The West Wing
S2E13
· Bartlet's Third State of the Union

Sam's Urgent Recall: Leave Polling, Return Now

In the dim urgency of his night-shrouded office, Sam phones Josh amid the Colombian hostage crisis's escalation, bluntly commanding his return on Leo's opaque orders. Josh demands details over a crackling line, but Sam's ignorance underscores the chaos; he ruthlessly strands Donna and Joey to ensure Josh's swift isolation and arrival. This pivot yanks Josh from polling frenzy into crisis core, subordinating domestic politics to mortal stakes and amplifying West Wing's frantic convergence.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

3

Sam urgently summons Josh back to the office, signaling an immediate crisis.

routine to urgency

Josh demands clarification, his disembodied voice crackling with tension.

urgency to alarm

Sam relays Leo's cryptic recall order, deliberately stranding Donna and Joey.

alarm to controlled panic

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

5
Donna Moss
Assistant
 primary

Unaware steadiness amid abandoned polling efforts

Explicitly named by Sam as one of the aides Josh must leave behind temporarily with Joey at the National Strategies Group polling operation during the recall.

Goals in this moment
  • • Sustain polling momentum in Josh's absence
  • • Support team despite sudden isolation
Active beliefs
  • • Duty persists regardless of leadership shifts
  • • White House crises eclipse local operations
Character traits
Dependable Subordinated to crisis priorities
Follow Donna Moss's journey
Josephine Joey Lucas
Pollster
 primary

Focused continuity despite external pullback

Referenced alongside Donna by Sam as polling leader to be left behind by Josh under Leo's recall directive, stranding her Midwest team in the data fray.

Goals in this moment
  • • Maintain polling integrity without Josh
  • • Deliver voter data amid interruptions
Active beliefs
  • • Polling reliability withstands White House whims
  • • Team autonomy handles short-term absences
Character traits
Reliable Resilient under disruption
Follow Josephine Joey …'s journey
Joshua Lyman
Deputy Chief of Staff
 primary

confused

responds over voiceover on the phone, questioning the situation

Goals in this moment
  • • obtain details about the urgent recall
Character traits
proactive insightful combative frustrated strategic pragmatic resolute urgent decisive under pressure supportive authoritative concerned loyal empathetic protective politically calculating intense insistent anxious witty high‑strung / harried
Follow Joshua Lyman's journey
Leo Thomas McGarry (Chief of Staff)
White House Chief of Staff
 primary

Crisis-hardened determination driving urgent mobilization

Invoked by Sam as the commanding authority whose orders demand everybody's immediate return to the White House, pulling staff from peripheral duties into crisis mode.

Goals in this moment
  • • Centralize senior staff for hostage crisis response
  • • Subordinate all operations to national security imperatives
Active beliefs
  • • Chain of command cuts through chaos
  • • Swift assembly averts disaster
Character traits
Authoritative Pragmatic
Follow Leo Thomas …'s journey
Sam Seaborn
Deputy Communications Director
 primary

Urgently resolute, feigning command over swirling uncertainty

Sam stands poised in his dimly lit night office, urgently phoning Josh to relay Leo's opaque recall order, bluntly instructing him to abandon Joey and Donna at the polling site and return immediately without details.

Goals in this moment
  • • Execute Leo's order to summon Josh back swiftly
  • • Isolate Josh from polling distractions for crisis focus
Active beliefs
  • • Leo's authority demands instant obedience
  • • Crisis response prioritizes hierarchy over information
Character traits
Decisive Loyal Efficient under pressure
Follow Sam Seaborn's journey

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

No narrative connections mapped yet

This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph

Part of Larger Arcs

Josh Lyman's internal unraveling and interpersonal clashes with pollsters over perceived unreliability amid SOTU pressure, paranoia fueled by accents, gum, blackouts, and delayed data, defused by Donna's interventions.

Key Dialogue

"SAM: "You gotta come back.""
"JOSH ([VO]): "What's going on?""
"SAM: "I don't know. Leo wants everybody back. Leave Joey and Donna for a while.""