Underneath that brusque exterior there are so many layers. The first generation son of immigrant Jews, he struggled with his father’s past as a member of Murder, Inc. He doesn’t appear to be very emotional, but he bought his ex-wife a house in a last ditch attempt to woo her (also, let's please remember when Toby was talking to his children for the first time at the hospital right after they're born). He was often the last person holding their ground in an argument, and the first person willing to disagree with the President. And yet, he held himself and others to a higher standard because of what they did and where they worked. His disdain for President Bartlett's choice to replace John Hoynes as V.P., a man named Bob Russell, but more commonly and condescendingly known as Bingo Bob, was evident when he wrote a scathing speech praising the main's soaring ineptitude and unmatched mediocrity (and really, what's better than Toby and Will's reaction when Bingo Bob confronts them about their speech?).
He was sad and moody, but he loved language and used it beautifully, he could be sentimental, arranging a military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery for a homeless veteran found dead while wearing an old coat of Toby’s that had been donated to charity (this makes me cry every time I see it, especially when he's walking with Mrs. Landingham at Arlington). He developed a crush on the United States poet laureate, a blonde sylph of a woman who disagreed with him on many levels, but whose poetry touched him. And he loved his children, who, by the way, come with hats(!), and asked the first woman Chief Justice to sign a copy of the Constitution to his infant daughter (one of my favorite scenes!).
Toby did not show emotion easily, but you could always tell he loved those that he loved with his whole heart. The emotion in his voice and on his face when he find Josh Lyman shot in the abdomen in the season finale of season one is heart wrenching (do we know why Richard Schiff didn't win an Emmy JUST for this scene alone?!). He is annoyed with his father, a convicted felon after all, for coming to the White House, but displays a touching tenderness beneath the annoyance and anger. He was protective of his best friends, Josh, CJ, Sam, and loyal to a fault. When Will Bailey left his job as speechwriter to the President to go work for Bingo Bob Russell, Toby's feeling of betrayal was almost palpable. He also had a quirky, and often sarcastic sense of humor that made him relatable, even when he was at his most prickly (and who better to point out sarcasm in others than one as sarcastic as Toby: "Sarcasm's a disturbing thing coming from a woman of your age, Mrs. Landingham."). He clearly took great joy in ribbing the President about his obsessive interest in Thanksgiving turkeys, asking the President for advice on the right blend of herbs and seasonings for his holiday bird, even thought the President knows Toby has no intention of cooking a Thanksgiving turkey (one of the Best Toby Scenes EVER).
Like a lot of us, Toby isn't easily defined as one thing or another, he doesn't fit in a tidy little box. But I think I can say that while Toby Ziegler is my favorite West Wing character for a lot of reasons, but it primarily boils down to one storyline in the last season of the series. Basically, there is an accident aboard the International Space Station, there are no shuttles available to rescue the astronauts aboard, except for a secret military shuttle whose existence has been closely guarded. The military does not want it to be public knowledge, and the decision is made not to use it in a rescue attempt. Toby is aware of it through his brother, who was a mission specialist prior to his death, and leaks it to a reporter. Once it is widely known, the military’s hand is forced and the astronauts are brought home safely.
Toby revealed classified information. I either don’t remember or never knew the precise charges against him (at the very least, wasn't one of the charges treason?), but they would have resulted in five years in prison had the President not pardoned him. What I do know is that I admire someone willing to spend half a decade in prison for their principles. And I would like to think that the men and women who actually do our government’s work at the highest levels have the same sense of integrity and principle that Toby does.
Toby Ziegler wasn’t an easy man to like, but I’d like to think I could have been his friend. Or at least his intern (watch out for those White House interns...).
To wrap up, here's a clip (sorry, it's a little long, but worth it!), that demonstrates quite a few of Toby's better traits, and features his ex-wife, Andy. He manages to be decisive, brusque, and slightly frightened of her all at the same time. This is one of my favorite speeches of Toby's, enjoy.
A.H.
