The West Wing
S2E21
· 18th and Potomac

C.J. Intrudes on Car Banter Seeking Leo

As Charlie chides Mrs. Landingham for paying full sticker price on her new car—defended by her as ethical adherence to government rules—C.J. bursts in, urgently seeking Leo amid the Haiti crisis. Charlie redirects her to the Situation Room; C.J. quips it's 'usually a good sign.' This sharp interruption shatters a rare oasis of levity and human connection, thrusting the narrative back into the maelstrom of political and international emergencies, underscoring duty's relentless erosion of personal normalcy.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

C.J. enters looking for Leo, briefly interrupting the car-buying discussion.

focus shift to urgency ['Oval Office']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

3
C.J. Cregg
primary

Harried urgency tempered by gallows humor, masking Haiti crisis strain.

Bursts into the Outer Oval seeking Leo urgently, receives Charlie's Situation Room direction, and delivers a sarcasm-tinged quip that punctuates the interruption, yanking banter into crisis reality.

Goals in this moment
  • • Locate Leo immediately for pressing Situation Room matters
  • • Defuse intrusion awkwardness with quick-witted sarcasm
Active beliefs
  • • Leo in Situation Room signals escalating international peril
  • • Humor disarms tension in high-stakes interruptions
Character traits
urgent wryly sarcastic professionally driven
Follow C.J. Cregg's journey
Charlie Young
primary

Playfully exasperated laced with affectionate mischief, swiftly shifting to unflappable efficiency.

Seated behind his desk computer, Charlie initiates and sustains playful banter, teasing Mrs. Landingham relentlessly about her car purchase folly while walking with her into the Oval Office, then calmly redirects incoming C.J. to Leo's Situation Room location.

Goals in this moment
  • • Tease Mrs. Landingham to build camaraderie through shared levity
  • • Assist C.J. by providing Leo's precise location amid crisis
Active beliefs
  • • Negotiating car prices is savvy adulting Mrs. Landingham foolishly skipped
  • • West Wing duties demand instant redirection even in personal moments
Character traits
playful irreverent helpful composed under interruption
Follow Charlie Young's journey
Dolores Landingham
primary

Defensive yet playfully assured, warmed by Charlie's ribbing without yielding ground.

Engages in walk-and-talk defense from Charlie's desk into Oval Office, firmly parrying his jabs with deadpan wit and ethical justifications for her sticker-price purchase, embodying unyielding principle amid their familial sparring.

Goals in this moment
  • • Uphold personal integrity by rejecting car discounts as improper gifts
  • • Maintain banter's light tone to nurture aide relationship
Active beliefs
  • • Government ethics demand paying listed price to avoid any gift perception
  • • Personal folly like overpaying builds character over haggling wins
Character traits
wryly humorous ethically rigid affectionately maternal unflappable
Follow Dolores Landingham's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Charlie's Computer

Charlie's computer serves as his desk workstation anchoring the Outer Oval banter's starting point; he sits behind it while launching car-price teasing at Mrs. Landingham, the glowing screen a mundane tether grounding their levity before crisis intrudes, symbolizing dutiful normalcy amid White House grind.

Before: Operational at Charlie's Outer Oval desk, screen active.
After: Unchanged, operational at desk as group disperses.
Before: Operational at Charlie's Outer Oval desk, screen active.
After: Unchanged, operational at desk as group disperses.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

2
White House Situation Room

Situation Room emerges as Leo's reported crisis hub, Charlie's redirection site for C.J., and tonal pivot shattering desk banter; it embodies Haiti coup frenzy with rebel sieges and Marine perils, thrusting personal levity into national security maelstrom.

Atmosphere Implied as tense, crammed with officers and intel chaos.
Function Off-screen crisis command center drawing staff away.
Symbolism Harbringer of duty eclipsing human moments.
Access Restricted to senior command like Leo.
Scarred conference table under pressure Fractured voices tallying insurgents
Car Dealership

The car dealership looms as backstory anchor in dialogue, site of Mrs. Landingham's solo sticker-price stand; Charlie laments her going alone without haggle savvy, contrasting ethical isolation with West Wing camaraderie and underscoring her principled folly fueling the event's playful conflict.

Atmosphere Evoked as fluorescent-lit, sleazy negotiation arena via memory.
Function Referenced origin of banter conflict.
Symbolism Embodies everyday ethical battleground mirroring White House moral tightropes.
Fluorescent lights over gleaming sedans Oily dealer haggling vibes

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Key Dialogue

"C.J.: "I was looking for Leo.""
"CHARLIE: "He's in the Situation Room.""
"C.J.: "That's usually a good sign.""