Sam Seaborn

Sam reads the polished ceremonial toast for President Siguto aloud, testing its diplomatic language. His ironic retort about stealing money unexpectedly wins Toby approval, revealing his instinct for spin.

Sam reads Toby scathing toast passages aloud, worries openly about humiliating guests and creating a diplomatic incident, and offers a softened rewrite that Toby flatly refuses.

Standing outside on a street, Sam calls Josh urgently to report Mendoza's arrest and the odd details (Mendoza doesn't drink; police may not know whom they've detained), then gets into …

Sam enters with urgent news, explains the arrest and explicitly frames it as racially motivated; he answers questions, supplies the location (Wesley, Connecticut), and accepts Leo's orders to travel immediately.

Sam reports the facts plainly, drops the detonating line that reframes the arrest as racial profiling, answers logistical questions, and prepares to board the Learjet Leo has ordered to retrieve …

Sam pushes to move the briefing after the bill signing to control the news cycle, advocates keeping C.J.'s appointment, and uses warmth and a bit of humor to protect C.J.'s …

Sam is present among senior staff, observing and listening; though not vocal in this excerpt, he contributes tacit support to communications discussions and readies to advise if asked.

Present silently among senior staff, absorbing the exchange and ready to assist with messaging or political counsel as required; a steadying presence amid rapid escalation.

Sam stands nearby, attentive and absorbing Bartlet's response; he functions as a political staff presence ready to advise or assist after the scrum ends.

Sam steps forward to perform damage control, promising that the matter will be covered in a later briefing and offering a scheduling explanation — an attempt to reframe and buy …

Sam is physically driving the car, attempting to assert control and deny being lost while caught between Toby's urgency and Josh's distracted responses; he speaks defensively and functions as the …

Sam calmly defends his navigational claim, invoking the sun and Polaris as proof. He speaks with quiet confidence and a touch of earnestness, leaning on an unconventional method rather than …

Sam scans the roadside, spots an open store, offers to pull over and ask for directions, then visually locates the Wesley police station and announces the find, acting as the …

Sam is driving and actively searching for the station, offers to stop and ask for directions, responds to Toby's prompts, and ultimately spots the station—acting as the pragmatic field operator.

Approaches the desk, produces and shows a laminated White House I.D., speaks in controlled but insistent tones, frames the arrest as a national political problem and directly demands Mendoza's release …

Sam advances to the desk, presents his White House I.D., speaks crisply, presses for Mendoza's release, reads Officer Peter's name tag, and predicts a call from the Connecticut Governor to …

Bursts into the hallway with urgent intelligence, reframes the team's energy away from internal squabbling toward a more consequential external threat involving Roberto Mendoza, immediately elevating the incident's political stakes.

Sam bursts into the hallway with urgent new intelligence, deliberately redirecting the group's attention from Josh's meltdown to a larger problem; his entrance pivots the scene toward an external crisis.

Sam supplies the factual connective tissue — confirming Mendoza spoke to the Chicago Tribune and that he's on vacation in Nova Scotia — serving as a calm intermediary between reporters' …

Sam supplies the factual answers — that Mendoza spoke to the Chicago Tribune while on vacation in Nova Scotia — acting as the steadier, informational node in the exchange.

Sam is on the receiving end of the phone call; his single-word opening ('Josh.') lands like a dispatch—shifting the scene from rhetorical framing to an incoming crisis that demands immediate …

Sam delivers a concise operational update from the Wesley Police Station, confirming access to the detainee and relaying that Toby is currently speaking with Mendoza; he functions as the communication …

Sam supplies travel logistics humor about Mendoza's route, explains the scheduling intent to fold in 'teachers' at the briefing, and contextually links the missed briefing to staff decisions.

Sam provides an absurdly detailed travel itinerary for Mendoza, offering logistical color that both amuses and alarms the room, inadvertently illustrating how out of sync they are and how Mendoza's …

Sam supplies a comic, hyper-detailed travel itinerary to explain Mendoza's delay, lightening the tone while communicating practical timing — he acts as a narrative technician explaining logistics to the group.

