As is befitting of the end of summer, this week’s One Off has Dave and Steve watching a Christmas episode of The West Wing: Season 2, Episode 10. They talk about songs that make them nostalgic, the pitfalls of Christmas episodes, and end with a discussion that Steve should probably share with his therapist.

iTunes’ overly wordy description for this episode is, “At Christmas time, Leo hires a traumatologist to force Josh to confront his unacknowledged stress resulting from when he was shot. Josh initially denies his recent erratic emotions as he recounts the events of the last few weeks. Sam deals with an errant energy secretary who contradicts Bartlet. Meanwhile, C.J. helps a tourist who becomes agitated after seeing a painting that was stolen from her family by the Nazi-controlled French government. And Charlie must persuade a stubborn Bartlet that the President cannot possibly personally sign more than one million White House Christmas cards.”

• “The West Wing” is available on iTunes.
• As per the rules of One Offs club, Dave and Steve don’t recap the episode they watched, but if you’re looking for that kind of thing, check out the West Wing Weekly for a great recap of “Noël”.
• The editor felt obligated to include the entire opening theme of The West Wing. You’re welcome.
• Steve says an emphatic “no” to Dave’s call to adventure. It will be a rift in their friendship for years to come.
• Much like Steve’s inability to do accents, Dave’s slang terminology for Canadian cities is going to get the podcast in trouble.
• This week’s episode has an Apple Music playlist to go with it.
• Apropos of something: “Death Cab have become emblematic of a certain brand of mainstream indie-pop, what might be termed Grey’s Anatomy music – melodic and heartfelt, if relatively bland.”
• Nobody is shocked to learn that Steve is a grinch.
• Holidays at Dave’s house sound like an absolute riot.
• Steve mistakenly refers to Leo McGarry as Jewish. While Leo “is the most Jewish man most of us have ever met” (See: “The Red Mass”), the show makes pretty clear that he is a lapsed Catholic.
• Dave is unintentionally punny.
• As it turns out, there was a National Lampoon’s Thanksgiving Family Reunion. It starred Bryan Cranston in the role that probably got him Breaking Bad.
• Dave sounds like he has a camera set up in Aaron Sorkin’s living room.
• Steve probably shouldn’t be allowed to go Christmas carolling anymore.
• In retrospect, perhaps Dave and Steve should have saved their Christmas episode for… you know… Christmas. Merry 28th of August, everyone!