Fabula
S3E2 · Manchester Part II
S3E2
· Manchester Part II

Josh Desperately Presses Leo to Stall RU-486 Announcement

In a tense hallway confrontation at the base of a ladder, Josh urgently accosts Leo over the FDA's imminent RU-486 approval announcement, warning it will signal to the heartland that the administration rejects their values just as the re-election campaign launches. Josh pleads to leverage his connection with the FDA chief of staff for a two-week delay, but Leo stonewalls, affirming the President's awareness, the agency's independence (despite Josh's technical rebuttal), and his iron refusal to interfere—dismissing Josh with a curt 'Leave the FDA alone' before walking off. This pivotal clash excavates Josh's raw political pragmatism against Leo's principled enforcement of institutional boundaries, amplifying staff fractures amid campaign chaos and foreshadowing battles between expediency and integrity.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

3

Josh confronts Leo about the political fallout of the RU-486 announcement, urging intervention to delay the FDA's decision.

concern to frustration ['bottom of a ladder']

Leo dismisses Josh's urgency, emphasizing the FDA's independence and the President's awareness of the stakes.

frustration to resignation

Josh presses his case, citing his influence over the FDA's chief of staff, but Leo sharply rebuffs him.

determination to defeat

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

3
Josh Lyman
primary

Desperate urgency laced with frustrated impotence, masking deeper anxiety over campaign derailment.

Josh urgently accosts Leo at the ladder base, pleading desperately to delay RU-486 announcement via his FDA chief of staff connection, rebuts technical independence claims, follows Leo twice while correcting a slip to 'tobacco,' and ends sighing heavily in defeat after curt dismissal.

Goals in this moment
  • • Secure a two-week delay in FDA's RU-486 announcement to shield re-election launch
  • • Leverage personal influence to override institutional timing for political gain
Active beliefs
  • • FDA's technical subordination to HHS allows White House sway despite independence claims
  • • Immediate political optics outweigh procedural purity in heartland value clashes
Character traits
desperate tenacity pragmatic improvisation politically astute impulsively loyal
Follow Josh Lyman's journey
Abigail Bartlet
primary

Implied steadfast acceptance of political risks.

President Bartlet referenced by Leo as fully understanding RU-486's political fallout to the heartland, invoked to underscore non-negotiable stance without physical presence.

Goals in this moment
  • • Navigate re-election aware of value-signal costs
  • • Preserve agency independence per Leo's enforcement
Active beliefs
  • • Heartland optics matter but FDA autonomy holds
  • • Long-term integrity outweighs short-term delays
Character traits
strategically aware institutionally resolute
Follow Abigail Bartlet's journey
Leo McGarry
primary

Resolute firmness veiling impatience, embodying ironclad command amid subordinate pressure.

Leo stands resolute with Josh, stonewalls pleas by affirming President's grasp of implications and FDA independence, challenges 'technically' rebuttal, refuses interference outright with 'No!', walks off twice, and delivers curt final dismissal: 'Leave the FDA alone.'

Goals in this moment
  • • Uphold FDA's independence and presidential boundaries against staff interference
  • • Shut down Josh's pleas to maintain institutional integrity and campaign discipline
Active beliefs
  • • Presidential awareness trumps staff panic; no meddling in agency autonomy
  • • Political costs must be borne without compromising procedural lines, even at electoral risk
Character traits
unyielding authority principled stoicism loyal gatekeeper curt decisiveness
Follow Leo McGarry's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

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West Wing Bullpen

The West Wing hallway serves as an impromptu battleground for this heated confrontation at the ladder's shadowed base, its echoing stretch amplifying Josh's frantic pursuit and Leo's retreating dismissals, trapping them in liminal tension amid power corridors where private pleas clash with command edicts.

Atmosphere Taut and claustrophobic, charged with urgent whispers and footsteps echoing off stark walls.
Function Site of impulsive ambush and hierarchical showdown.
Symbolism Embodies transitional fractures in staff loyalty, ladder's base evoking stalled ascent amid crisis.
Access Restricted to senior staff in this continuous White House artery.
Bottom of a ladder casting grim shadows Hurried footsteps and sighs in echoing confines

Organizations Involved

Institutional presence and influence

1
Food and Drug Administration

The FDA looms as the explosive flashpoint, its imminent RU-486 approval announcement dissected in desperate debate—Josh pushes for delay via chief of staff ties, while Leo defends its announcement autonomy, technically contested via HHS subordination, heightening re-election value clashes.

Representation Via referenced institutional protocols and chief of staff as leverage point.
Power Dynamics Challenged by White House staff pleas but shielded by Leo's enforcement of independence.
Impact Highlights tensions between executive influence and agency firewalls amid scandal-scarred campaign.
Internal Dynamics Implied hierarchy where chief of staff role invites personal intervention attempts.
Timely announcement of RU-486 approval per regulatory timeline Maintain perceived operational independence from political pressures Regulatory autonomy in drug approval scheduling Technical subordination to HHS enabling debate over sway

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

No narrative connections mapped yet

This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph

Part of Larger Arcs

Josh Lyman's internal turmoil and self-doubt from strategic failures (RU-486 timing, tobacco blunder), building to explosive breakdown amid re-election pressures and team discord.

Key Dialogue

"JOSH: "RU-486.""
"JOSH: "The last thing we need is to come out of the gate waving a flag to the American heartland... saying we don't share your values.""
"LEO: "Leave the FDA alone.""