Fabula
S2E14 · The War At Home
S2E14
· The War At Home

Motorcade's Urgent Dover Arrival Intercut with C.J.'s Briefing Opener

Under stormy night skies at Dover Air Force Base, the Presidential motorcade races onto the tarmac, its high-speed urgency visually amplifying the raid's catastrophic fallout—nine soldiers lost—and the somber return of remains. Over this tense imagery, C.J.'s voiceover launches the White House press briefing, vowing to detail the prior 24 hours and usher in expert spokespeople. This masterful intercut bridges covert tragedy to public scrutiny, showcasing C.J.'s steely professionalism as the administration confronts accountability and moral reckoning.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

The Presidential motorcade arrives with urgent haste on the tarmac, signaling a moment of high tension and imminent revelation.

anticipation to tension ['tarmac']

C.J. prepares to brief the press with grave news about recent catastrophic events, her professional demeanor belying the crisis.

control to foreboding

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
C.J. Cregg
primary

Steely professionalism masking underlying strain from the administration's crisis

C.J. delivers a poised voiceover narration superimposed over the motorcade's arrival, methodically outlining her intent to recap the prior 24 hours and introduce expert representatives, her disembodied voice providing steady narrative control amid the visual chaos.

Goals in this moment
  • • Establish narrative control by promising a structured briefing on recent events
  • • Transition smoothly to expert spokespeople to manage public scrutiny
Active beliefs
  • • Transparency about the last 24 hours is essential to maintain credibility
  • • Expert intervention will best defend the administration's actions
Character traits
professional resolute commanding
Follow C.J. Cregg's journey
Josiah Bartlet
primary

somber

arriving via Presidential motorcade speeding onto the tarmac at Dover Air Force Base

Goals in this moment
  • • attend the somber return of soldiers' remains amid the raid's fallout
Character traits
protective resolute self-aware principled
Follow Josiah Bartlet's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
President Bartlet's Limousine

The Presidential limousine, as the lead element of the motorcade, speeds urgently onto the Dover tarmac, its dynamic arrival visually embodying the raid's catastrophic fallout and the weight of returning fallen soldiers; it serves as a narrative vessel hurtling leadership into confrontation with grief and accountability.

Before: Approaching Dover Air Force Base at high speed …
After: Positioned on the tarmac, idling amid the base's …
Before: Approaching Dover Air Force Base at high speed in stormy night conditions
After: Positioned on the tarmac, idling amid the base's somber atmosphere

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Dover Air Force Base

Dover Air Force Base's exterior tarmac becomes the stark stage for the motorcade's high-velocity arrival under night skies, its vast, storm-whipped expanse heightening the raid's human cost through implied flag-draped coffins and rigid Honor Guard; intercut with C.J.'s voiceover, it pivots private tragedy into public reckoning.

Atmosphere Storm-lashed, tense, and oppressively somber with churning night abyss and engine growls
Function Site of urgent presidential arrival and remains repatriation
Symbolism Emblem of military sacrifice and leadership's inescapable moral confrontation
Access Heavily secured military installation, restricted to presidential motorcade and Honor Guard
Stormy night skies Expansive tarmac Speeding motorcade tires screaming

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"C.J. (VO): "I want now to fill you in on some events that have taken place in the last 24 hours. When I'm through there'll representatives from the...""