Anyone hearing Elliott speak in James Earl Jones' voice at that moment
And that guy was actually going to punch Emily??!!!
As an author, I want to say it's clever what Jeph did. Clinton was previously seen as less sympathetic, and one of the best ways to get a character on your audience's side is to have an established like character (in this case Emily) stand up for them. Another way is to have an even less sympathetic character go up against them.
Jeph did both simultaneously and seamlessly by having Emily stand up for Clinton, and then having this douchebag try to punch Emily. It didn't help that the guy had a hair trigger and smashed Clinton for what would otherwise have been a harmless mistake.
Last time someone spilled a cocktail on one of my beloved ties, I looked them dead in the eye, sucked on the stain and said "Now it tastes as good as it looks, right? Ha ha ha. No, but seriously, dry cleaning's expensive." - Hey, I might be amiable, but I'm also broke. See "author" comment above.
So yes. That's what the literature fiend in me would say.
What the Australian in me says is that this sort of guy is far,
far too common at about 11pm or so. There were two ways this could have gone had Elliot not intervened, depending on the pejorative he finished that sentence with. He could have said "Little bitch" and one punch would have ended it. Or he could have said "Little cunt" and he wouldn't have stopped at a punch.