News Spike

Thursday 25 October 2018

Now See, Hear —

Respectfully, No. I’m Going Where I Want to Because a Man Stands Up

“I’m going where I want to
because a man stands up.”

CHARLIE

Hang on... I got a Dear John letter from Zoey.
She's breaking up with me again.

In email.
It's a Dear John email from my ex-girlfriend.

This is going to be a high self-image day for me.

WILL
Why is she breaking up with you again?

CHARLIE
I make Jean-Paul uncomfortable.

They've had a talk.

WILL
So it's really your ex-girlfriend,

on behalf of her new boyfriend,

who sent you a Dear John email.

They begin to walk UPSTAIRS.
CHARLIE
Yeah that makes it better.

WILL
What brought this on?

CHARLIE
Zoey's being indicted into the DAR

and there's a reception.

And Jean-Paul thinks it's unnatural,

and he's the son of a Count.

WILL
Oh, who isn't?

CHARLIE
An email.

WILL
You're going to take this lying down?

CHARLIE
No, I'll be standing up most of the time.
WILL
I'm serious.

CHARLIE
What other way is there for me to take it?

WILL
Belligerently.

CHARLIE
Belligerently?

WILL
I'd say 'No.'

I'd do it respectfully.

CHARLIE
You'd say no?

WILL
Respectfully.

CHARLIE
What would that sound like?

WILL
' Zoey, you say Jean-Paul is uncomfortable with our relationship

and he'd rather I not be around,

and I respectfully say "No.". '

CHARLIE
Can I ask you something?

WILL
Sure.

CHARLIE
Do you have a girlfriend right now?

WILL
No.

CHARLIE
When was the last time you had one?

WILL
About 9 months ago.

CHARLIE
How long did it last?

WILL
A couple of days.

CHARLIE
Okay.

WILL
In my own defense,

she was psycho.

CHARLIE
So why are you giving me relationship help?

WILL
Because I'm the only one in this conversation

who didn't get a Dear John email

from his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend.

CHARLIE
God, that's really true isn't it?

CUT TO: EXT. THE WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT
Charlie is waiting outside as a car pulls up. Zoey steps out.

CHARLIE
Look at that DAR dress you're wearing.

Man, that's fantastic.

You could churn butter in that thing.

ZOEY
Were you skulking in the shadows?

CHARLIE
I was.

ZOEY
Was Jean-Paul not able to meet me?

CHARLIE
He's meeting you right now.

He's waiting at the Ellipse.

ZOEY
I don't ever use the Ellipse.

CHARLIE
Oh, that's right.

You know what, I forgot.

ZOEY
Look...

CHARLIE
You sent me an email?

ZOEY
What was I supposed to do?

CHARLIE
Not send me an email.

ZOEY
He is very jealous of you.

He is, and I'd like to try to make this work.

So if you don't mind.

CHARLIE
Oh, but I do mind.

ZOEY
Well, I don't think that matters.

CHARLIE
I think it does.

ZOEY
Are you going to do what I asked in the email?

CHARLIE
No.

ZOEY
You just refuse?

CHARLIE

I do.

I refuse respectfully.

ZOEY
You can't refuse

and be respectful at the same time.

CHARLIE
Watch me.

Ask again.

ZOEY
Stop pursuing me.

CHARLIE
Respectfully, no.

ZOEY
Why?

CHARLIE
'Cause I'm in love with you and that's the way it goes.

ZOEY
[smiles]

I have to go inside for dinner.

CHARLIE
How long do you think before Jean Paul figures out your there?

ZOEY
Oh, shut up.

===============

LEO

You want to see me orchestrate this right now?

You want to see me mobilize these people?

These people who would walk into fire if you told them to.

These people who showed up to lead.

These people who showed up to fight.

[points at Charlie]

That guy gets death threats because he’s black and he dates your daughter.

He was warned: “Do not show up to this place. You’re life will be in danger.”

