Manchester Part II
President Bartlet battles clashing egos among his senior staff and slick new consultants to forge a unified re-election launch, confronting the MS cover-up's scars, marital frost, and political gambles that threaten to derail his principled bid for a second term.
Chaos erupts in a New Hampshire barn as President Josiah Bartlet rehearses his re-election speech, Toby Ziegler skewers Doug's pom-pom patriotism, a garter snake slithers into C.J. Cregg's nightmares, and Bruno Gianelli storms in wielding pitchfork threats to whip the bickering team into shape. Flashbacks wrench back four weeks: Bartlet dodges Abbey's pleas amid Haiti brinkmanship, buzzing Bazan's palace with Alpha strikes before brokering a tense surrender—no private jet for the dictator, just Caracas exile and unfrozen accounts. C.J. reels from press room pummeling, Nancy preps to brief in her stead, Leo stonewalls Josh's RU-486 panic as FDA timing torpedoes the kickoff.
Tensions coil tighter at the Bartlet farm. Josh corners Leo on heartland backlash to the abortion pill announcement, Sam clashes with Doug over America's 'rocking' greatness, while C.J. braves Abbey's cider denial after unnamed source rumors of marital ice fracture solo Air Force One photos. Leo unleashes fury on C.J. for Haiti grudge-holding and Toby leaks. Bruno's arrival flashbacks reveal his hardball hiring: 13% ad cut (Bartlet caps at 12%), no unfettered Oval access, but his win machine gears up despite Toby's Shiva gloom and Josh's tobacco blunder confession—premature press releases squander swing-state gold.
Nightmares haunt: Sam pores over transcripts, seething that Bartlet never apologized for MS omission sins. Toby whaled on him once; now resentment festers beneath Kool-Aid denial. Connie prods Sam's loyalty ache, Doug needles Toby's parade rage, Bruno locks the speech sans apology. Abbey explodes in flashback ottoman wars—'jackass' barbs fly over agriculture tomes masking deeper rifts.
Dawn fractures resolve. Josh smashes doorframes in Donna's gaze, RU-486 and tobacco ghosts fueling exhaustion. C.J. endures Bartlet's barn rebuke—'Don't be a marriage counselor'—before tender confession: 'I was never supposed to win,' Iowa surges a fluke, 'I need you too.' Motorcade hurtles: Bartlet quips moon-landing divorces to thaw Abbey, who leans toward his vote.
High school hallway pulses with band blasts, balloon frenzy. Staff erupts over 'torpor' as Abbey intones intros. Bartlet bursts in: 'They can look it up!' He pivots, voice cracking—Churchill heft, FDR thunder. 'I never said I'm sorry. I am.' For lawyers, press, mess, fear. New consultants crave victory; staff demands righteousness. 'We're gonna write a new book... worthy of us, of America.' Door swings, Abbey summons: 'Josiah Bartlet!' He halts, grins fierce: 'Break's over.'
Podium thunder: Kiss for Abbey, wave to roar, staff flanks him—unity forged in apology's fire. MS shadows lift, rifts heal, stakes soar. Bartlet launches not as happy warrior, but restless prophet, envy of civilizations rekindled, pitchforks buried. Re-election ignites on integrity's blaze, heartland heartbeats syncing to a higher denominator.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
Chaos erupts in a New Hampshire barn as President Bartlet rehearses his re-election speech, immediately revealing deep fissures among his senior staff. Toby Ziegler skewers Doug's saccharine patriotism, while C.J. Cregg's anxieties manifest as a slithering garter snake, a potent symbol of the campaign's hidden dangers. Josh Lyman grounds the idealism with stark polling data, highlighting the perilous political landscape. The arrival of Leo McGarry and Bruno Gianelli shatters the already fragile dynamic, with Bruno unleashing a brutal ultimatum—a pitchfork threat—demanding unity within 48 hours. Bartlet, amidst this maelstrom, defiantly announces his candidacy, a declaration of war against both external foes and internal dissent. This opening salvo instantly establishes the high stakes, the fractured team, and the urgent need for a cohesive strategy to launch a principled, yet politically viable, re-election bid.
