Donna's Notepad

Flashlight beam slices through blackout gloom in the National Strategies Group as Donna hunches over her notepad, scribbling frantic notes on power outage timelines amid Josh's seething demands. Pages rustle under hurried pen strokes; she flips back, voice cutting tension to relay precise details—smudged ink testifying to crisis improvisation while Joey and Kenny hover, Josh paces, phones dead.

3 appearances

Purpose

Records and references power outage information during blackout when communication lines fail

Significance

Anchors Donna's vital updates amid spiraling chaos, exposing operational fragility and Josh's control fracture as polling obsession collides with infrastructural collapse

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S2E13 · Bartlet's Third State of the Union

Josh's Blackout Fury: Polling Obsession Amid Power Chaos

Donna scribbles frantic outage notes from Potomac Electric call onto the notepad by flashlight glow, then reads aloud details like cable fire and 2,000 affected customers—serving as improvised crisis log that underscores information scarcity fueling Josh's demands, bridging external facts to internal frenzy.

Before: In Donna's possession, blank or partially used in dark polling ops

After: Flipped open with fresh smudged ink notes on outage, still in Donna's hands

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S3E6 · Gone Quiet

Josh Dictates Scathing Letter, Overrides Donna's Objections

Donna's notepad serves as immediate note-taking tool during Josh's heated dictation of the sarcastic letter, capturing every ironic detail of the bus protest, Park Police involvement, refueling, and souvenir tags, bridging the keyboard failure and underscoring frantic office improvisation.

Before: Intact, in Donna's possession in Josh's office

After: Filled with dictated letter text, still with Donna

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S3E6 · Gone Quiet

C.J. Curbs Josh's Gloating, Uncovers Submarine Policy Void

Donna's notepad captures Josh's ongoing dictation of the snarky seniors' letter amid C.J.'s interruption, symbolizing disrupted routine work; its use underscores office chaos spilling into the urgent policy pull-aside, bridging petty distractions with high-stakes submarine crisis.

Before: In Donna's hand, actively receiving dictation

After: Still with Donna, dictation paused as she shifts to computer

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