The Agency – Tess’ Office/Le Bistro – Kitchen
Tess walks in and finds Steffi packing up some of her things – which are in Tess’ office, for some reason? – and wonders if she might be “jumping the gun.” Steffi reminds her that it’s her last day, but Tess argues with her, saying that they can work out a later departure but she’s still needed there. Steffi responds that there’s nothing to work out, but of course Tess isn’t about to let this go.
After Tess leaves, Cooper comes by and shows Steffi the lease for the new office in Paris. As they’re celebrating, the phone – Tess’ phone in Tess’ office – starts ringing and Steffi declares that she needs to get that. On the other end Deborah is in crisis over the food for the party and it’s news to both Cooper and Steffi that there’s going to be a party.
Le Bistro – Restaurant & Kitchen
Deborah complains to Neal about the chaos of putting the party together and he tells her to “chill out,” prompting her to inform him that he’s too old to use phrases like that. As they’re bickering, Jacob walks in, reminding Deborah that it’s his day off but he’s agreed to come in to work anyway, so she can check the attitude. Neal tells Deborah to go see Steffi and Cooper and she heads out, but not before telling him that he’s to call her “Mrs. Brewster” when addressing her.
In the kitchen, Jacob complains about how hard Deborah has been working them as he and Neal have a bit of banter.
Donovan House – Living Room
Buck thinks about Tess singing at Rodeo, but is snapped out of it when Stacey walks in. He has something he wants to talk to her about, but before he can get it out, someone rings the bell. Angie is outside and tells Stacey that she’s having a bit of a crisis.
Donovan House – Living Room
Buck gets the sense that Angie can’t speak freely with him there and heads out, allowing Angie to reveal that she met Jacob, explaining that he showed up at her office. Stacey thinks that’s quite the coincidence and Angie says that Jacob figured they’d meet sooner or later, so ought to get it over with. Angie admits to being unprepared for his resemblance to Jesse despite being told about it and that it stirred up a lot of long buried feelings. “I kept telling myself, ‘This isn’t Jesse,’ but it brought back so many memories.” She wonders what she’s supposed to do with all these feelings.
Le Bistro – Kitchen
Neal and Jacob talk about being loners and the former suggests that the latter find himself a woman. “If I’m flying solo, it’s because I want to be,” Jacob says and wonders why Neal doesn’t find himself a woman. “The last time I had a hot date, The Beatles were on Ed Sullivan,” Neal says. Jacob questions Neal about his past, asking if he’s ever been married, and Neal says that he hasn’t, either because he’s lying or because the writers haven’t developed the backstory that will later come into play yet.
The Agency – Tess’ Office
Cooper and Steffi are less than excited to hear that Deborah is throwing them a party and try to get out of it, but Deborah insists and wonders why they’re fighting her. “Survival instinct,” Cooper says, pointing out that the last time a party was thrown for Steffi, it ended with Clay being hit by a car, Steffi thinking Cooper and Deborah were having an affair, and a couple of months of chaos for everyone involved.
Deborah laughs that off, guaranteeing that the party – which is going to happen that night – will make them forget about all the bad stuff. That’s going to be one hell of a party.
Steffi tells Deborah that both she and Cooper are working that night, to which Deborah responds that she has caterers working on seafood platters right that minute. “You’re a nightmare,” Cooper tells her, wondering how she and Steffi could be related.
As Deborah and Cooper fight, she starts to have pains. Cooper thinks she’s faking, but Steffi takes it seriously and decides they need to take Deborah to the hospital.
Donovan House – Living Room
Angie tells Stacey about giving Jacob the exam and listening to his heartbeat. “I always went to sleep with my head on Jesse’s chest, listening to the sound of his heart,” she says, going on that listening to Jacob’s heart beating “made Jesse feel so close again. So alive.”
Le Bistro
Buck walks in, looking for Jacob, who apologizes about him and Tess performing the song the night before. “What’s up with you two?” he wonders. Buck dismisses it as an “old story,” but then obliges Jacob to an edited version of his and Tess’ story and defends himself against what he thinks Tess may have told Jacob. “It might be over for you, but whatever it was that y’all had going, it’s not over for Tess,” Jacob observes.
Hospital – Emergency Cubicle
Deborah tells Steffi that she’s feeling better and the doctor on call is unconcerned. He starts asking Steffi some questions about Deborah, who jumps in to point out that she’s right there and he should be speaking to her. When he tells her that, under normal procedure, she would remain in hospital for 24 hours for observation, she objects because of the party, although she admits that the issue she just experienced is something that she’s experienced before.
Hospital – Emergency Cubicle
The doctor tells Deborah that he doesn’t think throwing a party is such a good idea right now and Steffi agrees, but Deborah is determined, saying that she’ll rest after Steffi and Cooper are off to Paris.
Deborah decides to just unhook herself from the machines and leave. Cooper and Steffi try to stop her, but she insists that she’s fine. “I love you and I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Steffi says. Deborah replies that that’s why she wants to give her the party, so that she can see her happy before she goes.
Outside the curtain, Steffi asks Cooper what they’re going to do and he thinks they just have to accept that they’re going to have a party.
Inside the curtain, Deborah clutches her chest while looking nervous.
Donovan House – Living Room
Angie continues telling Stacey about her encounter with Jacob, getting to the part where she broke down in tears and insisted that he leave. Stacey thinks she shouldn’t give herself such a hard time, but Angie thinks she owes Jacob an explanation for what happened. Stacey thinks she should just let it go, which Angie wants to do since things are so good for her right now in her relationship with Charles.
Le Bistro
“If it’s over for me, it’s over,” Buck says, declaring that he’ll never get mixed up with Tess again.
In walks Tess, looking for Jacob so that she can tell him how much she liked his demo tape. She glances at Buck. “We just can’t seem to stay out of each other’s way, can we?”
Episode Cast:
- Deborah Brewster – Nancy Addison Altman
- Buck Huston – Philip Brown
- Steffi Brewster – Amelia Heinle
- Tess Wilder – Catherine Hickland
- Angie Hubbard – Debbi Morgan
- Stacey Donovan Forbes – Lauren-Marie Taylor
- Cooper Alden – Michael Weatherly
- Jacob Johnson – