There's a thing about Christmas episodes. Usually, they're corporately made to get the audience in the spirit of the holidays without any real notion of doing anything to help the plot. That's been the handbook for these episodes for a long time, and we even see certain episodes in modern TV that tries to give us a present come Christmas. It's very rare that a Christmas episode comes out and drives the storyline along while also providing significant character development for the individuals in the show. However, it does happen at times, and when "The West Wing" aired its first Christmas episode, it felt like any other episode of the show, yet it was still able to fully encapsulate the feelings and the cheer of the holidays. It understood that we watch this show because of the characters, and we want them to stay fresh and interesting, so they made an episode that would both delight in some sense, but still keep the focus on the characters and their objectives. Which is why this episode also features a lot of shock and elements that usually wouldn't appear in a traditional Christmas episode, which just goes to show the brilliance that was this show back then. This episode is the strongest of show so far as it dives into the characters and their relationships, showing that while some of them may have hard exteriors, you don't have to dig too far to see that there's a lot more hiding underneath than what meets the eye.
The poignancy of the episode is what is really striking. It delivers the cold, honest truth, whether we want to hear it or not. It's specifically aimed at American audiences as it takes every chance it can to show what's wrong with the country. Whether it's the treatment of veterans or the shortsightedness of their views on homosexuality back in the days, this episode offers it all. In many ways, it beautifully jumps off the privacy themes of the last episode, and puts us in the shoes of the character, asking us what we would do had we been in their shoes.
It's also not afraid to pull those heartstrings. It does so in a very simple and seamless way, simply presenting the things that you should feel for, but not forcing you to feel anything. It works, though, because the writing is so spot-on. It's all achieved through the characters interacting with each other and telling each other about their lives. But there's no big scene where someone breaks down crying and pours all their secrets out. It's a simple interaction between two people where they say everything that we need to know, so we can feel for them later.
However, it still knows that it's a Christmas episode, so it will take the characters out for a regular round of Christmas shopping. It also shows the relationship between the characters in beautiful fashion, showing how some of them would risk everything for each other. Is there anything that says Christmastime more than asking your escort-friend to give you some dirt on a Republican to save your boss' career? I don't think so, and this episode proves that. It's the things we do for someone else that becomes the soul of Christmas, and this episode gets that to a tee.
At its heart, this episode is focused on developing the character of Toby, who has always been presented as an individual who set morals and a tough personality. This episode shows a different side of him and reminds us why we love him. He cares about people, even if he's a bit harsh towards his staff sometimes. He really loves them, and that should definitely give the dynamic more layers in the next few episodes. Also, kudos to Richard Schiff for this powerhouse performance, hoping to see more of this caliber from him as we know he can deliver.
"In Excelsis Deo" spins the format of the Christmas episode on its head and uses it as a backdrop for a poignant and moving episode. Toby gets a chance to really shine here, while the other cast members continue to do great work and the characters continue to evolve through great dialogue and Christmas gifts.
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