In Excelsis Deo
- Episode aired Dec 15, 1999
- TV-14
- 45m
IMDb RATING
9.1/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
When a homeless veteran dies on the National Mall and his body remains uncollected for hours, Toby becomes fixated on getting him a proper burial.When a homeless veteran dies on the National Mall and his body remains uncollected for hours, Toby becomes fixated on getting him a proper burial.When a homeless veteran dies on the National Mall and his body remains uncollected for hours, Toby becomes fixated on getting him a proper burial.
Photos
Renée Estevez
- Nancy
- (as Renee Estevez)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter reading through the script of the episode, the Pentagon was very touched by the handling of the story line dealing with the death of a homeless veteran of the Korean conflict. In fact, they were so impressed that they gave the show access to film at Arlington National Cemetery, (ANC is administered by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington). The Department of Defense then supplied the Marine Honor Guard and chaplain, and set up the whole funeral. During the funeral scene, all persons in uniform are members of the U.S. Armed Forces, performing their actual roles in a military funeral. Richard Schiff, (Toby Zeigler) has said that it was such a powerful and moving story, that after every take, he broke down and cried.
- GoofsDolores Landingham, the President's secretary, mentions that her twin sons had a low draft number in the lottery. Her sons died in Vietnam on December 24, 1970. The first lottery drawing was held December 1, 1969; with a low lottery number, they would easily be in the field by December 1970.
- Quotes
President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet: [Toby has just arranged for an honor guard at the funeral of a homeless vet] Toby, If we start pulling strings like this don't you think every homeless veteran will come out of the woodwork?
Toby Ziegler: I can only hope so, sir.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 52nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2000)
Featured review
How Could It Have Been Better?
This is some of the best writing ever put forward in a dramatic series. Toby is at the center of much of it. He is called to a bench to identify a homeless man who has died of exposure (I assume). It turns out there is a business card of Toby's in the pocket of a jacket that had been donated to Good Will. Toby comes to realize that the guy was a veteran of Korea and yet no one mourns him. The scene at the end is about as touching as anything I have seen. We also find out that Mrs Lannigham has faced a horrible event in her life which makes Christmas a lot to handle.
helpful•100
- Hitchcoc
- Jan 23, 2021
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