The West Wing
S3E0
· Isaac and Ishmael

Leo's Halting Apology and Quiet Affirmation of Ali

Under the strain of the White House lockdown, Leo enters Ali's office with solemn stiffness, awkwardly apologizing for his earlier prejudiced jabs about Ali's features resembling criminals and Muslim women driving, blaming the heightened stress from the crisis and his shooting trauma. A heavy silence ensues as Ali silently evaluates Leo's sincerity. As Leo turns to leave, he hesitates, softly affirming 'Way to be back at your desk,' a genuine nod to Ali's resilience. Their lingering stare cements a personal reconciliation, marking Leo's arc from bias to respect and amplifying themes of vulnerability and humanity amid fear.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

8

Leo enters Ali's office with a solemn greeting, setting the stage for their tense interaction.

solemn to tense ["Ali's office at night"]

Leo stiffly acknowledges his earlier prejudiced remark about Ali's physical features, revealing his internal discomfort.

tension to discomfort

Ali quietly responds to Leo's admission, acknowledging the truth in Leo's words without overt hostility.

discomfort to quiet acceptance

Leo apologizes for his earlier crack about Muslim women driving, attempting to mend the rift.

remorse to vulnerability

Leo stammers through an explanation of his behavior, blaming the high-stress environment and the recent shooting.

vulnerability to awkwardness

A long silence ensues as Ali searches Leo's face, measuring the sincerity of his apology.

awkwardness to quiet assessment

Leo awkwardly concludes the conversation, turning to leave, then hesitates and turns back.

assessment to hesitation

Leo softly offers a compliment to Ali, 'Way to be back at your desk,' signaling his respect and reconciliation.

hesitation to reconciliation

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Raqim Ali
primary

Quietly evaluative and guarded, probing for sincerity beneath words.

Ali works steadily at his desk, looks up at Leo's greeting, responds quietly 'No kidding,' looks down absorbing the apology, searches Leo's face piercingly during prolonged silence, turns back to work as Leo prepares to leave, pivots to meet Leo's affirmation, shares intense lingering stare, then slowly resumes desk work.

Goals in this moment
  • • Gauge authenticity of Leo's remorse
  • • Uphold personal dignity without escalation
Active beliefs
  • • Sincerity must be earned through actions, not just words
  • • Resilience defines response to prejudice in crisis
Character traits
dignified perceptive resilient
Follow Raqim Ali's journey
Leo McGarry
primary

Solemn stiffness veiling nervous awkwardness, shifting to soft, genuine affirmation amid vulnerability.

Leo walks slowly into the office, greets solemnly, stiffly apologizes for prejudiced remarks on Ali's features and Muslim women driving, nervously searches for words while attributing it to stress and shooting trauma, endures silence, turns to leave, hesitates at door, softly affirms Ali's resilience with 'Way to be back at your desk,' shares lingering stare, then departs.

Goals in this moment
  • • Extend sincere apology for earlier bias
  • • Acknowledge Ali's dignity and resilience publicly
Active beliefs
  • • Personal trauma fueled unacceptable prejudice
  • • True leadership demands owning mistakes and respecting others' strength
Character traits
remorseful vulnerable resolute
Follow Leo McGarry's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Ali's Office

Ali's dimly lit office at night serves as intimate arena for Leo's halting apology and affirming hesitation, shadows amplifying tension as silence stretches and eyes lock in reconciliation; music 'For What It's Worth' faintly underscores thematic unrest, transforming private space into crucible for bridging bias and humanity amid lockdown isolation.

Atmosphere Heavy, solemn silence laced with vulnerability, shadows pooling under crisis strain, pierced by soft music …
Function Sanctuary for raw personal confrontation and redemption.
Symbolism Microcosm of White House's fractured pluralism healing through individual regard.
Access White House lockdown restricts movement, yet Leo accesses as senior staff.
Night engulfing room with pooling shadows Desk as focal point of Ali's steadfast work Opening notes of 'For What It's Worth' by Buffalo Springfield

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 1
Character Continuity medium

"Leo's probing of Ali's MIT degree and low-level job is part of his prejudiced interrogation, which he later acknowledges and apologizes for."

Leo's Prejudice-Laden Grill of Raqim Ali
S3E0 · Isaac and Ishmael

Part of Larger Arcs

Leo McGarry's personal psychological struggle with bias and post-Rosslyn trauma, manifesting in prejudiced questioning of Raqim Ali and culminating in remorseful apology after exoneration.

Key Dialogue

"LEO: I'm sorry about that. Also about the crack I made about teaching Muslim women how to drive."
"LEO: I think if you talk to people who know me, they'd tell you that... that was unlike me, you know? We're obviously all under, um... a greater than usual amount of... you know."
"LEO (softly): Way to be back at your desk."