He said, “To hell with that, I’m going anyway.”

You said, “No.”

Prudent, or not prudent, this 21 year old for 600 dollars a week says,

“I’m going where I want to because a man stands up.”

Hawthorne Abendsen

Hawthorn : The Symbol of ‘good hope’ in THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS because it shows winter is over and spring is at hand.

Athenian girls used crown themselves with hawthorn flowers at weddings and the marriage torch was made of hawthorn.

The Romans considered it a charm against sorcery and placed leaves of it on the cradles of new-born infants.

The hawthorn was chosen by Henry VII [ Henry Tudor ] as his device because Richard III’s crown was recovered from a hawthorn bush at Bosworth.

‘Haw’ here is the Old English haga, ‘hedge’. See also [ Donna / Doc ] HAYWARD.

Wednesday 24 October 2018

Phonocentricity : Reason and Speech

Deconstructionism: The Method In The Madness

To Canterbury

The Soul of The Age

The Brightest Heaven of Invention

O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention,
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!

Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,
Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels,
Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire
Crouch for employment. But pardon, and gentles all,
The flat unraised spirits that have dared
On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth
So great an object: can this cockpit hold
The vasty fields of France? or may we cram
Within this wooden O the very casques
That did affright the air at Agincourt?

O, pardon! since a crooked figure may
Attest in little place a million;

And let us, ciphers to this great accompt,
On your imaginary forces work.

Suppose within the girdle of these walls
Are now confined two mighty monarchies,
Whose high upreared and abutting fronts
The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder:

Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts;

Into a thousand parts divide on man,
And make imaginary puissance;

Think when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving earth;

For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,
Carry them here and there; jumping o'er times,
Turning the accomplishment of many years
Into an hour-glass: for the which supply,
Admit me Chorus to this history;

Who prologue-like your humble patience pray,
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play.

Who Wants to Live Forever?

BARTLET

I really did wake up energized this morning.

LEO

I know.

BARTLET

I never go to bed that way.

LEO

I know.

BARTLET

Just once, in this job, I’d like to end a day feeling as good as I did when the day started.

[pause]

Are you bothered by this?

LEO

The memo?

BARTLET

Yeah.

LEO

Yes.

BARTLET

We’ve heard it all before, Leo.

You drive me to political safe ground.

It’s not true.

LEO

I know it’s not true.

BARTLET

Good. [heads for his desk]

LEO

You drive me there.

BARTLET

[turns]

What the hell did you say?

LEO

And you know it too.

BARTLET

Leo?

LEO

We’re stuck in neutral because that’s where you tell me to stay.

BARTLET

You’re wrong.

LEO

No. I’m not, sir.

BARTLET

You want to do this now?

LEO

Sir?

BARTLET

You came to my house, Leo.

LEO

Mr. President?

BARTLET

You came to my house, and you said, “Jed, let’s run for President.”

I said, “Why?”

And you said, “So that you can open your mouth and say what you think!”

Where’d that part go, Leo?

LEO

You tell me, Mr. President. I don’t see a shortage of cameras or microphones around here.

What the hell were you waiting for?

BARTLET

Look...

LEO

Everything you do...

BARTLET

This morning-

LEO

Everything you do says:

“For God’s sakes, Leo. I don’t want to be a one-term President.”

BARTLET

Did I not say put our guys on the F.E.C.?

LEO

No sir. You did not do that.

BARTLET

Leo!

LEO

You said -- No!

You said, "Let’s dangle our feet in the water of whatever the hell it is we dangle our feet in, when we want to make it look like we’re trying without pissing too many people off!"

BARTLET

You’re writing a fascinating version of history, my friend.

LEO

Oh, take a look at Mandy’s memo, Mr. President, and you’ll read a fascinating version of it.

BARTLET

You brought me in on teachers.

You brought me in on capital gains.

You brought me in on China.

And you brought me in on guns.

LEO

Brought you in from where?

