Which episode is season 2, episode 18 of The West Wing?

Season 2, episode 18 of The West Wing is “17 People.”

Written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Alex Graves, “17 People” is one of the series’ most consequential political episodes. Its central revelation is President Jed Bartlet telling communications director Toby Ziegler that Bartlet has multiple sclerosis, a diagnosis the administration has concealed from the public.

The episode also uses a contrasting comic storyline involving a speech Bartlet is preparing to deliver. That mixture of high-stakes secrecy and workplace humor is characteristic of the show’s bottle-episode style, with much of the action taking place among the regular staff.

A frequent numbering trap is that “17 People” is the eighteenth episode of season 2, not the seventeenth. The preceding episode is “The Stackhouse Filibuster,” and the following episode is “Bad Moon Rising.” “Noël” is also from season 2, but it is episode 10.