In Excelsis Deo
Encyclopedia
"In Excelsis Deo" is the 10th episode of the first season of The West Wing
. It originally aired on NBC
December 15, 1999, as the show's Christmas special. Events circle around Toby
getting involved in the fate of a deceased Korean War
veteran, reactions to a severe hate crime
, and the ongoing controversy surrounding Leo's pill abuse. Written by Aaron Sorkin
and Rick Cleveland
and directed by Alex Graves
, the episode contains guest appearances by Paul Austin and Raynor Scheine
. It also earned Sorkin and Cleveland an Emmy
, as well as one for Richard Schiff
.
gets called on by the D.C.
police
to identify a dead homeless man. It turns out the man (a Korean War
veteran from the 2/7
) was simply wearing one of Toby's old coats donated to Goodwill
, with Toby's card still in it. But the event stays with him, and he decides to trace down the man's next of kin. The only relative he can find is a brother, also homeless. Using the influence of the president's office, he arranges a military funeral at Arlington
. President Bartlet
is informed about Toby’s transgression, but can only muster limited indignation. To the president's concern that this could create precedent for other veterans, Toby replies "I can only hope, sir." Mrs. Landingham, who has just told Charlie
about losing her twin sons in the Vietnam War
, joins Toby and the veteran's brother at the funeral.
Meanwhile, Josh
– who is worried that Lillienfield may come out against Leo
for his drug related past – approaches Sam
and proposes using Sam's call-girl friend to dig up dirt for use as leverage against Lillienfield's allies when the time comes. Leo
objects strongly to the plan, calling it unethical.
C.J.
gets emotionally involved in a story about the deadly assault on a young homosexual man. She sees this as an opportunity to push hate crime legislation, but the suggestion finds little support among the others. Reporter Danny Concannon
also disagrees, but this encourages her to finally accept his offer of a date, to have him convince her.
President Bartlet sneaks out to go shopping at a rare book store and refuses to take photographers along, much to Mandy
's chagrin. Donna
has at this point been pestering Josh about her Christmas gift all day. While he doesn't follow the list submitted, he picks up a book for her at the shop and writes a message in it that leaves her pleasantly surprised.
:14, announcing the birth of Jesus
, and is in reference to the show's Christmas theme. The words also make up the beginning of the Great Doxology
: Gloria in Excelsis Deo
(Glory to God in the highest).
It was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, credited to Aaron Sorkin and Rick Cleveland. In the summer of 2001, a public argument broke out between the two on the Internet forum mightybigtv.com (now called Television Without Pity). Cleveland claimed to have had the original idea, based on the experiences of his father who was a Korean War veteran, and felt offended that Sorkin had not given him a chance to honor his father’s memory at the award ceremony. Sorkin responded that Cleveland had not contributed significantly, and that writing credits were simply rotated among the staff writers. The argument ended amicably, with Sorkin apologizing for belittling Cleveland's effort and the two writers expressing their admiration for each other.
The scene at Arlington was made with the full co-operation of the Pentagon
, who liked the message of the script and wanted to do what they could to help. Originally the president was to have been in the scene as well, but this was changed because it "took away the power of Mrs. Landingham and Ziegler"; it was felt that the scene would be more powerful without the looming presence of the president. The fourth person attending the funeral is Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery John C. Metzler, Jr.
, appearing as himself.
The story about the hate crime against the young homosexual man is based on the real-life case of Matthew Shepard
. This was confirmed by Allison Janney
in an interview with the gay magazine The Advocate
.
(Toby Ziegler
) was awarded the prize for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The episode was also nominated for "Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Series" and "Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series". Cleveland and Sorkin also won the Writers Guild of America Award for best episodic drama at the February 2001
ceremony for "In Excelsis Deo".
