Standing With You
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Toby orders drinks, signaling a moment of camaraderie amidst the tension.
Toby reaffirms his loyalty to Sam, promising to stand by him despite the impending defeat.
Sam and Toby share a heartfelt moment, hugging and acknowledging their bond.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Resigned and somber on the surface; relieved and tender in the private exchange, quickly shifting to professional composure when national news intrudes.
Sam arrives in a white-tie suit, collapses into pragmatic confession about his failing campaign, listens to Toby's loyalty speech, is visibly moved, hugs Toby, downs a drink, and immediately pivots toward work when news of the bombing arrives.
- • To articulate and process the reality of his likely electoral loss.
- • To find moral affirmation or counsel about how to handle defeat without abandoning principles.
- • To maintain dignity and prepare mentally to return to duties when required.
- • That the campaign is irretrievably lost and the public narrative will be brutal.
- • That political survival often requires pandering he increasingly resists.
- • That companionship from trusted colleagues matters more than spin in moments of loss.
Cynical outwardly but emotionally committed; steadier than Sam and intentionally present to shoulder shared humiliation and preserve moral memory.
Toby arrives also in white-tie, sits at the bar, debates the tactical and moral dimensions of Sam's choices, delivers a clear pledge to stand with Sam through public backlash, pats Sam on the back, hugs him, participates in the toast, and leaves a tip before they exit to work.
- • To reassure Sam and cement a narrative that Sam did not abandon his principles.
- • To be physically present as a political and moral witness when the crowd turns hostile.
- • To contain the narrative damage by controlling how the loss will be remembered.
- • That principled failure can be politically and morally superior to opportunistic victory.
- • That personal loyalty and witness can preserve reputations after a public loss.
- • That presence matters more than clever messaging in moments of collapse.
Detached and professional; functions as an information conduit rather than an emotional participant.
The bartender answers Sam's questions about the bar, serves two shots and a beer, relays a news bulletin about a terrorist bombing in Africa, accepts a tip left by Toby, and provides the factual pivot that moves the scene from private politics to national crisis.
- • To serve customers and manage bar logistics (private party incoming).
- • To inform patrons of breaking news when it appears on the television.
- • To complete the transaction (serve drinks, accept tip) and return to normal service.
- • That the bar's role is service and information (TV news) rather than intervention.
- • That delivering the news plainly is sufficient; no commentary is required.
- • That customers of status (white-tie patrons) require the same transactional treatment as others.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Two shots and a glass of beer are ordered, served, and used as the ritual focus for a somber toast and moment of camaraderie. The drinks concretize the private exchange, provide a tactile beat for the hug and the pivot, and are downed to seal the return to professional duty.
Toby slides cash across the scarred bar as a tip after the toast—this small transactional act marks the end of the intimate exchange and signals readiness to depart. The tip closes the social interaction and reestablishes ordinary commerce amid extraordinary news.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The late-night Orange County bar functions as an informal refuge from formal campaign events next door, a private space where two white-tie men can confess fears and exchange loyalty. It houses the intimate exchange, provides the television that delivers breaking national news, and serves as the literal threshold between private consolation and public duty.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
AARP is named as part of Sam’s outreach, used to illustrate the campaign’s attempt to secure senior voters; its invocation dramatizes the plurality of constituencies and the pragmatic compromises asked of a candidate.
The Local AFL is cited specifically as part of the labor turnout; its mention refines the type of organized labor involved and the practical power structure Sam relied upon during campaigning.
The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber) is the next-door formal venue Sam feels pressured to address; it embodies the corporate audience demanding a different rhetorical posture and functions as a tactical constraint on Sam’s messaging choices.
Planned Parenthood is invoked as one of the constituency groups Sam spent the day meeting with; its mention serves to establish the campaign’s outreach efforts and the kinds of voters Sam believes should be mobilized but fears might stay home.
Families America is cited as another organization Sam met, functioning narratively to show the breadth of his outreach and to underline the demographic coalitions at stake in his campaign's fate.
The News appears as the factual engine that introduces the terrorist bombing into the scene; the bartender relays a bulletin, converting a private political moment into an immediate national security concern and redirecting the characters’ priorities.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Sam's acknowledgment of his likely loss leads to Toby's reaffirmation of loyalty."
"Sam's acknowledgment of his likely loss leads to Toby's reaffirmation of loyalty."
"Sam's acknowledgment of his likely loss leads to Toby's reaffirmation of loyalty."
"Sam's acknowledgment of his likely loss leads to Toby's reaffirmation of loyalty."
"The bartender's news of the bombing coincides with Will's briefing to the interns."
"Sam and Toby's return to duty mirrors the interns' spontaneous organization to craft communications."
Key Dialogue
"SAM: "I'm gonna lose.""
"TOBY: "You're gonna lose, and you're gonna lose huge. They're gonna throw rocks at you next week, and I wanted to be standing next to you when they did.""
"TOBY: "No. The story's going to be that you actually stuck up for what you believed in, you didn't cut and run. And people are gonna remember that, I'm gonna make sure of it.""