Favorite Episode

[CM-BlueButterfly]

Share your favorite episode or episodes and what makes it your favorite below. 

[Browncoat]

Hands down, "In Excelsis Deo" is my favorite.  It was a nice showcase for both Toby and Mrs. Landingham.  I often paraphrase her "I miss my boys." when I miss someone terribly.

I still tear up when I think about that episode.

[ProudMary]

It's hard to pick just one and I think if asked tomorrow, I'd pick something different, but right now, I'll choose "Shibboleth."

Regarding "In Excelsis Deo": Warner Brothers recently released a short video package with 10 of TWW's best moments. The last 4 minutes or so of the episode were included with Mrs. Landingham joining Toby at Arlington. While it still made me cry, I have to say that since the events of August 26th, I also was enraged. It hits differently now.

[Sarah 103]

My favorites in no particular order:

"Shibboleth"

"Take This Sabbath Day"

"Noel"

"Celestial Navigation"

"Two Cathedrals"

"In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" (both parts)

"17 People"

"The Supremes"

An honorary mention goes to "Eppur Si Muove" for CJ and Big Bird. 

Edited September 22 by Sarah 103

[buttersister]

Variety  is pushing their Top 20 favorite episodes. I may quibble about the order, but they nailed number one.

Enjoy or dispute 🤗

[Browncoat]

"Two Cathedrals" was also an excellent episode.

[Morrigan2575]

3 hours ago, buttersister said:

Variety  is pushing their Top 20 favorite episodes. I may quibble about the order, but they nailed number one.

Enjoy or dispute 🤗

I think Stackhouse Filibuster should be on the list. I'd probably remove one of the S7 episodes to make room

[satrunrose]

"Two Cathedrals" is my absolute favourite Martin Sheen moment in the series. I've played it back a lot when life seems horribly unfair (and since the West Wing came out when I was in late high school, early university, Jed Bartlet cursing God in Latin was often geeky catharsis). 

Noel is an excellent character study and I love the structure of it (and Leo's speech about the guy in the hole)

Shibboleth is probably my overall favourite. I love the interaction at the end with the Chinese refugee representative and the President giving Charlie the Revere carving knife always makes me tear up. 

Edited September 23 by satrunrose

[Calvada]

I have a particular fondness for "The Supremes."  It was a few episodes into the post-Sorkin era and I had not been thrilled with the transition.  But this episode was so terrific and it brought back the comedic aspects of the show that I had always loved. 

However, my very favorite is "Noel" and it's all because of John Spencer as Leo.  

[Moose135]

"In Excelsis Deo" is my favorite, for many reasons. Toby was always my favorite character, and as a veteran, the topic of homelessness among veterans gets to me. I'm usually an emotional mess watching this episode - my father was a WWII vet who passed 8 years ago, buried in a National Cemetary with the military honor guard and flag. I watched the episode shortly after that, and I was a mess by the end of it.

Toby, if we start pulling strings like this, you don't think every homeless veteran will come out of the woodwork?
I can only hope, sir.

Kills me, every time.

[Bastet]

I haven't done a re-watch in a while (and I only watch the first four seasons), so my answer might well be different if they were fresh in my mind, but based on memory I'd pick "Celestial Navigation" for the way it combines serious and funny. 

Allison Janney doing physical comedy elevates anything to pure art ("I had woot canal!"), and anything that knocks Josh down a few pegs is gold in my book.  The secret plan to fight inflation?  I laugh just thinking about that disaster of a press conference and Bartlet's reaction the next day.  "Okay, before we go on:  C.J., if blood is gushing from the head wound you just received from a stampeding herd of bison, you'll do the press briefing."

On the serious side, Edward James Olmos is fantastic (of course) as Justice Mendoza, refusing to let racial profiling be swept under the rug.

[Sarah 103]

Episodes I forgot to add to my list:

"Hartsfield's Landing"

“Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail”