Object

Dr. Abigail 'Abbey' Bartlet's Jacket (bedside, S1E12)

A mid-weight, practical women's jacket—likely wool-blend with light shoulder structure and fitted waist—removed and hung on a chair at the bedside. Fabric shows mild creasing from travel; sleeves are rolled or relaxed as Abbey sheds it to assume clinical authority. Characters touch or pass it only peripherally; Abbey leaves it near the bed when she converts intimacy into medical command.

2 appearances

Purpose

Outerwear worn for warmth and as a personal garment; in the bedroom it functions as a settling-in prop—a garment removed upon entry to enable immediate clinical action.

Significance

Marks Abbey's arrival and the shift from private intimacy to clinical control: hanging the jacket signals she places domestic comfort momentarily aside to assume authority and tend to the President's emergency, anchoring the scene's transfer of moral and medical responsibility.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E12 · He Shall, From Time To Time...

The President's Collapse: Denial and Triage

Abbey removes her jacket and places it on a chair when she arrives; the jacket signals the shift from traveler/wife to caregiver and becomes a small domestic marker of authority at the bedside.

Before: Worn by Abbey as she enters the bedroom.

After: Hung on a chair near the bed while she attends to Jed.

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S1E12 · He Shall, From Time To Time...

Abbey Takes Charge — Private Illness Meets Public Crisis

Abbey removes her jacket on entry and places it on a chair, signaling the transition from visitor/spouse to clinician-in-command; the jacket marks the shift from public appearance to private, urgent care.

Before: Worn by Abbey as she enters the bedroom.

After: Hung on a chair beside the bed while she works and watches the President.

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