President Not the Intended Target
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Ron Butterfield briefs President Bartlet, Abbey, and Zoey on the weapons used in the assassination attempt, revealing the attackers' poor choice of firearms limited casualties.
Charlie enters and learns from Bartlet and Ron that the President was not the intended target of the assassination attempt, disrupting his assumptions about the attack's motive.
Charlie processes the revelation that the President wasn't the target, his repeated 'okay' masking deep disorientation before he exits.
Zoey and Ron exit, leaving Bartlet and Abbey alone as the President reiterates their uncertainty about the full injury count, underscoring the ongoing crisis.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Stoic professionalism veiling operational regret
Ron stands steady, delivering precise intel on attackers' mismatched firearms to Bartlet, Abbey, and Zoey, then directly corrects Charlie's assumption with Carl Leroy's statement, exiting stoically behind Zoey after closing the door.
- • Inform key family on attack details accurately
- • Correct Charlie's misconception to refocus crisis
- • Mismatched weapons mercifully limited damage
- • President's non-target status shifts threat narrative
Stunned disbelief fracturing into numb processing
Enters hesitantly at Bartlet's summons, learns of Leroy and White Pride, blurts assumption tying attack to his Zoey romance, reels stunned from Ron's correction, stammers acceptance before exiting.
- • Understand motive behind near-miss
- • Reassure self of non-personal targeting
- • Relationship provoked presidential hit
- • Attack stemmed from interracial romance
Explanatory poise masking underlying familial anxiety
Attentive at bedside, Abbey interprets Ron's weapons intel for clarity on low injuries, gently negates Charlie's Zoey-linked assumption, engaging in terse exchange as Bartlet reframes the toll.
- • Clarify weapons' role in sparing lives
- • Redirect Charlie from self-blame
- • Wrong guns prevented massacre
- • Attack motive not interpersonal
Weary detachment amid lingering shock
Present silently during briefing, Zoey absorbs details then requests exit, departing with Ron's shadow, her brief interruption underscoring quiet endurance amid family crisis.
- • Seek momentary escape from heavy revelations
- • Defer to father's dismissal
- • Family unity tested by external hate
- • Personal ties not central to threat
Concerned vigilance tempered by presidential resolve
Bedridden but commanding, Bartlet receives Ron's briefing, summons Charlie to relay suspect details, dismisses Zoey curtly, and twice cautions Abbey on unknown injury count, anchoring the room's gravity.
- • Brief Charlie on facts to ease personal fears
- • Insist on full injury scope amid partial relief
- • Casualty unknowns demand caution
- • Crisis scope broader than personal targeting
Suspect in Secret Service custody; gave statement identifying himself and shooters as members of West Virginia White Pride and stating President was not the target.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Ron names the 9mm Beretta as one attacker's weapon, central to briefing explaining its inadequacy for mass casualties alongside the Desert Eagle, shifting narrative from potential slaughter to merciful mismatch, anchoring relief in specifics.
Cited by Ron as the second attacker's .357 Desert Eagle, its pairing with Beretta highlighted as wrong for the assault scale, functionally underscoring low injury rationale while narratively recalibrating threat perception for Bartlet circle.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Bartlet's G.W. Hospital room confines the intimate briefing, sterile isolation amplifying revelations—from weapons mismatch to target twist—fostering stunned recalibrations amid beeps and shadows, symbolizing fragile command continuity post-assassination.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Ron's briefing on the weapons used leads to his later refusal to release Toby's memo, maintaining the Secret Service's stance."
"Ron's briefing on the weapons used leads to his later refusal to release Toby's memo, maintaining the Secret Service's stance."
"Ron's briefing on the weapons used leads to his later refusal to release Toby's memo, maintaining the Secret Service's stance."
"Ron's briefing on the weapons used leads to his later refusal to release Toby's memo, maintaining the Secret Service's stance."
Key Dialogue
"RON: One of them was using 9 millimeter Baretta, the other had a 357 Desert Eagle."
"ABBEY: Ron's saying that these were the absolutely wrong weapons to use for a shooting of this kind. And that's why the injury count was as low as it was."
"CHARLIE: They tried to kill the President 'cause Zoey and I are together? ABBEY: No. RON: Charlie. The President wasn't the target. According to the statement, the President wasn't the target."
"BARTLET: ([to Abbey]) We don't know what the injury count is, yet."