You Shouldn’t Have Made Me Beg” — Bartlet Confronts Hoynes
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Hoynes arrives at the Oval Office, seeking to address the morning's conflict, but Bartlet dismisses the issue as already handled by C.J.
Hoynes insists on clarifying his innocence regarding the leak to Concannon, but Bartlet remains noncommittal.
As Hoynes prepares to leave, Bartlet stops him, leading to a raw confrontation about past resentments and political ambitions.
Bartlet reveals his lingering anger over Hoynes making him beg for the Vice Presidency, exposing deep-seated resentments.
The tension momentarily diffuses as Hoynes acknowledges C.J.'s resolution with Danny, but the unresolved conflict lingers as they part ways.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Guarded professionalism giving way to wounded indignation—maintains measured tone but reveals anxiety about reputation and career.
Hoynes enters the Oval, states his purpose calmly, denies being the source to clear his name, then escalates to an emotional demand for an explanation about Bartlet's treatment of him.
- • To have the President personally acknowledge he was not the source of the leak.
- • To protect his political future and public standing after a damaging morning rumor.
- • That public perception of him matters more than private slights.
- • That a clear, private rebuttal from the President can repair political damage.
Controlled exterior masking a smoldering resentment; when he speaks of begging his voice carries wounded pride and a confession that reframes their dynamic.
Bartlet is seated with feet on the desk, initially casual and deflecting to staff (C.J.), then listens as Hoynes presses; he pivots from institutional reassurance to a personal, blunt confession about humiliation over having to beg for the vice presidency.
- • To assert his own emotional truth about the circumstances of Hoynes's selection.
- • To reclaim moral ground by naming the humiliation he endured, even at the cost of relationship strain.
- • That being forced to beg for the vice presidency diminished his authority.
- • That honesty about his grievance is necessary even if it hurts the working relationship.
Serviceable and unobtrusive—focused on procedure rather than the emotional content of the meeting.
Nancy knocks, opens the Oval door and announces the Vice President; she performs her protocol role quickly and then withdraws, providing the formal entry and framing the encounter.
- • To deliver visitors to the Oval and maintain White House access protocol.
- • To enable senior staff interaction by announcing and admitting the Vice President.
- • That orderly protocol helps maintain institutional dignity.
- • That her role is to facilitate access without participating in the substance of disputes.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The door functions as the staging device for entrances and exits: Nancy uses it to announce Hoynes, Hoynes crosses the threshold to confront the President, and he exits through it after a terse reconciliation attempt, framing the scene with ceremonial movement.
Bartlet's feet on the desk early in the scene telegraph informal control and domestic ease in the Oval; the desk serves as the implicit boundary between president and visitor and a surface laden with paperwork that underscores institutional weight.
Bartlet is initially seated in the armchair with his feet propped on the desk, signaling casual authority; he rises from it to meet Hoynes, transforming the chair from a place of repose into the vantage point for a moral rebuke.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Oval Office functions as the private, symbolic center where institutional power and personal grievances collide. In this late‑night setting the room concentrates political optics, allowing a leak dispute to become a private moral confrontation that reveals the relationship's true strain.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Bartlet's assertiveness in the cabinet meeting is echoed in his later confrontation with Hoynes about past resentments."
"Bartlet's assertiveness in the cabinet meeting is echoed in his later confrontation with Hoynes about past resentments."
Key Dialogue
"HOYNES: "What did I ever do to you? Where, in our past, what did I do to make you treat me this way?""
"HOYNES: "What did I ever do to you except deliver the South?""
"BARTLET: "You shouldn't have made me beg, John. I was asking you to be Vice President.""
"HOYNES: "Due respect, Mr. President, you have just kicked my ass in a primary. I'm fifteen years younger than you. I have my career to think of.""