C.J.'s 'Gary with a G' Detour
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
C.J. navigates the surreal landscape of talk radio personalities, engaging in superficial banter with 'Gary with a G' that highlights the absurdity of media branding before being summoned away by Secret Service.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Exuberantly boastful and performative
Launches into self-aggrandizing pitch of his 'Gary with a G' persona on KADR AM, boasts of 900,000 Rocky Mountain listeners, embraces 'hokey' label with Liza comparison, left mid-conversation as C.J. departs.
- • Elevate his radio brand through White House proximity
- • Impress C.J. with listener metrics and clever shtick
- • Unique branding distinguishes him in crowded media
- • Sheer audience size affirms his approach's success
Calmly insistent urgency
Locks eyes with C.J. across the crowded room, delivering a silent, urgent signal that prompts her immediate exit from banter to protocol duties.
- • Cue C.J. for presidential introduction timing
- • Uphold security and event flow without disruption
- • Non-verbal signals maintain operational secrecy
- • Precise timing safeguards high-profile transitions
Amused professionalism yielding to focused authority
Engages in sharp, playful banter with Gary, deftly likening his branding to Liza Minnelli, then spots Secret Service cue, politely excuses herself, strides to room's center, and authoritatively quiets the crowd to introduce the President amid rising applause.
- • Foster light rapport with media influencers
- • Execute seamless transition to presidential appearance
- • Humor disarms media encounters without compromising decorum
- • Duty demands instant pivot from social to official roles
defensive, uncomfortable
sits during Bartlet's speech, responds to his questions about credentials and views, fidgets uncomfortably, squirms, exchanges glance with Toby, holds plate as Sam takes food
- • defend her radio persona and biblical stance
Heightened alertness and excitement
Relentlessly snaps photos of mingling guests, flashbulbs erupting to punctuate C.J.-Gary exchange and heighten the electric pre-introduction atmosphere.
- • Capture candid political-media moments
- • Document presidential entrance prelude
- • Images amplify event's national reach
- • Spontaneity yields most potent shots
Detached neutrality
Glides through the reception periphery with platter of crab puffs, silently circulating hors d'oeuvres amid banter, photographers, and building tension.
- • Provide seamless food service
- • Avoid interfering with guest interactions
- • Invisibility sustains elite events
- • Routine tasks underpin spectacle
approaches Jenna Jacobs and snatches a crab puff from her plate
- • humorously take a crab puff
responds 'Yes, Mr. President' to Bartlet, exchanges glance with Jenna Jacobs before leaving
- • acknowledge Bartlet
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Carried by the waiter through the crowded reception, the platter of golden crab puffs circulates as tactile backdrop to C.J.'s banter with Gary, embodying the event's veneer of casual festivity amid flashbulbs and political undercurrents, subtly fueling endurance for prolonged schmoozing.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Bustling hub for radio personalities where C.J. banters superficially with Gary before Secret Service cue shifts her to center stage for presidential intro; flashbulbs and applause swell, transforming mingle-space into launchpad for Bartlet's entrance and underscoring media's trivial orbit around power.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Invoked via Gary's boastful plug during banter with C.J., positioning KADR AM as Rocky Mountain talk-radio powerhouse with 900,000 listeners, injecting performative media levity into White House reception and highlighting broadcast culture's bid for political relevance post-crisis.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Bartlet's personal history with Roush is recalled when he reveals the tactic he used to defeat Roush years earlier during the Jenna Jacobs confrontation."
"Bartlet's personal history with Roush is recalled when he reveals the tactic he used to defeat Roush years earlier during the Jenna Jacobs confrontation."
Key Dialogue
"GARY: I call myself Gary with a "G". C.J.: How else would you spell "Gary"?"
"C.J.: Like Liza with a "Z". GARY: Exactly. Hokey? Maybe so, but I have 900,000 listeners in the Rocky Mountain region."
"C.J.: Would you excuse me?"