Bartlet Probes Donna on Unprecedented May Tropical Storm
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
President Bartlet calls Donna Moss into his office to discuss the weather anomaly of a tropical storm hitting Washington in May.
Donna informs Bartlet that according to NOAA, this type of storm has never occurred in the last century—highlighting the unprecedented nature of the storm.
Bartlet dismisses Donna as C.J. enters to review protocol for the upcoming press conference, emphasizing the need for control.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Professionally neutral amid underlying grief
Margaret enters Leo's office amid pounding rain, stands before the President to confirm his summons for Donna Moss, then exits efficiently, upholding procedural rhythm without intrusion into the high-stakes briefing.
- • Facilitate the President's requested meeting promptly
- • Maintain operational flow without delay
- • Protocol ensures smooth execution even in crisis
- • Her role is to enable, not engage, core discussions
Urgent insistence masking exhaustion and desperation
C.J. enters unannounced post-Donna's exit, apologizes briefly, reviews press conference protocol insisting Bartlet open with Altman to steer from reelection to medicine, quizzes his recall of Altman's position repeatedly despite scoffing, then exits urgently.
- • Imprint critical protocol to control press narrative
- • Ensure President's focus amid distraction before exposure
- • Strategic sequencing shields vulnerability from political fire
- • Repetition drills reliability in high-stakes preparation
Patiently positioned off-screen
Lawrence Altman is repeatedly invoked by C.J. as the pivotal New York Times Chief Medical Correspondent seated front-row right, dictating the press conference's opening query to pivot toward MS health over reelection chaos.
- • Pursue medical angles on presidential disclosure
- • Lead inquiry as senior correspondent
- • Medical expertise frames executive health narratives
- • Front-row primacy commands first questions
distracted and irritable
looks out at the rain, summons and questions Donna about the tropical storm's unprecedented nature in May, dismisses her, receives press conference prep from C.J., and confirms Altman's position reluctantly
- • probe the meteorological anomaly of the May tropical storm as a symbol of chaotic crises
Apprehensive politeness veiling grief-strained resolve
Donna enters, exchanges polite greetings, sits facing Bartlet, delivers precise NOAA-sourced intel on tropical storm rarity in May Washington, stands apprehensively at C.J.'s knock, thanks the President, and exits as dismissed.
- • Provide accurate meteorological data to satisfy inquiry
- • Navigate President's irritable mood without escalation
- • Data-driven facts anchor chaos for leadership
- • Loyal service persists through personal and national turmoil
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Washington, D.C. streets are implicitly ravaged by the storm's direct hit, framing the briefing as Bartlet fixates on rain outside Leo's office, underscoring the city's vulnerability to this century-defying assault amid national crises.
The Atlantic Seaboard is dissected as the anomalous origin of the freak tropical storm veering inland to batter Washington in May, its historical defiance of seasonal norms—per NOAA—symbolizing the episode's cascade of unprecedented crises from grief to MS revelation.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The White House manifests as Leo's office sanctuary for sequential briefings—storm-gazing, NOAA dissection, press protocol drill—where staff threads grief, secrecy, and duty amid infrastructure woes and ethical bulwarks, prepping Bartlet for public MS reckoning.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration serves as authoritative oracle, with Donna citing its century-long records to confirm no prior May tropical storm on Washington, arming Bartlet with 'non-recurring phenomenon' intel that he wryly equates to bewildering chaos.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"BARTLET: Okay, and how many times say, in the last hundred years, has a tropical storm come off the Atlantic seaboard to Washington in the middle of May?"
"DONNA: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it hasn't happened in the last century."
"BARTLET: According to the NOAA, the storm is a non-recurring phenomenon, which is science's term for 'we don't know what in the world is going on, but we're stocking up on canned goods.'"
"C.J.: You'll want to take the first question from Lawrence Altman, the Times Chief Medical Correspondent."