C.J.'s Mustang Starter Relay

Simon brandishes the starter relay—compact, grimy metal switch pried from C.J.'s '65 Mustang's engine bay—as irrefutable proof of his sabotage. Fingers clench around its edges amid C.J.'s erupting fury outside her office, the tiny component gleaming under fluorescent glare while Sam watches tensions ignite; its absence strands the cherished muscle car dead in the lot, pulse of autonomy severed in one calculated yank.

2 appearances

Purpose

Relays electrical current to engage the starter motor, enabling the Mustang's engine ignition

Significance

Concrete emblem of Simon's suffocating vigilance, stripping C.J.'s independence by gutting her prized Mustang; raw confrontation fractures their alliance, foreshadowing peril as overprotection morphs into control under threat's shadow.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S3E19 · The Black Vera Wang

C.J. Rebels Against Simon's Overprotectiveness, Discovers Sabotaged Mustang

Simon lists the starter relay among the pilfered Mustang components, this grimy metal switch pried loose to ensure dead silence from the engine; it serves as concrete validation of his lockdown, escalating the confrontation's stakes from verbal spar to mechanical betrayal.

Before: In place within Mustang's engine bay

After: Extracted by Simon, contributing to total vehicle shutdown

View full event

S3E19 · The Black Vera Wang

Sam Unveils Anonymous Attack Ad Targeting Bartlet's Secrets

Simon includes the starter relay among the pried-out Mustang components in his deadpan reveal outside C.J.'s office, this grimy switch amplifying the sabotage's thoroughness as a protective talisman during the charged prelude to the opposition tape viewing.

Before: Detached from Mustang, under Simon's safeguarding

After: Unchanged, overshadowed by incoming political bomb

View full event