Object
Scotch (Prohibited Beverage)
An adult-strength Scotch whisky referenced as a forbidden indulgence: the implied amber spirit that typically rests in a short tumbler. The liquor never appears on camera here; Mrs. Landingham invokes Dr. Tolliver’s orders banning scotch, and the mere mention tightens the Oval’s domestic code. Characters treat the drink as an absent prop — a private temptation curtailed by medical authority — and their banter frames it as evidence of who enforces President Bartlet’s boundaries.
2 appearances
Purpose
To be consumed as an alcoholic beverage.
Significance
Functions as a symbol of restraint and private morality: the prohibition explains domestic routines, exposes who wields caretaking authority, and softens the President through intimate, rule-bound banter. The drink’s absence but repeated mention heightens its role as a cultural marker of care and discipline in Bartlet’s household.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used