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thirtysomething (1987)
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Pilot
CAPSULE: Hope and Michael Steadman are still adjusting to parenthood while struggling with money problems and best-friend crises. After some intercut scenes of a courtship, wedding and pregnancy, we see married couple Michael and Hope Steadman at breakfast with their 7-month-old daughter Janey and their dog Grendel. At work, Michael tells off an important client over the phone, to the dismay of his good friend and business partner Elliot Weston. Both men realize that their fledgling advertising agency could be in danger of folding. Hope goes to meet her old friend Ellyn at a restaurant, but the occasion is ruined when Janey won't stop crying. Michael comes home to find Gary, his old friend from college, there with Hope. Arriving on the scene next is Michael's cousin Melissa, who is distraught because of a philandering boyfriend. From the conversation, it's revealed that Gary and Melissa have had a past romantic relationship. Hope is miffed at Ellyn because she has hardly acknowledged the existence of her baby. Gary and Melissa suggest the Steadmans go with them on a backpacking trip. Hope and Michael go to visit Elliot and his wife Nancy at their house, where the Weston children Ethan and Brittany are causing an uproar. Later Hope goes through the stress of interviewing babysitters for thie first time away from Janey. Out of the office, Michael and Elliot are girl-watching. Mike asks if Elliot ever did anything about "urges." Surprisingly, Elliot reveals he had an affair with a former colleague, Cheryl Eastman. Elliot relates that it was horrible; the guilt and the lying were unbearable. When Michael gets home, he and Hope argue about cooking, cleaning and finding a babysitter, the last of which Hope failed to do. Overwhelmed by the burden of motherhood and worried about the job shes doing, Hope's emotions get the better of her. Later Hope intuitively infers from a conversation with Michael that Elliot had an affair and Nancy doesn't know about it. In bed that night, Michael is frustrated by the younger neighbors' loud party and he ends up screaming at them after midnight to turn down the music. The next day Michael and Hope tells Gary and Melissa they can't go backpacking, which seems to offend them. At the park, Ellyn surprises Hope and Janey with a visit. Hope confronts her about ignoring the baby, and Ellyn confesses she feels like she's being pushed out of Hope's life. At work, Michael apologizes to the client he got mad at earlier and rationalizes it. He comes home to Hope and tells her he's been acting like a kid because she hasn't been able to take care of him lately the way she used to. They resolve to try to understand the problems each other have with their marriage.
The Parents Are Coming, the Parents Are Coming
CAPSULE: Hope's anxiety over her parents' impending visit taxes everyone's patience. Hope gets devastating news: Her parents are coming to visit in two days! The Steadmans hope Gary can fix their out-of-order bathroom in that time. Hope grows more and more frantic as the arrival approaches, and the news that Gary won't have the bathroom fixed only adds to her anxiety. Michael and Hope go to pick up Ruth and Ted Murdoch at the airport. On the way home, a palpable tension already is noticeable between Hope and her mother. Despite the parents' protests, Hope and Michael insist they take their master bedroom with its own bath. At night, Michael needs his razor but is afraid to enter in on Ruth and Ted. When they do let him in, Michael perhaps is thinking he's taking a look at Hope and himself thirty years down the line. Hope goes shopping with her mother and buys a dress she really doesn't like, but was afraid to disagree about with her mother. Hope tells Ellyn (who has known Mrs. Murdoch since her youth) that she loves her mom, but she often drives her crazy. At dinner, there is more tension as Ruth talks about Hope as a child and Hope thinks her mother doesn't realize how hard it is to raise a child in the present day. In the morning, Ruth insists on making breakfast and is hurt when Hope doesn't want any. Ruth wants to take Michael and Hope out to an expensive restaurant on their last night at the Steadmans. Michael doesn't want to lose his raquetball court time with Gary, but Hope insists he go. When Mike calls Gary to cancel (for the second time in recent days), his friend is not happy. Michael tries to get Hope to ease up on her mother and see her side of things, but Hope tells him about the hard times her mother has given her since she was a child. At dinner, an argument between Hope and Ruth that starts over the entree selection escalates to where Hope accuses her of being overly critical throughout her entire life. The diners carry on awkwardly. Hope talks to her father late at night about how her mom treated she "like I didn't exist." Ted doesn't remember it that way and hopes that the two "dearest things" in his life can get along. The next day Gary drops by and tells Michael he's not mad at him, but thinks he's getting short shrift from Mike and declares him a "wimp." Michael urges Hope to try and straighten things out with her folks. When Ruth comes back inside for the plane tickets, she's alone with Hope, who tries to apologize and affect a reconciliation. Ruth tells her that a person can't turn off caring for their child. At the airport there is an emotional departure, with Hope teeling her mother that she loves her.
Housewarming
Michael and Hope race to renovate their crumbling mansion for a huge housewarming party.
Couples
A night out with friends degenerates as Nancy and Elliot's marital woes become apparent.
But Not for Me
Gary and Melissa rekindle their affair; Michael and Hope's first date in months is a disaster.
We Gather Together
Hope and Michael plan a quiet Thanksgiving but learn friends are counting on being invited.
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Before a deadline, Michael and Elliot wrestle with a creativity block; Ellyn develops a crush on an associate.
Weaning
Sensing baby Janey's decreasing dependency on her, depressed Hope decides to go back to work.
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Michael and Hope argue about whether their infant's first holiday should be Christmas or Hanukkah. A famous photographer shows interest in Melissa's work.
South by Southeast
It's a Hitchcockian nightmare as Gary falls in love; as the romance progresses, he begins receiving a series of threats against his life.
Therapy
Elliot and Nancy seek professional help for their troubled marriage; Michael finds it hard to keep it a secret.
Competition
Michael's jealousy is aroused when an important client make it clear he prefers Elliot. Meanwhile, Hope and Nancy try to come to terms with computers.
Separation
Elliot temporarily moves in with Michael and Hope after separating from Nancy.
I'm in Love, I'm in Love, I'm in Love with a Wonderful Gynecologist
Competing for the attention of the same man jeopardizes the new found friendship between Ellyn and Melissa.
Business as Usual
Michael's hopes for a joyous reunion with his father are destroyed when he discovers the real reason for the visit.
Accounts Receivable
A rocky relationship between Michael and his brother Brad is further strained when Michael learns the family business is almost bankrupt.
Whose Forest Is This?
Nancy and Elliot's separation takes its toll on their son; Elliot prepares for a blind date with a chiropractor.
Nancy's First Date
Melissa's burgeoning romance slows when she learns he doesn't want any more kids. Nancy has her first date since the separation.
Tenure
Gary evaluates the fate of his academic career as he undergoes tenure review at the college. Ellyn learns her building is going co-op, leaving her to decide whether to buy her apartment.
Born to Be Mild
Ellyn and Woodman's weekend is ruined when they are forced to babysit Janey.
We'll Meet Again
CAPSULE: As she and Michael argue about her working and having another child, Hope learns about some previous tenants of their house. Hope is making tentative moves toward returning to work full-time. Michael suggests, though, that there might be some problems in doing that and muses about having a second child. Hope, Melissa and Gary find an old trunk in the Steadman's basement full of letters and photos of previous residents, Sally and Roy McCauley. Hope gets lost in these, imagining the courtship of Sally Spangler and Roy, who goes to the South Pacific during World War II. Later Hope and Nancy find Sally's journal. There are more fantasy flashbacks about Roy and Sally getting married and him leaving for war. Later that night as Hope works in bed, Michael comes in and begins to get amorous. Hope, not wearing her diaphragm, stops him. Ellyn finds Hope at home crying. Hope has just read about Sally getting a telegram saying Roy is missing in action. Later she reads that Sally had a miscarriage. When Michael arrives at home, Hope argues that he'd rather see her pregnant than working again at a job that is important to her. Michael tells Hope he doesn't want a second child but he sounds unconvincing. Hope admits she's upset because of what she read about the baby dying in their house. Hope reads further in the journal and pictures Roy coming back home to Sally. As Roy and Sally prepare to leave, Hope sees that Sally is pregnant again. Hope is ready to have sex with Michael. She starts a new journal to leave behind for the house's next occupants.
In Re: the Marriage of Weston
CAPSULE: Things get complicated between Elliot and Nancy as they moved toward finalizing their divorce. They both try to establish new relationships. Scenes of Elliot and Nancy's courtship are intercut with the present-day divorce preparations. Elliot has to get cash advances on his salary from an unhappy Michael. Nancy, using the last name Krieger, calls editor Jack Bronstein about her book. He's enthusiastic but says he can't recommend it yet--the story's a "little weak." Meanwhile Elliot's lawyer Adrian tries to talk business with him at a restaurant, but he's more interested in coming on to her. She declines to go out with him. Nancy is working at an office job, and a younger employee there, Terry O'Neil, seems to like her. Later when she and Jack are at her house working on the book, he kisses her. Nancy tells Melissa she's been carrying around her diaphragm! Later, Nancy has a physical encounter with Terry. Out with the kids, Elliot finds out about Nancy's book. He's angry because the story originated with him. Adrian and Elliot watch a horror movie together. They make out a little but she resists going further. Later, with Jack, Nancy confronts Elliot about his plans to sell the house. They have a huge fight that ends with Nancy crying and telling Elliot she hates him. For his part, Elliot thinks he's failing at marriage and business too. Nancy's book is getting nearer to publication, but she tells Jack the relationship isn't going the way she wants it to. Elliot gets Adrian to sleep with him, but she suspects he will go back to Nancy, though he denies this. When Elliot comes by to pick up the kids, Nancy has a final flashback of their courting days. At work Elliot receives the final divorce papers, needing only his signature. His pen hovers for a few moments, then he puts the papers back in their envelope. Nancy gets her copy while she's with the kids. As Ethan tells one of his dad's stories, Nancy puts the divorce agreement down.
The Mike Van Dyke Show
CAPSULE: As Christmas and Hanukkah near, Hope suffers a minor injury and an unknown illness. Michael has a crisis of faith and imagines his life as a 1960's TV sitcom. Michael and Hope are negotiating over Christmas/Hanukkah celebrations. Mike starts watching TV and sees himself in an old black he says she'll never come back home. Back to reality, Hope happily comes through the door with Janey. A worried Michael is upset and in tears. Hope laughs and tells him her medical problem--she's pregnant. Melissa arrives and hears the good news. Michael goes back to the synagogue to talk with the rabbi, but instead of the older man (Santa) he saw before, it's a younger man! Before leaving, Michael dons a yarmulke and goes to temple.
Trust Me
CAPSULE: Melissa and Gary consider having a child together. Gary volunteers his time at a social services center, where he is irritated by and attracted to a brusque administrator. Gary and Melissa's relationship seems to be drawing closer as they both have rejection at work in common, along with thoughts of parenthood for themselves now that Hope and Michael are expecting. Gary goes to a private social welfare agency, the Race Street Project, and meets with Susannah Hart there about a mentoring program for a local youth. Susannah is skeptical of Gary's commitment. Gary meets his charge, Curtis Caldwell, a Stanford-bound student who does not want to be in the program. At a wedding, Melissa meets Russell Weller, a painter who has noticed her at the galleries. He invites her to a party. Melissa goes to the party with Russell. When his good mood turns bleak after a phone call, she realizes that he's gay and has just heard about a friend contracting AIDS. He apologizes to Melissa for not telling her up front that he was gay and assumes their friendship with fade away. Gary goes to Ray St. to tell Susannah that he and Curtis are a bad match, but he finds that she is in court with Curtis. Gary goes to the courthouse but doesn't get to talk to either of them. Meanwhile he and Melissa are giving serious consideration to having a child together, something Michael, Hope, Ellyn and Nancy all try to talk them out of. Curtis drops by Gary's office to find why he came to court to see him. (Actually he was there for his brother.) During their talk, Curtis warms up to Gary a bit. Melissa goes to see Russell, who hasn't returned her calls. In their conversation she says she and Gary made love and she didn't use any birth control. Gary comes to see Melissa later and finds out she got her period. They are both OK with that, realizing that they aren't ready to be parents just yet.
No Promises
CAPSULE: Ellyn tries to deal with the shock of her parents' divorce and her growing estrangement from Woodman. Ellyn is shocked to receive a call from her father asking her to lunch. With Hope and Nancy, she wonders why he's doing this for the first time in nineteen years. At work she has a disagreement with Woodman during a meeting. Ellyn meets her father, James. His conversation with her makes it obvious that he doesn't really pay attention to what she says. As they are leaving, he drops a bombshell: he and her mother Marjorie are getting divorced, and Ellyn should talk to her. At home, Woodman wonders what's upsetting Ellyn. She just wants to be alone and doesn't know how to act. Later when Ellyn meets with her mother, she wanders through her old house reminiscing about her emotionally distant father. Talking with Michael, Ellyn muses that she should have fallen for a guy like him. She worries about her mother, but says her dad seems unflappable--he keeps moving like a shark, "like me." When she arrives at her apartment later she sees Woodman going in first. She doesn't enter. Ellyn has a dinner date with her father. Woodman asks to come; she tells him not this time. When Ellyn arrives, she finds it's a business party. She gets into a fight with her father about using and deceiving her. Woodman talks about moving out. Ellyn discusses the reasons behind the divorce with both parents separately. She finds out it was her mother who asked for the divorce. Ellyn is in tears after her mother tells him that she married a good-looking guy rather than a good husband. At home she finds Woodman preparing dinner, then getting ready to leave. A kitchen fire breaks out, she squirts him with an extinguisher, they fight and she throws the extinguisher at him. Woodman tells Ellyn that she doesn't have to impress him for him to love her. They kiss.
