Bobby's Lists

Bobby clutches these lists in the President's bedroom as Abbey demands them amid morning banter with Bartlet and household staff Mrs. Wilburforce and Mrs. Wilberforce. The papers fuel playful exchanges until Bartlet raises Eisenmenger's Syndrome and the Ayatollah's son, shifting the mood. Abbey presses Bobby for the documents, highlighting her authority and his deference in this domestic setting.

2 appearances

Purpose

Supply Abbey with requested information during bedroom discussion, serving as conversational starter before medical ethics debate.

Significance

Ignites light banter among family and staff, contrasting everyday intimacy against the looming surgeon refusal crisis; Abbey's request underscores her proactive role in the unfolding moral standoff.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

Bedroom Banter Interrupted — Eisenmenger and the Unwilling Surgeon

Bobby's lists open the scene as the domestic prop that triggers banter and establishes the private setting. They function as the concrete reason for the gathering and a tonal device that makes the later ethical pivot more jarring.

Before: In Bobby's possession; being presented to Abbey when the scene begins.

After: Still in the residence and in Bobby's charge (implicitly handed/available to Abbey); unchanged materially but narratively eclipsed by the medical emergency.

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S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

Ethics vs. Executive: The Surgeon Refuses

Bobby's lists begin the exchange and structure the opening domestic banter: Abbey insists she needs them, Bobby confirms he has them, and the back-and-forth creates a casual atmosphere that is then ruptured by the medical/diplomatic revelation. The lists function narratively to establish normalcy before the moral pivot.

Before: In Bobby's possession; prepared and ready to be handed to Abbey.

After: Acknowledged as present; Bobby exits the room (lists either retained by him or handed off off-camera), leaving Abbey and Bartlet to continue the substantive discussion.

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