Gone Quiet

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“Gone Quiet”
The West Wing episode
Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 50
Written by	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Julia Dahl & Laura Glasser (story)
Directed by	Jon Hutman
Guest stars	Oliver Platt Ron Silver Hal Holbrook Anna Deavere Smith Connie Britton Valerie Mahaffey Gregalan Williams
Production no.	227207
Original airdate	November 14, 2001
Season 3 episodes
Isaac and Ishmael Documentary Special Manchester Part I Manchester Part II Ways and Means On the Day Before War Crimes Gone Quiet The Indians in the Lobby The Women of Qumar Bartlet for America H. Con-172 100,000 Airplanes The Two Bartlets Night Five Hartsfield's Landing Dead Irish Writers The U.S. Poet Laureate Stirred Enemies Foreign and Domestic The Black Vera Wang We Killed Yamamoto Posse Comitatus
List of The West Wing episodes

"Gone Quiet" is the 50th episode of The West Wing.

[edit] Plot

When an American spy submarine suddenly goes silent in hostile North Korean waters, an angry President receives advice from the Assistant Secretary of State and must decide whether he should notify the enemy or attempt a risky, secret rescue. Meanwhile, his wife, Abigail, learns that her past malpractice suits might be Bartlet's Achilles' heel in his criminal investigation, as she technically broke laws in three states. In other White House action, C.J. is ecstatic over a potential presidential candidate's indecisive public remarks. Toby meets with a representative from an appropriations committee who wants to funnel money away from Congress' controversial funding of avant-garde artists.

The plot has resonances to the Pueblo Incident of 1968. This is mentioned to the President by Assistant Secretary of State Duncan (Hal Holbrook), who adds, "I was there"—an inside reference to Holbrook's portrayal of the captain of the Pueblo in a 1973 TV movie about the incident.