Leo Reveals Vatican Stakes and Pivots Josh to DA Political Leverage
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Josh interrupts Leo's waiting to urgently seek advice about the White House's unusual involvement in what should be a Justice and State Department matter.
Leo reveals the Vatican connection that elevates this local case to potentially involving the Pope, making it a high-stakes diplomatic issue for the President.
Leo shifts strategy from dealing with Italians to pressuring the local DA Farragut, revealing political connections that could be leveraged.
Josh commits to intercepting Farragut at Hartsfield Airport after their moral discussion concludes with practical action.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Initially frustrated confusion yielding to sharp determination
Josh sits urgently at Leo's desk, pressing for explanations on White House involvement, pauses in stunned realization at Pope reveal, absorbs strategic pivot to DA leverage, stands decisively and exits to pursue airport intercept.
- • Uncover hidden stakes driving White House priority
- • Secure actionable plan to advance extradition without Vatican escalation
- • Institutional channels like Justice/State/Embassy should handle local cases
- • Political leverage trumps scruples in high-stakes crises
Protected from external pressures
President Bartlet referenced as 'this President' targeted by potential papal call, embodying the executive vulnerability that necessitates evasive political arm-twisting.
- • Maintain domestic control over extradition narrative
- • Avoid transatlantic diplomatic entanglements
- • White House must shield Oval from foreign moral intrusions
- • Crisis containment preserves leadership focus
Bitterness from electoral defeat fueling potential pliability
Farragut referenced as the DeKalb County DA, politically wounded by loss in Georgia 4th to Rep. Gire, now departing on 8 p.m. flight—positioned as prime leverage target for death penalty waiver.
- • Escape to DFW flight post-office hours
- • Pursue prosecutorial agenda on teen killer extradition
- • Local justice overrides federal meddling
- • Past grudges shape future alliances
Remote moral authority oblivious to White House maneuvers
John Paul II invoked as 'Bishop of Rome' and 'Your Holiness' the Pope, whose potential call to the President threatens to balloon local case into international crisis—central hidden stake driving strategy shift.
- • Uphold Vatican stance on juvenile death penalty
- • Intervene in perceived injustices
- • Papal voice elevates ethical concerns globally
- • U.S. executions warrant ecclesiastical scrutiny
Steadfast pragmatism underscoring crisis aversion
Leo sits commandingly at his desk, tersely revealing Pope threat and redirection from Italians to DA exploitation, discloses Farragut's backstory and precise flight details, authorizing Josh's immediate pursuit with unflinching authority.
- • Prevent international escalation via papal intervention
- • Redirect resources to domestic political pressure on vulnerable DA
- • Bypass formal diplomacy for insider leverage when risks are existential
- • Presidential exposure to foreign leaders must be forestalled at all costs
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport flagged as imminent interception site where Josh will ambush departing DA Farragut, transforming it from routine hub into high-stakes political arena amid holiday travel chaos.
DFW Airport cited as Farragut's flight destination, underscoring the narrow window for Josh's intercept at origin—narrative hook propelling action from Oval strategy to airport brinkmanship.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Italian Embassy dismissed as futile diplomatic front, with Leo ordering pivot away to sidestep Vatican entanglements tied to death penalty standoff.
U.S. Airways specified as Farragut's 8 p.m. carrier from Hartsfield to DFW, providing precise vector for Josh's intercept and injecting logistical urgency into the ploy.
The White House positioned as obsessive driver of the DA case, overriding typical jurisdictional silos to avert papal crisis—Leo's huddle crystallizes its pivot to internal leverage plays.
United States Department of State cited as bypassed handler for embassy diplomacy, underscoring White House's rejection of formal channels in favor of direct DA pressure.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Leo's revelation about the Vatican's interest in the Georgian case directly leads to Josh's morally ambiguous deal with Farragut to secure the extradition."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"LEO: I don't want this President to get a call from the Bishop of Rome."
"JOSH: The Bishop of Rome is the Pope? LEO: It'll take it to a whole new level. We don't wanna be on that level."
"LEO: Forget the Italians... I wanna work it from our side. JOSH: That means getting the DA to guarantee he won't seek the death penalty."