13 reviews
- wayneanderson_99
- Sep 12, 2007
- Permalink
More than twenty years on and I'm just starting to rewatch the show, whjich I do every year or so. There are so many really good bits in so many episodes that it can be hard to decide which one is best ... and then I watch this one again.
It's an episode that if anything gets better the more often you watch it, especially having seen the whole show at least once so you really understand the characters' personalities and motivations.
Maybe one day I'll be able to watch the closing scenes - a montage switching between a choir singing in the White House and the funeral of a homeless war veteren - with dry eyes.
It's an episode that if anything gets better the more often you watch it, especially having seen the whole show at least once so you really understand the characters' personalities and motivations.
Maybe one day I'll be able to watch the closing scenes - a montage switching between a choir singing in the White House and the funeral of a homeless war veteren - with dry eyes.
- StuffedCat
- Feb 22, 2020
- Permalink
All great hour-long TV dramas.
The 1st 2 seasons of TWW trump all of 'em, & this iconic episode is the pinnacle.
Can't recommend this enough....
The 1st 2 seasons of TWW trump all of 'em, & this iconic episode is the pinnacle.
Can't recommend this enough....
- robbscott-1
- Apr 1, 2019
- Permalink
Just rewatched this on streaming. I'm an older viewer with lots of life experience and consider myself a pretty tough old nut, but I was weeping unrestrained in the third act.
This is probably the single greatest episode in the history of TV series, any series at all, and I've seen a lot in lots of genres.
Every single aspect works seamlessly, but the scripting and editing are just superlative.
As for "Ziegler" no words can do him justice here. The human drama at the centre is just so uplifting.
Sorkin the great. This stuff is twenty years old and it's still viewing as fresh as a daisy and indeed leagues above most of the garbage that passes for TV these days.
Exceptional, outstanding work.
This is probably the single greatest episode in the history of TV series, any series at all, and I've seen a lot in lots of genres.
Every single aspect works seamlessly, but the scripting and editing are just superlative.
As for "Ziegler" no words can do him justice here. The human drama at the centre is just so uplifting.
Sorkin the great. This stuff is twenty years old and it's still viewing as fresh as a daisy and indeed leagues above most of the garbage that passes for TV these days.
Exceptional, outstanding work.
- marydm-43470
- Jun 19, 2021
- Permalink
- diane-30009
- Jan 14, 2021
- Permalink
This is some of the best writing ever put forward in a dramatic series. Toby is at the center of much of it. He is called to a bench to identify a homeless man who has died of exposure (I assume). It turns out there is a business card of Toby's in the pocket of a jacket that had been donated to Good Will. Toby comes to realize that the guy was a veteran of Korea and yet no one mourns him. The scene at the end is about as touching as anything I have seen. We also find out that Mrs Lannigham has faced a horrible event in her life which makes Christmas a lot to handle.
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.
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.
- lassegalsgaard
- Jun 5, 2022
- Permalink
This is the episode that made me fall in love with The West Wing. It's just exceptional, especially the final scene. The writing, the acting, the direction, perfection.
- breeanalaine
- May 11, 2021
- Permalink
Every episode of this show is pretty much excellent and I'm on at least my 3rd watch, but this one gets me every time.
I have family that have been in the military and my father started serving during the onset of the Korean War. My brother, 20 years later served in Korea. My uncle in Vietnam. My nephew was special forces in the Middle East. Another nephew also served on one of the ships deployed to the Middle East a few years ago.
It saddens me to know that a homeless veteran is overlooked when they SO deserve to ALL be recognized. So, this episode just really hits me every time I watch it. This was the episode that really sold Toby Ziegler's character.
I have family that have been in the military and my father started serving during the onset of the Korean War. My brother, 20 years later served in Korea. My uncle in Vietnam. My nephew was special forces in the Middle East. Another nephew also served on one of the ships deployed to the Middle East a few years ago.
It saddens me to know that a homeless veteran is overlooked when they SO deserve to ALL be recognized. So, this episode just really hits me every time I watch it. This was the episode that really sold Toby Ziegler's character.
- dalydj-918-255175
- Jul 16, 2023
- Permalink
I am a very conservative guy, and not a big fan of West Wing, BUT I happened to catch this episode in a hospital waiting room one day. I think this episode is the best thing I have ever seen on TV, period. The montage between the Arlington funeral and the children's choir in the White House was some of the best production I have ever seen anywhere. Pure genius! If it weren't for the show's generally liberal bias I would have become a big fan based on this episode alone. I have to give my props to the creative writers. I wish they had left out the political commentary and had been more balanced (over the entirety of the series). It wouldn't have hurt the quality of the series and this episode shows what they were capable of, if they would just entertain and not try to preach.