Sometimes, all you can do is laugh at what life brings you.
On the heels of the discounted allegations that Peter had an affair, now there's a rumor floating around that he has a Brazil-shaped birthmark ... down there.
And as Cary notes, Alicia is tougher these days. She's wiser, she's developed thicker skin, and she's well able to deflect these attacks on her personal life with a sense of humor.
For Therese Dodd (guest star Christina Ricci), who is being sued by a network for flashing her boobs on live television, comedy is a way to gain attention and publicity for herself. But she's also using it to get over the pain of losing her mother to breast cancer.
They say laughter is the best medicine.
Look at them apples
Alicia and Cary are defending comedian Therese, who stands to lose $2 million to the network after she flashed her breasts on a talk show to "educate" women on breast exams.
Opposing counsel Burl Preston (F. Murray Abraham) offers a deal: Convince the FCC to hold off on penalizing the network, and he won't press suit. So off to Washington they go!
Once there, Cary runs into a familiar face ... his father! Later that evening, sensing something's up, Alicia takes her red wine and has a cozy chat with her former rival. Turns out Nestor Agos is a lobbyist who kicked his son out at 18 and hasn't exactly kept in touch.
That these former rivals can share a drink and their personal lives shows how far they've come. Their new (and fragile) understanding has become one of the best parts of the show.
"You changed on me ... you are tougher now. You're smarter about things," Cary says.
"And you. You're nothing like four years ago. I thought you were a jerk," Alicia says, laughing, with Cary joining in.
Now if only Alicia and Kalinda could kiss and make up for good.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer
Capt. Laura Hellinger (Amanda Peet) is back! After losing her case on last week's show, she has retired from the military and is looking for a job. And since Alicia knows something about starting over later in life, the good captain goes to her for advice.
Unfortunately, Laura is interviewing for nonexistent jobs. And since Alicia knows something about getting a leg up from a connection, she pays it forward by recommending Laura to Peter at the state's attorney's office.
Peter breezes into her interview and hires her on the spot. But could her personal connection to Alicia come back to haunt him on this personnel decision?
In the campaign world, Eli hears that Maddie Hayward has been sleeping with an aide -- a female aide. But when Kalinda spies on her, she sees Peter's accuser, Indira Starr, coming out of Maddie's house.
Seems like Indira and Maddie have been shacking up for weeks. Could Maddie have been behind the affair rumors from the start? Was she ever genuine about befriending Alicia?
(Total aside: Does the absence of Nick this week mean his story with Kalinda might be fading away? Please, let it be so.)
