The West Wing
S3E21
ยท Posse Comitatus

Snipers Armed Under Swelling Patriotic Chorus

On a shadowy remote landing strip in Bermuda at night, a man methodically distributes loaded rifles to elite snipers poised for action. The rousing Broadway chorus from the theater bleeds over, singing of prosperity, duty, and pride: 'Where prosperity and industry walk ever hand in hand... Up and answer English yeoman.' This ceremonial arming ritual starkly juxtaposes national idealism with imminent lethality, heightening dread as it bridges theatrical hope to Shareef's assassination, underscoring Bartlet's moral abyss.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

A man hands loaded rifles to elite snipers as the chorus sings of national pride, weaponizing patriotism for imminent lethal action.

patriotism to lethal intensity ['remote landing strip']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Sniper
primary

Steely focus veiling suppressed tension of impending kill

Elite snipers, poised in predatory stillness amid Bermuda's night hush, methodically receive loaded rifles from a handler, their forms taut with operational focus as the distant patriotic chorus swells, steeling them for the lethal shot on Shareef.

Goals in this moment
  • • Acquire weaponry to execute assassination precisely
  • • Maintain operational readiness for Shareef's elimination
Active beliefs
  • • Patriotic duty demands lethal precision in shadows
  • • National security overrides moral qualms in crisis
Character traits
disciplined poised resolute
Follow Sniper's journey
Man 3rd
primary

distributes loaded rifles to each sniper

Goals in this moment
  • • arming elite snipers for the assassination operation
Character traits
procedural tactical skeptical pragmatic astute professional precise methodical authoritative dutiful
Follow Man 3rd's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Elite Snipers' Loaded Rifles

Loaded rifles, chambers brimming with death, are methodically distributed by a handler into the grips of each elite sniper on the remote strip; functionally arming the kill team for Shareef's demise, they narratively weaponize idealism's chorus into visceral lethality, bridging theater's hope to assassination's abyss.

Before: Loaded and held by handler, ready for distribution
After: Distributed to snipers' possession, shouldered for imminent use
Before: Loaded and held by handler, ready for distribution
After: Distributed to snipers' possession, shouldered for imminent use

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
RAF Strip in Bermuda

This ragged RAF strip, slashed through Bermuda's verdant fields under humid night skies, serves as the clandestine staging ground where rifles pass to snipers; its isolation amplifies secrecy, the intruding patriotic chorus heightening ironic dread as diplomacy yields to ambush calculus in Bartlet's moral quagmire.

Atmosphere Shadowy tension laced with distant, mocking idealism from swelling Broadway chorus
Function staging area for assassination arming ritual
Symbolism Embodiment of concealed national violence beneath prosperity's veneer
Access Remote and covert, limited to assassination operatives only
Humid night darkness enveloping the strip Echoing chorus of 'prosperity and industry' from theater Verdant fields bordering the ragged runway

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