Staff-Selected Charcoal and Blue Tie

Staff members Carrie, Bobby, Johnathan, Charlie, and Jordan debate ties in the Mural Room and pick the charcoal and blue one for the President's debate visuals. They declare it the winner and toss it to Charlie for delivery. Bartlet rejects it outright, demanding his own lucky tie instead. Charlie stands awkwardly holding the discarded option as Leo pulls him aside.

3 appearances

Purpose

On-camera wardrobe choice to project the right visual during the presidential debate

Significance

Bartlet overrides the staff's careful selection, exposing his superstition and attachment to personal talismans right before the high-stakes debate; Charlie's role in ferrying it underscores his intermediary loyalty amid the tension

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S4E6 · Game On

The Lucky Tie and Leo's Send‑Off

The staff-selected charcoal-and-blue tie functions as the tangible expression of campaign polish and TV-savvy; Carrie nominates it, tosses it to Charlie, and it becomes the small object around which ritual (and a refusal) crystallizes.

Before: Held and evaluated in the Mural Room by staff; selected as the optimal on‑camera tie.

After: Tossed to Charlie, transported toward the Oval Office; remains physically with Charlie after Bartlet declines to wear it.

View full event

S4E6 · Game On

Containment by Conversation — The Mastico Quiet Diplomacy

The staff-selected charcoal-and-blue tie functions as a ritual prop that anchors pre-debate calm; its selection and the President's refusal (favoring his lucky tie) dramatize the tension between superstition and staff expertise, then provide the human moment that precedes the crisis pivot.

Before: Held and displayed in the Mural Room; tossed to Charlie after selection.

After: Returned to Charlie's possession until the President chooses his own lucky tie; remains a symbolic but practically unused option for the debate.

View full event

S4E6 · Game On

Ten-Word Drill and the Mastico Confrontation

The staff-selected charcoal-and-blue tie is debated for broadcast optics in the Mural Room, tossed to Charlie as the chosen prop, and presented to the President as the visual choice—serving as a tangible symbol of staff expertise and the friction between image control and presidential ritual.

Before: On display in the Mural Room among other tie options; selected by Carrie/Johnathan/Bobby.

After: Held briefly by Charlie but rejected by the President, who insists on his personal lucky tie instead.

View full event