Short Tumbler of Water (Oval Office — for Bartlet's pills)

A plain, clear short tumbler roughly palm-sized, filled with still, room-temperature water. It rests on the Oval Office desk near the Steuben pitcher and is handed or offered to the President; characters lift and touch the rim briefly as it facilitates a small, private medical action in an official setting.

6 appearances

Purpose

To provide potable water for swallowing medication.

Significance

Serves as a practical medical prop that enables Bartlet to take his pills and anchors an intimate, domestic gesture within the Oval Office, signaling the overlap of private care and public duty during the scene.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

6 moments

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

Shattered Pitcher — The President Collapses

A plain glass of water intended for swallowing the pills is referenced as part of Bartlet's plan to take medication; later the same water is implicated by spilled water near the broken pitcher where he collapses.

Before: On the Oval desk near the Steuben pitcher, full and ready to be used with pills.

After: Spilled on the carpet next to the shattered pitcher and the unconscious President, contributing to visual evidence of the collapse.

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

Denial in the Oval: Bartlet's Collapse Exposed

A simple glass of water is referenced as the medium through which Bartlet will swallow his pills; after the collapse water is found spilled on the carpet, contributing to the visual chaos and connecting the act of taking pills to the moment of collapse.

Before: Sitting near the Steuben pitcher on the Oval desk, ready to be poured and used.

After: Spilled on the floor beside the broken pitcher and the collapsed President.

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

Liberty's Down — Rhetoric Rift and the President's Collapse

A plain glass of water is intended to be the vehicle for the President to swallow his pills; Bartlet says he will pour water from the Steuben pitcher into this glass, and after the collapse the water is found spilled near the broken pitcher, visually sealing the moment.

Before: On the Oval desk, filled and ready beside the Steuben pitcher.

After: Spilled onto the carpet beside the shattered pitcher and the unconscious President.

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S1E22 · What Kind Of Day Has It Been

A Report, a Carpet, and a Call

A glass of water sits on Bartlet's desk and is used to swallow his pills; narratively it lubricates a personal ritual that punctuates the Oval's private side before the scene moves to operational business.

Before: Resting on the President's desk, available for use.

After: Held/used by Bartlet to swallow pills; presumably returned to desk or set aside after use.

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S1E22 · What Kind Of Day Has It Been

Fitzwallace Arrives — Bad News Becomes Good News

A short tumbler of room‑temperature water sits on the President's desk and is used to swallow his prescription, a small prop that enables the private, humanizing medical action while visually anchoring the desk as a personal surface in the Oval.

Before: On the Oval Office desk within reach of the President.

After: Remains on the desk after use; an untouched prop that marks the moment's domestic normalcy amid institutional stress.

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S1E22 · What Kind Of Day Has It Been

Hutchins Recovered — The President's Personal Call

A clear short tumbler of water on the Oval desk used by Bartlet to swallow his pills; functions as a small domestic prop that normalizes the Oval's intense business with a private human gesture.

Before: On the President's desk, filled with room-temperature water.

After: Still on the desk, having been used to take the pills.

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