Object

C.J. Cregg's Office Side Table (holds Gail the goldfish)

Distinct from office couch; serves as surface for Gail the goldfish bowl and incidental leaning.

4 appearances

Purpose

Provides a convenient staging surface for small personal items (a fishbowl, cups, mail) and functions as set dressing and a physical anchor for blocking near the office entrance.

Significance

Holds Gail the goldfish and becomes the staging plane for a private, boundary‑testing moment between C.J. and Danny; the table's domestic prop (the fishbowl) punctures workplace formality and materially frames the tactical kiss, converting an otherwise ordinary surface into an intimate narrative pivot.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S1E9 · The Short List

Donna Presses Josh; Mandy Demands Tests

The Northwest Lobby side table functions as a staging surface where Mandy is already seated when Josh and Donna approach; it frames her interruption and anchors the blocking by the door, marking the point where private hallway conversation becomes a policy argument.

Before: Pushed against the wall by the Northwest Lobby door, scuffed and empty or holding minor items.

After: Occupied (Mandy sitting beside it) and serving as a visual anchor for her interruption; unchanged structurally but narratively charged.

View full event

S1E9 · The Short List

Goldfish Mix-Up — A Small, Tender Beat

A small side table serves as the physical resting place for the fishbowl after Danny gives it to C.J.; narratively it becomes the staging surface that allows the absurd gift to be visible and linger, concretizing the joke and C.J.'s tenderness as she watches the fish.

Before: Unspecified but present in C.J.'s office as a low table near the door; empty of notable props.

After: Now holds the fishbowl containing the goldfish, becoming part of the intimate tableau that punctures the office's professional atmosphere.

View full event

S1E12 · He Shall, From Time To Time...

C.J.'s Tactical Kiss

The side table holds the fishbowl (Gail) and becomes the staging area for micro‑domestic choreography: characters warn about rocking it, C.J. picks up the fish briefly, and later returns it. The table anchors the playful, intimate choreography and provides a mundane counterpoint to the kiss.

Before: Fishbowl sitting on the side table near the door; Danny is playing with it while waiting.

After: Fishbowl returned to the table by C.J.; remains in place, undisturbed aside from handling.

View full event

S1E12 · He Shall, From Time To Time...

A Tactical Kiss

The side table functions as a staging surface for Gail's fishbowl. It anchors the domestic detail that C.J. uses to temper the kiss—she warns Danny about rocking against the bowl, briefly takes Gail from the table while exiting, then returns the bowl to the table. The table frames the intimacy and the comic defusion of the moment.

Before: Occupied by Gail's fishbowl, positioned near the office door within easy reach.

After: Fishbowl returned to its original position on the table; table remains scuffed but undisturbed otherwise.

View full event