The West Wing
S1E22
· What Kind Of Day Has It Been

Bartlet Sidesteps the Schedule for a Softball Night

Late in the Outer Oval, Bartlet deliberately shrugs off the White House timetable — leaning into a small, domestic pleasure (a women's softball game) as Leo and Mrs. Landingham try to herd him toward urgent work. Their banter is playful but edged: Mrs. Landingham scolds him for lateness, Leo piles on briefing notes, and Bartlet feigns compliance only to walk the opposite way, handing Leo responsibility. The beat functions as a tonal pivot and setup: a humanizing moment of avoidance that leaves senior staff holding the crisis‑load and foreshadows the consequences of the President’s sudden absence.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

4

Bartlet and Leo prepare to leave, discussing plans to watch a women's softball game, showcasing Bartlet's casual defiance of schedule pressures.

casual to mildly defiant ['Outer Oval Office']

Mrs. Landingham pressures Bartlet to adhere to his schedule, leading to a playful exchange about his punctuality.

defiant to resigned ['Outer Oval Office']

Leo updates Bartlet on pending tasks, but Bartlet delays, indicating a brief moment of personal reflection or decision.

focused to contemplative ['Outer Oval Office']

Bartlet abruptly changes direction, leaving Leo behind, hinting at an unspoken urgency or distraction.

contemplative to abrupt ['Outer Oval Office']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

3
Josiah Edward 'Jed' Bartlet (President of the United States)
primary

Light-hearted and deliberately avoidant — projecting relaxation while quietly abdicating immediate responsibility.

President Bartlet playfully refuses to be rushed: he announces he'll watch the softball game, exchanges banter, physically hands his well-worn briefcase to Leo, then intentionally walks the opposite direction instead of toward the car.

Goals in this moment
  • • Attend and enjoy the women's softball game without being interrupted.
  • • Avoid being pulled back into more work by deflecting responsibility to senior staff.
  • • Preserve a small private pleasure as a humanizing moment.
Active beliefs
  • • Small personal rituals are worth protecting even during busy administration life.
  • • His senior staff can temporarily carry operational burdens without his immediate presence.
Character traits
charming evasive playful defiance delegatory
Follow Josiah Edward …'s journey
Leo Thomas McGarry (Chief of Staff)
primary

Focused and slightly exasperated; resigned to picking up the administration's immediate load when the President opts out.

Leo attempts to herd the President toward work and the car, enumerates urgent items—Sam's notes on Cuba and farm loans—and accepts the President's briefcase, taking on the practical burden Bartlet hands him.

Goals in this moment
  • • Ensure the President receives and reviews urgent briefing materials promptly.
  • • Maintain schedule and prevent avoidable delays in decision-making.
  • • Protect the institution by assuming delegated responsibility when needed.
Active beliefs
  • • Timely briefing and review are essential for good governance.
  • • If the President won't comply, senior staff must step in to carry operational weight.
Character traits
procedural urgent responsible impatient
Follow Leo Thomas …'s journey
Mrs. Landingham
primary

Admonishing and mildly weary — protective of routines and impatient with the President's evasions.

Mrs. Landingham scolds the President for being late, uses maternal bluntness to try to impose schedule discipline, and reminds him of how serious punctuality is while trading wry banter about the softball matchup.

Goals in this moment
  • • Get the President to adhere to the planned departure schedule.
  • • Prevent the President from shirking his responsibilities through pleasant distractions.
  • • Maintain household order and protocol.
Active beliefs
  • • Schedules and punctuality are necessary for proper functioning of the White House.
  • • The President has a predictable inclination to favor personal pleasures over timeliness.
Character traits
maternal no-nonsense sternly affectionate practical
Follow Mrs. Landingham's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Bartlet's Briefcase

The President's well‑worn briefcase is physically handed from Bartlet to Leo as a visible transfer of responsibility: it contains the day's immediate briefing materials and becomes the operative token that signals the President's temporary withdrawal from duty.

Before: In the President's possession, containing briefing papers and …
After: In Leo's possession, intended to be reviewed in …
Before: In the President's possession, containing briefing papers and a small red paper bag (implied by broader description).
After: In Leo's possession, intended to be reviewed in the car or otherwise presided over by senior staff in the President's brief absence.
Presidential Armored Motorcade (Limousines)

The motorcade car(s) are referenced as the immediate destination and temporal pressure point—Mrs. Landingham scolds the President for missing the car and Bartlet promises to be 'at the car in just a second', making the vehicles the practical threshold between private Oval banter and public movement.

Before: Awaiting occupants just outside the Outer Oval/portico, engines …
After: Still staged for departure; the President indicates intent …
Before: Awaiting occupants just outside the Outer Oval/portico, engines idling and ready for departure.
After: Still staged for departure; the President indicates intent to enter shortly, but tactically the car becomes the point Leo will use to continue reviewing briefs.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Havana, Cuba

Havana functions here as an offstage policy locus: Sam's notes about Cuba are invoked by Leo to create urgency and tether the lighthearted Oval exchange to a real, distant geopolitical concern that demands presidential attention.

Atmosphere Absent physically but carries an implied weight of geopolitical urgency—distant, consequential.
Function Policy referent; an external pressure imposing a timeline and seriousness on the Oval's domestic moment.
Symbolism Embodies the way faraway crises intrude on intimate presidential choices.
Referenced only in dialogue as a policy item. Acts as a conceptual contrast to the immediate, tactile pleasures of the softball game.
Outer Oval Office

The Outer Oval functions as the liminal staging area where domestic familiarity collides with institutional duty: it's the physical and symbolic threshold between private respite and public responsibility, enabling the President's small act of defiance and the staff's managerial response.

Atmosphere Playful banter layered with low‑grade tension—familiar, intimate, and edged with time pressure.
Function Staging/transition point between the Oval's private interior and the motorcade/public movement; a place for last-minute …
Symbolism Represents the tension between personal life and public duty; a porous boundary where the President's …
Access Restricted to senior staff and household personnel; not open to the public.
Nighttime setting (the scene occurs at night). Close quarters that allow quick, informal exchanges and a sense of immediacy. Slightly domestic scents and textures implied (leather briefcase, paper notes), and the nearby presence of the car/portico.

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"BARTLET: Womens' softball. It's going to be great. Mrs. Landingham? I'm watching a live sporting event from beginning to end tonight."
"MRS. LANDINGHAM: You needed to be in the car ten minutes ago, Mr. President."
"LEO: Sam's got some notes for you on Cuba, and some notes on farm loans that I'd like you to look over in the car."