Politics
CAPSULE: Michael takes on a client that he, his wife and his friends find repugnant. Gary and Susannah's odd relationship continues to grow. At a diner with Hope, Gary, Elliot and Melissa, Michael returns a phone call to Jerry Kravitz, an old friend of his and Gary's from their college days at Penn. He wants the Michael & Elliot company to do some media work a Senate candidate he represents, Diana McKay. Mike has the first of several flashbacks seen throughout the show of himself, Gary and Jerry involved in demonstrations and campus politics. Gary goes to the Race St. Project and offers to help Susannah write up their grant application. A little attraction seems to be developing. Gary leans in as if to kiss her, but she pulls away. Michael & Elliot take on the McKay account, but Gary, Susannah and Hope let them know they think McKay is a terrible choice. Hope is not too impressed with Jerry either after a night of reminiscing with him and Michael. Susannah apologizes to Gary for the "weirdness" the day before and says she's not into flirtation anymore. Gary goes with Susannah and Rosie out into the field to work. Michael asks Jerry about his candidate's position on several issues. Jerry doesn't know and doesn't care, unlike the former activist he was back in college. Michael asks Ellyn about McKay. She can't tell him anything good. Susannah comes to dinner at the Steadmans' with the usual crew in attendance. She doesn't eat meat and gets into an argument with Michael. The evening ends with Susannah and the rest not caring much for each other. Michael is not happy about the McKay account, but he gets defensive about it to those who criticize his acceptance of it. Gary gives Susannah grief about her judgmental attitudes. After a passionate argument, Susannah suddenly kisses Gary, then leaves for home. Mike has a final flashback to his college days. He's putting up posters for a political rally while his supposedly more committed friends Gary and Jerry go to a basketball game.
Success
CAPSULE: Melissa gets a job working with Carly Simon. Michael and Elliot face losing their business. Melissa is excited--Russell has shown some of her work around and he might be able to get her the job of shooting Carly Simon's next album cover! When he calls to confirm the good news, Ellyn is with her. Russell also tells her they're going to be a party for Carly and she can invite all the friends she wants. Melissa hides that last bit of information from Ellyn. Meanwhile Michael and Elliot are worried about their biggest account, Motherland Dairies, which has been sold and may drop them. The Michael & Elliot company plays Miles Drentell's DAA ad agency in basketball and loses. Mike relives the game in his imagination, making the winning layup. Later Michael and Elliot meet with the new owners of Motherland, who let them go. Mike is sure this is the end of their company, but Elliot still thinks there is hope. Russell and Melissa are at the Steadman's house. Away from Melissa, Russell tells Hope about the party for Carly Simon. Gary is also under the impression Melissa can't invite anyone. Michael and Elliot go to DAA looking for sub work but Miles tells them they don't farm out business. On the way to the bank, they run into Melissa and Russell shopping for a dress. Elliot asks about the party and Melissa says oh, everyone's invited. Michael and Elliot are turned down for a bank loan. Michael is sure this is the end of the company and that Elliot just doesn't want to face it. At home, Mike has a dream of being on the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team with Elliot and making the game-winning shot to defeat the Celtics and advance in the playoffs. By subterfuge, Elliot finds out where Miles is having dinner. He goes there and acts like it's a chance meeting. Dropping Carly Simon's name, Elliot invites Miles and his guests to the party. At the party, Melissa and the others meet Carly. Elliot bring Miles and company in. When Michael sees this, he's unhappy. Miles notices the friction and sees through Elliot's ploy. Later Miles and Elliot get into an argument, which a harried Michael has to break up before it gets physical. In the aftermath, Gary tries to explain to Melissa what happened with Michael and Elliot and about their business going under. At work Elliot tries to explain his motivation to Michael. To avoid Chapter 11, Mike says, they must close up now. Mike calls the employees in for the bad news as Elliot cries a little. Melissa comes by the Steadmans to give her condolences. She explains keeping the party a secret by saying she just wanted it for herself for "five minutes." Later Elliot and Michael play DAA in basketball again, this time besting the supposedly superior team. Afterward Michael sits in the bleachers and cries.
First Day / Last Day
Flashback scenes of Michael and Elliot meeting, working together, and forming their own company are interspersed with the present-day dissolution of the Michael and Elliot Company. The two have serious disagreements which threaten their friendship.
About Last Night
Gary and Susannah try to figure out what to do when they finds out that she's pregnant. Nancy misses a publishing deadline for her book.
Elliot's Dad
CAPSULE: Elliot gets involved with his wayward father. Ethan suffers an injury. Elliot goes to see his divorced father Charlie who is in town. Charlie introduces him to a woman friend, Roberta Sessions, in a bit of an awkward meeting. When they go to Elliot's sister Ruthie's house for dinner, she gets irritated because her dad won't stop talking business with her husband. Ruthie takes Elliot aside and warns him to not give their dad money or get involved in his schemes. She reveals that Dad never paid for her college like he promised. Charlie tells Elliot he regrets some things in the past, but just looks to the future now. Soon Charlie has Elliot involved in doing some presentation work for a business idea he has. Elliot has Ethan with him at Charlie's hotel room when Charlie shows up with a sitter and says he's taking Elliot out to dinner. Elliot goes reluctantly. While there, they run into Nancy out on a date with Matt Enwright. She and Elliot have a big fight about leaving Ethan with the sitter. Later Elliot runs into Michael at the old company office while he's working on some animation equipment that's still there. Michael has gotten a call from Miles Drentell; Elliot hasn't. Charlie is very impressed with the work Elliot's done. They use it in a presentation to Charlie's prospective client. Meanwhile, Gary and Hope are at Nancy's looking at her book illustrations. Brittany comes in with blood on her dress. Ethan has been injured by a large rocket that Charlie gave him. Elliot rushes from the presentation to the hospital, where he finds a very angry Nancy. Ethan has a corneal abrasion, which may affect his sight. Returning to his dad's hotel, Charlie tells Elliot that he wants to make another presentation in Boston. Elliot wants nothing more to do with it; he says his dad is just looking out for himself and he rejects the idea that Nancy controls him. When Ethan awakes later in the hospital, Elliot is sleeping there also. He tells his son they are both in trouble, Ethan for playing with the rocket without supervision and himself for letting him have it. As Elliot continues his heart-to-heart talk with Ethan, Nancy is silently listening on the other side of the door.
Payment Due
CAPSULE: Ellyn's work and personal life take a great toll on her, both physically and emotionally. Ellyn has been suffering from an unknown stomach ailment but she tells Woodman and Hope that's she's OK. But at a dinner at the Steadmans she shows a sharp burst of temper, then makes a drunken crack about Michael's business failing. Hope and Woodman both want to know what's been making Ellyn so crazy, but she doesn't give them any good answers. Ellyn goes to her doctor about the stomach trouble. He gives her a referral to a gastro-intestinal specialist; she throws it away. Meanwhile at City Hall, assistant district attorney Dave Callaman, an acquaintance of both Ellyn and Woodman, has been around asking about an investigation he's working on. But he has a personal interest in Ellyn and he asks her out. Ellyn goes bowling with him and tells Woodman she was talking to him about the investigation. Later at work he spies Ellyn and Dave having what appears to be an intimate moment. When Ellyn arrives at the apartment in the early morning hours, Woodman silently gets out of bed, puts on his jacket and leaves. Alone, Ellyn has a severe attack of nausea and is bleeding from the mouth. She staggers to the parking garage, where she collpses, screaming for the attendant to call her a cab. Hope comes to see Ellyn at the hospital but she's rather surly and says she doesn't need her help. Dr. Price tells Ellyn she has a bleeding ulcer and is anemic and need to make changes in her lifestyle and diet. She gives Ellyn the name fo a psychiatrist also. Ellyn's mom comes to see her, as does Hope again, still a little mad at her, but concerned. Woodman comes to visit that night and tells her she blew it with the self-destructive actions she's taken. When she is discharged from the hospital and returns home, Woodman has cleared out. Ellyn gives the psychiatrist a call.
Deliverance
CAPSULE: Ellyn, Nancy, Hope and Melissa go on a cathartic camping trip. Melissa gets some camping equipment as a payoff for a photo shoot and the gang makes plans to take a camping trip to the Poconos. But Elliot gets a lead on some work, forcing Michael to have to tell Hope, who has been looking forward to the trip for months, that he can't go. Gary opts out of the trip, and Ellyn, despite her ulcer, decides to go. The four women set off in the car for the journey. On the trail to Parker Cave, Ellyn is gung-ho and pushing the group until they get to the cave, then she's afraid to go in. Nancy and Hope remember the scary old tour guide at the cave from their youth. Ellyn says she'll hike around the mountain cave--seven miles!--rather than go through. Hope decides that she and the others shouldn't leave her. They hike until nightfall, then they make a camp. Nancy's ghost story makes Ellyn more nervous. In the tent that night, Hope inadvertently reveals to Nancy that Elliot had an affair. Meanwhile back at the Steadman house, Michael and Elliot are trying to work and babysit the kids at the same time without the aid of their broken VCR. Elliot keeps playing with the kids despite Michael's admonitions to get to work. Back on the trail, the women are getting lost following Ellyn's directions. Nancy is a little perturbed with Hope about not revealing Elliot's affair to her before. Melissa and Ellyn argue about a shortcut and Ellyn's leadership is angrily abandoned. They finally reach the mouth of the cave once again, but it's getting dark and the car is still a couple of miles away with no phone available. They have to spend the night on the spot. Back at home, Michael is becoming more and more discouraged as he and Elliot are accomplishing nothing. The women haven't called either, and Mike and Elliot try to assure themselves that they're alright. In the morning Ellyn wakes up first and goes into the cave, where she finds the ranger. As she takes the tour, Ellyn babbles on to her about being scared in so many life situations and needing to go forward. At the Steadman house the guys get a phone call from Hope, to their great relief. Before leaving for home, Nancy and Hope get back on good terms, as do Ellyn and Melissa. The girls return to the Steadmans' to everyone's great happiness. When Michael asks how the trip went, they keep their secrets.
Michael Writes a Story
Michael takes a creative writing class, as does Nancy. Michael incurs Nancy's wrath when he writes about something he heard about her in confidence from Elliot. Also, Michael and Elliot get new jobs working for Miles Drentell at DAA.
New Job
CAPSULE: Hope suffers a miscarriage just as Michael and Elliot begin work for Miles Drentell at DAA. Elliot and Michael are in Miles Drentell's office interviewing for jobs at DAA. While they are there Michael gets a phone call from Hope at her obstetrician's office: the doctor has done an ultrasound and it shows a case of fetal demise. Hope acts stoic about it. Later Elliot calls with good news--they got the jobs, with offices and great pay. Mike tells him about the miscarriage. Michael is reluctant to go in to DAA for his first day but Hope insists that he does. Mike and Elliot meet a fellow creative team, Angel Wasserman and Hollis Amato, who seem to be playing with the guys' heads a bit. In fact, they been assigned to the same account as Michael and Elliot, the Spingeri automobile. Michael returns home to Hope, who is glad to see him. The phone rings, and it's Elliot with some work, which secretly disappoints Hope. Hope talks with Val about working for Synergy. Val encourages her to take some time. Nancy, Melissa and Ellyn are all solicitous of Hope, but she's getting a little tired of all the good intentions. Ellyn remembers the support Hope gave her when she had an abortion. Hope doesn't like the comparison. At work, Michael and Eliot pitch ideas for the Spingeri account. Their old friend and employee Mark Harriton comes in with the basketball practice schedule and shoots down their campaign. Just as Michael is about to leave for a pre-school conference with Hope, Miles comes into their office in an expansive mood and ties them up for a long while. When Mike finally gets away he's late for the conference and Hope is upset with him. Michael and Elliot's presentation is moved up to the next day, perhaps not coincidentally after Elliot told Miles about Michael and Hope's miscarriage. Michael tries to apologize to Hope for working so much, but they argue, with Hope claiming neither he nor herself really wanted the baby. In the morning things are still tense, but Michael kisses his wife and daughter goodbye. Mike arrives at DAA to find Elliot dozing; he's worked there all night. Michael comes home early. In an emotional scene, he tells Hope he just thought he was doing what was right and that he wanted the baby so much he had to push it all away. She says she felt like she failed Michael by having a miscarriage and is scared about future pregnancies.
