Fabula
S3E20 · We Killed Yamamoto
S3E20
· We Killed Yamamoto

Bartlet Marks Mrs. Landingham's Anniversary, Tasks Charlie with Replacement Search

In the basement hallway, after strategizing crises with Leo, President Bartlet pauses to thank Charlie for joining him at Mrs. Landingham's gravesite on the first anniversary of her death, exposing his raw grief and vulnerability amid national turmoil. He then directs Charlie to lead the search for a new Executive Secretary, a pragmatic yet emotionally fraught step forward, underscoring themes of loss, resilience, and the human cost of leadership.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Bartlet transitions to a personal moment with Charlie, acknowledging the anniversary of Mrs. Landingham's death and initiating the search for a new Executive Secretary.

melancholy to tentative hope ['Outer Oval Office']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

4
Josh Lyman
primary

Task-focused

Referenced offscreen in Leo's welfare bill update as having met Pintero yesterday; no physical presence or dialogue.

Goals in this moment
  • • Secure legislative progress
Active beliefs
  • • Negotiation yields incremental wins
Character traits
pragmatic
Follow Josh Lyman's journey
Rick Pintero
primary

Deal-making

Referenced offscreen as Josh's recent meeting partner on welfare act; no direct involvement.

Goals in this moment
  • • Advance independence legislation
Active beliefs
  • • Incentives balance reform
Character traits
negotiating
Follow Rick Pintero's journey
Charlie Young
primary

Respectfully supportive, intuitively attuned to Bartlet's unspoken grief with quiet optimism.

Present and attentive as Bartlet calls him, humbly accepts thanks for cemetery visit, enthusiastically commits to organizing secretary search, offers gentle reassurance framing it as positive progress, and closes with mutual gratitude.

Goals in this moment
  • • Provide emotional reassurance to grieving President
  • • Efficiently assume responsibility for recruitment to aid healing
Active beliefs
  • • President's vulnerability strengthens their bond
  • • Small steps like this search foster resilience in crisis
Character traits
dutiful empathetic supportive discreet
Follow Charlie Young's journey
Abigail Bartlet
primary

Raw grief surfacing through appreciative warmth, tempered by resolute pragmatism masking deeper reluctance to replace the irreplaceable.

Pauses after Leo departs, calls Charlie upon entering Outer Oval Office, delivers sincere thanks for cemetery support, acknowledges the year's passage since Landingham's death, tasks him with leading Executive Secretary search, and tempers expectations about hiring amid evident reluctance.

Goals in this moment
  • • Acknowledge Charlie's loyalty and emotional support
  • • Initiate forward momentum on filling Landingham's role despite personal pain
Active beliefs
  • • True leadership honors personal bonds amid duty
  • • Grief demands time, but voids must be addressed to sustain operations
Character traits
vulnerable appreciative resolute paternal
Follow Abigail Bartlet's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Basement Hallway

Serves as transitional space where Bartlet concludes strategy walk with Leo before entering Outer Oval for intimate exchange with Charlie; its stark confines amplify the shift from public crisis to private grief, underscoring isolation in power's underbelly.

Atmosphere Stale, echoing chill heightening emotional intimacy's contrast to institutional grind.
Function Pathway for private reflection post-strategy.
Symbolism Embodies hidden fractures beneath White House facade.
Access Restricted to senior staff.
Cinderblock walls Fluorescent hum Concrete floors echoing footsteps
Arlington National Cemetery

Invoked directly as 'cemetery' in Bartlet's thanks to Charlie for yesterday's visit on Landingham's anniversary; symbolizes irreplaceable loss, catalyzing vulnerability and the mandate to seek replacement, fusing personal mourning with operational necessity.

Atmosphere Somber, recalled grief under daylight markers.
Function Emotional anchor referenced for gratitude and transition.
Symbolism Marker of human cost in leadership's unyielding march.
Pale grave markers Rolling lawns Idling motorcade

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"BARTLET: I appreciated you coming out to the cemetery with me yesterday."
"BARTLET: So it's been a year. Why don't you organize the search, you know for a new Executive Secretary."
"CHARLIE: No, I don't imagine you're going to hire somebody, sir, but this is a step in the right direction."