Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.
IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: December 20, 2000
PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: The West Wing, “Noël” (season 2, episode 10). [Stream on Netflix.]
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: As good as the previous season’s Christmas episode was — and it was; “In Excelsis Deo” won The West Wing its only Emmy for writing and remains one of the series’ most beloved entries — the season 2 episode “Noël” might be even better. The show was a year older, for one, with a year’s worth of storylines to draw upon. This episode in particular builds off of the season 1 cliffhanger story where the President and his aides were shot upon, and Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) was hit and nearly lost his life. Some many weeks later, it is now the holidays, and while the shooting is behind them all, not everyone is over it. Josh in particular.
“Noël” introduces a recurring character in Dr. Stanley Keyworth, played by Adam Arkin. Dr. Keyworth is brought in by Leo for reasons the audience isn’t privy to, though we can tell from Josh’s agitation levels that he has an inkling. From there, we’re treated to flashbacks from the past week, chronicling a days long nervous breakdown from Josh that seems to have something to do with an Air Force pilot who may or may not have crashed his plane on purpose. What we end up realizing is that Josh is going through some serious post-traumatic stress due to his brush with death, and it’s expressing itself in some scary ways. Scary, yell-at-the-President ways.
The West Wing — and indeed Aaron Sorkin in general — is fond of these occasional therapeutic check-in. The characters in question are always haughty and resistant, but sooner or later, the audience is able to dig into whatever trauma lies at the root of their favorite characters. Josh has always been a mess of abandonment issues that have driven him since pretty much day one. He’s a richly drawn character and one who stands up to examination more than most.
But the reason that “Noël” holds such a place of reverence in the hearts of West Wing fans is almost certainly for the scene that happens right near the episode’s end. Josh has had his breakthrough moment with Dr. Keyworth, and it’s clear that he’s on the road to recovery. But he still has to meet with Leo, a father figure if ever there was one. While Leo can be stern, his best moments are when he can be kind, and the kindness he shows Josh in this moment is rather breathtaking.
