Foil

Character Role Analysis

Woodward and Bernstein

Woodward and Bernstein are like SpongeBob and Patrick, if SpongeBob and Patrick worked in a newsroom. (Woodward and Bernstein can't work for the Bikini Bottom Times because their papers would get wet.)

Our two primary reporters are incredibly similar. They're both dedicated. They both start in a position without any respect and work hard to gain respect and credibility. And they're both skilled interviewers.

But their skills are slightly different. Bernstein is the trickier of the two, whereas Woodward doesn't want to do anything too shady…aside from meeting an unnamed source in a dark parking garage. Woodward doesn't want to intimidate the women who have information they need, but Bernstein has no problem flirting or conning his way into a hot tip.

It's a little ironic that this is their major difference, because Bernstein would have no problem printing a story full of unnamed sources. It's Woodward who doubts the veracity of their story, so Bernstein has to pick up the slack and get the sources to keep Woodward motivated.