Be a Good Girl
CAPSULE: Melissa must deal with her aging grandmother who wants her to take over her business. Melissa is preparing to go to her parents for a birthday dinner for herself, her mother Elaine and her beloved grandmother Rose, or Nana, who has runs a dress store for fifty-five years. Elaine thinks her mom needs to move in with her and her husband Murray, but Melissa thinks her mom treats Nana "like Grandma Moses", even though she has congestive heart failure! Ellyn, who is therapy now, comes to Melissa with a job offer from City Hall and Melissa takes it, even though she's quite busy. At her parents house, Melissa is taking a family portrait with a couple of other aunts included when Nana has a vivid flashback of a young girl skating. Her behavior worries the others, and they call a doctor. Soon, though, Nana is back at work, critiquing customers, when she has a pain attack. She asks Melissa not to call Elaine, but she does call her, along with a doctor. Nana also has another flashback of the young girl. She stays with Elaine and exasperates her. Melissa volunteers to stay with the old woman. Melissa tells Ellyn she is staying with Nana and hasn't had time to work on the project, which gives Ellyn some cause for concern, A magazine job deadline is moved up also, making for some long days for Melissa. At the birthday party for the three Steadman/Waldman women, Murray leads a toast. Nana then rises to speak, saying that she will leave Melissa the business. Melissa is in total shock as "Happy Birthday" is sung. Melissa wonders with Michael what to do, then goes to see Nana after three days. She thanks her, but says she doesn't want to run the dress store. Rose pooh-poohs her, saying she knows what's best for her and that she needs to put her life in order. This leads to an angry argument and a bitter parting. Rose has another flashback in which the young girl (herself) leads her through an old immigrant neighborhood to her old home, where her mother (pregnant?) dies. When Rose comes to, Melissa is there along with a doctor. Elaine comes to see Melissa, who is sitting in the dark, thinking she's responsible for Nana's latest attack. Her mother assures her it had been a long time coming. Melissa and her mother wonder what to do about Nana. By default, more or less, they decide to let her just go on until she can't any longer.
Courting Nancy
CAPSULE: Nancy pursues her relationship with Matt, but Elliot makes a concerted effort to win her back. Elliot returns the kids to Nancy and has an awkward meeting with her new boyfriend Matt Enwright. At work Elliot and Angel are working closely pitching ideas. Mike asks if there is anything between the two but Elliot says they are just friends. Nancy excitedly gives the big news to Melissa, Ellyn and Hope: her book is going to be published! When Elliot comes by later to see Nancy, she tells him also. He's happy for her, but tells her he misses her and wishes they could get back together. Nancy doesn't know how to respond, but says she still doesn't trust him. Matt makes a date for dinner at Nancy's, but she makes it clear there will be no sex in her house. At DAA, Angel asks Michael about Elliot and Nancy's status. Michael discourages her from going out with him. Elliot tells Mike he's going to confess his affair with Cheryl Eastman to Nancy. Mike thinks it's a bad idea. At Nancy's, she and Matt go to bed but Nancy is worried about the kids hearing. Elliot calls her while the two are in bed. Nancy doesn't want Matt staying the night yet. Elliot calls Nancy again and she agrees to talk with him. He tells her he's changed and knows he's treated her badly. Haltingly, he tells her about the affair. Nancy is mad that it took so long for him to tell him. They don't come to any resolution, but Nancy has softened towards her husband, and a montage of scenes follows in which Elliot and Matt send Nancy gifts and try to court her favor. As the episode ends, Nancy shows her book to Elliot for the first time. She's used Elliot's ending for the story, and he's blown away by what he sees. A reconciliation seems a distinct possibility.
Best of Enemies
CAPSULE: Hope is writing an article that could affect Susannah's Race St. Project, driving a wedge between her and Gary. Gary and Susannah are proceeding with preparations for parenthood. Melissa doesn't care for Susannah at all and thinks the relationship won't be permanent. Meanwhile, Hope gets a nibble from the Philadelphia Inquirer about doing a story on the Race St. Project. After talking to Rosie at Race St., Hope goes to City Hall to see what Ellyn, fresh from her breakup with Woodman, has to say about the organization. After a few questions about the government's relations with Race St., Ellyn gets a little circumspect, then asks Hope to turn off her tape recorder for the rest of the conversation. Hope tells Michael about irregularities with grant money received by Race St. When Michael tells Gary about this, he's sure Hope and Ellyn must be mistaken. But when he talks to Rosie, she tells him some of the allegations are just practical things that a place like Race St. has to do to survive and solve problems. Gary tries to defend the program to Hope and warns that her article could sink the whole project. Hope says she can put things into context. Gary is sure that Hope's insistence on doing the article is tied to her (and everyone else's) dislike for Susannah. Susannah, ill with toxemia, has found out about the article and is upset with Gary for not telling her about it, as if she needed protection. Hope wonders to Michael if they are "totally compromised sellouts." Gary, in suit and tie, goes to City Hall to see Ellyn, hoping the Race St. grants can be "expedited" before publication of the article. Ellyn tells Gary he has always held his integrity over his friends' heads, but now it's a different story when he wants something for himself. Hope goes to see Susannah and give her the story to review, saying she won't leave out any facts. Susannah is surprised Gary would ask her to do that, even to protect her. She and Hope talk about their pregnancies. Later, Gary comes by to make up with Hope. He says his life up until now has mostly been ideas and theories, but his relationship with Susannah is changing that.
Nancy's Mom
CAPSULE: Nancy's and Elliot move closer to a reconciliation, to the disapproval of her visiting mother Eleanor. Elliot and Nancy are spending an evening at Michael and Hope's talking about Nancy's upcoming book. Nancy says her mother Eleanor, who is coming for a visit, is OK with her but still can make her crazy. When Nancy and Elliot leave, they kiss goodbye like a dating couple. When Eleanor arrives, she asks about Matt, but Nancy mentions that Elliot has been "around." Later Elliot has dinner with Nancy, Eleanor and the kids. Eleanor makes it clear she doesn't approve of Elliot or his marketing idea for a "monster doll" book tie-in. Later that night Eleanor refuses to go to bed and leave Nancy and Elliot alone, so he leaves and sneaks back in Nancy's bedroom window. Still later, Elliot is downstairs raiding the refrigerator when he runs into Eleanor. Nancy admits to her mother that she's seeing Elliot again. Eleanor still isn't ready to forgive him. She surprises Nancy by telling her that she's been looking for a condominium in the area. At DAA, Elliot shows Nancy the prototype of the monster doll. She loves it, but she seems worried that things may be moving too fast when Elliot shows her sketches of all the book's characters. To the concern of her mother, Nancy accompanies Elliot on an overnight trip to New York City to see about marketing of the doll character. Back in Philadelphia, Elliot comes by to see Nancy, but Eleanor is there alone instead. She and Elliot get into an fight when he tells her he wants Nancy back. Nancy arrives and they stop fighting, but later Nancy tells her mother to stay out from between them. Nancy goes looking at condos with her mom and tells they must both deal with their new lives. When Eleanor comes to DAA later with her grandchildren, she seems to be softening a bit toward Elliot. At the house, Elliot is fixing Nancy's stereo and talking about getting a new one for himself. Nancy asks why have two? They dance together.
Love and Sex
CAPSULE: While she and Michael are having problems of their own, Hope gets involved in the love life of her teenaged babysitter. Hope and Michael arrive home early while their teenaged babysitter Lauren is there, saying they have some important matters to discuss. What they're really there for is some baby-making, though Mike has a little trouble at first. Lauren seems to admire Hope; she's read her article on the ozone layer. At DAA, Michael and Elliot are nervous about a presentation when Gary, dressed like a playground basketball bum, shows up just in time for Miles to see him. Gary tells the guys he and Susannah won't be marrying. Michael arrives home late. After some arguing about domestic matters, Hope says she can't "switch gears" and have sex. After shopping with Melissa and Ellyn, Hope comes back home to find Lauren on the front lawn with her boyfriend Bernard, music blaring, having a picnic. Hope is furious. Lauren profusely apologizes, saying she and Bernard are being kept apart by parents, he's ready to quit school for her, she loves him, Hope wouldn't understand, etc. Hope tries to counsel her. Later in bed Hope talks to Michael about the problem with Lauren. She has a flashback of Michael making love to her on a bed full of coats at a party. At work, though, Michael wonders to Elliot why his desire for Hope has diminished. (Elliot: "Walk out on her, she'll start looking good.") Hope gets a message from a desperate Lauren. She wants Hope to take her the twenty miles to where she will see Bernard for the last time, maybe. Hope takes her to the spot. As Bernard and Lauren talk, Bernard's friend Danny starts to flirt with Hope. Out to dinner later, Hope tells Michael about the incident, but he doesn't understand how good it made her feel. Michael has a flashback of his first blind date with Hope, a New Year's Eve party. When they return home Lauren tells them Bernard is picking her up. He didn't move away after all; he's living with Danny. Hope argues with Michael about working all the time when he tries to get amorous. Late that night, Hope hears something downstairs. When she checks, she sees Lauren still there, making love to Bernard. Hope sits Lauren down for a talk. She tells her she can't allow her deception, then tries to convince her that a first boyfriend like Bernard is rarely the person one will love forever. Lauren asks how Hope knew Michael was the one. She tells Lauren a story about realizing one time that she could listen to Michael's voice for the rest of her life. Later Michael and Hope talk. She asks if he's having an affair. He tells her work is overwhelming him and he needs her support. She asks why he doesn't want her sexually, then. He says he hasn't figured it out. The two seem to come to some kind of terms.
Mr. Right
CAPSULE: Ellyn and Melissa try using a video dating service. Melissa is unexpectedly attracted to a younger man she meets. Ethan must kiss a girl in the school play. Ellyn and Melissa are talking about using a video dating service, and despite the misgivings of others, they go in and give interviews at the service. They go through the books of available guys and find a cute one, William, whose profile and interview they like. Melissa is afraid to ask for his number, though; she'll wait, hoping he will contact her. Later when they return to the service, Melissa is dismayed to find that the list of guys interested in Ellyn is much longer than hers, and it includes William. Meanwhile, a good-looking young man named Lee Owens has come to paint Melissa's loft. He's spending a lot of time there, and there seems to be an attraction between the two. Also, Ethan is upset about having to learn to dance for the school production of "Cinderella" he's starring in. Even worse, he's supposed to kiss Susie Burrows! Gary comes by Melissa's and meets Lee. He seems surprised at how young Lee is. For his part, Lee can sense immediately that Melissa and Gary were once together, causing her to get defensive. Ellyn gives Melissa the chance to go out with William first. Despite his great profile, the volunteer work he does, etc., Melissa finds herself very distracted during their date. Meanwhile, Ellyn arrives early at a restaurant for her date. She imagines herself in the spotlight on a TV show, "Women Still Single at 30," hosted by Geraldo Rivera. When the waiter comes to tell Ellyn her date called to say he'd be late, she flees the restaurant. Melissa arrives home, and as usual lately, Lee is there. He asks her if she wants to go to a Lyle Lovett concert with him. When she begins to say no, he asks if it's because of his age. Melissa gets perturbed about this accusation and asks him when he will be finished. At the school play, Ethan puts the slipper on Cinderella's foot. He hesitates, but then looks out at his father Elliot, seated in the audience, who has given him encouragement and advice. He gives Cinderella/Susie a little peck. Ellyn and Melissa are both disappointed with their results from the dating service. Melissa arrives back home as Lee is packing up to leave. She apologizes to him and says she wishes she'd gone to the concert with him. Lee asks her to go to the Cape with him. She says that would be a mistake, but as he presses her for a yes, he gives her a kiss on the cheek, then the neck. Melissa kisses back, then the couple drops out of the picture.
New Baby
CAPSULE: Susannah and Gary become new parents after a difficult delivery. Melissa has a hard time accepting Gary's new status. In a story told in reverse, the opening scene has Susannah in the hospital having a difficult delivery. Gary is there with her. We see earlier scenes of Susannah in pain, getting nauseous and being a little abusive to Gary. Gary calls Melissa but gets her machine. Michael is at the hospital with Gary. The doctor checks the dilating Susannah and sends Gary out. Still going backwards: The labor starts getting difficult. Gary calls and leaves a message for Melissa, apologizing for what happened earlier. Melissa is listening but doesn't pick up. Gary gets ready for the hospital as contractions are starting. Earlier, Melissa is at his outside his house. She's brought a present for them--a car, albeit an old junker. Melissa argues with Gary, saying he hasn't given her a thought lately, and she stalks off angrily. Back to the wedding shower: Susannah is looking a little funny. Earlier Hope is preparing for the shower with Susannah and they talk about what childbirth is like. Susannah confesses she knows nothing about bringing up a child. Gary and Michael work on a crib and Gary expresses the same fear. Hope and Michael reassure them. Earlier, Gary and Susannah arrive home, as her labor is progressing slowly, even though we next see how her water broke when they were touring the hospital. Still going backward: Susannah and Gary lay in bed, feeling the baby kick. Ellyn and Hope are arranging a last-minute shower for Susannah. In the supermarket Gary sees Melissa, who tries to act like she doesn't see him. He wants to stay on good terms with her, but Melissa is obviously upset and leaves when Susannah appears. In a Lamaze class, Susannah is less interested in the exercises than Gary. She's worried she won't remember anything or do anything right. The scene jumps back to the present: Susannah is still having a very rough time and the doctor is on the verge of doing a C-section when Gary encourages Susannah to give one more big push. The baby finally is delivered. It's a girl! and both parents are in tears. Later on that evening Gary comes out of the hospital bathroom and sees Melissa looking in the nursery window. He takes her to see Susannah and the baby, who Melissa holds.
Legacy
Elliot and Michael have a close encounter with disaster on an airplane. Hope's employer, the magazine Synergy, is being taken over and will curtain its environmental watchdog activities. At a dinner party, Hope gets irritated with Michael and Miles' date. Nancy is ready to take Elliot back.
