Drenched Josh Summons Sam to New Hampshire
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
A drenched Josh appears outside the conference room, silently capturing Sam's attention with an enigmatic presence.
Sam abandons the meeting and his corporate career, declaring 'New Hampshire!' as he follows Josh into the unknown.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Angrily authoritative fracturing into panicked desperation
Gage erupts in repeated scolds—'Sam!', 'Damn it!', 'Sam, that's enough!'—demanding Sam cease spill litanies and pleas, culminates in desperate pleas 'Sam, please keep your seat! Sam, where are you going?' as Sam bolts, voice cracking with authority's collapse.
- • Suppress Sam's idealism to salvage the tanker sale
- • Physically restrain his defection from the table
- • Firm loyalty demands profit over principle
- • Sam's rebellion risks professional ruin
Initially patient reasoning shifting to annoyed disbelief
Loch counters Sam's cheaper-now logic with weary 'Sam,' notes environmental nods aren't ignored but calls out Sam's wandering gaze—'Excuse me, Sam? It doesn't quite feel like I have your attention'—as Josh commandeers focus, his patience thinning.
- • Deflect ethical arguments back to fiscal tracks
- • Reclaim Sam's focus for deal closure
- • Firm already balances eco-concerns without excess spend
- • Sam's distraction signals deal-ending disengagement
Inquisitively focused amid rising exasperation
Cameron probes amortization details pre-tax at the pitch's outset, setting fiscal tone before Sam's ethical detour spirals, remaining a silent sentinel as chaos erupts but contributing to the mounting pressure through his initial technical scrutiny.
- • Clarify financial projections to safeguard the deal
- • Maintain technical rigor against moral digressions
- • Deals hinge on airtight fiscal math, not ideals
- • Regulatory dodges via flags ensure profitability
Righteously indignant surging into joyful epiphany and liberation
Sam dominates the pitch with fiery advocacy for $11M ethical upgrades, rattling off oil spill disasters from internet research; mesmerized by Josh outside, he laughs infectiously, shuffles aside his papers declaring 'I'm not going to need that,' bolts from the table shouting 'New Hampshire!' and strides through the door Josh holds open.
- • Persuade clients to prioritize safety over cheap liability dodges
- • Seize the moment to join Josh's political call
- • Corporate shortcuts breed environmental catastrophe and moral bankruptcy
- • True purpose lies in Bartlet's underdog fight, not profit-chasing law
Professionally exasperated veering into frustrated urgency
Female Lawyer delivers crisp amortization figures (15 years, $15M pre-tax), groans audibly at Sam's $11M push, snaps 'Sam!' to refocus him amid Josh's distraction, embodying the firm's fraying impatience as the meeting implodes.
- • Anchor the pitch in hard financials
- • Reel Sam back to scripted profitability
- • Profit metrics override ethical side-quests
- • Distractions like Josh threaten closing the deal
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Sam's meticulously prepared meeting papers, symbolizing his corporate allegiance, lie sprawled on the table as backdrop to his pitch; he shuffles them dismissively with a decisive pull-away, declaring 'I'm not going to need that,' abandoning them mid-meeting to underscore his total rejection of the law firm's mercenary world for Bartlet's moral quest.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The sleek Midtown conference room frames the pitch's unraveling: glass walls expose Josh's external apparition, amplifying his pull; mahogany table and creaking leather chairs witness groans, scolds, and Sam's explosive defection, transforming a profit sanctuary into idealism's launchpad amid sunlight-sheared tension.
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: "New Hampshire!""