Fabula
S1E12 · He Shall, From Time To Time...
S1E12
· He Shall, From Time To Time...

Abbey Grounds the Commander-in-Chief

In the President's bedroom Abbey, in her dual role as doctor and wife, disarms Josiah Bartlet's instinct to command. After checking his temperature and listening to his chest, she flatly forbids him from going to the office. Bartlet flirts and argues, tries to rise, but a dizzy collapse forces him back under the blankets. The scene quietly shifts authority: Bartlet's physical vulnerability is exposed and Abbey's steady control prevents him from resuming command at a politically perilous moment, setting up the administration's cascading crisis management.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

4

Abbey informs Bartlet his fever has decreased but insists he cannot return to the office yet, hinting at his ongoing illness.

concern to resistance

Abbey examines Bartlet with her stethoscope, deflecting his playful skepticism about her medical expertise with a sharp retort.

playfulness to tension

Bartlet attempts to assert his authority by declaring he will go to the office, but his physical weakness betrays him as dizziness forces him back to bed.

defiance to resignation

Bartlet concedes to staying in bed, acknowledging his physical limitations while Abbey maintains her firm but caring stance.

resistance to acceptance

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

1
Josiah Edward 'Jed' Bartlet (President of the United States)
primary

Determined to preserve control and normalcy while masking anxiety about appearing weak; embarrassed and surprised by his own physical limit, moving toward reluctant acceptance.

Sits up in pajamas, tests the boundary between private illness and public duty by asking to go to the office; flirts and argues to deflect weakness; attempts to stand but is overcome by dizziness and lies back under the blanket, grudgingly acquiescing.

Goals in this moment
  • • Assert presidential normalcy by going to the office
  • • Minimize the appearance of weakness in front of his wife
  • • Test the boundary of his competence to reassure himself and staff
Active beliefs
  • • Personal illness should not interrupt presidential responsibilities
  • • Showing physical weakness will be politically damaging
  • • Abbey will challenge him when necessary, but he can negotiate her consent through charm
Character traits
stubborn performative wryly flirtatious vulnerable
Follow Josiah Edward …'s journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
President Josiah Bartlet's Pajamas (S1E12 'He Shall, From Time To Time...')

The President's pajamas visually and functionally mark him as a patient rather than a commander. Their rumpled presence underscores fatigue and domestic vulnerability, framing his failed attempt to rise and his eventual retreat under the blanket.

Before: Being worn by the President in bed; rumpled …
After: Still being worn as the President settles back …
Before: Being worn by the President in bed; rumpled beneath the blankets, indicating recent sleep/illness.
After: Still being worn as the President settles back under the blanket after the dizzy spell; remains the visible signifier of convalescence.
Abbey's Stethoscope

Abbey uses the stethoscope to perform a focused clinical check — listening to the President's back and chest — turning a domestic scene into a medical examination and authorizing her subsequent refusal to let him go to the office.

Before: In Abbey's possession, ready for use after she …
After: Has been used and remains in Abbey's possession …
Before: In Abbey's possession, ready for use after she takes his temperature.
After: Has been used and remains in Abbey's possession immediately after the exam; serves as the instrument that justifies her medical decision.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
President's Bedroom (Executive Residence)

The President's bedroom functions as an intimate medical ward and private council chamber: domestic textures (sheets, pajamas, lamp) collide with the mechanics of governance as a personal health decision here has immediate public consequences. The space allows for both tenderness and the containment of presidential authority.

Atmosphere Warm, quiet, and claustrophobic in its intimacy — domestic calm overlaying an anxious tension about …
Function Sanctuary for private medical care and the stage for a transfer of immediate authority from …
Symbolism Represents the intersection where personal vulnerability interrupts institutional power; the bedroom temporarily suspends the President's …
Access Effectively private — limited to the First Couple and close medical/caregiver attention in this moment.
Rumpled sheets and a bedside lamp signaling domesticity The stethoscope and pajamas as clinical and intimate props Soft, conversational silence punctuated by small noises (the President's breath, a faint shuffle as he attempts to rise)

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 1
Emotional Echo

"Bartlet's physical collapse is mirrored later when he attempts to assert his authority but is forced back to bed by dizziness, highlighting his persistent vulnerability."

Feigning Strength: Fever in the Oval
S1E12 · He Shall, From Time To …

Key Dialogue

"ABBEY: "Well, the good news is, your temperature's gone down.""
"BARTLET: "Can I go to the office?""
"ABBEY: "No.""
"BARTLET: "Uh-oh.""
"BARTLET: "Alright. I think I'll stay here for a little bit.""
"ABBEY: "Okay.""