In a tense New Hampshire barn, President Bartlet stumbles through re-election speech rehearsal as Toby savagely dismantles Doug's flag-waving 'God Bless America' patriotism, igniting explosive ideological rifts that lay bare …
Leo McGarry and Bruno Gianelli dramatically burst into the barn during the senior staff's chaotic re-election speech rehearsal, seizing pitchforks to symbolize their unyielding authority. They deliver a ruthless ultimatum: …
In a bold public moment on the campaign trail in Manchester, New Hampshire, President Bartlet defiantly declares his candidacy for re-election, framing it as a principled stand against external threats …
In the Bartlet farm barn, President Bartlet rehearses his idealistic re-election speech celebrating America's strength and promise. Toby viciously interrupts, mocking the hyperbolic 'envy of every civilization' line and savaging …
As Bartlet rehearses his announcement speech, Doug interrupts to savage Sam's line framing re-election around the presidency's 'challenges,' deeming it defeatist and portraying Bartlet as overwhelmed at a vulnerable moment. …
Amid escalating bickering over saccharine speech drafts, snake distractions, and ideological clashes in the Bartlet farm barn, Leo and Bruno storm in. Bruno unleashes a brutal, profanity-laced ultimatum—threatening to impale …
Josh strides into the New Hampshire house meeting room, interrupting senior staff and consultants mid-debate. Doug's voiceover pitches a reductive 'America rocks' mantra—equating Bartlet's rule over a great nation to …
As Josh enters the New Hampshire house amid the heated rhetoric clash—Doug insisting Bartlet must 'sell America's greatness' with simplistic 'Bartlet rocks' logic, mocked by Sam and Toby—Josh interrupts with …
Four weeks earlier, the narrative splinters, revealing the deep-seated conflicts that haunt the present. Bartlet, evasive and distant, dodges Abbey's pleas for connection amidst the high-stakes Haiti crisis, orchestrating an Alpha strike before brokering a tense surrender: no private jet for Bazan, just Caracas exile and unfrozen accounts. C.J. reels from a press room pummeling, prompting Leo to bench her, installing Nancy as a temporary shield. In the present, Josh corners Leo, his voice tight with panic over the RU-486 announcement's timing, fearing a heartland backlash. Leo stonewalls, citing FDA independence, while C.J. endures Abbey's sharp dismissal of a joint photo-op, the First Lady's fury over 'unnamed sources' confirming a marital ice age. Leo unleashes his own fury on C.J. for Haiti 'grudge-holding' and Toby leaks, asserting absolute control. Sam, ever the idealist, quietly observes to Leo that Bartlet never offered an apology for the MS omission, a seed of discontent planted for future reckoning. This act meticulously exposes the personal and political scars that define Bartlet's fractured world, setting the stage for the campaign's desperate struggle for authenticity and unity.
In the Oval Office, Leo enters as President Bartlet, riding re-election pressures and Haiti resolution highs, sarcastically dismisses the State Department's push to praise the French, quipping they'd surrender—exposing his …
On the Oval Office portico, post-Haiti victory, President Bartlet privately questions Leo about C.J.'s ability to brief the press amid her recent struggles and benching. Leo deflects by proposing Nancy …
President Bartlet deftly sidesteps Abbey's overtures for marital reconciliation by immersing himself in the Haiti diplomatic showdown. He authorizes a high-risk Alpha strike and masterfully negotiates Bazan's capitulation, rejecting the …
Fresh from a brutal press room ambush over the MS scandal fallout, C.J. reels as Leo decisively benches her from briefings, installing Nancy as temporary replacement. This humiliating sidelining amplifies …
Sam erupts in sarcasm at Connie's crowd-arm-wrestle suggestion and Doug's blunt dismissal of foreign policy as vote-less, accusing them of gutting the President's core duties before dramatically discarding the speech …
Connie highlights a problematic speech line referencing Bartlet's MS as 'the disease God gave me,' prompting Doug to decry it as a relapse into the failed 'all MS, all the …
Margaret alerts Leo to an unscheduled visitor in his office, prompting Leo to remove his glasses and confess he personally arranged the unbooked entry, bypassing protocol. Stunned, Margaret questions his …
In Leo's office, Margaret informs Leo of Bruno's arrival, sparking a brief exchange where Leo admits he bypassed protocol to arrange the unannounced visit, delighting in defying norms amid campaign …
The campaign's internal battles intensify, revealing the deep-seated resentments simmering beneath the surface. Sam, haunted by Bartlet's MS omission, confronts Toby, accusing the President of lying. Toby, recalling his own Oval Office fury, dismisses Sam's lingering pain, yet the wound festers. Connie, astute and empathetic, prods Sam's loyalty ache, recognizing his personal desire for an apology beyond mere political calculation. In a heated hotel room, Doug needles Toby, accusing the staff of being 'pissed' at Bartlet for the lie, arguing it forces a 'safe' campaign. Doug, a self-proclaimed winner who never 'drank the Kool-Aid,' asserts his strategic superiority. The tension culminates when Bruno Gianelli delivers the crushing news: Leo has 'locked' the speech, definitively excluding any apology. This act plunges deeper into the psychological toll of Bartlet's deception, highlighting the staff's fractured trust and the campaign's ideological schism, leaving the core issue of integrity unresolved as the launch looms.
