MONDO EXTRAS

Of course, at this point, they enter what I believe is the East Room, and the band starts up. Shepherd says, "Damn. And I wanted to be different from the other guys." A Marine (I think; I can't tell one uniform from another) takes Sydney's arm and leads her away as a voice announces, "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States." As Sydney's led away, he says, "By the way, nice shoes." Her eyes sparkle as she looks back and smiles. There's a lot of pomp, circumstance and playing of "Hail to the Chief." Then we cut to the dinner being served; it's all exceedingly elegant and well-appointed, as you'd expect, with lovely music playing softly. Sydney whispers to Shepherd that the French President and his wife look bored. POTUS says that they're hammered, and asks Esther whether she speaks French. She speaks Latin. POTUS remarks, "Great, next time Julius Caesar comes to town, you're our gal. Sydney, I don't suppose that you speak any..." Sydney launches in: "Monsieur le Président, nous sommes tous habillés, nous avons ce merveilleux orchestre, une pièce magnifique...comment se fait-il que les invités ne dansent pas?" Shepherd looks like he'll bust his buttons with pride and says to anyone who's listening, "That's my date." They continue yattering in French until POTUS asks, "Sydney, you didn't dissolve our trade agreements, did you?" Sydney says that she merely wondered why nobody was dancing. President D'Astier indicates that French custom is to behead guests who are impertinent enough to dance without the lead of the King and Queen. He seems only to be partly joking. A.J.: "I'll bet no one accused Louis of being soft on crime." Sydney tells Shepherd there's a lesson here; Shepherd guesses, "More beheadings at the White House?" A.J.: "Bob Rumson would embrace it." Shepherd's sure of it, and asks Sydney to dance. They dance, as everyone watches them alone on the dance floor. Shepherd only has eyes for Sydney, but she's very conscious of where she is and how many people are wondering who the heck she is.