Strangers
CAPSULE: Melissa must come to terms with the problems she has over the age difference with Lee. Their relationship is paralleled by a new one between Russell Weller and Peter Montefiore. Russell drops by Melissa's place and is surprised to find Lee there wearing a towel. Melissa takes Russell to DAA, where he meets Peter Montefiore. Melissa encourages Michael to talk up Peter to Russell; Michael didn't realize before that Peter was gay. Later Lee and Melissa are still in the throes of passion when he has to leave. Lee wonders why she never introduces him to her friends. Melissa tells him that they will go have dinner at the Steadmans soon. Mel photographs Russell painting. She's nervous about her friends meeting Lee and he's nervous about seeing Peter again. Melissa deliberately passes up a locksmith where she was going to get a key made for Lee. Melissa and Lee arrive at the Steadmans. She imagines all sorts of bad things even though everyone likes her new boyfriend. Peter and Russell are hitting it off. Later they are seen in bed together. Melissa drops off Lee after the dinner party. He's a little perturbed at her for the way she's been acting. Peter is at Melissa's place on some business. Both ask each other how the night before went, but neither is willing to talk about it. Lee comes by Melissa's. It's been a few days and they haven't seen each other. Lee talks about going to a movie with Hope and Michael, but Melissa defers until next week. Lee is confused about where he stands with her. The next time he arrives, Melissa haltingly tells him she's having a problem. Lee stops her. He thinks her problem is not with him, but her concern over what her friends think, and he leaves. Melissa has a fantasy in which she sees herself as both boxers in a ring, and she's beating herself up over Lee. Later, Melissa asks Russell about Peter. He tries to put her off and she gives him advice about Peter that she herself should be following about Lee. All four people are thinking about each other. Peter and Russell meet again at DAA and agree to see each other later. Melissa gets keys made for Lee and offers them to him, along with an explanation for her recent behavior. Before they part, they say they love each other.
Pilgrims
CAPSULE: Elliot reunites with his family, but Ethan is still full of anxiety which manifests itself as fear for his safety. Elliot moves back in his house with his wife and children on a busy morning as Thanksgiving is approaching. Ethan tries to get out of going to school. He's being a bit of a discipline problem, complaining that no one listens to him. He walks to school with his friend Nicholas and they talk about a recent spate of robberies that have occurred in the area. Nancy is at her mother Eleanor's new place. She's moved to the area from Indiana, and Nancy hopes she will come by for the holiday celebration. Elliot and Nancy are happy the family is back together, but at night, Ethan listens warily to the police sirens. Ethan asks his grandmother if his grandfather ever left her. She admits that he did, but came back. Nancy tells Hope and Melissa that Ethan has been obsessed with the recent robberies. Elliot tries to help Ethan with his reading; he balks at the help and then runs off. Again he lays in bed, listening in fear to the sound of sirens. Again he tries to stay home from school, but his parents make him go a half day. Ethan goes over to the house of his friend Nicholas, whose parents are divorced. His friend's father, Paul, brings over his girlfriend Diane while the boys are there. Nicholas' mother Susan and Paul get into a loud, nasty argument, which sends Ethan back home and straight to his room. Eleanor tells about Ethan asking about his grandfather and the separation. Elliot and Eleanor get into an argument about Ethan, which upsets him. Nancy tries to reassure him that arguments aren't always a bad thing. Nancy and Elliot go out, leaving Ethan with a babysitter, Mrs. Klimpt. During the evening, Ethan wakes up and insists someone is outside. Nancy and Elliot arrive home to find the police there. Ethan was so insistent about a prowler that the babysitter called the police, but no trace of anyone was found. Elliot is a little upset with Ethan, which leads to a shouting argument with him, scaring Brittany. The next morning, Thanksgiving, Ethan refuses to come out for breakfast. At dinner time he's still in his room, despite the efforts of Elliot and Michael to coax him out. That night, Ethan again is sure someone is outside as he hears sirens wailing and dogs barking. Elliot assures him everything is OK, and takes the nervous boy outside to walk around the house to prove it. Ethan embraces his father and seeks his assurance that he won't leave.
The Burning Bush
CAPSULE: Ellyn takes steps toward starting an affair with Jeffrey Milgrom. Hope begins work on an environmental project. Ellyn and Hope's present-day relationship is compared to the one they had in high school. Flashback: At Lower Merion High School in 1970, Hope and Ellyn are sneaking a smoke. Ellyn tells Hope she's going off to New York with bad boy Mark McCreary. The two girls circulate a petition opposed to a dress code. Present Day: Hope talks with Ellyn, saying that she's quit the magazine Synergy and might be working on an anti-incinerator project. She doesn't tell her friend that she's pregnant. At the gym's pool, Ellyn is swimming and meets Jeffrey Milgrom, an acquaintance from the Steadmans' dinner party. He's Hope and Michael's lawyer and he works with his wife Valerie. Ellyn drops off a batch of material about the incinerator and tells Hope she's seen Jeffrey at the gym the past few days. They're meeting for lunch. Flashback: Ellyn and Hope protest the dress code and walk out of a student council meeting. Hope warns Ellyn about the New York trip; Ellyn encourages her to come. Present: Hope tells Nancy she's pregnant, but she still hasn't been able to tell Ellyn yet. Ellyn tells her therapist that she and Hope are growing apart. She also tells him about Jeffrey. While Hope is consulting Jeffrey as an attorney, Ellyn calls him up and arranges a rendezvous. They meet at a bookstore. While there, they see Hope. Ellyn hides. Hope sees Jeffrey, and then later sees Ellyn. She "introduces" the two of them, who act rather awkwardly. Flashback:: Ellyn and Hope listen as their friend Louise tells about a girl who had an abortion. Present: Hope is beginning to suspect Ellyn is up to something. An anti-incinerator meeting is held at the Steadman house. Ricky Bianca introduces John Dunaway, an environmental activist, to Hope. He's familiar with Hope's work at Synergy. Ricky tells Hope she saw Ellyn leaving a cafe with a man, whose description sounds like Richard. Ellyn and Richard are together again. he tells her he's been "intoxicated" with her. Ellyn protests that he manipulated meetings with her and that they should not go any further, but it sounds unconvincing. They end up in some smoky joint dancing to the jukebox. Flashback: Ellyn and Hope are waiting to see the principal. Ellyn tells Hope she lost her virginity two weeks ago with Mark. Present: Hope tells Ellyn she knows about Jeffrey and that she disapproves. Ellyn tells her it's not that easy looking for someone to love. Hope tells Ellyn that Richard will likely dump her, even if his marriage breaks up. Ellyn meets with Richard again and asks if she's the "transitional object." She wants assurances and leaves in a huff when she doesn't get the right ones. Flashback: After getting chewed out by her mother, Hope has "run away" to Ellyn's and wants to take the New York trip with her. Present: At a coffee shop, Hope finally tells Ellyn she's pregnant. Hope asks about Jeffrey. Ellyn says he's fine. They sit in silence.
New Parents
CAPSULE: Gary's decision to quit teaching and stay at home with his new baby causes a conflict between him and his mother. Gary and Susannah's new baby Emma cries for twelve hours and they can't figure out why. In the morning Susannah is reluctant to go to work, but Gary insists. She finds out there that the nearby homeless shelter might be closed to make way for condos, which gets her fighting spirit up. Gary's mother Eileen comes by while Hope is there and mistakenly thinks she is Susannah. After Susannah comes home late and the baby is put to bed, Gary tells his mother he's not going back to teaching; rather, he's going to be a househusband. His mother's reaction is simply, "Oh." During the next day or two, however, Eileen makes it clear that she's not thrilled with Gary's decision to quit teaching. They argue about his deceased father, who wanted badly for him to go to law school. Eileen tells Gary that he's avoided every big decision he ever had to make and should concentrate on growing up. While Eileen is out with Susannah taking the baby for a walk, they come upon the contractor for the condos that threaten the homeless shelter. Susannah gives him a large piece of her mind. Eileen goes back to a hotel to stay. She drops by Race St. to see Susannah and apologize for her words; Susannah tells her she was just being blunt. Eileen tells Susannah that she's good for his son. Later Gary talks to his mom in the park while he's walking Emma. He tells her he's trying not to repeat the mistakes that his dad made in parenting. Eileen says it's wonderful to be a househusband, but only if he really wants to, and she's not sure he does. Susannah returns home to find Gary working on his resume. Both of them feel that they have to work. Like responsible parents, they will have to figure out how to make the situation work also. They make one decision which has been put off until now: the child's name will be Emma Hart-Shepard.
Michael's Campaign
CAPSULE: Michael crosses swords with the creative director at DAA. Hope gets more involved with her environmental project. At DAA, Michael and Elliot attend a "war council" on Minnesota Brands, a huge potential account who they've convinced to give their agency a try. DAA's creative director, Carl Draconis, doesn't even give them credit for this in a meeting about the account, however. Michael has a flashback to 1968. He tells his father he's running for vice-president at school. His father wonders why he isn't running for president instead. Back in the present, Michael comes up with a bold marketing strategy for Oh My Pies, a product of Minnesota Brands which has not been selling well. Draconis coldly shoots his idea down. But privately, Miles tells Michael to stay directly accessible to Minnesota Brands on this project. Meanwhile Hope is getting more involved in the anti-incinerator campaign, planning for a big meeting and finding office space for John Dunaway and his organization. Michael comes up with the idea of marketing Oh My Pies and Snap Happy candy bars to baby boomers rather than kids. Mark likes the idea, but Draconis only wants to see research and analysis. Mike flashes back to high school, where he is being castigated by his friend Bob Stanton for betraying him by running against him. His father tells him that what he's doing is OK, he should face his fears. Michael talks to Miles about the account, saying he doesn't know if Carl is serving him well. When Carl finds out that Michael talked to Miles, he angrily confronts Michael about going behind his back. Hope and Michael have a disagreement over the way Janey should be potty trained, Michael taking more of a hard-line approach. A flashback to the candidates' debate in school sees Bob Stanton denounce Michael as a back-stabbing turncoat. Caught off-guard, Michael stutters through a 30-second rebuttal. Hope apologizes to John about blowing the search for office space. She tells him she's still committed; he says she must prove it. At DAA, Angel tells Michael that her team has also been put on the Oh My account. Privately she confides that the opinion around the office is that Carl's creativity may have dried up and that people are rooting for him and Elliot. Michael decides to go directly to Minnesota Brands. Carl is meeting with Miles when Michael brings in Larry Rhymen from Minnesota Brands, surprising them both. In a flashback to 1968, Michael has lost the election disastrously, 563 to 24. His father consoles him, saying that he showed courage and will have successes eventually. An upset Carl meets with Michael and pulls him off the account, Michael, playing hardball, tells Carl that he would be a good ally to have during this fallow period. Hope meanwhile has not only found the office space but done some good research as well, impressing John Dunaway. At the big meeting at DAA, Carl seems about to lower the boom on Michael, but instead gives him and Elliot credit for the "beginnings" of ideas to explore. Miles has been listening from across the room, and his body language can be interpreted as an approval.
Pulling Away
CAPSULE: Michael is given more responsibility at DAA, causing friction between him and Elliot. Hope also has to take some responsibility with the anti-incinerator campaign. Michael and Eliot are excited: Miles loved their ideas for the Snap Happy/Oh My account and DAA will make a commercial to show to a focus group. In a very public way, Miles upbraids Carl Draconis for shooting down the guys' ideas. The next day, Michael and Elliot are stunned to find that Draconis has "left" the company "to pursue other interests." Miles tells Michael he will be the creative director on the account, and depending on his performance with it, he could be offered Carl's job as the agency's creative director. Michael inherits Carl's office and his assistant Page, who he and Elliot formerly referred to as the "dragon lady." Meanwhile, Hope goes with John Dunaway and Ricky Bianca to see a congressman to enlist his opposition to the incinerator, but they receive no encouragement. Elliot asks Michael if he could direct the commercial and Mike likes the idea. But Miles wants to use an experienced director, Tony Gilchrest. On the set, Gilchrest asks Michael to get Elliot out of his way. Mike backs Gilchrest up and Elliot gets indignant. Elliot and Michael watch two different versions of the finished commercial and disagree on which one to use. Michael wants to put the matter to bed with no further debate. Seeming to take it personally, Elliot gets into a big argument with Michael. Back on the home front, Hope goes door-to-door campaigning against the incinerator, meeting all sorts of indifference. With the commercial ready to show to a focus group, Michael must persuade Elliot to participate in the viewing. Michael, Miles, Elliot and Mark watch as to their surprise the focus group rips the commercial apart. At the rollout ceremony for the incinerator, Hope is there, but John is late, When the congressman takes questions, Hope steps up and asks pointedly about the incinerator's environmental deficiencies. John arrives and is impressed with her performance and tells her so over lunch. Later Michael tries to melt the frostiness with Elliot, who admits that he will just have to accept Michael in his new role as the boss.
