Sam's Desperate Grasp for Unreliable OMB Projections
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Sam requests inaccurate OMB projections from Bonnie, highlighting administrative futility.
Bonnie questions the reliability of the projections, underscoring bureaucratic inefficiency.
Sam tersely acknowledges the projections' futility with a blunt 'No,' reinforcing systemic cynicism.
Bonnie attempts to redirect Sam to another task, which he dismisses with a perfunctory 'Thanks.'
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Professionally skeptical with underlying concern for reliability
Bonnie responds professionally by questioning the accuracy of the OMB projections Sam demands, then attempts to alert him to another incoming call before being curtly dismissed with 'Thanks,' highlighting her role as gatekeeper in the office frenzy.
- • Verify the utility of unreliable data before providing it
- • Inform Sam of the urgent incoming call without delay
- • OMB projections are chronically inaccurate and should be approached cautiously
- • Staff coordination requires timely notifications of calls
Desperation-fueled resolve masking vulnerability and rising disillusionment
Sam urgently demands OMB projections from Bonnie despite their flaws, admits their inaccuracy when questioned, curtly dismisses her upon mention of another incoming call with 'Thanks,' then takes notes on the revelation, crumples the paper in frustration, and stuffs it into his pocket as Donna enters with Stephanie.
- • Acquire any data, even flawed, to bolster the pardon argument for Gault
- • Minimize interruptions to maintain focus on his case amid time pressure
- • Imperfect information is better than none in a crisis
- • Personal compassion for Stephanie outweighs potential risks of the pardon
Awestruck deference laced with mounting desperation for paternal pardon
Stephanie enters the Communications Office with Donna at the conclusion of Sam's tense interaction with Bonnie, positioned as a silent but urgent petitioner awaiting access to plead her father's case.
- • Gain audience with Sam to advance the pardon request
- • Leverage Donna's guidance to breach White House inner circles
- • Sam holds sway over the President's decisions on mercy
- • Personal stories can sway institutional machinery
Determined and slightly hesitant, bridging personal plea to institutional access
Donna enters the Communications Office alongside Stephanie at the tail end of Sam's exchange with Bonnie, immediately addressing him with 'Sam?' to interrupt or redirect amid his crumpling of notes.
- • Usher Stephanie into Sam's presence for her pardon plea
- • Secure Sam's attention despite his preoccupation
- • Sam's influence can unlock presidential mercy for desperate cases
- • Loyalty demands facilitating compassionate interventions
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Sam scribbles notes—capturing the NSA's damning verdict of Daniel Gault's Soviet espionage—immediately after dismissing Bonnie's call alert, then crumples the paper in a visceral eruption of frustration and disillusionment, pocketing it to suppress the shattering truth that undermines his pardon crusade, narratively symbolizing buried betrayal amid compassion's collapse.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Communications Office buzzes as the chaotic nerve center where Sam's desperate data demand unfolds, Bonnie's skepticism checks his momentum, notes are frantically scribbled and destroyed, and Donna ushers Stephanie in—amplifying the relentless White House grind where moral fractures collide with operational frenzy under harsh fluorescents.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) looms as the beleaguered source of ten-year projections Sam demands from Bonnie despite their admitted unreliability, injecting flawed fiscal data into his pardon desperation and underscoring bureaucratic tools' pivotal yet imperfect role in White House decision-making amid espionage shadows.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"SAM: "Bonnie, I now need the ten-year OMB projections, as well.""
"BONNIE: "Are those ever accurate?""
"SAM: "No.""
"BONNIE: "And you got another call from...""
"SAM: "Thanks.""