The West Wing
S2E21
· 18th and Potomac

Charlie Delivers Crushing News of Mrs. Landingham's Death to Leo

In the Outer Oval Office, Charlie stands frozen, gripping the phone receiver with dread as Leo enters. Calmly but devastatingly, Charlie reveals a drunk driver struck Mrs. Landingham's new car at high speed, killing her instantly. Leo, stunned into silence, wavers in shock, his iron resolve cracking; hoarsely confirming Charlie bears the burden alone, he staggers past her empty desk—poignantly symbolizing irreplaceable loss—and exits to the veranda. This intimate gut-punch pierces the White House's frenzy over MS polls and Haiti, humanizing Leo's vulnerability and escalating emotional stakes as a tragic turning point amid political chaos.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

4

Charlie silently stares at the phone receiver in his hand, a silent message of doom hanging in the air as Leo enters, sensing trouble.

normalcy to unease ['Outer Oval Office']

Charlie delivers the crushing news—a drunk driver crashed into Mrs. Landingham at 18th and Potomac, her blue beauty now a coffin.

unease to shock ['18th and Potomac']

The final hammer falls—Charlie confirms Mrs. Landingham is dead, Leo's world fracturing under the weight of irreplaceable loss.

shock to devastation

Leo staggers through the physical act of passing Mrs. Landingham's empty desk, his armor crumbling as he moves to shatter Bartlet's world through warped glass doors.

devastation to resolve

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Charlie Young
primary

Steadfast calm veiling deep personal grief and sorrow for the West Wing family

Stands behind his desk staring silently at the phone receiver, delivers the tragic news of Mrs. Landingham's instant death in the drunk-driver accident at 18th and Potomac with even, calm precision; confirms he is alone, watches Leo depart shakily, then hangs up the phone.

Goals in this moment
  • • Convey the devastating facts accurately and without hysteria to Leo
  • • Gauge and support Leo's immediate reaction to the loss
Active beliefs
  • • Composure honors the gravity of death and sustains the team's core
  • • Leo, as leader, must receive unvarnished truth first
Character traits
composed under pressure loyal and steady dutiful communicator
Follow Charlie Young's journey
Dolores Landingham
primary

Deceased; her absence evokes profound void in the West Wing's heart

Invoked as the central victim whose instant death in a high-speed drunk-driver collision at 18th and Potomac—while driving her new car back from work—precipitates the event's emotional devastation; her empty desk stands as haunting symbol passed by Leo.

Goals in this moment
  • • N/A (deceased prior to event)
Active beliefs
  • • N/A (deceased prior to event)
Character traits
irreplaceable maternal anchor ethical cornerstone of the office
Follow Dolores Landingham's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
18th and Potomac

Explicitly cited multiple times as the fatal intersection where the drunk driver ignored the red light and accelerated at high speed into Mrs. Landingham's car, causing her instantaneous death; this off-screen urban tragedy invades the Oval's sanctity, grounding the White House frenzy in visceral human cost amid Haitian coups and poll plummets.

Atmosphere Reckless chaos of screeching tires and crumpling metal, now echoing as a site of irrevocable …
Function Origin point of the referenced accident delivering death's news
Symbolism Harsh emblem of random mortality slicing through political invincibility
Red traffic light brazenly defied High-speed vehicular impact zone Urban D.C. crossroads at night

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 1
Emotional Echo

"Mrs. Landingham's joyful anticipation of her new car ('blue beauty') contrasts tragically with Charlie's later announcement of her death in that same car."

Mrs. Landingham's Playful New Car Ribbing
S2E21 · 18th and Potomac

Key Dialogue

"CHARLIE: ([evenly, calmly]) Leo, there was an accident at 18th and Potomac. Mrs. Landingham was driving her car back here."
"LEO: Charlie, is she all right? CHARLIE: No...She's dead."
"LEO: ([a bit hoarse]) Is he alone? CHARLIE: Yeah."