Another Country
CAPSULE: Just as her children's book is published, Nancy is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. On a typical madhouse morning at the Weston house, Nancy is experiencing some back pain. Later when she sees Melissa and gives her a copy of the new book dedicated to her, Nancy says the pain may be stress related. While at school to pick up the kids, she gets ill has has to rush to the bathroom. Dr. Silverman does an ultrasound for Nancy the next day. At home she tells Elliot that the doctor found "something," an ovary that has dropped behind her uterus, and she wants to do a test. Dr. Silverman does the examination and says there might be a tumor. More definitive results will come on Monday. Both Nancy and Elliot are worried, but try to keep family life normal and for now aren't telling anyone the news. When Nancy comes to pick up Ethan after a basketball practice, he gets upset with her because she didn't watch him play. Nancy loses her temper and snaps at him, then quickly apologizes. Ethan seems to sense something is wrong. There's a big party to celebrate Nancy's book at Melissa' place. Elliot and Nancy go to the doctor on Monday. From word one they know the diagnosis is bad. Nancy goes to the library to do research about the cancer. She finds the task close to overwhelming. She's methodically planning for an operation on Saturday, but Elliot wants to do it the very next day. At work Michael is ready to celebrate a success with a client, but Elliot is in no mood to and he tells Mike the news. Nancy talks to Ethan and tells him she's sick. He asks if she will die. She says she doesn't think so, but doesn't know. Later Nancy goes to see Hope, whose face immediately gives away the fact that she knows the bad news. Elliot returns home to find a quiet house and Nancy sitting on the floor in the dark. She's mad because he told Michael about the cancer; he tells her she's not going to face this crisis alone. For a few moments Nancy is near hysteria, hitting Elliot and screaming that she can't fight it and will die. Then she tells Elliot she needs for him to make love to her.
Post-Op
CAPSULE: Nancy, family and friends deal with the aftermath of her cancer surgery. Nancy has come out of surgery and Elliot calls the Steadman house to tell Hope and Ethan the news--she's OK. Hope tells a stunned Melissa that Nancy had the operation. Nancy's mom Eleanor is there at the hospital, and soon her sister Deb arrives too. They're both glad to see Deb, who is a nurse, but a little of the familiar mother/daughter tension surfaces immediately. Ellyn comes by to see Nancy bearing a gift of banana bread (a running joke in this episode.) She appears to be extremely uncomfortable. Nancy comes home, to the delight of her children. Eleanor and Deb take up temporary residence at the Weston house and Ethan and Brittany go to stay with the Steadmans for a while. Nancy misses her kids, though, and wants to get back to a semblance of normality. Elliot is very solicitous, though, and wants her to take things very easily. Gary, Melissa, Hope and Michael discuss Nancy's condition. Nancy had a hysterectomy and there were a few cancerous cells found outside the ovaries, so there is still plenty to worry about. Nancy tries to explain to Elliot the way she feels after the operation but has a hard time doing it. Nancy is determined to get out of the house on her own and takes a cab to the arts center, despite her mother's opposition. Elliot is seen in a bar playing darts with Michael. He's a little drunk and gets a little bitter about the irony of getting his life back together only to have his wife get cancer. Later, Hope drops by DAA and unexpectedly walks in on a weeping Elliot. She withdraws quickly. At a dinner with the Steadmans, Elliot talks excitedly about Nancy's book and then looks over at her--she's asleep. In bed Nancy complains that no one lets her "really talk," that she's not "gracious and cheerful." Deb prepares to leave and Nancy gets emotional--who will she talk to, she says. Hope and Nancy talk seriously, with Nancy telling her she's afraid of dying, afraid that her daughter Brittany won't remember her. Later she and Elliot talk and he tells her ruefully, "I just got you back." The parents and the children gather around the TV and watch a movie together.
Once a Mermaid
CAPSULE: Ellyn restarts her affair with Richard, this time in earnest. Ellyn seems to be putting her flirtation with Jeffrey behind her, as she talks with Melissa about men and has a blind date with Billy Sidel arranged by Hope and Michael. Bur while leaving the gym one day there's a knock on her car window--and it's Jeffrey, who is willing to start the whole affair over again. She leaves him there, but later at home is thinking about him. Jeffrey calls and leaves a message for her to meet him tomorrow at a park. The next day Ellyn is there waiting in a torrential rainstorm, but before Richard arrives who should appear on the scene but Gary. Barely having avoided being seen, Ellyn lets Richard kiss her. At the sauna Ellyn and Melissa talk about the blind date. Ellyn reveals she's about to start up with Richard again, though she knows it could be trouble. Melissa tells her to do what she thinks is good for her. Ellyn and Jeffrey meet for dinner and he tells her some of his marital history. After an evening of guilt and a goodnight kiss that's leading toward sex, Ellyn pulls away from him. Gary comes by DAA as Richard is leaving. Gary asks Michael how long Richard and Ellyn have been going out. Ellyn goes to the movies with Billy and afterward wants to go back home. Billy assumes it's a kiss-off, so she tells him she's involved with someone else. Billy accepts it very calmly. When she gets back home, Richard is there, playfully acting jealous about the blind date. They fall together into a chair, then to the floor. Ellyn continues to sneak around with Richard. Hope fishes around with Ellyn, hoping she will tell her something, but Ellyn doesn't. At an art gallery with Melissa, Ellyn is confronted with Richard's wife Valerie, who recognizes Ellyn. She awkwardly introduces Melissa to Valerie and Richard. Later Jeffrey wants to arrange an entire evening together with Ellyn, who despite herself can't resist. She cooks a meal for him, then spends hours drinking wine and waiting for him to arrive. When he finally shows up making excuses, she tells him to go, then dumps the lasagna she made for him in the trash. At the Steadman house, Gary, Ellyn and Melissa are there playing a game when Michael lets something about Ellyn's affair slip out. She leaves the room in anger. Despite the assurance of everyone that they are not judging her, Ellyn is sure they are. Later she asks Hope what she thinks. Hope says she thinks she wants Jeffrey because he's unattainable. Later Ellyn meets Hope Richard for dinner. She tells him that he she deserves more than his spare time and stolen minutes. He asks for her patience, but she seems ready to end the relationship. Later in the gym pool, Richard comes swimming after Ellyn and tells her he will leave Valerie for her.
Fathers and Lovers
CAPSULE: Melissa has conflicts with Lee over finding him a new job and with her father over his plans to buy her building. At a dinner with her parents, the Steadmans and Lee, Melissa mentions that she's concerned about her building turning into condominiums. Her father Murray surprises her when he invites her to his office to propose that he co-sign a loan for her which would allow her to buy the building. Melissa runs across Lee's sketchbook and she's impressed with his drawings. She tells him he's overqualified to be a house painter and that she could help him. He says the drawing is just for fun. Later at DAA, Melissa is there when Courtney Dunton comes into Elliot's office with some portfolios of job applicants. Melissa gets the idea to suggest Lee for the job. Melissa tells Lee about the job opening for a trainee at DAA. He doesn't seem interested, but goes there to be interviewed. His interview with Courtney is awful; he has no background at all or desire to work in advertising. Melissa tells her father not to buy the building for her, but Murray says he may buy it himself as an investment. She asks Lee how the interview went but he is not very responsive. But later when Lee is working on the Steadmans' kitchen, Michael tells him he got the job. When Lee returns to Melissa he is ecstatic about getting the job, thinking he got it on his own and gushing about fate. Melissa listens sheepishly and doesn't tell him the truth. Later she goes to her father's office where she finds that he and his lawyer have put in a bid on her building in her name. Lee finds out that Melissa showed Elliot and Michael his sketchbook and is upset, thinking she did it to "improve" him as a boyfriend. Melissa is out to dinner with her parents on their anniversary. She insists on paying, which leads to an argument with her dad about his buying the building for her. Later when Melissa is at a commercial shoot for DAA, Elliot tells her how great a job Lee is doing. At home, she admits to Lee that she was wrong for interfering and trying to change him. She tells him he should quit the job, but Lee says he likes it, and the two seem to be back on track.
Her Cup Runneth Over
CAPSULE: Richard leaves his wife and takes his daughter and moves in with Ellyn. This new instant family experiences some rough times right away. Richard and Ellyn meet for a noontime rendezvous. It's been five weeks since he said he would leave his wife for her, but he promises today will be the day. At the Steadman house the talk is of their will. Melissa is supposed to be the new baby's godmother and is worried about what that entails. Valerie comes over with some paperwork concerning the will. She breaks down and cries, telling everyone that Richard has left her. She angrily blames Ellyn for selfishly ruining their family. Richard, Ellyn and his daughter Christy (Valerie's stepdaughter) check into a hotel room and awkwardly try to sort out living arrangements. Among the other women, the news about Ellyn is a hot topic. Ellyn's therapist asks her about her relationship with Christy--her presence has kept Ellyn and Richard from having sex for six and a half days. Ellyn gives Christy a friendship bracelet, which she likes. But when Christy loses it later at a restaurant, it's the cause of some tension between the two. Richard is also having problems adjusting to his new life. He didn't understand that when he left his wife, he was leaving his home too, he says. Late at night, Ellyn gets up, restless and wakes up Christy in the process. They have a symbolic conversation about a school assignment of Christy's. "How do you know you're doing it right?" Ellyn asks. "You don't," Christy replies, "you're just supposed to keep on doing it." Ellyn tells Hope about Richard leaving Valerie, not knowing Hope has already heard the news. Later Ellyn and Christy go to pick up Jeffrey. When Christy goes into the building to get him, she hears a horrible fight between her father and Valerie, who accuses him of only caring about his daughter. Valerie has taken out a lien on Jeffrey. All of a sudden he has no cash flow, so he can't afford the hotel. Ellyn has to take Jeffrey and Christy into her apartment. Ellyn tells her therapist a story, illustrated with a flashback, about how she stole a True Confessions magazine once as a girl. Her mother found the magazine and kept it, but never mentioned it to her daughter, leaving her in a prolonged state of guilt and suspense. Ellyn comes home to find Christy has left the bath water running too long and it has leaked into the apartment below. That night she has an argument with Richard about Christy being irresponsible, which the girl can hear in bed. Jeffrey says he can't bear any criticism of his daughter. The next morning the new couple is in a better mood, but that is quickly broken when Valerie shows up to dump off the dog and accuse Ellyn of being a bitch. Ellyn brings a school assignment to Christy. The two admit they don't like each other much, but Ellyn says since she loves Christy's father, she must love her too. Christy tells Ellyn she has a mother she loves already; Ellyn says it's OK if she doesn't feel the same way about her. Later when they go with Richard to walk Lucy the dog, they all seem a lot more understanding of each other.
Good Sex, Bad Sex, What Sex, No Sex
CAPSULE: Against the background of an examination of the characters' sex lives, Melissa and Lee break up. Melissa and Lee's sex life is going great and she tells the other women about it, to their envy and amazement. They seem to be doing it all the time, unlike Gary and Susannah who are having a hard time fitting sex into their schedule with a new baby to take care of; in fact, he gets injured when he slips on a toy while attempting an encounter while Emma sleeps. Melissa and Lee are out with a couple of Lee's friends of his age, Stephanie and Robert. They end up going to a late-night rock club where a girl throws up on Melissa's shoes. At DAA the next day Melissa is worn out after the late night out. She tells Michael that the nightlife with Lee is boring. She begs off going out on the town with Lee again which causes some tension for a while which is succeeded by--sex! At the Weston's house, Nancy is concerned when she finds copies of Playboy under Ethan's bed. Elliot makes a candlelight bubble bath for himself and Nancy, but he's frustrated when she's not quite ready for sex this soon after the operation. Meanwhile Melissa and Lee have a conflict over going on a ski trip he's been invited on or staying in town for her mother's 60th birthday. When they try to have sex, he can't. The next day they argue; she thinks that no sex was an unconscious punishment of her. She says he shouldn't come back that night; Lee says he wasn't planning to. Melissa runs into Stephanie (from the last evening out) and tells her she thinks she and Lee broke up. Stephanie tells her she envied her and Lee, and that she would marry Robert and settle down if he would ask. Elliot talks to Ethan about the Playboys. He tells his son it's OK to look at girls like that, but he needs to learn to like them first. Elliot apologizes to Nancy for being an "animal" and says he can wait until she's ready for sex. Those seem to be the magic words for Nancy. Lee comes to Melissa to try and reconcile. He tells her he loves her. She says she loves him too, but doubts he wants the whole commitment, including kids. She tells him to go on the ski trip; if he doesn't he'll always regret it. She thinks that now is the time to end their relationship, and they part in an emotional scene.
