20 minutes into the future, it's 3 a.m., and the audiences are building for the 9 o'clock autocount for the telelection primary - the candidate associated with the Network that has the highest ratings at that time is the winner. Network 23 has the ratings edge, so their candidate Simon Peller is on track to being reelected... but Network 66's ratings are steadily climbing on a marathon showing of a show so bad it's called "visual halitosis." "Porky's Landing" is on its way to helping elect 66's candidate, Harriet Garth.

It's panic in the late-night boardroom as Edwards and Lauren - Miss Formby's replacement, it would appear - watch the ratings edge erode. They call Cheviot, then Peller, then Bryce in an attempt to find out why 66's ratings are climbing and to try and stop the election upset.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of 66, Thatcher, and the Network 66 board are chuckling at the success of their new trick, "ViewDoze," brought to them by their new board member... Ned Grossberg.

With his usual fine disregard of the rules, Bryce calls up his counterpart at 66, a girl named Jenny who is a former classmate of his at ACS. She cheerfully tells him about ViewDoze, finally noting that it's a complete scam. Viewers have been told the new service lets them "view while they sleep," so a huge number of people are tuning to 66 and the unaccountably popular "Porky's Landing" - putting the morning telelection in jeopardy for Network 23.

Cheviot calls his counterpart, Network 66 Chairman Thatcher, to complain about the improper and possibly illegal manipulation of ratings - "falsifying ratings is criminal larceny!" Thatcher laughs him off. It's time for the big guns: Cheviot calls Murray, who calls Carter, who calls Theora...

...who proves not to be alone. A very masculine shoulder is showing beyond her in the bed. Carter is too shocked to speak, then curtly tells her they're needed at the network... and he's sorry for intruding. That doesn't stop him, when he gets to Control ahead of her, from peeking into Theora's communication console to see that she had a dinner date with someone named Ted. Which makes him uncharacteristically grumpy with Murray, then Theora and then even Max.

Murray checks the news-ups to be prepared when Cheviot gets in. He connects with a freelance news stringer named Kirstler, who has exclusives on a couple of genocides on the planet dayside - and there's another plague of frogs in Egypt. But here on the nightside, there's just the telelection... "dull as chastity."

Cheviot arrives in control and demands to see Network 66. It's still the "Porky's Landing" drivel-in. He tells them Bryce's report that "ViewDoze" is just a hoax with the objective of winning the telelection, and orders them to get to the bottom of it before the election at 9:00 a.m., just a few hours away. The trio - plus Max - begins to unravel the mystery of ViewDoze.

In the Network 66 boardroom, chairman Thatcher expresses his concern should Network 23's star reporter do just that: figure out the illegal maneuvering and turn things their way. Grossberg peels away a layer of his plans, revealing a much darker objective. While the ViewDoze project has the goal of winning the telelection, it leads to Grossberg's plans for the destruction of Cheviot, Carter, Murray, Theora, Max and Network 23 - his revenge for their "conspiring against him" long before. He's going to divert them to a story that will destroy them all.

Harriet Garth is furious - there is a freelance newsie snooping around her place, and a complete stranger inside. Grossberg tells her to play along and she'll be elected at one minute after nine. He then contacts his ace in the hole... Kirstler, the freelance news agent, who is setting up to steal security footage from Garth's apartment. We watch as he monitors the footage, and then... does something to it.

Kirstler's on the line to Murray, selling his breaking hot story about some stud in Harriet Garth's apartment. Murray is suspicious and Carter doesn't want to do "video paparazzi" work, but a delighted Cheviot orders them to drop the ViewDoze story and follow up on trying to discredit Garth just before the telelection.

The tension between Carter and Theora reaches a head, and Carter curtly demands "clear-headed backup - Angela." Angela turns out to be a hotshot chopper pilot and field backup like Martinez, but even more aggressive about the "backup" part. There's also some dislike between her and Theora that strikes sparks as they land at Harriet Garth's apartment building. Kirstler shows them the footage of Garth and the man, and says all they have to do is catch him leaving and their fish is landed.

Carter is still reluctant, so it's Angela who chases him down and begins grilling him mercilessly - she clearly has no compunctions about being a "video paparazzi." Cheviot orders the feed live, and after a moment's panic in the Network 66 board room, Grossberg chuckles. Network 23 has swallowed his bait whole - even better results than he'd wished for. When Thatcher goes on the air with alternate security camera footage of Garth being interviewed at exactly the same time as the supposed liaison, public opinion and rating swing against Network 23 and Peller. Cheviot is furious and calls Carter to the board room to explain.

Grossberg notes that their candidate has pulled ahead, and when the board applauds, he modestly ensures that everyone understands that Network 66 chairman Thatcher is the man to whom credit is due... the man "responsible for this... triumph." Buoyed by the applause, Thatcher goes on the air to give his word as network chairman that Harriet Garth is innocent. Garth then appears to call for both Cheviot and Peller to step down. Other networks around the world begin to condemn Network 23.

Carter concedes to Cheviot that both the security footage and the interview footage, with the same time stamps, appeared to be genuine. Cheviot orders Carter to go find the truth "no matter the cost."

On Thatcher's orders, Garth receives Carter - if a bit frostily - and maintains that she was being interviewed, by a global reporter, at 5:05 a.m. As her remarks go out on Network 23, Grossberg drops his bomb to the Network 66 board: she is lying. He has security cam footage that shows she clearly was fooling around with the man in her apartment, not holding an interview. Panic erupts and the board insists Grossberg take the fall for the network's loss of face... until he smarmily notes that Thatcher has already gone on record as taking responsibility and assuring viewers of Garth's truthfulness, on his word.

Network 66's reputation hangs by the thread of no one else finding the damning footage... and a reporter as good as Carter is likely to ferret out the truth. Mr. Bartlett calls for the vote; it goes three to one against Thatcher. Thatcher leaves, along with the other two board members, leaving Bartlett and Grossberg in charge of Network 66. Bartlett graciously (or perhaps wisely) concedes the chair to Grossberg... but moves to the first board seat himself.

Grossberg goes on the air to repudiate Thatcher's claim of Harriet Garth's innocence. Murray and Theora go over the incompatible tapes and find that Kirstler manipulated one... but only to delay the revelation that Harriet Garth did indeed commit her indiscretion. It's brilliant... it's sinister... it's the media manipulating the truth. Both Garth and Network 23 were set up. Carter's cleverness has found out the truth... again.

With seven minutes to go in the telelection and Network 23 - and Simon Peller - well in the lead, Carter checks in. He wants to go live with the story of how Network 66 and Ned Grossberg double-double-crossed Harriet Garth. It could change the election... but it's the moral choice, and must run... even four minutes before the election count.

Grossberg calls at that moment to let Cheviot know that he's back and he's going to win from now on, starting with this battle. However, Carter is already on the air, telling the seamy story of Grossberg's manipulations. Grossberg still claims he's going to win, because the viewers only care about the next installment of "Porky's Landing"... and then, in a last-moment show of disgust by the viewers, the ratings for another network, Network 85, soar and their candidate J. Rivers is elected. Garth and Simon Peller are out - at least for the time being - and Cheviot is humble in accepting that maybe they can't fool the viewers as much as they thought they could.

At an open-air restaurant ("The Watering Hole," from the awning in the background), one of the first such we've seen, Murray and Carter end up in a brawl with Kirstler and Network 66 board members... but the real battle, between 23 and Grossberg, is just beginning, far over their heads. And Max can't even swing a punch to help...

----