The West Wing
S3E10
· H. Con-172

Weary Staffers' Snowstorm Banter and Cliff's Secret Summons

In the late-night hush at Donna's desk, exhausted aides Donna and Carol share terse banter about C.J.'s ongoing book crisis and the ominous snowstorm poised to dump 18 inches, their fatigue palpable in fragmented exchanges. Donna reminds Josh it's 10:45, prompting his departure amid weather worries she echoes humorously. The mood shifts as Cliff calls, urgently demanding a clandestine meeting at Georgetown Law Library, insisting it's not illicit. Donna balks, citing her junior status and unease, dubbing it 'Deep Throating'—a humanizing breath amid crisis that setups intrigue and underscores staff vulnerability.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Donna and Carol exchange exhausted late-night office formalities, their dialogue revealing the shared burden of the White House's ongoing crisis.

routine to tension ["Donna's desk"]

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

4
Josh Lyman
primary

Compliant detachment amid workload preoccupations

Josh pauses amid the bullpen clutter as Donna reminds him of 10:45, acknowledges with a casual 'See ya,' deflects snowstorm concerns by parroting Donna's phrase, declines the ringing phone, and exits into the night, prioritizing departure over interruption.

Goals in this moment
  • • Depart precisely at 10:45 as planned
  • • Sidestep unexpected communications
Active beliefs
  • • Personal schedule trumps minor disruptions
  • • Weather complaints are rhetorical
Character traits
preoccupied dismissive time-conscious
Follow Josh Lyman's journey
Carol
primary

Tired nonchalance masking deeper crisis fatigue

Carol lounges in the late-night dimness at Donna's desk, trading terse, weary banter about C.J.'s unending book work and the baffling mechanics of the impending massive snow accumulation, her responses underscoring the grind of auxiliary staff endurance.

Goals in this moment
  • • Share status on C.J.'s workload
  • • Commiserate over weather disruptions
Active beliefs
  • • C.J.'s dedication demands late hours
  • • Snowstorms build unpredictably but massively
Character traits
casual fatigued pragmatic
Follow Carol's journey
Cliff Calley
primary

Urgent insistence veiled by professional calm

Cliff's voice filters urgently over the phone line from off-site, identifying himself and pressing Donna for an immediate, secret meeting at Georgetown Law Library's Federal Case Law section in 20 minutes, reassuring her it's neither social nor illegal while leveraging his lawyer status, persisting until she hangs up.

Goals in this moment
  • • Secure covert meeting with Donna undetected
  • • Bridge prosecutorial role toward White House aid
Active beliefs
  • • Secret venue ensures discretion and legality
  • • Donna's access makes her pivotal conduit
Character traits
persistent calculated reassuring
Follow Cliff Calley's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
Georgetown Law Library

Georgetown Law Library's Federal Case Law section is urgently pitched by Cliff as the neutral, secluded ground for his clandestine parley with Donna, its invocation layering legal symbolism onto the plea, priming narrative tension around blurred prosecutor-staff lines amid Bartlet scandal hearings.

Atmosphere Imagined as shadowy aisles of towering tomes, echoing with whispered peril and isolation
Function Proposed sanctuary for undetected revelation or alliance
Symbolism Evokes perjury's blade and ethical tightropes in oversight siege
Access Publicly accessible late-night but secluded sections demand discretion
Endless leather-bound federal case law stacks Dim institutional lighting Hushed footsteps amplifying secrecy
Donna's Desk

Donna's desk anchors the intimate tableau of late-night West Wing attrition, cluttered nexus for fatigued aide banter on C.J.'s book vigil and snow dread, Josh's timed exit, and Cliff's disruptive call injecting covert intrigue, its lamplight carving exhaustion into scandal's encroaching shadows.

Atmosphere Dimly lit hush heavy with fatigue, punctuated by phone's shrill intrusion and storm omens
Function Hub for casual staff check-ins and pivotal incoming communications
Symbolism Microcosm of overworked loyalty fraying under crisis weight
Access Open to West Wing aides but intimate bullpen proximity
Teetering policy stacks and takeout remnants Ringing phone slicing quiet Nighttime window views of gathering snow threat

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Themes This Exemplifies

Thematic resonance and meaning

Crisis Cascade Management
75
White House team juggles simultaneous threats—MS press savaging, Haiti Swift Fury firefight with Marine casualties, RU-486 FDA maneuvers, and flawed polls—through rapid intel sharing, Situation …

Key Dialogue

"DONNA: You know if it started snowing yet? CAROL: It hasn't."
"DONNA: It's not fit for man nor beast out there. JOSH: Has it started snowing yet? DONNA: It accumulates by a magnitude."
"CLIFF: I need to meet with you for a minute and I need for nobody else to know it's happening. Can you meet me right now? DONNA: Why?"
"DONNA: Cliff, I'm a senior assistant. This is way over my head, and it doesn't feel right. I can't go Deep Throating in the middle... Cliff? Are you there?"