The Other Shoe
CAPSULE: Nancy finds new support from another cancer patient, but their relationship threatens her closeness with her own family. Nancy has been receiving chemotherapy and as a result has been feeling ill a good bit of the time. The experience, along with the movie Fantastic Voyage, has given Ethan a new idea for another story to do with his mom, one in which a whole planet is sick. At her support group for cancer patients, Victory Partners, Nancy meets a woman named Beatrice Holden and they go out for coffee. Beatrice talks to her about getting a new circle of friends for support. She attends a meeting at Beatrice's place and finds the frank talk and even humor about death a new, liberating experience. As Nancy comes more under the influence of Beatrice, she becomes "radicalized" and starts talking about carcinogens and other cancer-related matters endlessly. At dinner with the Steadmans, Melissa wonders out of Nancy's presence why she's so mad. When Nancy puts forth opinions on carcinogens that likely contributed to Michael's father's death, he leaves the table a bit disgusted. Elliot comes home one day to find Beatrice and several of her group members in the living room. They're planning an outing. Nancy tells Elliot that he can't understand the common bonds of this particular group. They all go out for an evening at a loud nightclub featuring a drag revue. Nancy looks at bit uncomfortable, but Beatrice encourages her to stay out even longer, though in the bathroom alone previously, she herself looked rather shaky. The two women go to a spot where low-flying jets pass overhead. Lying on the hood of a car, Nancy, with Beatrice's, encouragement, screams out her innermost unspoken thoughts about her disease, providing a cathartic experience. But when she arrives home in the early AM hours, Elliot upbraids her for not working on the book more with Ethan, who needs her attention. Later Nancy goes to see Beatrice. When she arrives, Beatrice is having a difficult conversation on the phone with her sister. She tells Nancy she's organizing a trip to Hawaii. Nancy tells her that she won't be going, that she's been neglecting her family. The women argue, with Beatrice maintaining that cancer is actually a "gift" and a "friend" and suggesting that those who have it are her real family. They part with issues unresolved. At home Nancy throws away the sketches she made without Ethan and asks for his help on the new book. Elliot takes Nancy out for a special birthday surprise.
The Three Year Itch
CAPSULE: While in Washington, DC about a possible job, Hope almost cheats om Michael with John Dunaway. While Michael has gotten a big raise almost doubling his salary and lots of perks with his new job, Hope is disenheartened when the incinerator plan passes the city council after she made a presentation against it. Later she calls John Dunaway, looking for other ways to fight the incinerator and arranges a lunch meeting with him. At lunch she asks about a court challenge, but John is doubtful. At DAA Elliot tells Mike he should ask for a raise; Michael doesn't tell him he's already got it. That night in bed, Hope is kissing Michael, but momentarily imagines him as John. The next day John calls Hope with the news of a possible press relations job with an environmental organization in Washington, DC. When she senses Michael's lack of enthusiasm about the possibility they argue, she telling him that she always accommodates to his career. When Hope tells Ellyn and Nancy about going to Washington to see about the job, they express surprise about the move. On the train Hope has a fantasy, seeing herself in a 1920's setting aboard the "infidelity club car" of the train. Elliot is there, along with Ellyn and Jeffrey, and John appears too. Back at DAA, Elliot finds out about Michael's raise. Michael tries to make up for not letting him know by offering to talk to Miles about a raise for his friend. Elliot finds that patronizing. After Hope's interview she goes out to dinner with John. He tells her he first thought she was just a pretty, bored housewife, but has changed her mind. He asks for a dance, and keeps her out on the floor when a slow dance is played. Back at her hotel room with John, Hope starts to have second thoughts about the Washington job, and also about her and John's motivations. Shhe tells him she's looking for a little piece of life just for herself. But before he leaves they kiss, and it's more than a peck. She calls Michael to tell him she will be spending an extra day in Washington and will talk about the job when she returns home, adding "I love you." Mike apologizes to Elliot about not telling him about the raise; he feared it would drive a wedge between them. Back at home, Hope talks to Ellyn and says she's considering telling Michael about her brush with infidelity. Later in bed she simply tells him that some things must change, and that they both have to work at it.
I'm Nobody, Who Are You?
CAPSULE: Resentment grows between the "haves" (the Steadmans) and the "have nots" (Gary and Susannah). Gary has put aside his ambivalence and is taking a job teaching Modern American Poetry. On the night before his first day on the job, Emma comes down with a fever and a terrible whooping cough. Frantic, Gary annd Susannah call up the Steadmans in the middle of the night. Hope tells them Emma probably has croup. The couple take the baby to the emergency room, where she's diagnosed with--croup. The bill comes to $704.75. Neither parent has insurance. In the morning Gary is reluctant to go to work but Susannah insists. Susannah is very reluctant to depend on Hope for help, but she calls her over anyway. Hope arrives with a humidifier and food. When she recommends their pediatrician, Susannah replies that they can't afford him. Hope talks to Ellyn and Michael about Gary and Susannah--are they really poor? Michael has been discussing a real estate deal with Miles, and he proposes investing $10,000 in it for Gary. When Michael tells Gary about the investment idea while playing basketball, Gary is silent about it. Gary is teaching Emily Dickison's poem "I'm Nobody" to a lethargic class. He imagines the students questioning him about his lack of ambition and other faults. Later that night he and Susannah go out to dinner with Michael and Hope, an offer that Susannah accepted mainly to try and prove that she likes Hope. The entrees at the restaurant are expensive, and Gary and Susannah order Caesar salads. Afterward Michael brings up the investment deal again. This is the first Susannah has heard of it, and she's angry about the idea, though she later admits she doesn't know why. At DAA, Gary comes by and gets into an argument with Michael about the political consequences of the deal. He says to leave him out of it. Gary is at Melissa's searching for his old volume of Emily Dickinson, but is disappointed to find that it doesn't contain the "great, insightful notes" he remembers writing in it, but mostly girls' phone numbers and the like. Susannah returns the humidifier to Hope, even though Hope gave it to her outright. Hope is resentful and the two women get into an argument, each claiming that the other looks down on her. This proves to be a cathartic conversation and a new understanding seems to begin between the two. Later Susannah tells Gary that he should reconcile with Michael and take the money. Gary admits he's jealous of Michael. Later while preparing lessons about Emily Dickinson, he falls asleep and has a dream about the poet. He asks her to explain her poetry and tells her that he's desperate to prove he's not a failure. She tells him that his poem--Emma--is right under his nose. Later, Gary goes to DAA to apologize to Michael, telling him he should have thanked him for his offer. He still declines to take it, however, saying that it might screw up their friendship.
Arizona
CAPSULE: Michael and Hope's relationship is deteriorating as they gather to attend her parents' anniversary celebration. Hope informs Michael they need to attend her parents' 40th wedding anniversary celebration in Arizona, but Michael says he needs to stay home for a while to attend to work. John Dunaway is in town and Hope invites him to stay at their house in her absence. Michael attends a dinner party at Melissa's where the guests joke about Hope having the hots for John. Michael returns home to find John looking very comfortable, seated in front of the fireplace with Grendel the dog at his feet. Michael immediately books the next flight to Phoenix. When Michael arrive earlier than expected in Arizona, it doesn't take long before festering tensions between him and Hope rise to the surface. She accuses him of working too much and "checking out" on his family. She tells him he's not proud of her for the things he should be, such as her work as a mother and with the ERC. Michael sneers at John Dunaway and asks Hope if she had an affair with him. Hope describes their relationship as a "constant state of anger." They argue about her parents, too, which each if them defending the parent of the opposite sex. Later Michael talks to Hope's father Ted on the golf course. Ted speaks of "drifting" occuring in a marriage and admits that he once had an affair. Hope talks to her mother Ruth about the early days of marriage to her father and finds out some surprising revelations of her own, including that she was once prescribed dexidrine during a troubled time. At the anniversary dinner Ted makes a beautiful toast to his wife and they both get a bit choked up. Hope tears up too and leaves the table, followed by Michael. Their confrontation is stormy, but they make each other say that they won't leave the other for John or DAA. then they vow their love.
Going Limp
CAPSULE: Elliot gets a chance to direct a public service announcement, but is he capable of doing the job? Ellyn comes to DAA with a request for them to film a public service announcement for the city's new promotional campaign. Elliot pleads with Michael to give him the job of directing it, and Mike agrees. At a meeting with City Hall officials, Elliot's presentation strikes many of them as too far-out, but Michael assures Ellyn things will be OK. Elliot impresses Mike by obtaining the services of the well-known actor Ron DeLisle, a Philadelphia native, for $7500, but one of the City Hall people complains to Miles about a lack of confidence in Elliot. Miles reminds Michael that this project is his responsibility. Ellyn confides in Mike that she thinks the upcoming shoot looks like a "train wreck." Michael reassures her, but alone, he repeats her assessment: it's a train wreck. Even Nancy is getting apprehensive about Elliot's ability to do the job. The night before shooting starts, Ethan asks his dad what a director does. When Elliot fumbles through an explanation, his self-confidence seems to be rapidly disappearing and he spends a restless night trying to sleep. Arriving on the set in the early morning, Elliot tells Mike "I can't do it!" Michael tries to settle him down. With friends and relatives watching and an impatient Ron and his entourage waiting, Elliot stumbles through a morning of shooting. At the lunch break the director of photography tells Michael they got "nothing" out of the morning's work. Ellyn is pressing Michael for results and Michael is worried because the filming is running overtime. After Elliot finally gets a usable shot, the police come to close down the set. A disgusted Ron and company leave. Miles ask Michael for assurance. Elliot and Michael know they're in big trouble. That night Elliot comes home drunk, telling Nancy that everyone knows he's screwing up. She tries to reassure him. The next day Michael arrives early at Elliot's house, intent on tightening things up on the shoot, but Elliot balks at any supervision. Finally the filming of Ron's segment begins. After dozens and dozens of takes Elliot is still not satisfied. Ron, who was already testy to begin with, finally unloads on Elliot, upbraiding him in front of everyone, including Ethan. After pleading with him, Ron agrees to do one more take for Elliot, but promises this is the last one. Ron goes through the dialog and there's a dramatic pause before Elliot finally says "print." At DAA the finished version of the PSA is shown and it draws applause from Eliot's co-workers. Miles pronounces it "a superior though deeply flawed piece of work."
Towers of Zenith Part 1: The Go-Between
CAPSULE: As Elliot grows more dissatisfied with DAA, Michael finds out something that could change everything about the company. Miles plans to take Michael to New York with him to meet with Bob Spano, head of Minnesota Brands, their largest client. In a meeting, Miles informs Elliot and Michael that a spokesman for another big account has been lost to another agency and he puts the blame squarely on Eliot. Later Michael ask Miles why he was so tough on Elliot. Miles picks up the phone and calls Elliot, giving him a perfunctory apology. In New York, Miles and Michael dine with Spano and Gus Hennesey from Minnesota Brands. The down-to-earth Spano finds Miles a little weird, but seems to like Michael. Later Gus calls Michael and sets up a private meeting. He tells Mike that Minnesota Brands is looking to expand into media. Elliot tells Nancy that his job has become a burden and that he's thinking of quitting after her "second look" surgery. Miles tells Michael that he thinks Elliot is dissatisfied and that someone might use him against the company. At DAA, Michael receives a call from Gus to come to Minneapolis to discuss a campaign--without Miles. Michael is now thinking that something "so far out" may be happening that he won't even say it out loud to Hope. The next day Miles looks for Michael at work, but he's not there. He's in Minneapolis meeting with Bob Spano, who tells him what he has begun to suspect--that Minnesota Brands is looking to buy DAA. Spano wants Michael to be his conduit to Miles. Elliot is in a meeting with Miles and Mark, where a slip of his tongue leads Miles to conclude that Michael is out of town rather than out sick. Miles tells Elliot he's thinking of breaking up some creative teams--including him and Mike. When Michael returns to DAA, he finds Elliot in a huge fight with Miles over being taken off an account. Michael tells Miles about his meeting with Spano. Miles said he suspected something, but he won't entertain the overture. Then he tels Michael to fire Elliot. Michael says he won't do it; and Miles tells him to decide whether he is an executive or a friend. Michael calls Gus with Miles' decision. That night at home Elliot talks to Nancy about quitting the job. He wants to badly, but he feels he owes her something. Nancy says she can't tell him either way, but luckily, he has a choice. When Michael arrives at DAA the next day, there's a car waiting for him in the garage with Spano inside. In the office, Elliot calmly but emotionally tells Michael that he must quit the job. Michael tells Elliot the big secret: Minnesota Brands is planning a hostile takeover of DAA, with Mike as the inside man. Miles will be out after it's completed. How does it start, asks Elliot. Like this, Michael replies, "You're fired." In the morning Michael reports to Miles that he has fired Elliot as requested.
Towers of Zenith Part 2: Samurai Adman
CAPSULE: Michael's career is on the line as the hostile takeover attempt of DAA heats up. As Minnesota Brands plots its hostile takeover of DAA, Miles wants to take Michael with him to see Carol Arthur, the widow of former company partner Duncan Arthur who owns 27 1/2% of the stock. But Carol comes by the company, rather than have Miles set foot in her house. Michael decides to bring Mark in on the takeover secret. They realize that their failure in this matter could cost them both their careers. Hope worries that Michael may be crossing some ethical lines and turning into Miles. Michael is in Miles' office doing a bit of snooping when Miles and his secretary come in. He makes an excuse and then listens in as Miles places a phone call to Gabe Rivera, setting up an emergency appointment. Michael sends Elliot to spy on the Drentell/Rivera meeting. While on this mission, Elliot runs into Mark, who is doing the same thing. They find out Rivera's identity--he's Miles' dentist! Meanwhile Minnesota Brands sends Mike a secure cell phone to communicate with them. At DAA, Miles has brought in a polygraph operator and is about to examine employees, starting with Mark. Michael thinks on his feet. He tells Miles that he can't start the testing with a black man, or any of the women in the office. If he must start somewhere, Michael says, start with himself, or don't do it at all, suggesting Miles will look like a "weak king" for using the polygraph. Miles decides not to administer the lie-detector tests. Miles is sending Michael out to California to see the retired DAA partner Jack Ashley, saying Michael can relate to him like he's done to Bob Spano. Michael takes Elliot along, intending to come clean to Ashley about the takeover bid and enlist his support. They arrive at Ashley's beachfront retirement house, but after talking with him a short while, they realize that Ashley has lost a good bit of his mind. Michael realizes that Miles has set him up. When Miles calls to say that he's reached an agreement with Mrs. Arthur and that Michael should come to his office on Monday morning, Michael thinks his goose is cooked at DAA. Back home, Michael and Elliot are musing about their failure. Michael says he's lucky that he's still a father with a family. Coming into work, there's a car in the garage waiting for him. It's Spano, who says he's sorry things went bad, but it was all business. He tells Michael there's a place for him and Elliot at Minnesota Brands. Going into Miles' office, Michael runs into Jennifer, the plumber who had been working on his bathroom, only now he realizes that she was a spy for Miles. In Miles' office Michael is expecting to be fired, but surprisingly, Miles has no intention of doing that. He tells Mike that he was in on his scheme for some time, but admired his courage and cunning. Miles says that keeping him and Mark on is good business. Michael even gets a concession from Miles--Elliot will be rehired. Late at night at DAA, Michael and Elliot eat, drink and reflect on the incredible events of the past few days.
