Character

Robert Cano

suicidal enigmatic tragic courageous resilient heroic

Robert Cano stands as the deceased Air Force pilot whose intentional crash into a mountain ignites Joshua Lyman's compulsive fixation, bridging White House frenzy to buried PTSD. Three weeks earlier, colleagues dissected his suicide amid cascading crises; now, Josh hammers Stanley in therapy and storms C.J.'s office demanding withheld details—oxygen blackout or covert shoot-down—shattering his denial. Cano's unresolved death spirals into a narrative fulcrum, his off-screen tragedy cracking Josh's facade and thrusting professional duty into personal abyss, reshaping therapeutic confrontations and staff tensions.

5 appearances

Robert Cano's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

5 moments

S2E10 · Noel

Stanley Pivots to Josh's Pilot Obsession and Recent Breakdown

Not present; symbolizes unresolved torment

Robert Cano is invoked by Josh as the Air Force pilot colleagues discussed three weeks ago, central to his inadvertent admission of fixation amid deflections, transforming an off-screen suicide into …

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S2E10 · Noel

Josh's Rosslyn Obsession and Detached Trauma Recount

N/A - deceased and referenced

Robert Cano invoked repeatedly by Josh as the Air Force pilot central to discussions three weeks ago, fueling his defensive fixation and deflection from personal behavior.

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S2E10 · Noel

Stanley Probes Josh on Suicidal Pilot's Crash

Posthumously haunting, symbolizing unresolved suicidal despair

Robert Cano is centrally referenced as the deceased pilot whose crash details—assignment, timeline, and debated cause—are dissected, fueling Josh's defensive fixation.

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S2E10 · Noel

Josh Recounts Cano's Fiery Ejection Trauma

Evoked in searing agony from wounds and chaos

Invoked vividly by Josh as the Air Force pilot awarded Purple Heart for surviving plane shoot-down over Bosnia—fire, ejection, injuries—his off-screen agony conjured through escalating ghostly gunshots, screams, and sirens …

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S2E10 · Noel

Josh's Obsessive Cano Probe Interrupted by Painting Revelation

Posthumously haunting, symbolizing unresolved mental fragility.

Repeatedly invoked by name in Josh's heated demands and C.J.'s responses as the catalyst for conflict—the 'perfectly healthy Air Force pilot' whose suicide fixates Josh, underscoring stalled inquiries into his …

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Affiliation

United States Air Force