Object

President Bartlet's Weapon

Chaos swirls through the Oval Office as President Bartlet, eyes flashing with raw frustration, barks for aspirin and a weapon—summoned from Charlie as a blunt, unnamed instrument of comic vengeance, to bludgeon the staff frenzy driving him to the edge. Laughter erupts amid the overlap, the prop's mere invocation splintering tension like a thunderclap.

3 appearances

Purpose

Wielded to 'kill people with' in a hyperbolic outburst of exasperation during Oval Office briefing overload

Significance

Explodes as comedic relief amid treaty ratification frenzy, humanizing Bartlet's breaking point and spotlighting staff disarray's toll on presidential composure

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S2E6 · The Lame Duck Congress

Senior Staff Frenzy: Lame Duck Treaty Push and Leo's Discipline

Invoked hyperbolically by Bartlet as 'weapon of some kind to kill people with' amid overlapping pitches, injecting dark humor that punctuates presidential strain and resets room dynamic toward Leo's discipline.

Before: Conceptual/unobtained

After: Tasked to Charlie alongside aspirin

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S2E6 · The Lame Duck Congress

Bartlet's Aspirin Desperation Exposes Chaos; Leo Imposes Memo Discipline

Unnamed weapon invoked in Bartlet's hyperbolic quip to 'kill people with' amid crosstalk chaos, serving as comic pressure valve that elicits laughter, underscores exasperation, and briefly deflates tension before Leo's order.

Before: Conceptual/non-existent prop

After: Remains unprocured, purely rhetorical

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S2E6 · The Lame Duck Congress

Leo Ignites Lame Duck Offensive and Restores Order

Unnamed 'weapon' invoked hyperbolically by Bartlet to 'kill people with' in Oval circus, sparking laughter that fractures frenzy, underscoring emotional toll of chaotic briefings on presidential patience.

Before: Conceptual/non-existent

After: Remains rhetorical prop

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