Prelude to a Bris
CAPSULE: The decision whether or not to circumcise the newborn Leo brings up larger questions: is he Jewish and what does that mean? Hope gives birth to her and Michael's new son Leo. After bringing the baby home, Michael tells Hope they must decide about a bris. Michael's mother Barbara arrives with her "friend," Ben Titleman. Hope likes him, but Michael finds the situation of another man with his mother makes him uncomfortable. Before long both Ben and Melissa are asking about a mohel to perform the bris. Michael and Hope talk with Gary and Ellyn, respectively, about problems including the circumcision, which Michael is leaning toward and Hope against. That night when Michael brings up the subject, Hope wants him to explain it, why it's necessary and why he wants it done. Melissa drops by DAA with some pictures of Leo and some old relatives of the Steadman family. There's a surprise visitor, also: Rabbi Franklin, a mohel who assumes he is doing a job for Michael. He says Ben contacted him. Michael tels him he'll call later. Hope talks with Barbara and gets emotional, wondering if the circumcision will hurt Leo and what it means to be a Jew. Michael tells Ben he was out of line for taking it upon himself to get a mohel. Hope gives Michael the cold shoulder after this, thinking he doesn't care for Ben because he's Jewish! Hope notes how "un-Jewish" Michael has been throughout his life. She runs away from him during an argument and he follows. Again, a very emotional Hope wants to know: are their children Jewish and what does it mean? Later Barbara tells Michael that Ben will be with her whether they're married or not, whether Michael likes it or not. He's the one that will take care of her now, she says, not you. Michael talks to Ben at DAA. He apologizes for making the assumption about the mohel. He tells Mike he's a widower of twelve years and that he loves Barbara. Michael wonders what makes someone a real Jew. Ben tells him that he is one anyway, practicing or not, and he must decide whether he will "break the chain." Michael imagines himself with Leo as he approaches his thirteenth birthday. Leo is neither interested in his family's past or in having a bar mitzvah. Hope comes downstairs and tells Michael that she's worked it out for herself (unlike him) and that she wants their son to be a "part of something." A decision is reached. Later, at the bris, Ben shows up unexpectedly. Michael asks Ben to hold the child during the ceremony, a task Gary willingly relinquishes. Michael has a flashback of himself talking to his father.
Life Class
CAPSULE: Nancy feels that the hysterectomy has adversely affected her sex drive. Shots of Nancy teaching a class at the art center are intercut with her being examined by Dr. Eilertson. She asks about diminished sex drive after a hysterectomy and he tells her it should be no problem. Later at a gallery she sees a younger male student who she'd noticed before in class (and who seemed to notice her.) At DAA, Miles chews out Angel and Hollis, upsetting them. Angel comes to Elliot's office to hide out. Elliot arrives home to find Nancy tired and testy. The always-perceptive Ethan notices the changes in his mother, too. Nancy sees the student again and has a fantasy about him. But back at home with Elliot, she tells him she has no desire to make love. At DAA, Angel begins to work on an important account with Elliot, and they both are enjoying it. Later Elliot stops by Nancy's class and she argues with him, accusing him of gawking at the nude young female model. Nancy talks with Dr. Silverman about her decreased desire for sex. The doctor says there's no good reason for it unless there was a problem before. At work Angel gives Elliot the book "The Casrtrated Woman" as a gift for Nancy. Hope and Nancy come to DAA, and while there, Nancy sees Elliot in his office with Angel. She leaves abruptly. At home she has another daydream about the student. Nancy gets upset when she sees the book Angel gave to Elliot. She asks if he wants to sleep with her, then tells him to go ahead and do it, since she's no longer a woman herself. But later that night, Nancy sits up reading the book. At work, Angel tells Elliot that she once was attracted to him, but not now, that they can work together simply as friends. (Not the best salve for Elliot's ego.) At Dr. Eilertson's office Nancy explodes in anger. She thinks the hysterectomy has affected her sex drive and that she's just getting a song-and-dance from doctors. Later at the gallery she sees the female model, who she doesn't recognize right away. Then she realizes that the model is with Mark DeLuca, the art student, and that they are a couple. Nancy has another fantasy where Mark comforts her after she tells him the "other woman" she once was is dead. Hope and Nancy return from shopping and Hope begins to cry over her changed relationship with Nancy, who sees herself as a "missing person." Later at home, in a good mood, Nancy is apologetic to Elliot. She hope that estrogen will help her and that she will relearn how to enjoy sex. Eliot suggests having another kid--or at least trying to.
Control
CAPSULE: Melissa starts a fledgling relationship with Miles. Ellyn and Jeffrey look for a new apartment. Melissa gets a job photographing five notable Philadelphians for a magazine. She's a bit apprehensive, though, when she finds out that one of her subjects is Miles Drentell. As an interviewer from the magazine questions an expansive Miles, Melissa does her job. After the session, Miles and Melissa talk and there seems to be some surprising attraction. He asks to see her portfolio--over dinner. Elsewhere, Ellyn and Richard are rushing around, late for work. To Ellyn's surprise, Jeffrey agrees to her suggestion that they find a new place to live together. Ellyn tells Michael she's not going out with Miles, but she does. At the restaurant things are awkward at first, but soon Melissa relaxes. She begins to talk about Michael and herself when they were younger, then catches herself. She tells him he's not what she expected. Later at DAA, Michael thinks that Miles let him take the rap for a problem with an account because he wasn't informed of a deadline. Miles inqures further with Mike about Melissa. Michael warns Melissa that Miles can be dangerous. Later Miles arrives unannounced at Melissa's door for a brief visit. He give her flowers and informs her sent her portfolio to an important personage in New York. Jeffrey and Ellyn have been looking for an apartment, but he finds something wrong with every place she likes. Melissa arrives at Miles' house for a dinner date; it's set up like a bachelor pad. He shows Melissa some slides and she is somewhat critical of the photographer until she realizes they are his. After dinner, Miles begins to make a move on Melissa. She's a bit tentative with his kisses, which soon grow more passionate. She resists, and he gets more physical before he finally stops. As they part he accuses her of being timid and fearful. The next day at DAA Melissa drops off some work with Michael, but avoids seeing Miles. She intimates to Michael that something happened with Miles, but when Mike presses her, she doesn't want to tell him or for him to help her. Ellyn leads Jeffrey into the apartment blindfolded and shows him a new sofa she's bought. Not only does he not like it, he says he can't stay the night. He doesn't like the idea of her supporting him or even moving in together. Ellyn stalks off rather miffed. At DAA, Michael tells Miles he has worked out the problem with the client--by throwing it back at him. Miles realizes that this action has to do wth Mike's concern for his cousin. Melissa arrives at her door surprised to find Miles there. She doesn't want to talk to him, but he tells her he wrote down some thoughts for her to read. He hands her a card which contains the words "I'm sorry." He tells Melissa that he recognizes in her a spark that he once had, one that he thought she might give him again. He leaves, evidently pleased with himself. Later Michael comes to Melissa's place. She tels him she sold some pictures on her own to the New York contact of Miles. She tells Michael that she wanted to prove that she could handle Miles on her own, without the help that he has provided for her so often in their past.
The Distance
CAPSULE: An offer of a new job for Susannah leads to her and Gary taking a bold and unexpected step in their relationship. Ellyn finds out that Jeffrey is going back to his first wife. Early in the morning Richard is getting ready to leave on a business trip, but Ellyn makes him stay for coffee. He seems very distant this morning, but gives her an extra kiss and says "I love you" before he leaves. Susannah has received a great job offer from a foundation in New York, but she tells Gary that of course she won't take it in light of their new situation (her pregnancy). At Race St., Susannah finds that a leaky roof's collapse has ruined boxes and boxes of records. The situation there makes her long for the job in New York, and she now tells Gary she's thinking of going to see about it. Ellyn calls Indianapolis to talk to Jeffrey and finds that, unbeknownst to her, he has gone on to Los Angeles. At a gathering at the Steadmans' Gary and Susannah talks separately with Michael and Hope about the New York offer. Gary tells Susannah he'll suppert her decision; she says any decision will be theirs together. Ellyn is in a mood, getting very drunk. She asks Elliot how he decided what woman to cheat with! She calls home to get her messages and there is one from Jeffrey, trying to explain his L.A. trip. Ellyn tells Hope that Jeffrey is there with his daughter Christie and her mother Audrey, who is his first wife. Susannah, Gary and Emma make the trip to New York and stay with a friend of hers from the foundation, Kate. During Susannah's interview, Gary, who has only negative opinions of the city, takes Emma for a stroll in Central Park. They're enjoying the sights they see until they come upon a crime scene where a body is being zipped up into a bag. Against the background of constantly blaring sirens, Gary tells Susannah he can't live in New York; it's too dangerous. She tells him she can't pass up this job, either. Gary is not sure what they should do or what they are asking of each other. Susannah suggests they can live in the two cities separatly during the week and be together on weekends. It's not ideal, but they tentatively agree. Back in Philadelphia, Ellyn talks on the phone to Jeffrey. In a one-sided converstion, we hear her ask hy he went to L.A. As the conversation progresses, it becomes obvious that Jeffrey is moving back toward his first wife. Ellyn breaks up with him over the phone. Gary is over at Ellyn's place to finish her bookcases. They talk about their relationships and situations. Later at home Gary asks Susannah not to go. She tells him she can't not go. They agree that they need to try a new way to make a commitment to each other. The scene cuts to--their wedding! Ellyn is there with Emma as as justice of the peace marries the couple. At the train station, Susannah (with Emma) and Gary have an emotional parting.
The Haunting of DAA
CAPSULE: Amidst a big company layoff, Michael is visited by a mystery man. It's Halloween time and Ethan is fighting with his mother. He wants to be Freddy Krueger; Nancy says no. At DAA Michael comes into Miles' office and finds him lying on the floor to relieve back pain. In the office is the original 3-D nodel of DAA. Miles tells Michael he's in the office that used to belong to co-founder Duncan Arthur, who died there of a heart attack. He also tells Michael that a 10% reduction in the work force is needed and that it's his job to fire the people. Michael tells Elliot, who refuses to give him any input once he hears that Hollis and Angel are on the list. Working late that evening, Michael hears a squeaking noise. It's the janitor pushing his bucket. Melissa is at DAA working with Elliot when Miles comes in the office. She's a bit frosty to him. Michael shows Elliot the list of layoffs. Hoillis is on it, but Angel is not. The door to Michael bathroom opens eerily, by itself. Michael finds a peanut in between bricks in his wall. Peanuts were a favorite food of Duncan Arthur, Mike has been told, and this one was apparently put there by him. Michael calls Hollis in to tell her the bad news. She's shaken, but worries about what will happen to Angel, who she assumes is also being laid off. When Michael tells Hollis that Angel is being kept on, a bad scene for both participants gets worse. After a rough day, Michael is working late again. He hears an ominous pounding noise. It's the same old janitor, who calls him by name and says he's fixing his bathroom door. Michael fires more people; Elliot comforts the fired. Miles is now insisting that an account Elliot is working on is ready for presentation, even though Elliot and Michael disagree. Though Michael takes Elliot's side, a schism is building between them. As Michael argues with Miles, the power goes out. Miles is telling of Arthur Duncan's demise when the power surges, a light explodes and paper on the desk is set afire. At home Elliot mollifies an unhappy Ethan by making a two-headed-man costume for both of them. Michael arrives at the company Halloween party without a costume. A lot of his disguised and made-up fellow employees take shots at him. Melissa runs into Miles on the staircase. He tells her to stay away from advertising and not to compromise her talent. Michael finds the janitor in the office looking at the model of DAA. He claims that he's Duncan Arthur. Mike is incredulous, thinking Elliot put him up to it. He tells Michael that Miles lied, that he died at home in bed, not at the office. He says that Miles is running scared, that he's nearly out of time and that he fears a "people" person like Michael. The janitor/Arthur mysteriously disappears. In the aftermath of the party, Michael tells Elliot that Miles is afraid of losing the company and that he himself wants to take control of it and improve it.
