Clocked Out: Josh's Awkward Visit to Joey
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Josh arrives at Joey's office, greeted awkwardly as Kenny signals his presence.
Josh praises Joey's office setup, masking nerves with forced small talk over her clock.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Neutral, focused on facilitation rather than engagement; unobtrusively efficient.
Notices Josh's arrival and attempts to get Joey's attention, then escorts Joey when she leaves for lunch; functions as a quiet logistical presence that frames Joey's authority.
- • To manage protocol and make sure Joey's transitions (arrival/departure) run smoothly.
- • To minimize interruptions and preserve Joey's control of the interaction.
- • Joey's agenda and timing take priority over ad hoc interruptions.
- • His role is to create space for Joey to control conversations and exits.
Confident and mildly dismissive; measured professionalism that signals autonomy and preparedness.
Receives Josh calmly and with polite brevity, immediately undercuts him by stating she already knows (having been briefed by Toby), then uses the alarm clock cue to end the encounter and leave for lunch with Kenny.
- • To assert that she is already informed and in control of the messaging.
- • To preserve her schedule and authority by closing the conversation on her terms.
- • She trusts Toby's briefing and her own preparedness to handle the issue.
- • Time and schedule are tools of control — she will not be lectured or redirected unnecessarily.
Surface composure masking anxiety; feeling exposed and embarrassed by being undercut publicly; trying to regain control.
Enters Joey's office, initiates small‑talk to soften a policy warning, delivers an urgent briefing about the President's F.E.C. nominees and anticipated Republican retaliation, then sits back awkwardly as Joey and Kenny leave after her alarm rings.
- • To alert Joey to a politically dangerous development and secure her cooperation.
- • To maintain a friendly, collegial rapport while delivering bad news (personal check‑in woven into work).
- • Joey may not yet be fully briefed and needs the White House's framing.
- • Controlling the narrative early can blunt Republican retaliation and protect the President.
Present only off‑screen through Joey's mention; his prior phone briefing to Joey is the proximate cause of her knowledge and …
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Joey's compact desk alarm clock emits a punctual chime that cuts Josh off mid‑interaction. The ring functions as a literal and dramatic cue that ends the exchange, signals Joey's control of time and schedule, and heightens Josh's awkward exposure.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
Key Dialogue
"JOSH: "I see you're all settled in.""
"JOSH: "Here's the story. The President announced last night, he's naming two Campaign Finance Reform minded nominees to the F.E.C. This will anger the Republican Leadership to the extent they'll retaliate. Retaliate, how? They'll introduce a series of bills design to put the President on the wrong side of public debates. The first will be a law making English the National language.""
"JOEY: "I already know this, Josh. I've been working on it since Toby called me.""