Object

Sam's Draft of Victory Remarks

Sam thrusts forward crisp pages of his typed victory speech draft into the charged hotel suite air, where President Bartlet snatches them with mounting fury. Eyes rake the impersonal text—devoid of the opponent's name—unleashing a volcanic rant that shatters premature celebration, his fingers crumpling edges as impatience boils over the document's generic platitudes treating triumph like rote exercise.

2 appearances

Purpose

Draft script for President Bartlet's post-Illinois primary victory speech

Significance

Ignites Bartlet's raw outburst, stripping away intellectual armor to bare terror of victory's crushing weight; fractures team complacency, excavating vulnerability that binds them tighter amid electoral adrenaline and looming personal crises.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E2 · In the Shadow of Two Gunmen Part 2

Exit Polls Ignite Hope, Josh Reveals Father's Chemo

Sam's typed victory speech draft is identified by Josh as the document Bartlet grumpily questions upon entering, its generic opponent reference looming as a narrative pivot from poll euphoria to presidential critique, underscoring premature scripting tensions.

Before: Held or nearby in suite, unread by Bartlet

After: Drawn into Bartlet's scrutiny, edges potentially crumpled

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S2E2 · In the Shadow of Two Gunmen Part 2

Bartlet's Victory Speech Fury, Abbey's Protective Reveal

Serves as the explosive catalyst when Bartlet snatches it, savaging its impersonal line congratulating an unnamed opponent as 'old crap' and amateurish, propelling his demand for Leo to revise it entirely—symbolizing the chasm between staff caution and Bartlet's demand for raw authenticity amid victory's edge.

Before: Present in the suite, likely on a table or in circulation among staff

After: Carried out by Bartlet and Leo for immediate revisions

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