Leo Briefs Bartlet on Burning Nuclear Trucks and Stolen Rig Amid Pager Banter
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Leo enters the Oval Office after being briefed on the Idaho crisis, expressing regret for not being present earlier.
Bartlet teases Leo about his missing pager, highlighting the tension between Leo's AA meetings and his professional duties.
Leo updates Bartlet on the hazardous situation in Idaho, revealing the trucks are still burning and the fire commander is pulling out his men.
Bartlet jokes about being ahead of Leo in information, but Leo counters with new, critical information about the stolen truck involved in the crash.
Leo reveals the identity of the deceased driver and suggests the crash was accidental, though the situation remains dangerously unpredictable.
Bartlet questions the nature of the incident as uniquely dangerous for nuclear waste transport, and Leo acknowledges the severity.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Playfully teasing shifting to surprised concern then frustrated resolve at escalating intel
Greets Leo playfully, yanks pager from back pocket with theatrical mockery dubbing it a 'telephonic device,' probes crisis details intently, reacts with surprise to stolen truck revelation, sighs and questions accident context before pressing on next-door meeting.
- • Extract crisis updates from Leo immediately
- • Uncover details on secretive Roosevelt Room activity
- • Leo's AA commitment creates vulnerability in crises
- • All intel, including thefts and deaths, demands scrutiny
Mildly exasperated by banter yet professionally urgent and composed under crisis pressure
Enters Oval Office promptly after briefing, endures pager tease with retorts on missing the crisis start, delivers precise updates on joint ops, rad assessments, burning trucks, stolen rig and driver death, stonewalls Roosevelt Room query with curt dismissal.
- • Brief President fully on Idaho nuclear developments
- • Deflect inquiry into sensitive VP discussions
- • Personal sobriety meetings are secondary to national emergencies
- • President must be shielded from political distractions amid crisis
Deceased, inert in referenced accident
Named explicitly by Leo as the deceased driver of the stolen nuclear truck, his fatal accident in Idaho's remote crash humanizing the theft's toll amid the ongoing inferno.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Bartlet invades Leo's back pocket to extract the pager with flamboyant flair, mocking it as a 'telephonic device' to rib AA-induced disconnection; Leo requests it back, prompting a casual over-the-shoulder toss that punctuates banter, symbolizing tension between recovery and readiness.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Leo reports joint operations command establishing here, epicenter of Elk Horn's chaotic evacuations 20 miles from the crash, injecting immediacy into Oval briefing as sirens and refugee swarms underscore the human stakes of the burning trucks.
Leo cites coordination with state FEMA here, Boise's nerve center slamming phones in sync with federal response to the uncontrollable fire and stolen rig shadows, bridging local urgency to presidential command.
Leo reveals the second truck stolen from this remote Idaho rest stop two weeks prior, its gravel-crunching isolation now menacing as origin of the dead driver's rig fueling Oval dread.
Leo invokes its train tunnel fire hitting 1,500°F to explain trucks' design failure, paralleling Baltimore's meltdown to heighten peril of Idaho's beyond-specs blaze.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Leo confirms Oval coordination with them on Idaho response, their feverish liaison anchoring state muscle to federal directives amid the crash site's inferno and stolen rig fallout.
Leo notes their Boise role in overall crisis rhythm, locking arms with feds to quarterback lockdown against burning trucks and theft shadows.
Leo relays their hazard assessment—no cesium airborne, no gamma/neutron reads—arming Bartlet with data lifeline amid uncontrollable fires, tempering catastrophe edge.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"C.J.'s urgent news about the truck crash in Idaho directly causes Leo's update to Bartlet about the hazardous situation and the ongoing crisis management."
"C.J.'s urgent news about the truck crash in Idaho directly causes Leo's update to Bartlet about the hazardous situation and the ongoing crisis management."
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"BARTLET: If only technology could invent some way to get in touch with you in an emergency. Some sort of telephonic device with a personalized number we could call to let you know that we needed you. Perhaps it would look something like this, Mr. Moto!"
"LEO: Both trucks are still burning. The fire commander's pulling out his men and equipment as soon as possible."
"BARTLET: So you know about the other truck. LEO: It was stolen from a rest stop outside of Glen's Ferry two weeks ago."