Bartlet's Blasphemous Rant Against God and Defiant Reelection Stand
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Leo attempts to console Bartlet after Mrs. Landingham's funeral, but Bartlet remains distant and monosyllabic, lost in grief.
Bartlet requests Leo have the cathedral sealed, creating physical isolation that mirrors his emotional state.
Bartlet erupts into a furious Latin tirade at God, accusing divine vindictiveness for Mrs. Landingham's death and other tragedies.
Bartlet defiantly grinds out a cigarette and declares "You get Hoynes!", signaling his refusal to seek reelection as ultimate rebellion.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Professionally detached and vigilant, betraying no personal sentiment.
Stations stoically at sanctuary rear alongside Abbey and Leo; responds instantly to Leo's relayed command by closing multiple heavy doors with resounding finality, enforcing total privacy for Bartlet's altar confrontation.
- • Secure the President's physical isolation and safety.
- • Execute hierarchical orders without hesitation.
- • Restricted access protocols safeguard executive vulnerability.
- • Chief of Staff directives supersede all in operational chain.
Scorned political lightning rod, absent yet catalyzing defiance.
Directly invoked in Bartlet's climactic, betrayed shout to the altar—'You get Hoynes!'—as synecdoche for disloyal party elders pushing Bartlet aside for his VP amid MS fallout and faltering polls.
- • Leverage Bartlet's concealed MS for seamless succession.
- • Consolidate fundraising and party consensus as heir apparent.
- • Bartlet's health crisis renders him politically untenable.
- • His own leadership stabilizes Democratic reelection prospects.
grieving, angry, betrayed, defiant
stands alone glaring at the altar, brushes off Leo's consolation, orders cathedral sealed for solitude, delivers raw Latin-infused tirade accusing God of cruelty citing Mrs. Landingham's death, Josh's shooting, lost sailors, and MS lie while touting achievements, lights and defiantly grinds out a cigarette, bellows 'You get Hoynes!' rejecting reelection pressure, walks down aisle holding back tears
- • vent grief and rage at perceived divine vindictiveness
- • defy divine disfavor and political pressure to yield reelection to Hoynes
- • forge unyielding resolve amid crises
grieving
stands silently at the back of the sanctuary with Leo and Secret Service agents
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Agents embody the organization's ironclad mandate by flanking the sanctuary rear and slamming shut heavy doors on Leo's crisp order, transforming the vast cathedral into an inviolable cocoon for Bartlet's unbridled spiritual-political catharsis amid grief, embodying crisis choreography shielding raw vulnerability.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Mrs. Landingham's challenge to young Jed to confront his father parallells her spiritual challenge to President Bartlet to confront his divine and political crises, culminating in his defiant 'You get Hoynes!' declaration."
"The image of young Jed being reprimanded for smoking in the chapel and Bartlet defiantly grinding a cigarette under his heel in the same cathedral, symbolizing rebellion against authority across time."
"The image of young Jed being reprimanded for smoking in the chapel and Bartlet defiantly grinding a cigarette under his heel in the same cathedral, symbolizing rebellion against authority across time."
"The image of young Jed being reprimanded for smoking in the chapel and Bartlet defiantly grinding a cigarette under his heel in the same cathedral, symbolizing rebellion against authority across time."
"Bartlet's defiant rejection of reelection in the cathedral escalates to his silent, resolute commitment at the press conference, showing his full arc from surrender to determination."
"Bartlet's defiant rejection of reelection in the cathedral escalates to his silent, resolute commitment at the press conference, showing his full arc from surrender to determination."
"Bartlet's defiant rejection of reelection in the cathedral escalates to his silent, resolute commitment at the press conference, showing his full arc from surrender to determination."
Key Dialogue
"BARTLET: "You're a son-of-a-bitch, you know that?""
"BARTLET: "Gratias tibi ago, domine. Yes, I lied. It was a sin. I've committed many sins. Have I displeased you, you feckless thug?""
"BARTLET: "You get Hoynes!""