I guess you have to have watched Leo McGarry being a no nonsense, just get on with it, it is what it is, type of character from the very first episode to fully appreciate the closing scene in this one.
Sure, you understand virtually from the series get-go that underneath that tough exterior beats a very caring heart but though that's often made plain, it rarely breaks through to the surface.
At the end of this episode, when President Bartlet gives Leo an early, sentimental, Christmas gift, Leo finally cracks and you see a tear in his eye as the scene starts to fade. This has so far never failed to have the same effect on me, no matter how many times I watch it.
Oh, and by the way, did you know that when he wasn't being President Bartlet's Chief-of-Staff, he went around pretending to be an actor called John Spencer?
Sure, you understand virtually from the series get-go that underneath that tough exterior beats a very caring heart but though that's often made plain, it rarely breaks through to the surface.
At the end of this episode, when President Bartlet gives Leo an early, sentimental, Christmas gift, Leo finally cracks and you see a tear in his eye as the scene starts to fade. This has so far never failed to have the same effect on me, no matter how many times I watch it.
Oh, and by the way, did you know that when he wasn't being President Bartlet's Chief-of-Staff, he went around pretending to be an actor called John Spencer?
