Leo Assumes Command in the Situation Room
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Leo enters the Situation Room and confirms the President's surgery timeline while coordinating with Jack about Fitzwallace's return.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Calm focus amid frenzy
Snaps efficient 'Yes ma'am' to Nancy's clothes request, seamlessly supporting logistics amid brewing geopolitical storm.
- • Facilitate Nancy's operational comfort
- • Maintain support infrastructure
- • Small details sustain command effectiveness
- • Protocol endures in crisis
professional
Appears on TV monitor entering with Leo, provides updates on Fitzwallace's travel and phone access, calls room to attention for Hoynes, suggests King of Jordan as channel to Iraq.
- • Provide logistical updates on military personnel
- • Facilitate communication channels to Iraq
Taut efficiency under pressure
Delivers terse intel twice to Hoynes: Logan ATC down 22 minutes, City Bank offline over hour, Delta Center lights out 7 minutes, distilling chaos into clarity for command.
- • Inform leadership on disruption scope
- • Enable threat prioritization
- • Data brevity aids decision-making
- • Minor incidents signal broader patterns
Momentary surprise yielding to measured authority
Enters to Nancy's greeting, pauses at head table surprised by 'Ten Hut!', waves off attention and sits aside, queries disruptions at Logan/Bank/Delta and shooters' lack of ID, issues one-hour ultimatum to federalize Virginia/Maryland National Guards for signal guy, listens Iraq debate then defers to Leo.
- • Secure rapid capture of signal guy
- • Gauge and align on threat assessments
- • Executive leverage compels state compliance
- • Leo's judgment merits temporary precedence
Alert professionalism under high-stakes tension
Busy at consoles upon Leo's entry, snap crisp greetings 'Good evening, Mr. McGarry,' then bolt to rigid attention on Jack's 'Ten Hut!' command for Hoynes, embodying disciplined backdrop to leadership clashes.
- • Support operational rhythm in crisis hub
- • Uphold military protocol amid civilian command
- • Hierarchy ensures effective crisis response
- • Routine duties anchor chaos
Alarmed urgency bordering on frustration
Bursts in wearing rumpled yellow suit, requests office clothes from Mike, confirms KH-10 views, hammers Leo on Republican Guard buildup along Tigris/Euphrates post-F-117 shootdown and Pave Hawk incursion, urges Hoynes to inspect images and push DEFCON 4 via Fitzwallace.
- • Elevate alert status against Iraqi provocation
- • Compel leadership to confront satellite evidence
- • Iraqi maneuvers signal imminent escalation risk
- • Timely military readiness prevents disaster
Focused resolve
Reports to Hoynes shooters carried no ID expecting window capture, later queries Leo directly on message content to Iraq, threading operational precision through debate.
- • Clarify shooter intel implications
- • Execute communication directives
- • Operational details drive manhunt success
- • Clear orders amplify deterrence
Mentioned as having no wallet or ID, knowing they would be caught.
Mentioned as returning from Manila in four hours, accessible by phone; referenced for potential orders on tactical alert.
Mentioned as needing to be in custody within one hour or National Guards will be federalized.
Mentioned as one of half dozen cell leaders whose whereabouts are unknown.
Suggested by Jack as best way to get message to Iraq.
Mentioned as being out of surgery in two hours and under general anesthesia; referenced in context of potential orders for DEFCON.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Grainy TV monitor broadcasts Leo and Jack entering, enabling remote timeline confirmations on Bartlet/Fitzwallace before physical arrival, functionally bridging external updates into room's command nexus while amplifying Leo's authoritative projection amid rising tensions.
KH-10 satellite images dominate debate as Nancy urges scrutiny of Republican Guard convoys snaking south along Tigris/Euphrates near F-117 debris; Leo dismisses despite her jabs, turning evidentiary flashpoint into flashpoint for leadership rift over escalation.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Jack notes Fitzwallace rerouted from Manila en route back in four hours, accessible by phone, ensuring Joint Chiefs continuity as Nancy eyes his DEFCON role.
Bunker pulses as crisis nerve center where Leo/Jack enter via monitor, military swarm consoles, Nancy/Hoynes arrive sparking clashes over KH-10 intel and disruptions; disciplined greetings and barked debates coil tension, embodying White House defiance bridging surgery limbo to global brinkmanship.
Bobby spotlights Logan Airport's 22-minute ATC blackout as key disruption metric, underscoring coordinated attack's domestic ripple into Situation Room calculus, heightening manhunt urgency without derailing Iraq focus.
Delta Center's seven-minute lights-out cited by Bobby, painting arena blackout as assault shrapnel, feeding Hoynes' probe into patterned sabotage amid shooter intel.
Nancy stabs at Tigris/Euphrates (misspoken Tigress) in KH-10s, framing Guard surge as provocative post-downing, igniting Leo's scoff—rivers as flashpoint fueling DEFCON push versus restraint.
Nancy invokes No-Fly Zone F-117 shootdown thirteen hours prior, tying airspace breach to Pave Hawk rescue and Guard moves, justifying tactical alert in her DEFCON bid against Leo's dismissal.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Hoynes' past dismissal of Josh's concerns ('future White House role') informs his deferral to Leo during the DEFCON debate, revealing lingering political insecurities."
"Gina's report of a coordinated attack ('two shooters + signal man') directly triggers Hoynes' demand to federalize the National Guard for the manhunt."
"Gina's report of a coordinated attack ('two shooters + signal man') directly triggers Hoynes' demand to federalize the National Guard for the manhunt."
"Gina's report of a coordinated attack ('two shooters + signal man') directly triggers Hoynes' demand to federalize the National Guard for the manhunt."
"Josh's unresolved skepticism of Hoynes (past) narratively precedes Nancy McNally challenging Hoynes' authority in the Situation Room, undermining his leadership consistency."
Key Dialogue
"LEO: He'll be out of surgery in about two hours. Fitzwallace is on a plane?"
"NANCY: Leo, these images show a sudden build-up of front-line Republican guard units along the Tigress and Euphrates Rivers."
"LEO: The build-up isn't sudden. They do it every couple of months."
"LEO: Don't mess with us tonight."