Leo's Damage-Control Order; The Personal Cost Behind 'Deal with it.'
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Leo enters and demands to know what they need, forcing C.J. and Sam to address their separate concerns.
C.J. confronts Leo about a leaked account of tension between the President and Vice President Hoynes, which Danny Concannon is investigating.
Leo dismissively instructs C.J. to 'deal with it,' showcasing his prioritization of political damage control over interpersonal concerns.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Annoyed and unsettled — wants transparency but recognizes the chain of command and the need to follow Leo's directive.
Raises Danny Concannon's question to Leo, presses for explanation, attempts to perform press management but is cut off and ordered to 'deal with it,' then exits to execute that instruction.
- • Get a defensible answer or line to present to the press.
- • Protect the administration's credibility while preserving access to information.
- • Avoid being blindsided by reporters like Danny Concannon.
- • The press will exploit any hint of a rift unless the administration controls the narrative.
- • Leo, as Chief of Staff, must set the public line for the press office to follow.
Not shown directly; inferred to be politically attentive and possibly engaged in maneuvering (given the alleged leak).
Mentioned as the person who allegedly spoke to Danny Concannon; his name functions as the focal point of the rumor and the object of Leo's tactical containment decision.
- • Manage or exploit perceptions of a rift for political advantage (inferred).
- • Keep public persona intact while navigating intra-administration relationships.
- • Media narratives can be used to shape political standing.
- • Controlling leaks and impressions is a necessary part of political survival.
Casual and social in intent (as implied by offering tickets); not engaged with the administration's political triage.
Not present but functionally active in the scene via Sam's report: she offered Sam an extra opera ticket that belonged to her father and her mother, triggering the private exchange and Leo's emotional reveal.
- • Share an evening with someone using family tickets that otherwise would go unused.
- • Keep family traditions alive despite parental separation.
- • Seats and tickets that hold family memory should be used, not wasted.
- • Inclusion of friends or staff in personal rituals is benign and desirable.
Brittle and defensive on the surface; privately wounded and lonely, masking hurt with procedural command.
Enters abruptly, interrupts the polite silence, directs personnel to prioritize media containment, and later reveals a private fracture when he removes his glasses and repeats 'I'm fine' after hearing about Mallory's opera tickets.
- • Close down a potentially damaging media narrative quickly.
- • Protect the President and the White House from public perception problems.
- • Avoid personal vulnerability and keep private life separate from work.
- • Containing a rumor is more important than public candor for institutional stability.
- • Personal sacrifice is required to protect the presidency and administration optics.
- • Admitting emotional pain would undermine his authority and distract staff.
Calm, dutiful — focused on moving the office forward without intruding on the substantive exchange.
Enters quietly at the top of the scene, removes a folder or document from Leo's file cabinet and informs the visitors that Leo will be in shortly—performing discreet logistic support.
- • Provide Leo with requested documents or materials.
- • Keep the office running smoothly and minimize interruptions.
- • Anticipate needs so that Leo's triage can proceed quickly.
- • Preparedness and quiet execution stabilize high-pressure moments.
- • Her role is to enable senior staff, not to engage in the content of their decisions.
Not physically present but referenced as the press actor whose questioning triggers the entire containment exchange; his reported query about …
Referenced by Leo as the ex-wife whose tickets are being offered; she is absent but her name frames the emotional …
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Stacks of papers are rifled through and arranged by Leo as he settles; they function narratively to show his attempt to return to business and to reassert control after the leak is raised. The papers punctuate his distraction and provide a physical focus amid emotional tension.
Leo removes his reading glasses when Sam mentions Mallory, a tactile punctuation that marks the shift from procedural business to personal exposure. The glasses serve as an intimate prop that punctuates his emotional opening.
The pair of heavy leather chairs frames the scene's opening: Sam and C.J. sit in them waiting, signaling the room's private, conversational register. Their presence establishes deference and the informal posture before Leo's authoritative entry.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Leo's office functions as both an operational triage room and a private chamber for emotional disclosure. Its intimacy allows for blunt managerial commands and hushed personal revelations, making it the perfect stage for the shift from institution-first decisions to the cost of those decisions.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"LEO: "What do you need?""
"LEO: "Deal with it.""
"LEO: "I'm fine.""