Leo Stonewalls Bartlet on Secret Roosevelt Room Meeting
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Bartlet inquires about the meeting next door, and Leo dismissively tells him not to worry about it, hinting at the political tensions brewing.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Weary and frustrated, laced with surprise turning to insistent curiosity
Sighs wearily post-briefing, tosses pager back to Leo earlier in exchange, expresses surprise at stolen truck revelation, then probes intently about the secretive Roosevelt Room meeting next door, asserting his right to know amid fatigue.
- • Gain insight into the adjacent Roosevelt Room deliberations
- • Reassert presidential awareness over unfolding White House intrigue
- • All critical information must flow to the Oval Office
- • Leo's gatekeeping occasionally undermines necessary transparency
Steadfast resolve masking protective tension
Concludes crisis briefing with precise updates on RAD team assessments, burning trucks, stolen rig from Glen's Ferry, and naming deceased driver Garry Vernon Clarke; deftly catches tossed pager; stonewalls Bartlet's probe on Roosevelt Room with curt dismissal, protecting the process.
- • Insulate Bartlet from politically damaging VP Hoynes debate
- • Maintain control over sensitive staff deliberations
- • Bartlet's political innocence strengthens leadership
- • Some fires are best contained without presidential ignition
Deceased, invoked as tragic figure
Explicitly named by Leo as Garry Vernon Clarke, the deceased driver of the stolen nuclear waste truck from Glen's Ferry, humanizing the crisis's toll during the briefing's close.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Leo's pager serves as a humorous prop punctuating the briefing's tension relief; Bartlet yanks it from Leo's pocket earlier, mocks it as a 'telephonic device,' then tosses it back over his shoulder into Leo's grasp just before delving into hazard assessments, underscoring communication ironies amid AA sobriety jabs and crisis urgency.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Elk Horn referenced by Leo as site of joint operations command setup, grounding the nuclear crisis updates in urgent evacuation chaos near the burning trucks, heightening stakes as Bartlet absorbs the peril twenty miles from 20,000 residents.
Boise State FEMA Office invoked in Leo's coordination update with state FEMA, anchoring federal-state response to the inferno, pulsing as distant heartbeat of operational sync amid Oval deliberations.
Glen's Ferry Rest Stop cited as origin of the stolen nuclear truck two weeks prior, deepening the briefing's intrigue with theft's premeditation and tying into driver Clarke's fatal accident, escalating from mishap to potential sabotage.
Roosevelt Room looms as the enigmatic site of the clandestine staff meeting next door, probed by Bartlet and stonewalled by Leo; its secretive proceedings on VP Hoynes symbolize fracturing loyalties, amplifying Oval tension as political maelstrom brews adjacent to crisis command.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Office of the Governor of Idaho referenced by Leo as key coordinator in joint response, bridging state executive with federal efforts against the nuclear blaze, underscoring layered command structure in the crisis wrap-up.
State FEMA positioned in Leo's update as Boise-based ally in overall crisis rhythm, quarterbacking lockdowns and joint ops amid stolen rig shadows, tempering Oval dread with unified grit.
RAD Team's hazard assessment lauded by Leo—no cesium release, no radiation—providing critical data lifeline that reassures amid burning trucks, arming Bartlet with scientific precision before the VP pivot.
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."
Key Dialogue
"BARTLET: ([sighs]) What's that meeting next door?"
"LEO: Don't worry about it."