Sam stands in the police processing room, nervously sipping vending‑machine coffee while methodically undermining the officer's intoxication claim. He supplies a cold, technical medical explanation about Mendoza's hepatitis, puncturing the …

Sam stands in the lobby playing with his coffee cup and offers disarming small talk and a quip about highway signage; he provides comic relief and social lubrication while the …

Sam stands in the lobby, offering light banter to ease tension, acknowledges Mendoza respectfully, and makes a small observational quip about station signage while letting Toby lead the resolution.

Sam physically stays near the car, makes the decisive operational move of dialing Josh and delivers the final line — a terse handoff: 'Josh.' and then 'It's over.' His actions …

Dials his phone from the curb, makes a single concise call to Josh and delivers the operational close: "It's over." His action converts field resolution into a routed administrative responsibility.

Responds immediately to the 50-50 news with tactical energy, offering to make 'a couple of calls'—the classic political operator trying to buy time or swing votes at the eleventh hour.

Sam speaks up immediately with a tactical impulse to keep pushing calls, trying to salvage votes; he listens as Bartlet shuts down the attempted rescue with finality.

Sam half-asleep but alert enough to parrot and clarify Josh's news; his sleepy interjection ("Gays in the military?") supplies immediate exposition and frames the policy stakes plainly for the group.

Sam remains half-asleep but attentive enough to parrot the gist — confirming 'Gays in the military?' — serving as a sleepy chorus that both downplays and records the news while …

Half-asleep, he parrots the gist of Josh's report (asking for clarification) and then slips back toward rest, acting as a sleepy sounding board rather than an active problem-solver in this …

Sam is off-stage but directly referenced: he has been calling senators from the plane for the past hour and a half, his relentless outreach functioning as the immediate tactical attempt …

Sam is off-stage/on the plane, actively dialing senators; his voice is manifested through the phone call that rings Leo's office and interrupts the private exchange, functionally forcing the room back …

Sam Seaborn departs the room alongside Toby and Josh, quietly removing himself from the applause and signaling alignment with staff skepticism rather than the public ritual.

Sam offers political framing and blunt cost-benefit arithmetic, endorsing the tactical compromise by pointing out the monetary value of donor support and encouraging messaging that paints the President as a …

Sam supplies persuasive language and pragmatic cost–benefit framing (the 'man of character' line and dollar value), endorses the proposal, and helps operationalize how to sell the idea to the donor.

Sam adds a light, conversational detail about Playa Cantina (guacamole made in front of you), supporting Bartlet's appetite for the personal and contributing a social, human texture to the staff …

Sam answers Bartlet's question about Playa Cantina, offering a light, social detail (guacamole made in front of you) that Bartlet latches onto as a reason to join — shifting tone …

Sits at the staff table, challenges Al's pitch with skepticism ('I don't buy that'), acting as a foil to opportunism and defending principle or strategy outside Al's framing.

Sam verbally rejects Al's premise ('I don't buy that'), sitting forward as a moderate, rational counterpoint—he listens analytically and registers the political risk Al outlines.

Sam walks by and is flagged by C.J.; he reveals he's received the same vague development offer, trading a quick, knowing exchange that amplifies the comedic incredulity of the pitch.

Sam physically holds the receiver in the mansion room, corroborates Leo's correction, and offers a concrete procedural maneuver — naming specific swing votes and a plan to lose narrowly so …

Sam physically holds the telephone receiver and offers the concrete tactical out — recalling three pressured senators, conceding a 53-47 loss to save the Vice President — translating analysis into …

Sam arrives just as C.J. ends her exchange, is taken by the arm and led away by C.J., offers a playful line about using code names—present as the pivot back …

Sam watches the monitor, reads a newspaper, listens as Lilly pitches, and verbally resists her tactical framing; he defends institutional symbolism and the President's planned optics while remaining courteous but …

Standing at his desk, Sam watches the TV feed, debates optics with Lilly, reads a newspaper, then, after Toby's announcement, grabs the remote and flips the channel — shifting the …

