Staff loyalty versus outside partisan opportunism: Mandy/Madeline pressing to represent Mike Brace (a Republican client) and the senior team forcing a loyalty choice (practical favors vs. institutional risk).

Walking back from the Oval, Josh casually drops that he has been subpoenaed and will be deposed—then insists it’s a "non-event," refusing counsel out of brittle confidence. Sam presses pragmatically, …

As footage of soldiers fighting in Kashmir plays on a nearby monitor, Mandy confronts a distracted Sam in his office about whether he contacted their outside source. Sam collapses the …

Sam returns to an office dominated by images of the Kashmir fighting and is pulled into a terse loyalty test with Mandy, who pushes him to reveal whether he’s contacted …