The West Wing
S1E12
· He Shall, From Time To Time...

The Pound Sign That Pulls Them Out

In a small, intimate beat in the President's bedroom Abbey insists on one more temperature check; Bartlet deflects with humor and a kiss. The mood shifts when Abbey, reading the State of the Union, spots a glaring error — 'hallowed' replaced by a pound sign — a detail that yanks the private care scene outward toward the public arena. The moment crystallizes the episode's pressure: Bartlet's vulnerability is being managed behind closed doors even as a speech he must deliver looms, and his instinct to dodge questions masks a deeper, dangerous secrecy.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Abbey notices a typo in the speech ('hallowed' spelled with a pound sign), shifting focus to the impending State of the Union.

playfulness to practicality

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

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

Affectionate and lightly amused on the surface, but evasive and guarded underneath — using banter and intimacy to avoid scrutiny and contain anxiety.

President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet moves from watcher to participant: he deflects Abbey's probing with wit, permits a private kiss, removes Abbey's reading glasses, and brusquely halts further questions about the speech typo — masking bigger concerns.

Goals in this moment
  • • Deflect immediate medical scrutiny and soothe Abbey's worry to keep the moment private.
  • • Preserve control of information about his condition and avoid conversation that could expose vulnerability.
  • • Maintain normalcy and intimacy to compartmentalize personal care from impending public duties.
Active beliefs
  • • Showing vulnerability publicly or even within this room risks political and personal consequences.
  • • Humor and warmth can diffuse tension and prevent probing into matters he wishes to keep secret.
  • • Private moments should be preserved from professional intrusion, even when they intersect with policy work.
Character traits
wry protective evasive affectionate
Follow Josiah Edward …'s journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
President Bartlet's State of the Union Draft (Full Speech Packet — includes NEA proposal)

The President's State of the Union speech draft is actively being reviewed by Abbey on the bed; it functions as the pivot from private to public stakes when she notices 'hallowed' replaced by a pound sign. The manuscript serves as both a domestic distraction and an indicator of institutional fallibility.

Before: In Abbey's hands on the bed, being read …
After: Still in Abbey's possession, now flagged by her …
Before: In Abbey's hands on the bed, being read and annotated; worn from passing between aides and family.
After: Still in Abbey's possession, now flagged by her observation and carrying the weight of a discovered error to be resolved before the public address.
Abbey Bartlet's Reading Glasses (President's Bedroom)

Abbey wears her personal reading glasses while scrutinizing the speech; Bartlet removes the glasses before kissing her, an intimate gesture that punctuates the shift from diagnostic care and editorial vigilance to tender deflection.

Before: On Abbey's face as she reads and inspects …
After: Removed by the President and held or set …
Before: On Abbey's face as she reads and inspects the speech.
After: Removed by the President and held or set aside as the private moment turns affectionate.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

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President's Bedroom (Executive Residence)

The President's bedroom functions as the intimate setting where medical care, marital ritual, and presidential duty converge: a private chamber where a speech draft, a thermometer (referenced), and bedside gestures coexist. It frames the scene's tension between concealment and the looming public performance.

Atmosphere Warm and claustrophobic with quiet intimacy undercut by tension—domestic hush punctuated by paper rustle and …
Function Sanctuary for private care and confidential conversation that becomes the staging ground for an emergent …
Symbolism Represents the collision between personal vulnerability and institutional responsibility; the bed is both bedside triage …
Access Implicitly private and restricted to the President, First Lady, and close aides—closed to the public …
Dim, domestic lighting suitable for night and intimate conversation Paper manuscript (speech) present on the bed, producing a soft rustling sound Close physical proximity of the couple — buttoning sleeves, a removed pair of glasses, and a kiss as tactile details

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"ABBEY: "I want to take your temperature one last time.""
"BARTLET: "You've taken it 14 times in the last three hours. You're not taking it again.""
"ABBEY: "Why is 'hallowed' spelled with a pound sign in the middle?""