Fabula
S1E13 · Take Out The Trash Day
S1E13
· Take Out The Trash Day

Polite Prelude — The Conversation Turns to Leo

Simon Blye arrives under the guise of an old friend and the scene opens with easy, practiced pleasantries. Their cordial banter — talk of Meredith and the house — thinly conceals something sharper: Simon deliberately pivots the visit, signaling he’s not here for small talk but for Leo. The last line, an invitation to "talk about you," converts warmth into a contained threat, setting up a private confrontation that raises the stakes for Leo’s career and foreshadows political bargaining.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

2

Leo and Simon exchange pleasantries, masking the underlying tension of their impending discussion.

tension to forced cordiality

Simon shifts the conversation to Leo's situation, hinting at the serious nature of his visit.

cordiality to apprehension

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

4
Leo Thomas McGarry (Chief of Staff)
primary

Measured civility layered over alertness — outwardly polite, inwardly bracing for negotiation or pressure.

Seated at his desk, Leo receives Simon with restrained warmth, asks routine questions about Meredith and arrival logistics, then concedes to Simon's shift in topic by saying 'Okay.' His manner is controlled but quietly defensive.

Goals in this moment
  • • Maintain composure and control of the conversation's tone
  • • Assess Simon's intentions without revealing vulnerability
  • • Contain any potential personal or political threat to his position
Active beliefs
  • • Personal matters (Meredith, house) can be used as leverage
  • • Simon is both a friend and a potential opportunist whose visit may conceal an agenda
  • • Keeping the meeting private and conversational reduces immediate risk
Character traits
guarded courteous pragmatic self-protective
Follow Leo Thomas …'s journey
Margaret Hooper
primary

Neutral and businesslike, focused on protocol and maintaining boundaries between staff and private meetings.

Enters to announce Simon's arrival, confirms his presence to Leo, and withdraws promptly to leave the two men alone — performing the quiet administrative work that enables the private encounter.

Goals in this moment
  • • Facilitate Leo's schedule by notifying him and clearing the room
  • • Maintain professional distance and avoid entanglement in the pending conversation
Active beliefs
  • • Confidential or sensitive conversations should occur without unnecessary witnesses
  • • Her role is to protect Leo's time and the office's functioning rather than intervene in content
Character traits
efficient discreet professional protective of office decorum
Follow Margaret Hooper's journey
Simon Blye (private political operator, Leo McGarry acquaintance)
primary

Calmly assertive — projecting warmth while signaling underlying intent to press or bargain.

Walks into Leo's office with an affable, practiced ease, makes small talk about Meredith and the house, then deliberately reframes the visit toward Leo with the line 'Why don't we talk about you?', converting friendliness into a pointed challenge.

Goals in this moment
  • • Open a direct, private conversation with Leo about him or his vulnerabilities
  • • Establish conversational dominance through disarming familiarity
  • • Gauge and manipulate Leo's willingness to negotiate or concede
Active beliefs
  • • Personal access and friendship create leverage
  • • A soft, friendly approach will disarm defenses and force candidness
  • • He can influence outcomes by reframing the meeting as personal rather than institutional
Character traits
amiable on the surface calculating coercive confident
Follow Simon Blye …'s journey
Meredith

Absent physically; referenced by Leo and Simon as spending time 'in the country.' Her presence functions as conversational ballast and …

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Leo McGarry's Office (Chief of Staff's Office)

Leo's office is the contained stage for the encounter: a private executive space where informal friendship and political power intersect. It frames the exchange as both a personal visit and a potential site for negotiation or pressure.

Atmosphere Quiet, contained tension under a veneer of civility — an intimate, controlled setting where private …
Function Meeting place for a potentially consequential private conversation between Leo and Simon.
Symbolism Embodies institutional authority and personal vulnerability simultaneously; the office converts private challenges into matters with …
Access Practically restricted to senior staff and invited visitors; Margaret ensures the room is cleared for …
Late-day or daylight implied ('INT. LEO'S OFFICE - DAY') Desk-centered layout emphasizing hierarchy and control Brief, unobtrusive staff movement (Margaret entering and leaving) creating privacy
The Country (Rural Retreat)

Mentioned as Meredith's current refuge, the country is invoked to explain her absence and to provide cover for Leo's private life. It functions narratively as a spatial alibi that separates domestic stability from West Wing turmoil.

Atmosphere Implied pastoral calm and distance from political bustle—an offstage sanctuary contrasted with the office's charged …
Function Refuge; an off-stage location that shapes the conversation by explaining Meredith's physical and emotional distance.
Symbolism Represents removal from political exposure and the possibility of private refuge; underscores the separation between …
Access Not directly accessible in this scene; presented as physically removed from the West Wing and …
Described as 'the country' — implying rolling fields and domestic quiet Functions as a place of retreat, not part of the immediate political setting

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"LEO: Was there any trouble getting here?"
"SIMON: No, no."
"SIMON: Well, I know you're busy, Leo. Why don't we talk about you?"