It's Christmas Eve, and a defensive Josh spends the day in a marathon therapy session with a doctor who works with trauma victims. Josh recounts the escalating instability -- identification with a suicidal fighter pilot, impatience with his colleagues and friends, an oversensitivity to music, a blow up in the Oval Office -- which led to Donna and Leo arranging for Josh to get help. Meanwhile, the President insists he wants to sign all of his own Christmas cards, until Charlie explains there are far too many. Sam tangles with a representative of the Energy Secretary over remarks advocating the release of some of the strategic oil reserves. CJ enlists the help of a snobby tour guide to get to the bottom of an incident involving a White House tourist and a painting donated by the French government.

2001 ASC Award Winner:
Outstanding Achievement in Episodic Television Series

2000 DGA Award Winner:
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series Night

2001 Emmy Award Winner:
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series

2001 Emmy Award Nominee:
Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series

Teleplay by AARON SORKIN
Story by PETER PARNELL
Directed by THOMAS SCHLAMME

Starring:

ROB LOWE as Sam Seaborn
DULÉ HILL as Charlie Young
ALLISON JANNEY as C.J. Cregg
JANEL MOLONEY as Donna Moss
RICHARD SCHIFF as Toby Ziegler
JOHN SPENCER as Leo McGarry
BRADLEY WHITFORD as Josh Lyman
and MARTIN SHEEN as President Josiah Bartlet

U.S. Dept. of Energy: Strategic Petroleum Reserve
International Monetary Fund
Yo-Yo Ma
National Center for PTSD

Leo: "This guy's walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, 'Hey you. Can you help me out?' The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, 'Father, I'm down in this hole can you help me out?' The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by, 'Hey, Joe, it's me can you help me out?' And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, 'Are you stupid? Now we're both down here.' The friend says, 'Yeah, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.' "