He was perfect in this role. In his typical style, he was loving, but firm and exact. Sorkin's choice of Malden as the priest for this particular episode, given its gravity was brilliant.

What an amazingly powerful last acting scene for him😊

@@billboyle5456 I can't believe Mr. Malden was 88 here ... early 70s, maybe, but not late 80s. In many ways, looking back, he reminded me of a maternal Great Aunt whom U met, sadly, the one and only time when she turned 100. I swear, to this day, she acted like a lady in her mid-late 70s, but no more. A sparkling, dry, whit, and clearly had all her marbles. Although I was in my 30s, she made feel like a comparative teenager, such was the vast extent of her memories. Only at 103 did she develop dementia, and passed away at an remarkable 106. If only Mr. Malden lived as long ... ... and this scence was an apt bookend to a remarkable career, using the same Bible he had in 'On The Waterfront' ... the kindly, humble, compassionate priest, but with a rock-like interior that brooked no excuses. Although I'm by no means Catholic, he reminds me not just of Pope Francis, but a Bishop, whom, despite overseeing one of the largest diocese in America, was blunt about what should happen in the horrific part his Church played in the ongoing Child Sexual Abuse scandal. He was utterly scathing, and finished with --- to paraphrase --- "We (the Catholic Church), and especially the dioceses in America, all deserve to be sued for every single cent we have. It is the very _least_ that happen, even though all that money will never, ever, undo the damage done. But having the entire Church sued into literal bankruptcy is the _least_ we deserve ...", which I think went on to say "especially in the light of Christ's own words of Matthew ch18 vv6 ..." ...

My favorite West Wing scene.

Thanks for that info.

Very elegant way to let President Bartlett that he is responsible. He is not off the hook - he had a job in the church's eyes, and he failed.

"Bless me father . . .for I have sinned . . . " (that's the most important part)

And in front of the Oval Office desk. The most powerful man in the world brought to his knees to beg for forgiveness.

@Andrew Arbuckle - I'm record for my appreciation of Martin Sheen, and the roles he chose. And, your comment gives me a chance to salute Karl Malden. Une of the great character actors in cinema history.

Two of the best.

that time he wasnt the president, and he wasnt just a priest. as others have said. the priest didnt stand up when the president was on his feet. And the fact that he addressed the president as just a kid from his parrish. the dynamic seems like for that brief time he was his father in a religious way.

talking to the man, not the office

didnt catch that. thank you

Yep, because he seized to be a president meeting with a priest. He was now a simple man professing his sins to Christ. He also can no longer separate himself from the office of president.

Well as a Christian who has known and befriended many Jews and Rabbi's I would simply venture this. "We have a lot more in common than we have different." That goes for many of the religions in the world. Maybe if we all realized that this world might be a better place.

It was more that the "Hashkiveinu" should be a continuous reminder true christanity and jewism have the same roots and like the Scene where Toby Ziegler was in the temple it is the SAME GOD who asks the People to stop killing each other.

That comment. How many persons noticed that? BRAVO!!! REALLY, MATE. B.R.A.V.O.

@@Richman-iw4tv in the USA folk say "Christian" because there are so many Protestant denominations. We Catholics say "Catholic," or more specifically "Roman Catholic"--to differentiate from the Eastern Rites, which are still united under the Universal Church and the Holy Father, the Pope. Folk say "Christian," but they never say "Anglican," "Baptist," "Presbyterian," "Methodist," "Mormon," or anything else. When I hear "Christian," I think: "They hate Catholics and have no clue what Christ was about."

The music was always so familiar but I never put that together, thank you! Magnificent writing.

The idea is that he was human, and this was one of those moments where his humanity came out in force. It was a moment where his duty towards the office and his humanity were at odds, and he sacrificed a part of his ow humanity...to uphold his oath and duty as president.

It is a nice reminder that even the wisest men make mistakes. Nobody should be held above all others.

It's one of the best parts about Jed Bartlett's character. He isn't perfect, he does mistakes, he says and does things he regrets later. Jed Bartlett might be a fictitious character, an ideal of what the writers want a President to be, but at the end of the day even the best men are still just men.

YES! I have unapologetically retold both of these numerous times. Sometimes they fall flat and are forgotten--but a few times, you see clouds part when these gems are offered up. I miss this show a lot.

And the friend says yea but I've been down here before and I know the way out. I wish I had such a friend.....................

@@retroguy9494 my favorite scene!

“A guy falls in a hole” is my fave!

@@retroguy9494 my fave scene with Leo! ♥️

Wow, that's interesting trivia. "On the Waterfront" is one of my favorite movies of all time. I'm also impressed they got Karl Malden on this TV show.

@@bixfrisbee2623 Great actors are drawn to roles with great writing!

