Object

Potential Subpoenas for Toby and Josh

In Toby's office at night, the threat of these subpoenas emerges as Counsel warns that without immunity for Burt, legal summonses will force Toby and Josh to name Burt and recount their conversations about falsified EPA documents. Burt sits tense, Mike halts his questions, Toby processes the shift, and Josh joins the urgent realization, transforming technical discussion into legal peril.

2 appearances

Purpose

Compel Toby and Josh to testify against Burt, naming him and detailing conversations if criminal immunity fails.

Significance

This looming threat pivots the scene from environmental whistleblowing to crisis management, pressuring the team to secure Burt's immunity before subpoenas expose staff involvement in potential conspiracy.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E18 · Privateers

Hidden Numbers, Immediate Immunity

The specter of subpoenas is invoked as an actionable threat: counsel warns that without immunity, subpoenas would compel staff to name Burt and recount conversations, making the subpoenas the instrument that transforms this from politics into criminal jeopardy.

Before: A latent legal mechanism not yet activated but existing as a known risk.

After: Elevated to an immediate procedural danger driving the group's decision to pursue immunity and to move Burt to counsel's office.

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S4E18 · Privateers

Immunity Panic: Burt's Criminal Jeopardy

The potential subpoenas are articulated as the legal mechanism that would compel Toby and Josh to name Burt and recount conversations — they operate as an imminent threat converting a political opportunity into personal legal peril.

Before: A latent procedural possibility tied to any federal investigation.

After: Elevated to an immediate, actionable threat that drives the team's demand for immunity and legal intervention.

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