Object

Battery from C.J.'s 1965 Mustang

Simon drops the bombshell outside C.J.'s office, admitting he ripped the battery from her cherished '65 Mustang—alongside spark plugs and fuel pump—to kill the engine dead, stranding it uselessly. C.J.'s eyes blaze as she registers the violation, fingers itching for keys that promise only silence; Sam hovers amid the revelation, this gutted component pulsing as raw proof of Simon's ironclad lockdown on her every move.

2 appearances

Purpose

Supplies electrical power to start and run C.J.'s 1965 Mustang; its removal cripples the vehicle entirely, rendering wiper fluid and other systems inert.

Significance

Ignites C.J.'s explosive rebellion against Simon's suffocating protection, crystallizing the brutal tug-of-war between her craving for solitude and his trauma-scarred duty—foreshadowing peril as autonomy evaporates in the night air.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S3E19 · The Black Vera Wang

C.J. Rebels Against Simon's Overprotectiveness, Discovers Sabotaged Mustang

Simon confesses extracting the battery from C.J.'s '65 Mustang alongside other parts, referencing it casually to dismantle her driving plans; this gutted component narratively pulses as proof of total vehicular neutering, amplifying the standoff's tension over enforced dependency.

Before: Installed in the Mustang, powering electrical systems

After: Removed by Simon, rendering the car inoperable

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S3E19 · The Black Vera Wang

Sam Unveils Anonymous Attack Ad Targeting Bartlet's Secrets

Simon verbally inventories the ripped-out battery from C.J.'s '65 Mustang alongside other parts during his protocol explanation outside the office, this gutted component underscoring his lockdown strategy as the primary standoff backdrop to Sam's urgent tape intrusion.

Before: Extracted from Mustang, in Simon's control

After: Remains absent from vehicle, referenced but not handled post-interruption

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