Season 1, Episode 03:
The Best, False Friend
Having previously told Deanne to stay out of his life, Gil comes home one day and is shocked to discover that she has moved all her possessions into his apartment after bribing a doorman to let her in. She tells Gil that she has nowhere to go and is going to stay with him for a while, despite his anger.
Peter is told by the Assistant District Attorney that, even though he's been shamed by the front-page article in the Globe, he can still make amends by taking Alex out for dinner and leaking erroneous information to her in order to throw off the suspects in an ongoing city hall corruption investigation. Despite Peter's initial hesitance, he eventually gives in and meets up with Alex, and tells her the false information over dinner the next night.
Stephanie hires Rachel Dennis, a British editor who comes over from London to work as the fashion editor for Communique. Rachel is thrown headfirst into the job and begins to oversee staff assignments, but Carrie (who knew Rachel from childhood) tells Stephanie that the woman is trying to usurp her authority. Stephanie brushes it off before going back to work.
Gil goes into work while Deanne stays at his apartment, but after he returns that night, he discovers that she vacated the apartment while moving all his possessions out and donating them to the Salvation Army. He also discovers that she hacked into his computer at work and attempted to sabotage his relationship with his clients. After he fixes the damage and receives some advice from Nikki, he investigates the matter and discovers that Deanne has an apartment under her parents name.
Rachel (who has taken up residence in Carrie's apartment as her roommate) discovers that the latter doesn't have the money to finance Mark's play, and tells Stephanie the same thing. When Stephanie goes to investigate, she discovers that the theatre the play is set to be hosted at has no idea who Carrie is.
Having become uncomfortable with his duplicitous actions, Peter goes back to Alex and attempts to tell about what he did, but she refuses to believe it and continues to write the story anyway. It eventually results in Alex being fired by the Globe after the story comes out and they have to post a retraction due to incorrect information.
Gil goes to the address under Deanne's name and discovers that she has much more wealth than she lets on. He dares her to call the cops on her when she tells him to leave, and warns her to stay away from him under threat of suing her for tampering with a broker's account. He then tells her that he left her because she was crazy, not because he lost her money, before leaving.
While Stephanie is at the office late at night, Carrie goes to her apartment and attempts to seduce Mark. He resists and tells her to leave, but before she goes, she secretly plants one of her earrings on the couple's nightstand...
Tropes:
- Anywhere but Their Lips: Used when Carrie attempts to seduce Mark.
- Feet-First Introduction: Of Rachel, as she steps out of a limousine.
- Gambit Pileup: Everyone sets new plans into motion, several of which fail miserably for the ones who acted on it.
- Gold Digger: Carrie implies that her mother is this, as she married Allan because she didn't have the finances to look after her children.
- Hope Spot: Mark is incredibly happy when he hears that Carrie booked a theatre for his play to be hosted in. That happiness doesn't last, as Stephanie figures out that Carrie doesn't have the money to fund it in the first place.
- Not with Them for the Money: Discussed. Rachel tells Carrie that she tried to make her marriage work, but she had to flee after finding out that "money can't buy love". Carrie counters that money is still a key part of it, pointing to Rachel's expensive jewelry as proof.
- Putting the Band Back Together: Rachel is revealed as a former family friend who knows both Carrie and Peter, and she sets about reintegrating into their lives and helping to run Communique.
- Spotting the Thread: Rachel figures out that Carrie's plan to finance Mark's play won't work out because she doesn't have any other money coming in besides the salary she makes at Communique.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Deanne donates all of Gil's possessions to the Salvation Army and screws up his computer in retaliation for losing her money.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite Deanne's threat to go after Gil in the future, she disappears and never shows up again for the rest of the series.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Nikki calls out Peter for taking Alex out for dinner again in order to give her false information.