The Guilty Party
CAPSULE: Hope tries to do it all, including throwing a surprise birthday party for Michael. Her relentless perfectionism might be rubbing off on Janey. Contractors and repairmen are tearing up the Steadmans' kitchen causing Hope to fall behind with the laundry, groceries, etc. She thinks she's short-changing Michael in the domestic department, and when she gets a request from Princeton to write something about herself for the alumni directory, she feels even more inadequate. Hope imagines herself back in college, facing criticism from a professor over what she's done with her life. (This fantasy recurs throughout the episode.) She wants to throw a surprise pary for Michael; Melissa and Nancy are dubious. Janey's pre-school teacher tells Hope that Janey got very upset when she couldn't cut perfectly on the dotted lines with scissors. At DAA, Ernest, a new aide to Miles, brings him pain medication for his back. Michael and Elliot have a very important presentation to make to new Japanese clients, which everyone is anticipating nervously. Hope doesn't want to, but the mess in the kitchen requires her to use a caterer for Michael's party. At the same that she is trying to do everything herself, she tries to tell Janey she doesn't have to do everything perfectly. Hope is frustrated trying to write for the Princeton directory and the flashbacks with the judgmental professor continue. Getting more and more frantic over party preparations, Miss Jackie calls from the pre-school, concerned about Janey's perfectionsim. The "psychic caterer" Electra Rosenbloom arrives, though her psychic talents are suspect. At DAA, Michael and Elliot are hard at work on the upcoming presentation when they realize Miles is under the full effect of some strong pain medication. When the Japanese clients arrive, Michael pretends to be Miles. Quick-thinking Ernest explains Miles' bizarre behavior by telling the clients (in Japanese!) that Miles is a former copy writer who has gone insane, but is kept on out of respect! The surprise party is shaping up to be a disaster. The guest of honor is late, the other guests are growing surly, the psychic isn't working out, and a portion of the ceiling collapses under water weight. Elliot tells Michael about the party planned for him. Ernest asks the Japanese if they want to go to a surprise party and they agree. Michael and company arrive to lukewarm cries of "surprise." But amazingly, the party picks up and starts to go well. Despite this, Hope is still upset about her mistakes, leaving it to Michael to try and chill her out. Hope realizes her perfectionism is turning her daughter into a small version of herself.
Photo Opportunity
CAPSULE: Melissa gets a big photo assignment at the same time that her mother breaks her leg. Melissa is ecstatic about a job she's up for, doing a photo shoot in New York for Vanity Fair magazine. After she tells Hope, she lunches with her mother Elaine, who glosses over the news rather quickly, seeming more concerned about her daughter Jill in New York and her own role in a community theatre production. Melissa travels to New York City and stays at her sister Jill's apartment. When she mets photo editor Megan Alexander the next day, Melissa is told that the job is photographing writer Brendan Norris, who is so tempermental about publicity that "everyone" else has turned down the job. When she returns from the interview, Jill informs her that their mother has broken her leg. Melissa returns from Philadelphia and takes over care of her mother from Aunt Muriel. Elaine insists that her husband Murray, who is out of town, not be called back. Elaine doesn't pay much attention to the news of the New York meeting, and Melissa fantasizes a greater response. When Melissa meets Norris in New York for the first time, she finds that he's as brusque as his reputation suggests. Jill tries to get her to stay in New York, saying their mother will be find. Melissa says she has to return home to her; Jill won't. Back with Elaine, Melissa receives a phone call from Jill: the shooting has been moved up to the next day. Her mother tells Melissa to go on ahead. She responds that she could spend the night and leave first thing in the morning. Mom says don't stay, but Melissa knows she really wants her to. The next morning, after a frantic rush, Melissa's train is delayed eighty minutes and she's left her favorite lens behind. On the photo set, a very perturbed Norris gives her five minutes to shoot him. Melissa is depressed about the quality of the pictures. Jill encourages her to move to New York and begin working there. Back with her mother, they practice a song together for Elaine's play when Melissa blows up at her, saying her life and work don't matter to her. Melissa has a fantasy in which she is questioned about her relationship with her mom by several of her previous therapists. She realizes that she must take some action in spite of her problems with her mom. Travelling to New York, she waits outside Norris' building until he comes out with the trash. She tries to explain herself to him, and he relents and lets her take more pictures. When Melissa comes back home she's surprised to find Jill there, who will give her a break in caring for her mom. Later mother and daughter talks. Elaine says she never knew how to talk to her daughter about disappointment and Melissa tells how she was afraid of disappointing her mom.
Never Better
CAPSULE: The "friends of friends" Gary and Ellyn become closer, but it's Billy Sidel that Ellyn is really interested in. Ellyn haltingly tells her therapist that she wants to terminate her treatment. Gary is at the market check-out line flirting with the attractive young clerk. Is she perhaps a little interested in him? With Susannah out of town, Gary has arranged for a sitter so that he and Ellyn can go to a movie. At the theatre Ellyn spies Billy Sidel, the friend of Hope and Michael's that she once went on a blind date with. When he speaks to her after the movie, there's a little bit of tension since Gary is around, but Ellyn and Billy are obviously glad to see each other. Later Ellyn calls Billy and begins to leave a rambling message on his machine when he picks up the phone. Hours later they are still talking and making plans to see each other. (But "not a date?" Ellyn wants to be assured.) Gary once again flirts with the friendy clerk, Claire. Ellyn tells Hope and Michael about the "date;" they are both curious and probe further. Ellyn goes over to Gary's for dinner. They both agree that Michael and Hope are obsessed with their friends' sex lives. They concoct a plan to make the Steadmans think they are sleeping together. Later while watching a game on TV with Michael and Elliot, Gary starts to talk about how sexy Ellyn's voice is, much to the guys' surprise. Ellyn carries on similarly about Gary to the women. The plan works as Hope and Michael sit up in bed wondering about Gary and Ellyn. They make transparent late-night phone calls to each to pump them for information. Gary pretends like someone is with him. Ellyn's phone rings; she's not at home. She's with Billy, who teaches her a thing or two about drawing. After a while they begin to kiss, but Ellyn pulls away and leaves abruptly. Later Ellyn and Gary talk in the park. She says she probably won't see Billy since he's not what she's looking for, but she is very attracted to him. Gary asks her why not be happy. He talks about Claire the check-out girl. Ellyn warns him not to do anything stupid. He's offended at her offering him advice on the subject; she's offended that he's offended. Later Gary has a dream about the clerk. Ellyn explains to Billy that she's just gotten over Jeffrey and isn't sure about a new relationship, but he tells her that he's "not wiling to stop thinking" about her. They kiss passionately. Ellyn and Gary realize they've had their first fight as real friends, rather than friends of friends. They play one last joke on Hope and Michael, making them think they are going away for the weekend, when really it's Ellyn and Billy going on the trip.
Guns & Roses
CAPSULE: Nancy's continuing treatment for her cancer places more and more of a strain on her and her family. Nancy gets a phone call one morning about exhibiting her paintings at a show. She later goes to her Victory Partners meeting where the group leader teaches "guided imagery," a visualization technique. Nancy gets a disturbing image of dark, rolling clouds, however. At DAA Michael has been nominated for an Opus award. Ethan comes home to his parents with a bruise where someone hit him. At a chemotherapy treatment, Nancy tries visualizing again, but sees herself in a coffin. Feeling bad after the chemo, Nancy hasn't been able to work on painting for the exhibit. She gets nauseous in front of both kids. Ethan tries to help her out and brings a glass of water. Later Nancy tries to teach Ethan some defensive tactics against bullies, but Elliot ends up showing him how to throw some punches. Concerned about Ethan, Nancy goes to see his soccer coach Ted Brown. While talking to him about her boy's safety, Nancy gets very agitated and cries, prompting the coach to ask if everything is all right at home. She's feeling bad when she arrives home and tells Elliot she's skeptical of any therapy. Later Hope and Ellyn are at Nancy's, where she overhears the two of them discussing her treatment. Ethan returns home injured again, this time with a fat lip. Nancy gets ill in front of him again. Elliot comes home to find his wife on the floor, sleeping. He wants to skip Michael's award dinner that night, but she tells him to go. At work the next day Michael basks in congratulations for winning the award, including some from Elliot, who didn't go after all. Nancy tries painting, but calls a man to tell him she won't be able to show any work at the exhibition. Later at a restaurant Ethan and Brittany both act bratty and Nancy angrily grounds Ethan. At home Elliot wants to know what went on. Nancy is upset about not being able to be in the exhibition. She emotionally tells Elliot the cancer is back, that it's winning, that's she tired of being strong and that he shouldn't love her so much. At DAA, Elliot has his own emotional confession to make to Michael. He says he's been jealous of Michael's good fortune and good life and that he's scared of losing his wife. At Nancy's support group meeting the therapist asks her whether she wants to live or not, and to say it out loud either way. Nancy doesn't respond. Later she takes Britty to watch Ethan playing soccer (explicitly against her grounding order.) She watches as he gets knocked down a few times but he continues to play hard, eventually making a nice assist on a goal. A teammate then pushes him to the ground--it's a girl! She then drops to the ground herself to give him a kiss. That night Nancy lets him off the hook about disobeying her. She tells Elliot that she wants him to come to Victory Partners with him, that she wants to be with her family, even though it's a fight. Now her visualizations are producing positive images.
Happy New Year
CAPSULE: Everyone gathers at the Steadman house for a New Year celebration. Gary and Melissa help Hope prepare for the night's New Year's Eve party. Ellyn is worried because she didn't invite Billy; Hope urges her to call him. Guest begin to arrive: Elliot with his kids (Nancy was too tired to come), Angel and Mark from DAA (plus Mark's wife Kate), Peter Montefiore with a woman friend Patsy and her daughter Melody, and Russell Weller. As the festivities start, Hope receives a phone call from her mother, informing her that an old friend from school died. Michael seeks her out, but Hope won't talk about it. Gary is frustrated that Susannah is snowbound in New York and leaves to "get some air." Elliot meanwhile is enjoying himself--and drinking quite a bit. Ethan and Melody, who is a couple of years older, are stuck together watching TV. Russell and Peter run into each other and the meeting is awkward, as neither has called the other after their previous involvement. Ellyn gives in and calls Billy, babbling away when she reaches his machine. Michael finds out that the old college friend of Hope's who died was Patrick Devlin. Michael suspects she loved him and asks her if he was her first lover. Hope pulls away. Michael talks to Ellyn about Patrick. She tells him that he was the "bad boy" type all the girls were crazy about. Russell and Peter stop avoiding each other and talk. Ethan and Melody find out they have something in common--cancer in the family (her father died). Melissa is stuck taking care of Emma. She tells the baby how she loved Gary and admits that Susannah is good for him. Elliot is getting drunker and dancing with Patsy. The two of them talk about life with a sick spouse. Gary arrives ten minutes before midnight and announces that Susannah will be able to make it home after all. He scoops up Emma and departs, leaving Melissa a little miffed. Billy arrives just before the stroke of midnight, much to Ellyn's delight. Amidst the traditional kisses, Melissa puts on her hat and coat and goes outside alone. Michael comes out to talk to her a few minutes later, and finds her being determinedly optimistic about the new year.. As the party breaks up, Peter and Russell decide to go for a walk. Melody gives Ethan her phone number. As Michael prepares to takes the inebriated Elliot home, Hope finally tells him about Patrick. One New Year's Eve he wanted her to go to California with him. She refused, they had a fight, and he stood outside her house in the snow screming her name. Hope stands at the window as Michael's car pulls away, and she watches the falling snow.
Melissa and Men
As she prepare for a gallery exhibit devoted to her work, Melissa examines her past relationships with the men in her life and wonders why they have been such failures.
Advanced Beginners
While Ellyn and Billy are living together temporarily, an old girlfriend of Billy's arrives upon the scene, causing some problems.
Sifting the Ashes
On a business trip to Baltimore, Elliot confronts issues with his mother and with his religious faith. Ethan too is wondering if religious faith can help his own mother.
A Second Look
Amidst the celebration over the success of Nancy's cancer surgery, a terrible and unexpected tragedy strikes another member of the group.
Fighting the Cold
Susannah returns for Gary's funeral. Melissa is an emotional wreck in the aftermath. She and Susannah come to terms with each other.
The Difference Between Men and Women
Bachelor and bachelorette parties for Billy and Ellyn provide the backdrop for a look at the various couples' relationships with each other and their fideliity.
The Wedding
Ellyn and Billy get married. Predictably, all does not go smoothly, as Ellyn gets a bad case of pre-wedding jitters.
Closing the Circle
Michael tries to come to terms with Gary's passing. Among the living, he has problems with Susannah and with Miles and Peter at work.
Out the Door
Michael's fortunes seem to be rising at DAA, but Elliot is more dissatisfied than ever and is ready to quit the job, leading to conflict between the two.
Hopeless
Hopr volunteers at a shelter for the homeless and gets personally involved in the life of a woman and her daughter there. She accuses Michael of having lost his social conscience.
A Stop at Willoughby
The stress of working at DAA becomes too much for Michael.
Melissa in Wonderland
Melissa goes to Hollywood to photograph a sitcom star who comes to rely on her advice.
California
Michael gets a job offer in California. While out there, he runs into Elliot and they talk about forming another partnership. But Hope is adamantly against the move, so much so that her and Michael's marriage is threatened.