Bartlet Brushes Off Delays, Vows Defiant Re-Election Bid
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Leo suggests postponing the campaign speech due to the RU-486 news and other complications, but Bartlet dismisses the concerns with growing irritation.
Bartlet, now at the fence, reaffirms his decision to proceed with the campaign, displaying his trademark determination and resolve.
Leo raises the impending arrival of Abbey and the issues facing C.J., subtly hinting at unresolved tensions within the team.
Bartlet sarcastically suggests disclosing his MS condition as a reason for postponing, highlighting the dark humor and stress underlying their situation.
Bartlet firmly declares his intention to run for reelection and win, with Leo silently acknowledging the gravity of this statement.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Calmly efficient focus
Drives Leo's sedan up the gravel driveway close to Bartlet at the pickup, brakes precisely to halt, remains unseen as Leo exits for private summit.
- • Position vehicle optimally for swift executive access
- • Maintain seamless transport amid secure rural perimeter
- • Proximity enables critical command-level discourse
- • Security protocols demand inconspicuous efficiency
Irritable defiance veiling steely resolve and underlying vulnerability
Leans casually on old red pickup in jeans and polo, drinks coffee, smokes cigarette, pauses thoughtfully at FDA news, walks deliberately into pasture with hands in pockets, turns testily to Leo, declares 'It's game time' defiantly, strides to fence, leans gazing at horizon before affirming re-election vow with resolute directness.
- • Force commitment to immediate re-election announcement
- • Dismiss all postponement arguments to seize momentum
- • Scandals and bad news will hit regardless of timing
- • Bold action and personal strength guarantee victory
Concerned impatience yielding to stoic resignation
Exits car after driver pulls up, shakes head wryly at farm remoteness, leans hand on pickup truck, delivers urgent cascade of warnings on FDA, subpoenas, news cycles, and staff, walks alongside Bartlet pleading softly, stares silently in concession, joins at fence gazing into distance with bowed head acknowledgment.
- • Persuade Bartlet to postpone speech via laryngitis pretext
- • Highlight cumulative risks to avert campaign sabotage
- • Strategic delay mitigates toxic news convergence
- • Right-wing backlash and subpoenas demand cautious timing
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Weathered crimson pickup anchors the initial confrontation—Bartlet leans on tailgate drinking and smoking amid casual defiance, Leo presses palm against flank grounding warnings, truck subtly shudders as symbolic rural bastion contrasting DC tempests, facilitating intimate power dialogue before they depart to fence.
Steaming ceramic mug of black coffee clutched by Bartlet punctuates relaxed farm persona; he sips resolutely post-FDA reveal, offers casually to Leo amid escalating stakes, props underscoring irritable nonchalance before striding off, droplets evoking dismissed perils.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Barns, silos, outbuildings, and glinting equipment loom off pasture side as silent witnesses to Bartlet-Leo clash; hay bales and rusting tractors evoke paused toil, amplifying defiance against scandals in this authentic rural expanse bordering vast fenced land.
Gravel driveway breaches farm's pastoral defenses as Leo's Lincoln hurtles across pastures, halting inches from pickup to launch crisis parley; wooden fences and trees frame intrusion of Washington urgency into private terrain, dust swirling amid moos and breezes.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
FDA detonates as invisible saboteur when Leo relays C.J.'s scoop on Monday RU-486 approval, framing it as news-cycle thief amplifying subpoenas, right-wing bait, and process pandering—regulatory juggernaut hijacking Bartlet's defiant announcement without direct presence.
Narrative Connections
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Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"LEO: Why don't we consider postponing the speech?"
"BARTLET: Screw it! It's game time. Let's go!"
"BARTLET: I'm running for reelection, and I'm gonna win."