Season 1, Episode 04:
Days of Thunder
Stephanie comes home after working late, and discovers the earring Carrie left on her nightstand. She shares a drink with him before going to bed, but sulks in private because she believes that he's cheating on her.
At the Zinc Bar, Peter and Gil are having drinks when they see Rachel enter. When she comes over, he reveals that he (like his sister) knew Peter from childhood and they went to boarding school together. Despite Gil's attempts to butt into the conversation, Rachel is enamored with Peter and reveals her work at Communique, then asks him to stop by the office sometime. After she leaves, Gil tells Peter that he's just met the love of his life.
Stephanie confronts Carrie at the office and reveals that she knows about her attempt to seduce Mark and the fake funding of his play. She forces Carrie to reveal the nature of the duplicity to Mark, but Carrie retaliates by calling another theatre company and asking them to hold a staged reading of his play. She reveals this information to Mark and tells him that the reading will be held at the company's office in the Hamptons. She then invites him to the Fairchild's family cottage in the same location.
That night, as Mark meets with Stephanie for dinner and tells about Carrie's plans to her incredulous reaction, Rachel prints off circulation figures and calls an unseen individual to relay the information to them.
The next day, Gil visits Peter's house and learns that he won't be able to make it out for the Hamptons getaway. Gil uses the opportunity to run an errand over at Carrie's house and meet again with Rachel. Carrie invites him to join them on the trip. That evening, Carrie, Nikki, Gil and Mark get onboard a helicopter, but Rachel bails out after learning Peter won't be coming along because he's attending a gala.
At the gala, Peter runs into Alex, who is working as a waiter. They talk and agree to meet up later in the night, but Peter is pulled away by Rachel, who convinces him to walk her home instead. Rachel attempts to seduce him that night, but he rebuffs her advances and leaves. The next day, Carrie tells her to stay away from Peter.
The staged reading of Mark's play occurs at the house in the Hamptons and everyone is impressed. Afterwards, Carrie attempts to seduce Mark by luring him to the pool and stripping for him, but he doesn't take the bait and heads off.
After everyone comes back from the Hamptons, Mark goes back home and meets with Stephanie, who tells him about her recent frustrations and they reaffirm their trust in each other. However, the moment is short-lived when she gets into work and discovers that a mole has released confidential circulation information to the press. Allan orders her to find the leak and seal it.
Nikki goes back to her apartment after the Hamptons trip and finds Allan waiting for her. When he attempts to seduce her again, she tells them that she's dissolving their relationship. He promises to make her life hell, starting with her art gallery...
Tropes:
- Big Fancy House: The Fairchild's estate in the Hamptons, which Carrie uses to host a staged reading of Mark's play.
- Blatant Lies: Carrie's attempts to cover herself when various people (including Nikki and Stephanie) start questioning whether she has the money to produce Mark's play.
- Contrived Coincidence: Peter and Alex just happen to work for the same charity benefit gala, on two separate committees. This bites them in the back when they run into each other at the event.
- Hope Spot: Stephanie and Mark get this after he returns home and she reaffirms her trust in their marriage... and then she goes into work and gets raked over the coals by her boss because of leaked information.
- Informed Ability: Several characters remark on how amazing Mark's play is, but the script reading takes place off-screen and nothing is heard other than the partygoers' reactions.
- Love at First Sight: Gil gets this after meeting Rachel for the first time.You're childhood friends with the love of my life.
- Mars and Venus Gender Contrast: Gil seems to hold this view about women in general, as he points out that Alex and Deanne's actions are incomprehensible to him and make him want to shun women altogether. He immediately reverses his stance after meeting Rachel seconds later.
- The Mole: Rachel is revealed to be leaking information about Communique to the press.
- Opening Narration: As a result of the failing ratings caused during its original U.S. airing, the episode opens with a recap that gets viewers up to speed on the various characters and their interpersonal relationships.
- She Is All Grown Up: Peter and Rachel have this reaction after reuniting after many years apart.