Sam is intercepted mid-exit, initially signaling his intent to go to the gym, then engaging with C.J.'s question about the wire; he physically relinquishes his gym bag to Ginger and …

Sam enters to impose institutional discipline: he raises the wire story as a problem, presses Lilly for accountability, attempts a mild, face‑saving diplomacy and then quietly admits his effort fell …

Sam Seaborn is offstage (at the gym) but becomes an immediate operational target: staff decide to page him so he can talk to Lilly Mays. His presence is procedural — …

Physically in the gym, interrupted mid‑workout; startled by a head bang and pager, then shifts into damage control — trying to placate, explain vote math, and talk Becky out of …

Sam arrives carrying his gym bag, briefly jokes about hitting his head, and listens as C.J. tells him she told the President about the wire and that the President doesn't …

Sam enters with his gym bag, juggling political tasks (Becky Reeseman, Josh and Toby), accepts C.J.'s disclosure, asks clarifying questions and counsels C.J. about 'picking up the signs' and nudging …

Sam appears in the hallway, knocks, and delivers urgent, clarifying information: Becky will attach a child‑labor amendment tonight; he frames the news and volunteers to confront the First Lady's camp.

Sam walks through the hall, exchanges a brief greeting with a staffer, enters Lilly's office expecting Lilly, finds Abbey and visibly registers surprise; he replies deferentially and shifts into an …

Sam calmly rebukes Abbey for the tactical impropriety of putting an unvetted teenager on national television, connects that misstep to a legislative risk, and requests a single corrective action — …

Sam arrives in the Mural Room buoyant, trading banter about a 'day of jubilee' and reacting to the roll call; he functions as social connective tissue between private stresses and …

Sam bursts into the room buoyant ('It's my day of jubilee'), engages in banter with Toby, and is immediately pulled into Mallory’s scathing attack about his vouchers position paper, attempting …

Sam is offstage but described as actively engaged in a confrontation with Leo's daughter in his office—an immediate interpersonal flashpoint that could spill into public or press problems.

Sam is defensive and performatively charming: he acknowledges the paper, accuses Leo of playing politics, but then quickly deflects into protecting his downtime and the fragile romantic connection with Mallory, …

Sam steers the exchange from policy to personal: he downplays debate, claims 'off duty' authority, asserts control of the evening's arc, promises theater and dinner, and attempts to seize the …

Sam engages Leo in quiet, personal conversation about Mallory reading his voucher paper—he reveals surprise and mild embarrassment, positioning himself as vulnerable to private consequences amid public festivities.

Sam approaches Leo and reports that Mallory read his position paper; he reacts with a mix of surprise and gratitude and then mild embarrassment when told Leo gave it to …

Sam bursts into the bullpen triumphant, claims authorship of a finished draft, attempts to cancel a midday obligation, reacts with disbelief and fluster when Mallory is announced and then led …

Sam alternates between amiable deflection and a sharp, performative intellectual assault: he laughs, stands, delivers a long indictment of public education policy, and gestures away Mallory's solution while trying to …

Sam alternates between policy seriousness and flippant dismissal: he defends vouchers as pragmatic lifeboats, delivers a bitterly comic indictment of public education spending, and uses humor defensively—an attempt to undercut …

Sam hears C.J.'s report, immediately converts worry into a tactical plan: downplay severity publicly, keep the President out, and coach C.J. on standing firm and, if necessary, confronting the President …

Initiates a precise policy argument, then deliberately personalizes it by naming Mallory's private‑school background; when C.J. interrupts with Zoey news he instantly pivots into damage‑control mode, coaches C.J. on confronting …

Enters alongside Mallory into Leo's office; deftly explains voucher paper as opposition prep, then delivers impassioned speech reframing education as transformative force; seizes initiative to convert debate into lunch invitation, …

Sam stands firm amid accusation, confirms his deceptive argument was scheduled opposition prep, then dominates with a soaring, idealistic speech on education's transformative power, seamlessly pivoting to insist on lunch …

Sam defends the reliability of his weather sources (Coast Guard, National Weather Service), leans on expert authority, and is caught off guard when the rain starts; he then follows Toby …

Sam confidently defends his forecast source — invoking First Lieutenant Emily Lowenbrau and the National Weather Service — arguing technology and expert voice justify leaving the event outdoors; he physically …

Sam physically handed the President his remarks earlier and stands nearby as the F.E.C. news breaks; he listens and watches the political exchange unfold without intervening, present as a policy-minded …

Sam delivers the President's remarks and then, realizing an omission, slams his notebook in frustration; his physical gesture signals internal panic and professional guilt about the flawed preparation.

