Top 5 Abbey Bartlet lines/moments! (Queen of the universe Dr. Abigail Bartlet, beloved)
Ask my top 5 anything!
1. “My husband’s an enormous jackass” / “Claudia Jean? Let’s get drunk.”
And also the entire episode really. I love that she gets to just be mad at the situation, I love that she gets to sit and get drunk with three great women she trusts. I love that her choices for that were Amy and CJ?? And how quick she is to invite Donna when Donna stops by?? It’s delightful. I love how she responds to Donna telling her the truth, how that informs her decision at the end of the episode. Just incredible.
2. “I wanted to be here when you were told.”
She says this to CJ after CJ’s been told about the MS, and I love it so much. It’s a shame it carries over less in later seasons, but I love how much Abbey does care for CJ, and understands how big of a deal this news would be to CJ in particular? (Job wise, given how often she’s now lied about the President’s health, but also in the context of “he thinks of you like a daughter”.) she wanted to be there. She wanted to help deliver that news to CJ. She just wanted to be there for Claudia Jean.
3. “It’s gonna be harder this time. But smart people who love you are gonna have your back.”
And then she never stops being that smart person who has her husband’s back even when everything she was afraid of safe for him dying happens in their second term in office. Every episode he has and every small way in which his body starts failing him is what she was afraid of when she made him promise to only be President for one term, and oh she never stops having his back. It’s beautiful. It’s heartbreaking.
4. Everything about Jed’s tie.
From “which of these says dominance?” “Why? Am I gonna wear it later?” To her cutting off his tie a minute before the debate. I love it, I love her attitude about it, it’s just a delight to watch every single time.
5. “I’m sitting here eating a sandwich because we had a deal.”
For one, Stockard’s acting is incredible. The pain in her voice? Everything. And I love how upset she gets to be. I know she’s often criticised for it, but oh she had every right to as mad as she was in this moment and I love that she IS and she doesn’t apologise for that anger? Jed pissed her off, he broke his promise, he’s trying to pretend he hasn’t made a decision yet when everyone knows he has and they’re heading towards re-election. So she’s sitting in the kitchen because she can’t make a scene in front of other people, she’s having a sandwich here while there’s a huge party outside, and she’s MAD. Because they had a deal. And he broke it. I love it.