The pope is not a believer either.

@@Gods_messenger_Elijah Uhm, he really is...

@@BOLANAREDE321 He serves Satan. Chief liar and deceiver. He has less than 12 years. So do you.

@@Gods_messenger_Elijah Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

@@dorothygale1104 Christmas is pagan, new year is in the Spring under God's calendar.

I only just noticed that he knew that he'd talked to Joey and that she was a Quaker. How did he know that?

@@kevinedie4119 TWW had some serious continuity lapses, the Priest knowing about the Quaker is one of them, that being said it is a great show.

​@@kevinedie4119 Guy had been sitting in a waiting room for a few hours, he would have heard every bit of gossip around.

Nope. That is how religion survives. When we just ignore its illogical practice because x reason.

Religion survives because of community and fear of death. There's nothing you or I can do about it, so we may as well relax and accept those who practice it.

tg72211 Depends on what you exactly mean with accepting them. Sure lets not create discriminating laws or something stupid as that. And what people do in the privacy of their homes do not really effect anyone 9/10 times. But i am sure as hell going to call them out when they try and push non nonsensical ideas based on fairy tales for grown ups.

+tg72211 How do you feel about having half the US school system taken over by right-wing religious bigots? Who deny science and try to rewrite history? Because half the textbooks sold to the public schools are now selected and approved by right-wing Christian groups who have taken over the school boards in key states (like Texas). It's easy to say "relax and accept," but that must also mean you are okay with the ideas being pushed on school children who are too young and naive to know they're being fed propaganda. You may not be able to stop religion, but you can do something about religious proselytizers.

No, it doesn't mean that. I didn't say relax and accept fairy tales as textbook substitutes. I said accept the people. They also need to accept us, which means no ten commandments outside the courthouse, and the kids are taught evolution. What I'm talking about is people who can't even watch a TV show, probably the most left-wing show to get a mass following, without whining about how other people think.

The version of the story that I know has God saying, "I sent you a radio report, a man in a rowboat, and a helicopter. What more do you want?"

It's a silly apocryphal story that falls apart the moment you consider it rationally.

@@VolrinSeth It's a parable. It's not a story to be found in the non-fiction section. It's simply a life lesson that can be taken non-religiously as "Hey, the universe is trying to tell you something. Think about your life choices."

@@VolrinSeth Apart from the fact that it is of course a parable that isn't meant to be a literal report of actual events, how does it fall apart?

@@jerodast because it depicts god as either capricious or an idiot. An Omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful) and omnibenevolent (all-good) God would know how to save the Man by the River. He would know how deep the man's blind faith is and would know that the helicopter would not save him. And sends the helicopter anyway. Why? To tease and gaslight the man with a snarky remark when he dies? You think the man would have drowned had god sent the helicopter when the flood waters was up to his head?

I'm going to steal that for the anti-mask people.

@@gspendlove The world of sci-fi gives us so many lessons for situations like this. I've been thinking about the Terminator a great deal since the pandemic hit. "Listen, and understand. That coronavirus is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop. Ever. Until you are dead."

@@gspendlove And now after two full years we have indisputable evidence that masks did not work.

@@superslash7254 ....unless you wear one. If people weren't wearing them, it wouldn't be 700,000 dead in this country. It would be more like 5,000,000.

"What was his name?"- Gowron

man from ohio west wing

One of only 3 people who called him dead in the oval office

Jed

iandhr1 Which episode is it?

Rob Schmidt who else?

@FlintF - And the series gave both tears of sadness, and tears of joy & laughter.

Outstanding if you ask me. In his style, a mix of love with firmness, he made the perfect priest for such an issue.

@@retroguy9494 Absolutely ... in fact, if one bookends this with his performance in 'On The Waterfront' --- which is apposite, as the Bible he produced in this scene, was the exact same one he had in that film --- one could say it was a fitting end to an incredible career, that, imho, perfectly encapsulated whom Mr. Malden was, not just as an actor, but his humanity, and dignity, as well ... a rare moment of casting choice in which, I, personally, literally cannot think of anyone else playing that rôle ...

@@nigelft Yes indeed. I wholeheartedly agree! ✔

*'Parables' tend to obfuscate any true answer and in the instance of a drowned man asking 'Why did you let me die?' he should have asked "Why do You allow the suffering and ailments of all that lives on Earth?"* *"Since I am now dead and cannot reveal anything...TELL ME WHY LIVING CREATURES MUST SUFFER GRIEF AND LOSS AND TORMENT AND THEN DIE AS A 'FINAL REWARD"*

And also ask "why is it a person who lives a good life and helps others but does not believe in you goes to help but a person who led an evil life and harmed others and repents before they die gets into heaven?"

