Sam's Fiery Moral Stand for Safer Tankers
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Sam challenges corporate clients to spend extra money on safer oil tankers, arguing it's both economically and ethically the right choice.
Sam cites historical oil spills to emphasize the consequences of cutting corners, escalating his moral argument.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Mounting anger laced with desperate command
Mr. Gage repeatedly interrupts Sam's pitch with escalating scolds—'Sam!', 'Damn it!', 'Sam, that's enough!'—and pleads for him to keep his seat as he exits, voice rising in authoritative fury to halt the disruption.
- • Silence Sam's disruptive moral crusade
- • Retain control of the client pitch and prevent defection
- • Firm loyalty demands suppressing idealism
- • Ethical interruptions jeopardize lucrative deals
Annoyed skepticism shading into pointed frustration
Mr. Loch pushes back on Sam's revival of the safety argument—'We're back to this,' 'Sam'—notes environmental concerns but calls out Sam's distraction, questioning his attention as Josh beckons outside.
- • Counter Sam's ethical push to refocus on business
- • Highlight Sam's inattention to undermine his pitch
- • Firm already addresses eco-issues adequately
- • Distraction signals unreliability in high-stakes deals
Coolly analytical with underlying impatience
Mr. Cameron briefly questions amortization details pre-tax at the pitch's outset, probing financial specifics before Sam's moral detour dominates, sitting amid the escalating tension without further intervention.
- • Clarify fiscal details to maintain deal momentum
- • Ensure technical accuracy in the tanker pitch
- • Profit hinges on precise financial modeling
- • Moral digressions undermine commercial viability
Righteously indignant escalating to mesmerized epiphany and resolute liberation
Sam launches into a desperate, fiery pitch urging $11 million for safer tankers, reciting oil spill disasters with moral fervor despite interruptions; mesmerized by Josh outside, he shuffles and discards papers, stands abruptly, walks to the door, and shouts 'New Hampshire!' as he exits.
- • Persuade clients to prioritize safety over short-term profits
- • Seize the prophetic summons from Josh to join the Bartlet campaign
- • Corporate shortcuts invite moral and financial disaster
- • Bartlet's 'New Hampshire' movement embodies true ethical purpose
Frustrated impatience boiling over into sharp urgency
The Female Lawyer provides amortization figures, groans in frustration at Sam's pitch, urgently calls 'Sam!' to refocus him, and later reminds him they're mid-meeting as Josh distracts, embodying corporate exasperation.
- • Redirect Sam to financial rails
- • Preserve the deal's momentum against ethical derailment
- • Fiscal discipline trumps moral grandstanding
- • Meeting protocol demands undivided attention
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Sam's meticulously prepared meeting papers symbolize his corporate allegiance; he shuffles them distractedly during Josh's appearance, declares 'I'm not going to need that,' and pulls away decisively, abandoning them on the table as a visceral rejection of his lucrative legal career in favor of political destiny.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The sleek Midtown conference room frames Sam's climactic ethical confrontation, its glass walls allowing Josh's drenched apparition to pierce the corporate sanctum, transforming a routine pitch into a pivotal rupture where principle triumphs over profit amid creaking chairs and mounting vocal chaos.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Sam's moral stand in his corporate law days parallels his current vulnerability and fear shared with C.J., showing his consistent principled nature."
"Sam's moral stand in his corporate law days parallels his current vulnerability and fear shared with C.J., showing his consistent principled nature."
"Sam's moral stand in his corporate law days parallels his current vulnerability and fear shared with C.J., showing his consistent principled nature."
"Sam's moral stand in his corporate law days parallels his current vulnerability and fear shared with C.J., showing his consistent principled nature."
Key Dialogue
"SAM: Money's going to be spent, Mr. Loch, you can spend it now, or you can spend it later, but it's cheaper to spend it now."
"SAM: The Amoco Cadiz, 68 million gallons of crude oil off of Brittany, France. The Braer, a Liberian Tanker 26 million gallons off the Shetland Islands. I just pulled these off the internet last night! The Exxon Valdez. The Aegaen Sea. The Argo Merchant. Look it up!"
"SAM: (shouts back) New Hampshire!"