In Leo's office, Margaret sharply reminds Leo of appointment protocols, implying his lapse in allowing Bruno's unannounced access, her pointed 'Are you confused?' goading his frayed nerves under re-election strain. …
Bruno bursts back into Leo's office after handling prior tensions, abruptly shutting down Leo's inquiry about his meeting with a terse 'Shut up.' They shift to the hallway for a …
Amid rally preparations at Columbia High School, with the marching band blaring 'Columbia, Gem of the Ocean' and flags waving, Bruno abruptly intercepts Sam, mockingly likening the obscure song choice …
Toby storms up to Bruno clutching a large 'Bartlet for President' sign, unleashing aggressive rhetoric about shoving it down throats or cracking skulls, venting fury at the new consultants' rejection …
In a heated Roosevelt Room strategy session, Toby resists a formal re-election announcement event, clashing with Doug's demand for President Bartlet to publicly apologize for the MS cover-up fraud. Toby's …
In the aftermath of a fractious strategy meeting, Bruno pulls Josh into the hallway en route to his office, bluntly confronting him for prematurely sending tobacco subcommittee press releases. Josh …
Dawn fractures resolve, pushing the campaign to its emotional and strategic breaking point. Josh, ravaged by exhaustion and guilt, smashes a doorframe, his raw confession of blowing the 'tobacco thing' and his fear of a 'very close election' revealing the immense pressure crushing him. C.J. endures Bartlet's barn rebuke—'Don't be a marriage counselor'—before her defiant 'Don't you dare lecture me!' shatters his presidential facade. Bartlet, stripped bare, confesses his vulnerability: 'I was never supposed to win,' his Iowa surge a fluke, 'I need you too.' In the motorcade, Bartlet quips moon-landing divorces, a fragile attempt to thaw Abbey, who leans toward his vote, a glimmer of marital hope. In the high school hallway, staff erupts over 'torpor' as Abbey intones intros. Bartlet bursts in: 'They can look it up!' He pivots, voice cracking with Churchillian heft and FDR thunder: 'I never said I'm sorry. I am.' For lawyers, press, mess, fear—a profound apology. He acknowledges the new consultants crave victory, but his staff demands righteousness. 'We're gonna write a new book... worthy of us, of America.' The door swings, Abbey summons: 'Josiah Bartlet!' He halts, grins fierce: 'Break's over.' Podium thunder: a kiss for Abbey, a wave to the roar, staff flanks him—unity forged in apology's fire. MS shadows lift, rifts heal, stakes soar. Bartlet launches not as happy warrior, but restless prophet, envy of civilizations rekindled, pitchforks buried. Re-election ignites on integrity's blaze, heartland heartbeats syncing to a higher denominator.
In a crowded school classroom buzzing with external rally cheers, new consultant Doug nitpicks 'torpor' in Bartlet's speech as too obscure, sparking eye-rolling impatience from veteran staff like Toby, Sam, …
After defending intellectual rigor in the speech, President Bartlet sends out the consultants, then delivers a profound apology to his staff for the MS cover-up's fallout—the lawyers, press mess, fear, …
As Abbey's introduction echoes, Bartlet pauses at the doorway, turns to his expectant staff, and declares 'Break's over,' shattering lingering divisions with a command to recommit to principled campaigning. He …