We do, but it's not exactly directed at us, is it.

Because I'm not religious I would never be in the self-limiting position of the man by the river. Religion poisons everything.

"I was just planning to destroy your home with that flood. And for some reason my plans aren't infallible."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Malden

We don't seem to have as many actors of his caliber around these days. Plus movies have changed too

Karl Malden was wonderful in the 1961 movie "Parrish" with Claudette Colbert and Troy Donahue. He played a ruthless tycoon in Connecticut's shade tobacco industry, a character almost impossible to like. Then when Claudette Colbert's refined character accepted his proposal of marriage, you began to see how he was the catalyst for new beginnings in the Connecticut River Valley. "Parrish" was Claudette Colbert's last movie.

His last appearance.

Audrey Tucker Aaron Sorkin does.

+eliptical02 The many who gave up on the Newsroom very quickly would disagree :P

+antourte1 yea i wish that they kept going with the Newsroom, but even that doesn't compare to the West Wing imo

Thats the hallmark of really good stories, one can tell them in many ways

At 1:29 Malden responds to the comment by Bartlett with the smallest of facial gesture. So skillful.

While it is not required today to kneel during confession, both Sheen & Jed Bartlett are of an age in which kneeling in a confessional was the norm. So, Sheen kneeling was being true to what would have been Jed Bartlett’s actual experience of growing up in the Roman Catholic church.

@@dorothygale1104 i like that! i guess i just showed my millennial-ness ;) i remember as a kid kneeling in the confessional behind the screen but in my adulthood i've done more of the the sit-down face to face. (i find it more intimate and makes me more remorseful)... now i'm gonna end up going down a rabbit hole about pre-Vatican-II traditions! merry Christmas!

@@robertpadillosandiego2821 Just to be clear, I wasn’t trying to diminish your observation, which I hadn’t thought of before I read your comment. Being of an older vintage, I assumed Bartlett/Sheen knelt for confession because that was what they grew up doing. But kneeling out of reverence and submission and out of the custom they grew up with are not mutually exclusive. Whether kneeling was in the script or an actor’s choice, it was powerful that that act represented both takes.

I'm a lot younger than Sheen and I still kneel while confessing. It is to show God that I humble myself before His presence. I could care less what the modern church allows. I still do it and will do it until age or illness prevents me from doing so. As for face to face, I still prefer the traditional confessional with the screen and sliding door or curtain. The priest only serves as the vessel through which we confess to God. Its based on the power Jesus gave to the apostles. "Whos sins you forgive shall be forgiven. Those you retain shall be retained." The anonymity of the confessional for me helps me to feel closer to God and to confess my sins better and to be more remorseful. Remember, we confess to God, not to the priest as the man.

@@dorothygale1104 I love a KZfaq response where someone is able to respond in a rational and articulate manner to make their point.

No we won’t, they have all been replaced with The Kartrashians, Love and Hip Hop, and the Fake Housewives!

@@Millie226 ... and, unfortunately, we are all the lesser for it ... But ratings are ratings, and, unfortunately, the days of cerebral television, which really made you stop, and think about the very possibility of decency, civility, and dignity, especially in poltics, has lost out in favour of 'light entertainment', where --- and this is a massive assumption on my part --- what television executives think their audiences want is mindless entertainment to remove themselves often dreary, nine-to-five, working lives which are, quite likely, making people ill, physically, mentally, and psychologically; so no wonder programs that effectively dulls that pain are so popular ...

@nigelft To be honest Always Sunny is a great satire on the current state of affairs. They act like fools but are only slightly exaggerate our narcissism , arrogance, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc. I'm not saying it's West Wing, but it's a lot smarter than people give it credit for. Behind the laughs, it's cutting.

It's Sorkin. Nothing is a coincidence.

Lighting and shadows are the other two characters in The West Wing.

The lighting has always been brilliant, it was on purpose.

There were so many great scenes in this show. It was the greatest ever.

Karl with a K...lol...I believe this was his last appearance as an actor...RIP!!!

Wow, nice catch!

Did not know the priest was played by Karl Malden.

Yes, I referenced that film above. I have admired Malden throughout his career, especially for his role in "On The Waterfront".

@@donalde.kingjr.3545 he is truly underrated

@M.C. Squared - Weirdly, I recognized Karl Malden's voice, but not his face. And, On The Waterfront is 1 of the top 25 movies of all time.

Agreed completely. "Mr President" is titular - the role. Mr President doesn't need confession. But Jed Bartlet does. Powerfully done.

The priest is played by the actor, Carl Malden. A terrific actor from years ago. Check him out in the Johnny Piersol story.

RetroGuy76 That's because he wasn't talking to the president of the united states but to one of his parishioners. The presidential office doesn't need absolution but his catholic parishioner did.

