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The West Wing
Season Four
- Episode Number: 76
- Original Air Date: December 11, 2002
- Directed by: Thomas Schlamme
- Teleplay by: Aaron Sorkin
- Guest Cast:
- Adam Arkin (Dr. Stanley Keyworth)
- Timothy Busfield (Danny Concannon)
- Joshua Malina (Will Bailey)
- Elisabeth Moss (Zoey Bartlet)
- Jerry Adler (Jules Ziegler)
- Trent Ford (Jean Paul)
Detailed summary
As the episode opens, it's Christmas Eve 1954 in Brooklyn Heights. Three young Jewish men are sitting in a car, waiting for someone to show up. They talk (in Yiddish) about a signing group that Jacob had seen perform recently -- the Whiffenpoofs. He even bought their record. Getting impatient, the driver and one friend leave to go find this guy in the building. After they leave, the remaining man, Jules Ziegler, decides to name his new son Tobias, "Little Toby". After a gun shot is heard, the driver comes back with no explanations about his missing companion.
While the Whiffenpoofs are singing at the White House, Leo tells Josh that Israel has closed Church of Nativity. Meanwhile, Toby is being deposed in a lawsuit brought against his ex-wife, Congresswoman Andy Wyatt. Apparently, some of her constituents are suing her over her failure to disclose her medical condition -- pregnancy. Danny Concannon shows up and interrupts CJ's briefing dressed as Santa; they kiss.
Will now has an office in the OEEB and does not want to move into Sam's office. He doesn't want to replace Sam and he is concerned about resentment from other speech writers is moving from OEOB to Sam's office. Toby's father surprises him in his office. He is totally ignored by Toby.
The President is talking to his personal psychiatrist Stanley about the poor US test results in math and science. The President admits to getting a 1590 on the SAT -- twice. When he mentions an airplane, Stanley catches the Freudian slip and Stanley informs him that airplanes often represent death in dreams. The President admits to spacing out and losing his concentration in meetings recently. Elsewhere, Charlie runs into the President's daughter Zoe and her new boyfriend Jean Paul outside the Oval Office. Jean Paul is some sort of French royalty and Zoe wants to invite him to join the Bartlet family in New Hampshire for Christmas. Charlie makes a snide joke about Jean-Paul and clearly insn't happy to see Zoe show up with him. In CJ's office, Danny tells her a story about an airport employee he met in Bermuda. Danny believes this guy can link the US and US Army Rangers to the death of a certain Qumari official. Danny tells her that he will not drop the story. Leo has learned that Israel says Church of Nativity isn't safe and he wants Josh to try to get UN relief workers to help. Toby wants to know why Josh left in his father. When Josh has no answer, he tells him that he wishes he hadn't let his dad in the building. Will has moved in to Sam's office and some junior staffers have filled the office with their bicycles. He and Toby argue about campaign reform and his first meeting with the President; Will is very nervous about meeting President Bartlett. Toby's father was convicted of multiple felonies and Toby labels him a "security threat".
The President tells Josh he wants to rewrite the HHS federal budget to include more money to prevent infant mortality. This means working long hours over the holiday and delaying Donna's departure. Will is terribly embarrassed at his first meeting in the Oval Office's reception room. He tries to leave when he learns that Toby won't be there and then stammers when the President asks him about the Inaugaral Address. Charlie tells Will he has never seen a performance worse in front of the President. Toby continues to make fun on Will's Presidentail flame-out when he comes back from the Hill. Toby admits to Will that his dad worked for "Murder Incorporated".
Dana stays behind to help Josh on the budget rewrites. He apologizes for keeping her from Jack Reese. CJ confronts Josh with Danny's Bermuda story. Josh doesn't want to talk about it, but he understands the importance of admitting anything before Danny goes public. Zoe asks her father to let Jean-Paul come to NH. He says no at first, but he gives in eventually after threatening to post two US Marshals as guards at her bedroom door. He almost tells Zoe about Sharif, but stops when they find Leo waiting in the Oval Office. Leo tells the President about Danny's airport employee. The President tells Will and Toby he doesn't want to talk about election reform at the inaugaration. After Will stays silent, the President and Leo bust him about the importance of "telling truth to power".
Josh tries to defend Toby's dad to Toby. He says Toby is lucky to still have his dad alive. Leo calls off the budget rewrites and tells Josh to forget about the Church of the Nativity. Toby's father tries to explain his past motives to his son. Since the airports are closed due to snow, Toby offers to let his father sleep on his couch. When Toby takes him to hear the Whiffenpoofs on the way out of the West Wing, his father has a strong memory back to the events of 1954. Leo tells Josh that they have something important to talk about -- eventually. Although Josh certainly knows what he means, they don't say anything openly. They end up staying late working the phones trying to get the Church of the Nativity reopened.
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