The West Wing (TV series)
The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
. It originally aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
December 15, 1999, as the show's Christmas special. Events circle around Toby
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
getting involved in the fate of a deceased Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
veteran, reactions to a severe hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
, and the ongoing controversy surrounding Leo's pill abuse. Written by Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
and Rick Cleveland
Rick Cleveland
Rick Cleveland is an American television writer, playwright and monologist, best known for writing on the HBO original series, Six Feet Under and NBC's The West Wing....
and directed by Alex Graves
Alex Graves
Alex Graves is an American television director, writer and producer.He is best known for his work on the hit series The West Wing, where he served as Producer, Supervising producer, Co-executive producer, and finally Executive producer. In 2007, he directed and executive produced the pilot for the...
, the episode contains guest appearances by Paul Austin and Raynor Scheine
Raynor Scheine
Raynor Scheine is an American actor who has appeared in films for three decades dating back to 1979, including My Cousin Vinny and Fried Green Tomatoes. His name is a play on the phrase "rain or shine".-Broadway performances:...
. It also earned Sorkin and Cleveland an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, as well as one for Richard Schiff
Richard Schiff
Richard Schiff is an American actor. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on the NBC television drama The West Wing, a role for which he received an Emmy Award...
.
Plot
As the episode begins, TobyToby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
gets called on by the D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
police
Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
The Metropolitan Police Department, also known as the DC Police, DCPD, MPD, and MPDC is the municipal police force in Washington, D.C...
to identify a dead homeless man. It turns out the man (a Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
veteran from the 2/7
2nd Battalion 7th Marines
The 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines is a light infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms and consist of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors...
) was simply wearing one of Toby's old coats donated to Goodwill
Goodwill Industries
Goodwill Industries International is a not-for-profit organization that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who have a disability, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges...
, with Toby's card still in it. But the event stays with him, and he decides to trace down the man's next of kin. The only relative he can find is a brother, also homeless. Using the influence of the president's office, he arranges a military funeral at Arlington
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
. President Bartlet
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
is informed about Toby’s transgression, but can only muster limited indignation. To the president's concern that this could create precedent for other veterans, Toby replies "I can only hope, sir." Mrs. Landingham, who has just told Charlie
Charlie Young
Charles 'Charlie' Young is a fictional character played by Dulé Hill on the television serial drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he is the Personal Aide to President Josiah Bartlet.-Creation and development:...
about losing her twin sons in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, joins Toby and the veteran's brother at the funeral.
Meanwhile, Josh
Josh Lyman
Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
– who is worried that Lillienfield may come out against Leo
Leo McGarry
Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. McGarry's character, the former United States Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White...
for his drug related past – approaches Sam
Sam Seaborn
Samuel Norman "Sam" Seaborn is a fictional character portrayed by Rob Lowe on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is best known for being Deputy White House Communications Director in the Josiah Bartlet administration throughout the first four seasons of the series.-Creation and...
and proposes using Sam's call-girl friend to dig up dirt for use as leverage against Lillienfield's allies when the time comes. Leo
Leo McGarry
Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. McGarry's character, the former United States Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White...
objects strongly to the plan, calling it unethical.
C.J.
C. J. Cregg
Claudia Jean "C. J." Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the television serial drama The West Wing. From the beginning of the series until the sixth season, she is White House Press Secretary in the administration of President Josiah Bartlet...
gets emotionally involved in a story about the deadly assault on a young homosexual man. She sees this as an opportunity to push hate crime legislation, but the suggestion finds little support among the others. Reporter Danny Concannon
Danny Concannon
Daniel "Danny" Concannon is a fictional White House correspondent for the Washington Post played by Timothy Busfield on the television serial drama The West Wing. Danny first appeared in the third episode of Season 1, "A Proportional Response," where he mentioned that he had been a White House...
also disagrees, but this encourages her to finally accept his offer of a date, to have him convince her.
