Corridor Normalcy Shattered by Assassination Report
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Margaret and Mrs. Landingham exchange greetings in the quiet West Wing hallway.
Margaret questions Mrs. Landingham about the President's whereabouts, hinting at concern.
Mrs. Landingham reminisces about the President's fondness for rope lines, unaware of the unfolding crisis.
Margaret urgently interrupts Mrs. Landingham's story, her attention locked on the SPECIAL REPORT.
Margaret turns up the volume as the newscaster announces gunshots fired at President Bartlet.
Mrs. Landingham bolts from the office before the newscaster finishes, reacting to the shocking news.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
urgent and alarmed
greets Mrs. Landingham, notices special report on TV, urgently alerts her, turns up the volume
- • exchange casual greetings and banter
- • alert Mrs. Landingham to the breaking news report
N/A (referenced, not present)
Absent but centrally referenced in banter as overdue from rope line schmoozing and targeted in newscast gunfire report from Rosslyn, embodying the crisis pivot shattering staff normalcy.
- • N/A (referenced, not present)
- • N/A (referenced, not present)
Calmly factual and neutral under pressure
Appears on television monitor delivering breaking special report, calmly announcing multiple gunshots fired at President Bartlet in Rosslyn seven minutes earlier, voice piercing the office as Mrs. Landingham flees mid-broadcast.
- • Disseminate verified breaking news to public
- • Provide timestamped details on assassination attempt
- • Accurate, timely reporting stabilizes public awareness
- • Journalistic duty demands unflinching crisis conveyance
Fondly nostalgic and warm, abruptly shifting to horrified shock
Enters corridor for warm greeting with Margaret, nostalgically banters about President Bartlet's rope line habits from governor days, begins detailed reminiscence, turns to watch TV report after urgent alerts, then bolts from the office in raw shock before newscaster finishes.
- • Foster collegial bond through shared presidential anecdotes
- • Relive and affirm long-standing admiration for Bartlet's charisma
- • Bartlet irresistibly drawn to rope lines despite complaints
- • Personal history with him underscores enduring charm and loyalty
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Serves as the critical conduit for crisis intrusion, displaying special report in background until Margaret notices and amplifies volume; newscaster's broadcast details gunshots at Bartlet, propelling Mrs. Landingham's shocked flight and transforming casual office space into epicenter of national dread.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Referenced in newscast as epicenter of assassination attempt on Bartlet post-public event, timestamped seven minutes prior; distills distant violence into immediate White House shockwave via broadcast.
Hosts initial quiet nighttime meeting and warm banter between Margaret and Mrs. Landingham about Bartlet's habits, setting serene baseline before they transition to adjacent office; embodies West Wing's intimate, familial underbelly abruptly upended by impending chaos.
Entry point where TV report is spotted and volume surged, catalyzing Mrs. Landingham's horrified exit; shifts from banal backdrop to visceral trauma vector as news bleeds into staff reality, amplifying emotional rupture.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"MARGARET: The President's not back yet? MRS. LANDINGHAM: I imagine he's schmoozing the rope line."
"MARGARET: [eyes on the TV] Mrs. Landingham. MRS. LANDINGHAM: More. Maybe 12. MARGARET: Mrs. Landingham!"
"NEWSCASTER: Good evening. We are getting reports that multiple gunshots were fired at President Bartlet as he was leaving a public event in Rosslyn, Virginia."