Abbey Demands Josh Address Treaty Flaws with Amy Gardner
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Abbey reveals her purpose: confronting Josh about Amy Gardner's letter on forced prostitution.
Josh deflects with sarcasm, but Abbey persists, emphasizing the treaty's flawed language.
Abbey demands Josh engage with Amy, leaving him visibly resigned to the confrontation.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
irritated reluctance masked by sarcasm, escalating to resigned defeat
Startled to his feet by Abbey's entrance post-Donna friction, Josh snaps at Donna then sarcastically dismisses Amy's letter as overreaction to 'one word,' defends treaty pragmatically but buckles under pressure with forced smile, agreeing to meet Amy as she wheels out.
- • deflect Abbey's confrontation
- • minimize treaty revisions as minor semantics
- • Amy's outrage is habitual and exaggerated
- • one word doesn't dramatically undermine prosecutions
irate (as described)
Invoked repeatedly as author of the irate, co-signed letter decrying UN treaty; Abbey confirms direct conversation with her, positioning Gardner's critique as catalyst for Josh's compelled meeting.
- • rally opposition to treaty loophole
- • secure prosecutorial safeguards
- • 'forced' wording enables traffickers
- • administration must prioritize victims
insistent confidence laced with righteous determination
Wheeled assertively into Josh's office, Abbey immediately asserts authority as 'the boss's wife,' reveals Amy's letter and her alignment via direct conversation, methodically dismantles Josh's dodges on the 'forced' qualifier's prosecutorial flaws, demands he meet Amy, and exits with parting wit.
- • compel Josh to engage Amy on treaty flaws
- • enforce stronger anti-trafficking language
- • 'forced' qualifier guts sex trafficking prosecutions
- • moral imperatives trump diplomatic wordplay
neutral and professional
Donna enters Josh's office calling his name, fails to warn him of Abbey's arrival despite his plea for no interruptions, and exits promptly after brief exchange, her neutral delivery underscoring routine chaos.
- • summon Josh for business
- • disengage without escalation
- • interruptions are part of the job
- • advance warning isn't always feasible
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Amy Gardner's letter serves as the explosive catalyst: Abbey announces receiving it (with Josh cc'd), highlights its co-signers, and wields its core argument—that the UN treaty's 'forced' prostitution clause excludes broader sex trafficking prosecutions—to dismantle Josh's deflections, forcing his engagement.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Vienna is referenced by Abbey as her imminent destination for UN treaty negotiations, heightening the stakes of the 'forced' clause debate and framing the office confrontation as prelude to high-stakes diplomatic showdown over sex trafficking language.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The UN's treaty draft—specifically its 'forced prostitution' phrasing—is dissected as the conflict's epicenter, with Abbey arguing it sabotages prosecutions, pulling Josh into the fray over Vienna negotiations.
Ten women's groups invoked collectively by Abbey as co-signers, their unified fury via the letter weaponized to shatter Josh's semantic defenses and catalyze administration engagement on treaty flaws.
NOW is cited by Abbey as co-signer of Amy's letter, lending feminist weight to the assault on the UN treaty's 'forced' qualifier, pressuring Josh indirectly through moral authority channeled via First Lady.
Women's Action League named by Abbey as co-signer alongside NOW, amplifying the letter's indictment of the treaty wording and fortifying her demand for Josh to confront Amy, symbolizing broader advocacy onslaught.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Abbey's demand that Josh meet with Amy directly leads to their confrontation about the UN treaty."
"Abbey's confrontation with Josh about the prostitution treaty directly leads to his meeting with Amy Gardner."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"ABBEY: "Isn't this one word that dramatically alters the effectiveness of the treaty?" JOSH: "I don't know how dramatically...""
"ABBEY: "The current draft says 'forced prostitution.' Excluding all other types of prostitution and sex trafficking?" JOSH: "Well, I suppose that's for prosecutors to...""
"ABBEY: "Yes. And I'd like you to do the same." JOSH: "([with a really forced smile]) God.... Really?""