Immediately rejects the named slate ('Not in a million years'), then moves into advocacy in the Roosevelt Room by reframing the proposal as his recommendation and arguing the commander-in-chief can …

Sam adopts an aspirational, rhetorical posture—first downplaying his influence, then boldly asserting that a presidential order could open the military to gays; his language is brisk and persuasive but is …

Sam is engaged in argument in the room, introduces human cases to challenge military claims, watches Fitzwallace cut through the equivocation, then follows him into the hallway to thank and …

Sam stands his ground, reading a string of named cases and evidentiary forms (diary, therapy notes), trying to translate moral outrage into legal argument while being repeatedly interrupted and then …

Sam Seaborn follows Fitzwallace into the hallway, offers cordial thanks for dropping by, and attempts to frame the meetings as exploratory — then listens as Fitzwallace shuts down that possibility, …

Sam erupts emotionally, trading moral invective for procedural argument — taunting Ken with files and Tailok — then concedes when directly asked whether the President has marshaled House support, and …

Sam arrives combative and defensive, trading barbs with Ken, attempting to moralize and politicize the stakes, then concedes when Ken dismantles the administration's political posture; ultimately he is left alone …

Sam reports his meeting as unchanged but visibly drained; he listens as Leo outlines the new approach and affirms his willingness to serve—he's quietly shaken by the realization of institutional …

Sam reports a muted meeting result and listens as Leo and Bartlet argue; he reacts with weary sadness that turns to renewed purpose once Leo anchors a connective strategy — …

Sam watches alongside Toby, reacting with engaged attention and political curiosity; he reads the applause as a successful rhetorical moment that grants the administration moral high ground while noting the …

Sam playfully but anxiously needles Josh about the incoming call, trying to buck him up and manage his emotional readiness, voicing the group’s concern while keeping the tone light.

Sam initiates the confrontation with moral bluntness, repeatedly asserting that mandatory minimums are racist and a political red herring; he presses for the administration to treat sentencing as part of …

Sam barges in carrying tactical enthusiasm, pressing the mandatory‑minimums fight and asserting that he was put in charge — mixing ambition with policy urgency and provoking a tense exchange about …

Sam arrives, claims prior responsibility for part of the mandate, contributes to policy talk about mandatory minimums, then lightens the tone with a colloquial jab at Leo ('nervous hooleelia'), exposing …

Sam enters with a copy of a document ('Found it'), pushes a parallel policy line about mandatory minimums, and trades barbed banter with Leo and Toby; he also punctures the …

Sam attempts to deflect tension with a joke and a quick reassurance, using warmth and wit to downplay Al's alarm and signal that the administration isn't abandoning discipline.

Sam reacts with sarcasm to diffuse tension — labeling Kiefer 'Mr. Good News Happy Guy' — then offers a quick clarifying line defending their position, attempting to minimize alarm.

Sam delivers the technical backbone of the pushback—reciting budget ratios and the opening federal prisoner statistic—anchoring the conversation in empirical policy rather than playground rhetoric.

Initiates the factual frame by invoking the American Medical Association as authoritative evidence; positions the administration’s stance in scientific terms to deflect ideological framing.

Announces the A.M.A.'s classification, attempting to anchor the administration's drug policy in medical authority; speaks plainly and defensively when Al rebukes the framing.

Sam is noted as 'just starting' in the Oval Office; his presence marks continuity of briefing operations while the senior staff pivots to containment and outreach tasks.

Sam calmly delivers empirical data — prison percentages and a two‑million‑dollars‑a‑day figure — attempting to reframe the debate toward cost effectiveness and medical authority, citing the A.M.A. as support.