You’ve never been out there on guns.

You’ve never been out there on teachers.

You dangle your feet, and I’m the hall monitor around here.

It’s my job to make sure nobody runs too fast or goes off too far.

I tell Josh to go to the Hill on campaign finance, he knows nothing’s gonna come out of it.

BARTLET

That’s crap.

LEO

Sam can’t get real on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell because you’re not gonna be there, and every guy sitting across the room from him knows that.

BARTLET

Leo, if I ever told you to get aggressive about campaign finance or gays in the military, you would tell me, “Don’t run too fast or go to far.”

LEO

If you ever told me to get aggressive about anything, I’d say I serve at the pleasure of the President.

[pause]

But we’ll never know, sir, because I don’t think you’re ever gonna say it.

BARTLET

I have said it, and nothing’s every happened!

LEO

You want to see me orchestrate this right now?

You want to see me mobilize these people?

These people who would walk into fire if you told them to.

These people who showed up to lead.

These people who showed up to fight.

[points at Charlie]

That guy gets death threats because he’s black and he dates your daughter.

He was warned: “Do not show up to this place. You’re life will be in danger.”

He said, “To hell with that, I’m going anyway.”

You said, “No.”

Prudent, or not prudent, this 21 year old for 600 dollars a week says,

“I’m going where I want to because a man stands up.”

[pause]

Everyone’s waiting for you. I don’t know how much longer.

BARTLET

I don’t want to feel like this anymore.

LEO

You don’t have to.

BARTLET

I don’t want to go to sleep like this.

LEO

You don’t have to.

BARTLET

I want to speak.

LEO

Say it out loud. Say it to me.

BARTLET

This is more important than reelection. I want to speak now.

LEO

Say it again.

BARTLET

This is more important than reelection. I want to speak now.

LEO

Now we’re in business!

Leo goes to the table and picks up a pen and writes on a pad.

BARTLET

What’s happening?

LEO

We got our asses kicked in the first quarter, and it’s time we move up the mat.

BARTLET

Yes!

LEO

Say it.

BARTLET

This is more important than reelection.

I want to speak now.

LEO

[while writing] I’m gonna talk to the staff. I’m gonna take them off the leash.

BARTLET

You have a strategy for all this?

LEO

I have the beginnings of one.

BARTLET

What is it?

LEO

I’m gonna try that out for a little while.

Leo puts the pad on the desk in front of the President. It reads, “LET BARTLET BE BARTLET.”

The President looks at it and back to Leo as his chief of staff goes back into--

LEO’S OFFICE. The staff are still inside. Leo takes off his jacket and leans on his desk.

LEO

Listen up. Our ground game isn’t working. If we want to walk into walls, I’d want us running into them full speed.

JOSH

What are you saying?

LEO

Well, you can start by telling the Hill the President has named his nominees for the F.E.C.

Josh looks surprised.

LEO

And we’re gonna lose some of these battles, and we might even lose the White House, but we’re not gonna be threatened by issues.

We’re gonna put them front and center.

We’re gonna raise the level of public debate in this country, and let that be our legacy.

[turns to Josh]

That sound all right to you, Josh?

JOSH

I serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States.

LEO

[to C.J.] Yeah?

C.J.

I serve at the pleasure of the President.

Leo turns to Sam.

SAM

I serve at the pleasure of President Bartlet.

LEO

Toby?

TOBY

I serve at the pleasure of the President.

Everyone turns their frowns into big smiles.

LEO

Good.

Leo turns to his desk and gets a clipboard. He turns back to his staff.

LEO

Then let’s get in the game!

Toby, Sam, Josh and C.J. exit. Leo walks to a table to get a pen. He looks at the open door to the Oval Office. He sees Bartlet, who has been standing there watching.

Bartlet nods at him. Leo smiles back before Bartlet walks back to his desk.

DISSOLVE TO: END TITLES.

FADE TO BLACK.

THE END