Flamingo, Deflection, and the Bermuda Lie
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
C.J. notices Sam's suspicious behavior after Danny leaves, probing him about his evening plans and uncovering his nervous evasion.
Sam's clumsy lies about Bermuda and Josh's activities expose his guilt, deepening C.J.'s suspicion about their secretive mission.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Surface cool and amused while growing quietly suspicious and alert — composed professionalism masking increasing concern about Sam's evasiveness.
C.J. moves from routine staff interaction into rapid social triage: she deflects Danny's flirtation with sarcasm, reveals her code name as a joke, notices Sam slip by, follows, and presses him with pointed questions until his evasiveness becomes obvious.
- • Deflect and neutralize Danny's flirtatious approach without creating office gossip.
- • Gauge Sam's plans and determine whether he and Josh are hiding something potentially problematic.
- • Maintain control of hallway interaction and protect the team's public image.
- • Casual banter can be used to test people's honesty and deflect attention.
- • Staff should be straightforward about plans that affect one another; secrecy usually signals a problem.
- • Her role includes reading subtext and intervening when a colleague seems off-balance.
Amused and optimistic at first, lightly wounded or deflated when C.J. rebuffs him; otherwise casual and unthreatening.
Danny intercepts C.J. with playful, persistent flirtation: offers a 'list' as a gambit, accepts banter good-naturedly, and withdraws when rebuffed; his presence initiates the light tone that makes Sam's later evasions stand out.
- • Win C.J.'s attention and potentially a date through charm and humor.
- • Use playful banter to lower defenses and create a personal connection.
- • Leave on friendly terms if rebuffed, preserving rapport for future interactions.
- • Light, public flirtation is an effective way to test mutual interest.
- • C.J. responds to wit and challenge rather than direct pleading.
- • A playful approach won't damage his standing with the staff if handled smoothly.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
A slim stack of briefing papers is handed by C.J. to a staffer at the scene's start; the exchange grounds the conversation in ordinary office work and contrasts the informality of flirting with the institutional momentum of White House business.
The unmarked black Suburban is observed (offstage) and referenced by Danny, signaling the President's discreet departure. It functions as a visual/auditory cue that anchors banter to institutional movements and reminds characters their personal moments occur inside powerful, mobile machinery.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
A tight, echoing West Wing hallway stages the encounter: it is both transit and workplace, where passing greetings, paper handoffs and brief interrogations can collide. The hallway compresses private and public behavior, enabling a quick shift from flirtation to probing without formal stakes of an office.
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
Key Dialogue
"C.J.: "My secret service code name is Flamingo.""
"C.J.: "What do you and Josh have going on tonight?""
"SAM: "I'm going to Bermuda tonight.""