Delivers cold, consequential statistics about non-violent drug offenders and dollar costs, invokes the A.M.A. as scientific authority, and argues for reallocating funds to treatment as a policy and moral imperative.

Sam moves from the Oval into the hallway distracted, fumbles through a brief, domestic exchange with Cathy about lunch, then enters his private office and endures an ambush: he fields …

Sam appears distracted and off-balance, offering half-hearted lunch banter in the hallway, then is surprised and defensive when he finds Onorato in his office; he attempts to deflect the confrontation …

Sam listens while eating, rebuts Onorato's insinuations with measured but firm refusals, refuses to treat policy as transactional, and answers the final condescension with a civil, corrective quip that preserves …

Sam reports Onorato's extortion attempt in shocked disbelief, becomes incandescent with righteous anger, reaches for the desk phone to retaliate, and is physically restrained by Josh and Toby from making …

Sam recounts a private lunch with Onorato, learns he's been targeted, becomes incandescent with righteous anger, reaches for Josh's desk phone to call the Senator and vows immediate, profane retaliation …

Sam arrives conversational, notes the President sleeping better, deflects a hot political subject and helps close the lighter, morale‑focused portion of the meeting before the heavier policy conversation begins.

Arrives with Toby and others, offers a conversational frame about the President's sleep and the day's events, and listens as political and moral arguments sharpen — functioning as an empathetic …

Enters warm and conversational, notes the President's sleep and the rarity of ease; raises an offhand urgent item but defers to the President's cue—participates as emotional and strategic support.

Sam is not physically in the room but is the named executor—Toby is ordered to tell Sam to start the banks, making Sam the immediate operational recipient of Leo's instruction …

Sam answers a late-night call, listens briefly, and converts the private information into a public order—speaking into the handset and issuing an immediate command to Mandy to pull the report …

Arrives mid‑night into the communications office, translates operational chit‑chat into precise polling math, then moves into Toby's private office, listens as Toby warns about a tabloid ambush and accepts the …

Sam is pulled into Toby's office, listens, and responds with a mix of compliance and private protest — he objects to dehumanizing language, accepts the order without public argument, and …

Sam's voice is heard on the phone (VO). He asks a short, direct question — 'Are you in the library?' — which functions as an external tether to the White …

Sam sits in his private West Wing office at night and initiates a call to Laurie. He asks a light question, listens to her self-deprecating admission, and replies with a …

Speaking on the phone (V.O.) from elsewhere, Sam delivers a reluctant, tactical decision: he will not attend Laurie's graduation to minimize her exposure to a politically timed leak. He expresses …

Sam calls Laurie by phone (voice-over), explains that a Majority Leader staffer knows about their relationship and is waiting to exploit it, refuses to attend her graduation to avoid creating …

Sam arrives, initiates breezy small talk about the Potomac, accepts a cup of coffee, describes sitting on a bench with a bagel, then is abruptly pulled into action when Toby …

Sam moves from light morning banter (bagel and coffee in hand) to sudden professional focus: he pops out of his office, asks the casual question, and, when pulled in by …

Sam briskly proposes the promotion chain—promote Cochran to Paraguay and bump others up—identifies the Bulgarian affair as the lever, and frames the personnel move as practical politics rather than moral …

Sam arrives, listens to the polling/optics exchange, and offers the tactical solution — promote the offending ambassador rather than publicly firing him — explaining the chain‑move that will bury the …

Waiting on the stairs, Sam quietly orchestrates the surprise, presents a small long box and then a briefcase, hugs Laurie, exchanges warm congratulations, then immediately shifts to alertness—asking about the …

Sam organizes a low-key graduation surprise, produces a small long box and later a briefcase from a bag, embraces Laurie warmly, exchanges light banter, then notices the car and asks …

Sam is the accidental target of a tabloid sting: his private life has been turned into leverage, creating personal vulnerability that the communications team must contain while operations continue around …

Sam is the subject of the staged tabloid photograph showing him embracing Laurie at graduation, becoming the target of manufactured political harm.

