Fabula
S2E13 · Bartlet's Third State of the Union
S2E13
· Bartlet's Third State of the Union

Leo Mobilizes Bipartisan Commission on Bartlet's Nod

In the hurtling presidential limo at night, amid the hostage crisis chaos, Leo urgently phones contacts, relaying Bartlet's State of the Union directive for bipartisan support to launch a Blue Ribbon National Commission. Bartlet nods terse approval, his silence underscoring trust in Leo's execution. Leo demands the commission be fully operational by their arrival, crystallizing his proactive leadership as crisis manager and pivoting the administration from speech triumph to institutional resolve—a setup beat accelerating the narrative toward decisive action.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

3

Leo, on the phone, urgently relays President Bartlet's request for bipartisan support in establishing a Blue Ribbon National Commission, emphasizing the need for immediate action.

urgency to determination ['Presidential Limo - Night']

Bartlet acknowledges Leo's efforts with a nod, signaling his approval and the weight of the moment.

approval to resolve

Leo insists on having the commission ready for Bartlet upon his arrival, underscoring the high stakes and time-sensitive nature of the task.

determination to insistence

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

4
Gail Schumer
primary

Alert professional engagement

Gail Schumer is invoked by Mark's live VO as the poised commentator primed to dissect White House actions on the hostage crisis, her broadcast role shadowing the limo's urgent directives with analytical weight.

Goals in this moment
  • • Field and frame White House strategy insights
  • • Bridge media discourse to executive realities
Active beliefs
  • • Expert commentary shapes public policy perception
  • • Crisis demands transparent institutional maneuvers
Character traits
Analytical Commanding Objective
Follow Gail Schumer's journey
Josiah Edward 'Jed' Bartlet (President of the United States)
President of the United States
 primary

concise

nodding and verbally approving ('Yeah') Leo's phone conversation

Goals in this moment
  • • approve Leo's initiative to establish the commission
Character traits
politically pragmatic jocular policy‑driven paternal commands institutional authority relational — centers staff and family centralizing (commands staff attention and schedules) centralized authority figure strategically vital intelligent politically consequential (actions and associations create immediate risk) protocol-driven calculating principled in public rhetoric vulnerable emotionally forceful institutionally minded performative control of public optics candid principled politically vulnerable (per party strategists and press) strategic witty/jocular under pressure vulnerable-to-proxy-actions collegial poised decisive principled but electorally mindful resolute constitutional protective (paternal focus on family safety) deliberative ruthless burdened decisive when confronted with moral stakes authoritative/managerial paternal/protective regionally grounded politically strategic supportive traditional weary/resolute authoritative public-facing decisive in crisis loyal blunt protective politically consequential measured committed politically shrewd risk‑aware consequential self-aware witty institutional (symbolic center of staff effort) ceremonial
Follow Josiah Edward …'s journey
Leo Thomas McGarry (Chief of Staff)
White House Chief of Staff
 primary

Steely determination edged with impatient resolve

Leo grips the phone with commanding urgency in the limo's confines, relaying the President's exact directive for a Blue Ribbon National Commission and pressing for its immediate operationalization upon White House arrival, embodying proactive crisis orchestration.

Goals in this moment
  • • Secure bipartisan commission activation without delay
  • • Align crisis response with presidential timeline for maximum impact
Active beliefs
  • • Swift institutional action contains escalating threats
  • • Bipartisan facades mask essential executive control
Character traits
Relentless Pragmatic Decisive
Follow Leo Thomas …'s journey
Mark Gottfried
Anchor
 primary

Professionally aggressive curiosity

Mark's voiceover pierces the limo scene, directly addressing Gail Schumer on Capital Beat to interrogate White House expectations amid the hostage standoff, injecting external media pressure into the intimate command moment.

Goals in this moment
  • • Extract predictions on administration's crisis maneuvers
  • • Heighten national scrutiny on White House response
Active beliefs
  • • Media interrogation forces accountability from power
  • • Public expectations dictate policy velocity
Character traits
Incisive Persistent Amplifying
Follow Mark Gottfried's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Presidential Limousine

The presidential limousine functions as a rolling war room, its tinted isolation enabling Leo's high-stakes phone relay of Bartlet's commission directive amid night streets' blur, where voiceover intrusions underscore vulnerability of mobile power to public gaze, propelling narrative from speech glow to crisis grind.

Atmosphere Claustrophobic tension humming with engine thrum and urgent calls
Function Mobile command post for executive directives
Symbolism Encapsulates insulated leadership racing against chaos
Access Severely limited to President and Chief of Staff
Tinted windows blurring night streets Leather seats cradling tense coordination Intruding broadcast VO piercing confined space

Organizations Involved

Institutional presence and influence

2
Bartlet Administration (Executive Office of the President)

The White House emerges as the crisis epicenter under Mark's VO scrutiny, with Leo's limo actions exemplifying its pivot to commission launch—embodying executive machinery forging resolve amid media probes, its strategies dissected remotely by commentators.

Representation Through chief of staff executing presidential will
Power Dynamics Asserting initiative while probed by media
Impact Balances internal command with external expectation pressures
Internal Dynamics Hierarchical trust between President and chief streamlining response
Operationalize bipartisan commission pre-arrival Project unified crisis leadership publicly Direct presidential phone directives Staff-orchestrated political activation
Blue Ribbon Commission on Reform

Leo explicitly invokes the Blue Ribbon Commission via phone, relaying Bartlet's call for bipartisan establishment to 'fashion' crisis solutions, demanding its full readiness by arrival—positioning it as the administration's elite advisory bulwark against hostage turmoil, accelerating institutional mobilization.

Representation Referenced directly in presidential directive relayed by chief of staff
Power Dynamics Subordinate to White House command, being summoned into existence
Impact Transforms reactive crisis into structured national response
Unite parties for hostage crisis recommendations Provide expert blueprint for military resolve Bipartisan advisory authority Policy-shaping recommendations

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"LEO: "...the members of both parties to join me in establishing a Blue Ribbon National Commission to fashion...""
"BARTLET: Yeah"
"LEO: "I want it for him when he walks in the door.""