The West Wing
S2E14
ยท The War At Home

Fade In: White House Night - SOTU Echoes

The episode starkly fades in on the exterior of the White House at night, its illuminated facade looming as the epicenter of power amid gathering crisis. Mark's voiceover pierces the silence, noting the State of the Union address clocked in at 8,756 words, bridging the triumphant political spectacle to the impending catastrophe of the botched raid. This establishing shot instantly heightens tension, shifting from post-SOTU glow to nocturnal dread, priming Bartlet's moral reckoning over hostages and the drug war's futility.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

The scene abruptly transitions, signaling a shift in focus or location, heightening anticipation for what follows.

informative to suspense

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

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Mark Gottfried
primary

Detached yet urgently informative, evoking a professional calm that masks the impending dread

Mark Gottfried delivers voiceover narration off-screen, his voice slicing through the silent night exterior shot, precisely citing the SOTU word count to anchor the audience in recent triumph while subtly foreshadowing crisis.

Goals in this moment
  • • Bridge the SOTU triumph to the emerging raid catastrophe for viewer context
  • • Heighten narrative tension through exacting detail in live-broadcast style
Active beliefs
  • • The precise scale of political events like SOTU merits exact documentation
  • • Seamless transitions from victory to crisis amplify White House drama
Character traits
observant journalistic precise immersive
Follow Mark Gottfried's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
White House Mess

The White House exterior serves as the episode's stark fade-in establishing shot at night, its massive illuminated facade looming as the raw epicenter of power, visually thrusting post-SOTU elation into crisis dread and underscoring presidential isolation amid the drug war's moral harvest.

Atmosphere Oppressively silent and tense, with nocturnal voids amplifying gathering dread
Function Establishing shot priming narrative pivot
Symbolism Embodies institutional power's unyielding stone pulsing with futility and isolation
Illuminated facade looming massively Starry night voids pierced by voiceover

Narrative Connections

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Key Dialogue

"MARK (V.O.): "Tonight's State of the Union took 8,756 words...""