Noël
- Episode aired Dec 20, 2000
- TV-14
- 43m
Josh speaks to a psychiatrist about the events of the last three weeks: Toby hired musicians for the foyer, an Air Force pilot disobeyed orders, Yo-Yo Ma performed at the White House, and Jo... Read allJosh speaks to a psychiatrist about the events of the last three weeks: Toby hired musicians for the foyer, an Air Force pilot disobeyed orders, Yo-Yo Ma performed at the White House, and Josh managed to cut his hand quite badly.Josh speaks to a psychiatrist about the events of the last three weeks: Toby hired musicians for the foyer, an Air Force pilot disobeyed orders, Yo-Yo Ma performed at the White House, and Josh managed to cut his hand quite badly.
- Robbie Mosley
- (as Gregalan Williams)
- Bobby
- (as Gary Cervantes)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOn the DVD commentary for this episode, Aaron Sorkin recalls that during a break from the filming of Yo Yo Ma's performance scene, in an attempt to help his performance and "get into the rhythm" of the scene, Dulé Hill (who plays Charlie) started to tap dance to the cello piece. Hill is a highly accomplished professional tap dancer who has performed with Savion Glover and other tap luminaries.
- GoofsIn the flashback scene, while Toby is talking to Josh about the quintet playing in the lobby, he mentions how for the last two Christmases, he has been accused of having no Christmas spirit around the White House and that he's decided to be different this year. The Bartlet Administration has only been in office since January of the previous year, so they only would have been in the White House for one Christmas so far.
- Quotes
Leo McGarry: [after Josh finishes an intensive therapy session set up by Leo with a trauma therapist, Josh walks past Leo in a nearby hallway of the White House] How'd it go?
Josh Lyman: Did you wait around for me?
Leo McGarry: How'd it go?
Josh Lyman: He thinks I may have an eating disorder...
Leo McGarry: [bemused] Josh...
Josh Lyman: ...and a fear of rectangles. That's not weird, is it?
[pause]
Josh Lyman: I didn't cut my hand on a glass. I broke a window in my apartment.
Leo McGarry: This guy's walking down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep, he can't get out. A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, "Hey you, can you help me out?" The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts up "Father, I'm down in this hole, can you help me out?" The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. "Hey Joe, it's me, can you help me out?" And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, "Are you stupid? Now we're both down here." The friend says, "Yeah, but I've been down here before, and I know the way out."
[pause]
Leo McGarry: Long as I got a job, you got a job, you understand?
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 53rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2001)
I've been asking the question of whether or not the show would ever tackle post traumatic stress for any of the two parts involved in the shooting. Josh has seemed fine in previous episodes, and it always confused me. However, Sorkin comes up with a great catalyst for this new chapter of Josh's story and it takes the audience on a journey that's both very scary to go on, but also deeply insightful, showing us that people we love can deal with terrible things under the surface and it may only come out in the most random of times.
The episode never puts a lid on the where it's going. It's easy to see that Sorkin is building up to a very emotional climax, and even though we're never in doubt whenever Josh is lying about something that happens, the writing is so good that we're never sure what the actual truth may be, and Sorkin usually takes it in a direction that's still quite unpredictable. I don't think I would have ever been able to predict Josh realizing what's wrong during a Yo-Yo Ma concert, but that's where he took us, and it made a lot of sense.
I was obviously joking when I said that Sorkin hates Christmas, because the episode actually manages to invoke the holiday spirit through music, which is a running theme throughout the whole episode. Toby wants to do something to wake the spirit, so he hires different orchestras to play the people to work when they arrive and that's ultimately what starts Josh's disorder. I like how something so nice can be the catalyst to something to disruptive. You know what? Maybe Sorkin actually does hate Christmas. This part alone just makes me think more and more that he got a bad gift once.
I like the episodes that focus on singular characters and Josh really comes to play here, with Bradley Whitford delivering another splendid performance, as he's been doing all season. The talent of this cast is unparalleled, so it's nice to have episodes where individuals can shine, and Whitford gives a stunning portrayal of someone caught in the past, trapped by things he doesn't understand. He delivers the dialogue with his usual sappy note but gives it a little extra emotion every chance he gets, making the point hit harder and the cut so deep that you'll not forget it.
"Noël" is another deep episode that takes the idea of Christmas and spins it on its head, delivering a truthful and poignant hour of TV. Whitford really shines in this character study and his character goes through a journey that will change him forever, both for the worse, but definitely also for the better.
- lassegalsgaard
- Jun 20, 2022