A good scene, and good comments too (for a change!) I’d add that Sheen’s change from being Mr President to becoming Jed is subtle and meaningful. Also, the way Father Tom (Carl Maldon) prepares himself to receive Confession reinforces his priestly Office, ready to hear from his humble parishioner Jed. Nicely done.

He knows Jed and Abby before Jed's political career. So he asked if he can call Jed, Jed or Mr. President because of that.

Nice touch. And thanks for mentioning his name because now I don't have to look it up.

Up until the note about the execution came, Bartlet was discussing matters pertaining to his office as President. In that capacity even close friends always call the President by his title -- that's the protocol. But when Malden's character saw that Jed Bartlet the man needed spiritual comfort, he switched to first name.

It was also Jed's way of putting a bit of separation between himself (and personal sense of the guilt) and the decision he was making. When it came to life or death decisions such as this one or military decisions he wanted to think of himself as the President making the decision, not Jed Bartlet.

I understand your replies about the protocol of speaking to the President. My point was that he should have returned the courtesy and referred to the Priest as Father. That is what Catholics do until we are asked by the priest to call him by name.

@@tomsampson8084 I think you make a great point. I’ve always wondered that myself as Jed is always rather formal in the oval, using title and courtesy rather than informality

I absolutely agree.

Frankly neither party has offered a man remotely close to Jed Bartlett in a very, very long time.

We need a Jed Bartlett

I voted for Ron Paul ... twice!

"" you are only given so many chances in life"" --- wow, indeed. Something to always keep in mind

I still remember his endorsement of American Express Traveler's Checks. "What will you do, WHAT WILL YOU DO?"

Malden was a truly great actor-they were lucky to get him for this episode-and-supported by good writing he made the episode great

I can only hope and pray.. yes pray.. that there will be enabled to be leaders ahead.. I'll settle for good.. decent.. doesn't have to be remarkable.. just sympathetic.. natural empathy.. true compassion.. ability to admit when they're wrong and ask forgiveness.. to someone.. anyone who matters to them.

Thank you sir. I stand with you and respect you.

Beautifully stated!

At this point that's beginning to feel like a big "if"...

In a forum usually full of toxicity and immaturity, this is one of the best KZfaq comments I've ever read.

I am also here for this reason

The last person in the oval office to act like that? Ronald Reagan.

@@retroguy9494 Reagan?

@@Kathdath Yes, REAGAN! As in 'The Gipper.' As in 'the great communicator.' As in the guy who won the second biggest landslide in history in '84. Only Nixon got more votes in '72.

please watch!

Jordan W.H. well I do have more than enough time to do so

It just moved from Netflix to HBOMax where you can stream the whole series.

You absolutely should. It is the best tv show ever.

Perhaps you should try a different Christian denomination. The southern Baptist church was founded as a way to justify slavery. Now it functions to hate other groups. No wonder you turned atheist.

I keep America in my thoughts, because of who you have in power I am very worried for you. Of all times, this is one where a true leader with compassion and integrity is deeply needed. Stay safe. Love from Italy.

@@lindaliriel the one we have now is better than the covert narcissist who previously held the office.

@@richcook2007 I pity you, you poor delusional creature.

@@richcook2007 This comment hasn't aged so well a week later, has it?

@@mc76 oh I think its aged extremely well.

@Phelan Not to mention that, to the faithful, god is also responsible for the virus.

As per 2021 usual, there's always the vaxx fundamentalist. God gave me natural antibodies after having, thanks but I'll pass on the experimental drug.

@Phelan Why? Google natural antibodies one gets after having covid. Much stronger than vaccines that need constant booster shots.

Brilliant reply. So very true.

@@christianwestling2019 Uhuh. God also gave the man by the river natural buoyancy but he still drowned. Why are some people so afraid of the idea that God might want people to innovate with the science of the world he created for us, and use it to help each other?

You do understand this is fiction, right?

That's okay; we've got a fictional character in the White House right now.

What are you talking about? The episode ended with Jed just about to confess. They didn't actually show it. Its up to us to believe he confessed to allowing a murder to happen.

@@retroguy9494 They shouldn't have shown it. But the form, the lead in, the way the actor playing the priest used the correct prayers, all done well. Confession itself I would hope would never actually be shown.

@@BOLANAREDE321 Well, yes, that I agree with. The only issue I have is Jed going down on one knee. When permissible, I always get down on BOTH knees.

@@retroguy9494 I usually sit.

Or perhaps the God concept is so far beyond men that they need, desperately, to reduce it and Him to a guy that makes mistakes, rather than accepting that they weren’t there when He created Leviathan … and that He’s always had the right to judge them. Jed understands.