Manchester Part I
President Bartlet barrels toward re-election announcement despite MS cover-up fallout, clashing with furious wife Abbey, fractious campaign team, and a colliding FDA RU-486 approval that threatens to derail his defiant bid for a second term.
Cameras blaze as President Jed Bartlet storms the podium, jaw set, pockets stuffed with resolve: 'Yeah. And I'm going to win.' Four weeks shatter in flashbacks—reporters savage C.J. Cregg over Special Prosecutor whispers; Abbey Bartlet drains her wine, venom lancing through marital frost: 'You buried Dolores Landingham this afternoon... you couldn't possibly be expected to make such a decision.' Bartlet bolts for Haiti briefings, ordering Operation Swift Fury helicopters that claw Americans and leader Dessaline from embassy rooftops amid Cobra gunfire and explosions. Staff erupts in Josh's bullpen: Donna pumps adrenaline, Toby drips sarcasm, Sam grins through chaos. Polls flicker hope—41% re-elect—but Joey Lucas signs fury at bogus Michigan samples.
Cut to Manchester, New Hampshire, Air Force One's belly: Bruno Gianelli prowls, shoving apology drafts at Leo McGarry, who snarls, 'He's not going to apologize.' C.J. dodges Josh's rage over FDA's RU-486 greenlight crashing Monday's speech; Toby clashes with Doug Wegland in dim bars, pool cues cracking like alliances. Reporters hound C.J.: 'Speech done?' She lies smooth until fatigue cracks her—flashback presser erupts, Carl's barb lands: 'Does the President's situation make it harder to focus on Haiti?' C.J. snaps, 'To be honest, he's relieved to be focusing on something that matters.' Silence implodes; Toby flees, head in hands; Leo thunders, 'C.J. doesn't misspeak!' Team spirals: Sam bites back at exhaustion barbs, Josh leaks tobacco firebombs against advice.
Charlie hustles pool sharks, dodges Babish's subpoena dread; Donna pilfers Josh's fries amid Connie's quips. Bartlet, at his farm's fence, drags on cigarettes, eyes locked on grazing cows: 'Screw it! It's game time.' Leo shadows, pitching postponements amid laryngitis feints, Abbey's looming arrival, C.J.'s ghosts. Bartlet wheels: 'I'm running for reelection, and I'm gonna win.' Horizon swallows them, resolve hardening against scandal's storm, family's fracture, campaign's grind—stakes tower: legacy, love, leadership teeter on Manchester's edge.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
Act One plunges into the immediate, high-stakes aftermath of President Bartlet's defiant re-election announcement and his public disclosure of MS. The scene opens with Bartlet's televised declaration, his jaw set, a challenging smile playing on his lips as he asserts, 'Yeah. And I'm going to win.' This bold statement, however, immediately collides with the icy fury of his wife, Abbey, who drains her wine glass, her words lashing out like venom. She accuses him of burying Dolores Landingham's memory by making such a monumental decision so soon after her funeral, urging him to find a way out, to claim medical consultation as an excuse. Bartlet, however, remains unyielding, his resolve hardening against her pleas, setting a tone of marital fracture that reverberates through the act. Simultaneously, the White House staff, particularly Josh, Donna, Toby, and Sam, ignite with a mix of adrenaline and chaos, scrambling to manage the political fallout. Toby, ever the pragmatist, immediately moves to cancel public appearances and mobilize media experts. Amidst this domestic and political maelstrom, Bartlet is whisked away to a tense Situation Room briefing, where military officers detail 'Operation Swift Fury,' a daring helicopter evacuation of Americans and the leader Dessaline from Haiti under the threat of Cobra gunfire. This external crisis provides Bartlet with a tangible mission, a chance to project strength as Commander-in-Chief, yet it also highlights the immense pressure and the constant balancing act of his presidency. The act closes with the arrival of campaign strategist Bruno Gianelli, who clashes with Leo McGarry over the necessity of an apology for the MS cover-up. Bruno argues for an apology to boost flagging poll numbers, while Leo fiercely defends Bartlet's refusal, framing the campaign announcement as a declaration of intent, not a confessional. This debate underscores the core tension: how does a President, having concealed a grave illness, navigate a re-election campaign while maintaining integrity and projecting strength? The act establishes the immediate challenges: a furious First Lady, a chaotic campaign launch, and an international crisis demanding presidential attention, all against the backdrop of an unyielding President.
