ethical sparks
Sun blazing across grounds Softly ringing chapel bells Shimmering grass under afternoon glare
School Chapel

School chapel's bells toll softly throughout, drifting resonant chimes across grounds to underscore the banter's tension, infusing sacred serenity that contrasts and elevates Landingham's moral pursuit against Jed's evasion, echoing reverence amid conflict.

Atmosphere Gentle peals evoking distant sanctity clashing with raw privilege friction
Function Atmospheric backdrop enhancing emotional layering
Symbolism Sanctuary's voice symbolizing moral and spiritual undertones in discord
Softly ringing bells Resonant chimes drifting across grounds
Gray Stone School Building

Gray stone school building looms as climax endpoint: after Jed storms away demanding numbers, Landingham pivots into its unyielding entrance, walls etched with institutional weight swallowing her stride, marking unresolved tension's pivot from outdoor clash to internalized resolve.

Atmosphere Imposing gray stone exuding privilege's heavy silence post-banter
Function Exit point for Landingham, symbolizing persistence's endurance
Symbolism Embodies institutional legacy forged from youthful moral sparks
Constructed of gray stone Looming walls and unyielding maw

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"JED: "In my family, we don't talk about money." MRS. LANDINGHAM: "That's because you have money.""
"JED: "Numbers, Mrs. Landingham." MRS. LANDINGHAM: "Excuse me?" JED: "If you want to convince me of something, show me numbers!""