President Bartlet sneaks out to go shopping at a rare book store and refuses to take photographers along, much to Mandy
Mandy Hampton
Dr. Madeline 'Mandy' Hampton is a fictional character played by Moira Kelly on the American serial drama television series The West Wing. She was White House media consultant during the first season of the show, and the former girlfriend of Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, with whom...
's chagrin. Donna
Donna Moss
Donnatella "Donna" Moss is a fictional character played by Janel Moloney on the television serial drama The West Wing. Donna is a recurring character during the first season, although she appears in every episode, making her a de facto regular...
has at this point been pestering Josh about her Christmas gift all day. While he doesn't follow the list submitted, he picks up a book for her at the shop and writes a message in it that leaves her pleasantly surprised.
Production and real-life issues
The episode's title is taken from the angels' song to the shepherds in Luke 2Luke 2
Luke 2 is the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It contains an account of Jesus's birth and an incident from his childhood.- Jesus's Birth :...
:14, announcing the birth of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, and is in reference to the show's Christmas theme. The words also make up the beginning of the Great Doxology
Great Doxology
The Great Doxology is an ancient hymn of praise to the Trinity which is chanted or read daily in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches.At each of these hymns, the words “Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin,” will be altered to correspond with the time of day:*At Matins:...
: Gloria in Excelsis Deo
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
"Gloria in excelsis Deo" is the title and beginning of a hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria.It is an example of the psalmi idiotici "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest")...
(Glory to God in the highest).
It was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, credited to Aaron Sorkin and Rick Cleveland. In the summer of 2001, a public argument broke out between the two on the Internet forum mightybigtv.com (now called Television Without Pity). Cleveland claimed to have had the original idea, based on the experiences of his father who was a Korean War veteran, and felt offended that Sorkin had not given him a chance to honor his father’s memory at the award ceremony. Sorkin responded that Cleveland had not contributed significantly, and that writing credits were simply rotated among the staff writers. The argument ended amicably, with Sorkin apologizing for belittling Cleveland's effort and the two writers expressing their admiration for each other.
The scene at Arlington was made with the full co-operation of the Pentagon
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, who liked the message of the script and wanted to do what they could to help. Originally the president was to have been in the scene as well, but this was changed because it "took away the power of Mrs. Landingham and Ziegler"; it was felt that the scene would be more powerful without the looming presence of the president. The fourth person attending the funeral is Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery John C. Metzler, Jr.
John C. Metzler, Jr.
John C. Metzler, Jr. , is an American civil servant who was Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, from 1991 to 2010. He achieved notoriety in the press at the end of his tenure due to the Arlington National Cemetery mismanagement controversy.-Early life:John C....
, appearing as himself.
The story about the hate crime against the young homosexual man is based on the real-life case of Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998...
. This was confirmed by Allison Janney
Allison Janney
Allison Brooks Janney is an American actress, best known for her role as C.J. Cregg on the television series The West Wing.- Personal life :...
in an interview with the gay magazine The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
.
Reception
Sorkin and Cleveland won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, and actor Richard SchiffRichard Schiff
Richard Schiff is an American actor. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on the NBC television drama The West Wing, a role for which he received an Emmy Award...
(Toby Ziegler
Toby Ziegler
Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...
) was awarded the prize for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The episode was also nominated for "Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Series" and "Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series". Cleveland and Sorkin also won the Writers Guild of America Award for best episodic drama at the February 2001
Writers Guild of America Awards 2000
The 53rd Writers Guild of America Awards, given in 2001, honored the film and television best writers of 2000.-Best Adapted Screenplay: Traffic - Stephen Gaghan*Chocolat - Robert Nelson Jacobs...
ceremony for "In Excelsis Deo".
External links
- In Excelsis Deo' at NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.com. - In Excelsis Deo at The West Wing Episode Guide.
- In Excelsis Deo at The West Wing Continuity Guide.
- In Excelsis Deo recap at Television Without Pity.
- In Excelsis Deo at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
. - In Excelsis Deo at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
.