The cold open helped set the tone for the rest of the episode, humorous but with a very dramatic overtone. Leo's phone call with Josh instantly became one of my favorite moments.
Josh: "I'm gonna help you, 'cause you know why?"
Leo: "'Cause you walk around with so much guilt about everybody you love dieing that you're a compulsive fixer?"
Josh: "No, Leo, no, it's 'cause 'a guy's walking down the street and he falls into a hole,' see?"
The flashbacks to the campaign were incredible as well. I have been curious if we would ever see Leo fall off the wagon, and the way it happened was one of the most emotional moments of the series. The buildup of tension as he's telling Jordan, his lawyer, the story was done perfectly. Leo's description of the "little things" that he liked about drinking had me craving a low ball glass full of scotch because it was written so well. Though I'm not an alcoholic, nor do I know any, I thought Leo's description of how it is for him when he backslides was probably pretty accurate, and really made me feel for him.
Leo: "I went to rehab, my friends embraced me when I got out. You relapse, it's not like that. 'Get away from me,' that's what it's like."
It's one thing to know a character would walk through fire for someone, but it doesn't prepare you for watching them do it, and that's exactly what Leo did. Bartlet gave an incredible performance himself, I was close to tears when he said, "No, no not right now," as he felt the attack coming on just before he collapsed. The final scene between him and Leo was amazing. Not since the scene when Leo learns Bartlet has MS has Spencer's acting impressed me so much. And while everyone put forth a great performance, Leo definitely stole the show.
It was also nice seeing Mrs. Landingham again who provided some welcome comic relief.
Bartlet: "Speaking of crusty, New England relics."
Mrs. Landingham: "Governor, does it frustrate you to constantly aim for humor and yet miss so dramatically?"
Bartlet: "Nah."
Without question the best episode since Two Cathedrals.moreless
EDIT
Episode Summary
The staff and the F.B.I. work to combat a threat to firebomb black churches in Tennessee on Christmas Eve; accompanied by Jordan, Leo testifies before the House committee probing Bartlet's failure to disclose his M.S. during the presidential campaign; Sam and Josh try unsuccessfully to get Leo out of the line of fire of a Congressman on the committee intent on destroying Leo to advance his own political career; surprisingly, Leo receives a last minute reprieve at the hands of the Majority Counsel and the committee Chair.moreless
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Martin Sheen
President Jed Bartlet
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Dule Hill
Charlie Young
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Allison Janney
Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
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Trivia
ADD TRIVIA- The flashbacks show Leo getting drunk in 1998. He must have been lying in "Take Out the Trash Day" when he said he hadn't had a drink since 1993. Edit
- Jordan says that Woodrow and Edith Wilson have been dead for eighty years, but Edith lived into the 1960s. Edit
- In a flashback, C.J. says that Bartlet has ten years on Hoynes. But in "Enemies", Hoynes says he is fifteen years younger than Bartlet. Presumably, C.J. was rounding off. Edit
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Notes
ADD NOTES- Awards and Nominations: This episode was a 2002 Emmy Award Nominee for Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (Thomas Del Ruth, A.S.C.). Nomination at the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Series (Lauren Schaffer) John Spencer won the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in this episode and in "We Killed Yamamoto" Won the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series along with several other episodes from the season (Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, John Wells, Kevin Falls, Alex Graves, Christopher Misiano, Michael Hissrich, Kristin Harms, Llewellyn Wells) Nominated for 2002 ADG Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Television Series Episode of a Single-Camera Series (Kenneth Hardy) It was also a 2002 ASC Award Winner for Outstanding Achievement in Episodic Television Series (Thomas Del Ruth, (A.S.C.). Commedation at the 2002 Prism Awards for TV Prime Time Drama Series Episode Edit
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Quotes
ADD QUOTES- Leo: My father was an alcoholic, his father was an alcoholic, so in my case... Jordan: Ain't nothing but a family thing? Leo: That's right. Edit
- Chairman Bruno: I would like our 10-minute breaks to be closer to 15 minutes than they are to a half-hour. Edit
- Jordan: I don't like this. You pay me $650 an hour, you tell me everything. Leo: What do I have to pay to only tell you some things? Jordan: I don't know, but you have to pay it to another lawyer. Edit
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Allusions
ADD ALLUSIONS- Josh: I'm gonna help you. 'Cause you know why? Leo: 'Cause you walk around with so much guilt about everybody you love dying, that you're a compulsive fixer? Josh: No, Leo, no. It's 'cause a guy's walking down the street and he falls into a hole, see? There is actually two references in the above mentioned quote. Leo references to Josh's reaction to get the card in the 1st season episode "The Crackpot and these women" and then Josh makes a reference to a parable that Leo told Josh back in the Season 2 episode "Noel". Edit
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