Under blinding lights, C.J. announces the President's order for a Special Prosecutor to probe the MS cover-up, triggering a chaotic barrage of reporter questions on procedures, witnesses, subpoenas, and congressional …
Amid flashing cameras in the tense press conference room, C.J. whispers to President Bartlet, directing him to Sandy in the front row right. Sandy boldly challenges him on seeking a …
As a TV replays Bartlet's earlier press conference disclosing his MS and vowing re-election victory, he enters the Residence to face Abbey's icy fury. Sipping wine, she accuses him of …
Fresh from his televised re-election pledge, Bartlet enters the Residence to face Abbey's wine-fueled fury. She lacerates him for publicly 'screwing' her without consultation, proposing a graceful exit via Dolores …
Sam, Toby, and Josh enter the Oval Office silently, standing deferentially as Bartlet reads intently amid pouring rain, unnoticed at first. He spots them, amusedly questioning their stares. Toby offers …
With President Bartlet abruptly departing alongside Leo, Sam quietly flags Haiti to Josh as the pressing issue, met with agreement amid the storm of domestic crises. Toby swiftly dismisses it, …
Act Two plunges back 'Four Weeks Earlier,' revealing the initial scramble and internal conflicts that preceded Bartlet's public announcement. The team grapples with 'bogus' early poll numbers, with Joey Lucas passionately arguing for a new, accurate survey, highlighting the critical need to understand public perception post-disclosure. Donna, in the present, receives confirmation of the FDA's impending approval of RU-486, a development she initially celebrates but quickly realizes will catastrophically derail the campaign's carefully orchestrated news cycle on Monday. Josh's frustration boils over, recognizing the political landmine this independent agency's timing represents. The act then shifts to a tense, high-stakes flashback in the Situation Room, where the 'Operation Swift Fury' in Haiti unfolds in real-time. Leo, Nancy, and the officers endure agonizing silence as helicopters evacuate personnel under fire, culminating in a Cobra being hit, injecting raw danger and sacrifice into the political drama. This sequence underscores the immense responsibility weighing on the President's team. Concurrently, Toby and Doug Wegland clash in a New Hampshire bar, their pool cues cracking like alliances, as Doug pushes for an apology in the re-election speech, only for Toby to dismiss it as a non-starter. A flashback to a press conference shows C.J. under immense pressure, visibly struggling as reporters relentlessly pivot from Haiti to the President's health, making her the story. Josh, observing C.J.'s faltering performance, contemplates leaking an 'incendiary' tobacco lawsuit release, a move Joey Lucas warns against as strategically stupid. The act concludes with Toby subtly challenging C.J. during a game of pool, hinting at his awareness of her impending, potentially career-ending, misstep, foreshadowing the dramatic climax to come.
Colonel Gantry's P.A. announcement pierces Air Force One's tense atmosphere, declaring the final approach to Pease Air Force Base and ordering all aboard to seat and buckle up. C.J., already …
As Air Force One prepares to land, a frantic Josh approaches seated C.J. to relay that Gail Trent confirmed the FDA's Monday RU-486 announcement, intensifying the campaign's existential threat amid …
Act Three continues to delve into the 'Four Weeks Earlier' period, exploring the moral and political complexities surrounding the Haiti crisis and the looming Special Prosecutor. President Bartlet, in the Oval Office, debates military options for Haiti with his advisors, weighing the efficacy of a 'display of force' against the risk of civilian casualties and a refugee crisis. He fiercely pushes back against Josh and Toby's suggestion that military intervention might be perceived as politically motivated, a cynical distraction from the MS scandal, asserting that the invasion is a matter of justice and democratic restoration, not political expediency. This internal struggle reveals Bartlet's deep-seated conviction and his refusal to be constrained by political optics when lives and principles are at stake. Simultaneously, Charlie Young is drawn into the chilling reality of the Special Prosecutor's investigation. Oliver Babish meticulously outlines the brutal, invasive nature of the inquiry, warning Charlie of the constant scrutiny, the risk of perjury, and the immense personal cost – a hundred thousand dollars for legal defense, even if innocent. This stark conversation shatters Charlie's naive confidence, exposing the vulnerability of even the most loyal staff members to the political machine. The act then shifts to a New Hampshire bar in the present, where Toby and Charlie play pool. Toby attempts to offer advice about the President and First Lady's marriage, but Charlie abruptly shuts him down, asserting that the President's marriage is far from 'typical' and that he cannot perform his duties if he's constantly shielded from sensitive information. This exchange highlights the strain on personal relationships within the White House and the unique burdens placed on those closest to power. The act underscores the profound personal and political costs associated with Bartlet's presidency, from the moral dilemmas of military action to the invasive threats of legal scrutiny and the erosion of personal boundaries.
