The West Wing
S2E5
ยท And It's Surely To Their Credit

Donna Reports Bartlet's 17th Radio Take Debacle

In Josh's office during a casual lunch break, Donna, seated across from Josh who sips coffee while watching TV, updates him on President Bartlet's prolonged radio address taping. She reveals the 17th take nearly succeeded until he flubbed the elocution, injecting levity and humanizing the President's frustrations. This brief, witty exchange offers comic relief amid the episode's heavier arcs of trauma and political intrigue, subtly underscoring Bartlet's vulnerabilities under White House pressures while bridging to Josh's impending KKK lawsuit revelation.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Donna critiques President Bartlet's failed 17th take of his radio address during lunch with Josh, highlighting the mounting frustration over the prolonged taping session.

casual conversation to shared frustration ["Josh's office"]

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Donna Moss
primary

Amused and conspiratorial

Donna, seated before Josh's desk during lunch, delivers a sharp, witty report on the President's 17th radio take nearly succeeding before an elocution stumble, her words piercing the office air to lighten the mood and bridge staff intel.

Goals in this moment
  • • Update Josh on Oval Office radio address progress
  • • Inject humor to ease post-shooting tensions
Active beliefs
  • • Sharing Bartlet's vulnerabilities builds empathy
  • • Levity sustains staff endurance in chaos
Character traits
Witty observer Proactive informant Loyal aide
Follow Donna Moss's journey
Josiah Bartlet
primary

frustrated

flubbed the elocution on the 17th take of his radio address (reported by Donna)

Goals in this moment
  • • successfully complete radio address taping
Character traits
protective resolute self-aware principled
Follow Josiah Bartlet's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Josh's Lunch Break Coffee

Josh cradles his steaming coffee mug while seated before the TV, the portable brew symbolizing a tenuous grasp on everyday ritual; it grounds the casual lunch visually and tactilely, contrasting political intensity with human pause, enhancing the scene's wry intimacy.

Before: Steaming, held by Josh in front of TV
After: Still in Josh's possession, warming his hands post-sip
Before: Steaming, held by Josh in front of TV
After: Still in Josh's possession, warming his hands post-sip
Josh's Desk

Josh's battered desk, scarred and paper-strewn, positions Donna opposite him for their lunch briefing; it anchors the informal space, its clutter evoking unrelenting workload while framing her elocution quip as a beacon of levity amid disarray.

Before: Cluttered with papers, coffee rings visible
After: Unchanged, hosting ongoing lunch setup
Before: Cluttered with papers, coffee rings visible
After: Unchanged, hosting ongoing lunch setup

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Ann Stark's Office

Josh's cramped, cluttered office cradles this pocket of camaraderie, with TV flickering presidential takes and desk facilitating Donna's perch; it transforms frenzy into fleeting sanctuary, where her quip on Bartlet's flub underscores vulnerability beneath power's grind.

Atmosphere Intimate and whimsically relaxed amid underlying chaos
Function Informal lunch and intel-sharing space
Symbolism Haven for staff humanity amid political trauma
Access Private staff office, restricted to inner circle
TV screen glowing with radio taping visuals Daylit clutter evoking perpetual busyness

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

Key Dialogue

"DONNA: "Take 17 looked like it was gonna be a keeper till he went on elocution""