The Great West Wing Rewatch: 2.8 "Shibboleth"

Joel: Two of my three favorite Thanksgiving moments in the show, and they’re both from the same episode. The first is CJ asking the president to pardon a second turkey. This comes at the end of a storyline where CJ has to choose which of the two turkeys that have been brought to the White House is going to be pardoned, knowing that the other one is going to be eaten. The whole story is about how strangely difficult and bizarre making a choice like that is. It pretty much comes down to a coin flip but one of the turkeys is going to get a long happy life while the other one won’t live to see tomorrow and you have to decide which is which. Yes, they’re just birds and have no idea what’s going on, but still being the one to actually make that call can be harder than expected. And the whole thing ends with a great scene where, you know what? The President’s just going to pardon both of them this time around. There is some fantastic back and forth in this scene with the President, CJ and a kid who’s way out of his depth getting to meet a President that’s speaking with the efficiency of a Sorkin character.

The other storyline feels like it’s going to be the silly one. The President has Charlie going all over town trying to find the perfect knife for carving a turkey. This is probably the most minor storyline in the episode and really feels just like another one of those moments where the President is worked up about some minor trivial thing that only he cares about, but Charlie gets wrapped up in it because that’s his job, and really we all love seeing that side of Bartlet once in awhile. But then we get to the end where we learn that he needs a new knife because he’s giving his old one to Charlie, and we get one of the most touching moments between these two characters. In the speech right before, Bartlet stated that carving knives are a thing that are passed from father to son meaning that this gift is far more than just a knife. For most of this show, the relationship between these two on the surface is just that Charlie has to be the one to listen when Bartlet goes off on one of his educational monologues. But this moment, this passing of the knife is one that shows how a father/son type of relationship had built between the two men.

Alexa: As masterfully as The West Wing does drama, it’s often just as adept at comedy. Case in point – the saga of C.J. and the turkeys (Eric and Troy, to be precise), who set up camp in her office until she can decide which will be pardoned and which will become someone’s Thanksgiving dinner. C.J.’s handling of the turkey pardoning and the press secretary’s other traditional Thanksgiving duties is hilarious, but in true West Wing fashion it turns heartfelt when C.J. can’t bear to have poor Troy put down and convinces President Bartlet to pardon both turkeys. But one of my favorite tug-at-your-heartstrings West Wing moments occurs at the end of the episode, as Joel discusses, when President Bartlet gives Charlie a gift that symbolizes how truly meaningful their relationship has become to him. If Dule Hill’s stunned, appreciative eyes don’t move you to tears during that scene, then I don’t know what will. This episode also further showcases John Spencer’s ability to quietly kill it week after week in his performance as Leo. He may not always be the one to deliver rousing speeches or enjoy the most dramatic awards-bait scenes, but his nuanced portrayal leaves a lasting impression. His confrontation with his sister, who’s under consideration for a potential recess appointment, stealthily crescendos until he delivers his final verbal blow (“We don’t strut. Ever.”) with purpose before ending their conversation with a genial “Tell your kids I said hello.” A season and a half in, Spencer knows Leo like a close friend, and his interpretation of the character makes him fascinating to watch, even when his storyline is secondary.

Chris: The episodes that start out as if there’s not a whole lot going on and everybody is bored for whatever reason usually ends up being some of the most eventful episodes in the series. Thankfully (see what I did there), the events that followed in this episode ended pretty positively and none were insanely serious to begin with. And don’t lie, you kinda hoped the president was gonna sniff out the refugee as a religious fraud and reign down with the Bartlet knowledge stick from on high. Also, for a a guy that snuck into the country in a cargo ship, he’s A) pretty sharply dressed and B) the secret service is awfully trusting to leave him in the Oval Office along with the president. Also, the guy was flown into DC from San Diego for a 5 minute conversation? I’m pretty sure a video conference call would’ve done the trick and would’ve solved that whole security issue I just addressed.

A good president drafts the losing turkey into military service.