Act Four propels the narrative to its immediate, high-tension present, culminating in a catastrophic press blunder and a defiant presidential declaration. The campaign team, exhausted and frustrated in a New Hampshire bar, struggles with speech drafts, highlighting the internal disarray. Josh, confirming the RU-486 approval for Monday, desperately tries to convince Leo to postpone Bartlet's speech, fearing the political fallout, but Leo, though concerned, defers to the President. A flashback to 'Four Weeks Earlier' reveals a glimmer of hope as Joey Lucas presents preliminary poll numbers showing Bartlet at 41% re-elect, putting him 'in the ball game' despite the MS disclosure. However, this fragile optimism is immediately undercut as Josh, against Sam's explicit advice, defiantly decides to leak an inflammatory press release targeting tobacco companies, demonstrating his willingness to play hardball even at the risk of alienating Congress. The act then explodes in a pivotal, disastrous press conference where C.J., visibly fatigued and under relentless questioning about the President's health and Haiti, makes a critical error. She snaps, stating Bartlet is 'relieved to be focusing on something that matters,' implying the MS scandal is trivial. The room falls silent, then erupts in a cacophony of questions, as C.J. realizes the profound magnitude of her blunder. Toby and Sam are left stunned, witnessing the self-inflicted wound. Leo's fury is barely contained as he confronts the team, lambasting C.J.'s 'misspeak' and the catastrophic implications for a potential Haiti invasion, fearing it will now appear politically motivated. The act culminates in Leo's tense confrontation with President Bartlet at his New Hampshire farm. Leo presents a litany of reasons to postpone the speech—RU-486, looming subpoenas, Abbey's arrival, C.J.'s gaffe—but Bartlet, smoking a cigarette amidst his grazing cows, dismisses every objection with a steely resolve. He defiantly declares, 'Screw it! It's game time. Let's go!' and with unwavering conviction, states, 'I'm running for reelection, and I'm gonna win.' The act closes with Bartlet and Leo gazing at the horizon, their shared silence heavy with the weight of the battle ahead, Bartlet's resolve hardening against the storm.
In the Oval Office, President Bartlet convenes advisors to address Haiti's coup, debating a risky F-18 fly-by against Bazan versus ineffective sanctions amid refugee warnings. He opts for a calibrated …
As advisors exit the Oval Office post-Haiti strategy session, Josh and Toby urgently caution President Bartlet that any Haiti intervention risks being branded a politically motivated distraction from the MS …
After Bartlet storms out dismissing Haiti optics concerns, Josh and Toby linger alone in the Oval Office, their fatigue surfacing in dark humor about gauging the First Lady's seething fury …
In a dimly lit New Hampshire bar, Josh chides Donna for pilfering his food despite her earlier denial, their playful bickering revealing a deep, affectionate rapport that anchors the team …
Agitated Bruno barges into the dimly lit bar demanding Leo's whereabouts, then savagely mocks the speech draft's maudlin tone—quoting lines about hungry children and unredeemed dreams as 'midnight in America'—with …
As Leo exits the bar seeking privacy amid campaign strategists' intrusions, Josh urgently intercepts him near the door, revealing C.J.'s sourced intel on the FDA's Monday RU-486 approval—a political landmine …