Sam is at the center of the exposure — embarrassed and protective of Laurie — offering to resign as a sacrificial move while also attempting to minimize personal collateral damage …

Sam stands waiting outside C.J.'s office and quietly admits he has drafted a letter of resignation, holding responsibility and guilt while prompting Toby's defensive response; he is physically present but …

Standing outside C.J.'s office, Sam confesses he's drafted a letter of resignation; he is tense, self‑accusing, and prepared to concede responsibility, prompting Toby's frantic protective reaction and a hurried move …

Sam is an offstage catalyst in the conversation: Leo accuses him of calling C.J.; C.J. recounts that Sam 'met the girl and saw a suspicious car,' positioning him as the …

Denies any payment to Laurie, stands stunned as Bartlet issues orders; accepts direction to visit White House Counsel and to call Laurie; leaves the Oval Office emotionally shaken but compliant.

Sam answers the President's frivolous question about the briefcase model and stands through the banter, providing small, human detail that lightens the room before the political reveal.

Sam answers the President's casual question about the briefcase, revealing specific model and color; his exchange is modest, personal, and exposes a private side amid a high-stakes meeting.

Sam is present and engaged in the lighter banter earlier; at the reveal he shares in the relieved smiles and immediately orients toward the conversation about next steps and optics.

Stations himself at the end of the control room, accepts Bonnie's note about a call for Toby, physically seizes/accepts the incoming communication and then signals upward with a wavy arm …

Standing at the end of the control room reading notes, Sam is interrupted by Bonnie with news of a phone call from Peter Jobson; he immediately claims the call—intercepting the …

Standing at the end of the control room, Sam watches the live feed and initiates the signal by shooting his arm up in a slow, wavy motion; his gesture starts …

Sam arrives amid rehearsal, is informed by Bartlet about the missed landing and Toby's brother, and is visibly uninformed — tasked to find out why the shuttle didn't land.

Arrives during the walk and is fired a question by the President about the shuttle; surprised and without immediate answer, he is sent to find Toby — acting as a …

Interjects bluntly into the rehearsal with a personal revelation: he didn't know Toby had a brother and that the Space Shuttle failed to land; offers to find out more while …

Sam arrives in Toby's office carrying the mission update; he delivers calm, methodical facts about the jammed starboard door, the need for an EVA, and that Peter Jobson expressed confidence, …

Sam delivers the shuttle technical update to Toby matter‑of‑factly, supplies the mission commander's tone and specifics about the jammed drive unit and EVA need, and then exits to continue prep …

Sam provides technical detail from mission contact: relays that the starboard shuttle payload-bay door won't close, quotes the mission commander, and calms Toby with measured reporting.

Sam enters, listens to rehearsal, then proposes a pragmatic, low-profile communication protocol — a subtle upward-wavy hand signal — explains its meaning and demonstrates it to the President and staff, …

Suggests and demonstrates a low‑key hand signal to communicate 'good news' about the downed pilot during a live event; moderates tone (subtle, practical) and offers to spread the signal among …

Sam is not physically present in the room but is invoked as the originator/handler of the discreet town‑hall signal, implying he set up the communication protocol and will monitor its …

Sam rushes in, interrupts, and delivers a compact procedural briefing about a manual winch operation and resulting OMS failures; he frames severity by saying they'd call the President if it …

Standing in the control room, Sam briefs and takes command of the incoming matter—asks who the call is from, requests the phone, and signals Toby through the chain; he is …

Sam takes Bonnie's information, asks who is calling, then intercepts the communication chain by making the discrete 'signal' to Toby — a nonverbal relay that both requests and delivers reassurance …

Sam is knocked or falls into C.J., bringing them both to the ground as a limo window shatters nearby; he is momentarily disoriented but responsive to the immediate need for …

In mid-conversation, Sam tackles or falls into C.J., pulling both to the ground as a limo window shatters in front of them — an instinctive protective move amid the exploding …

Sam is standing near C.J.; he is tackled or falls with her to the ground as an agent shoves people into limos and a limo window shatters in front of …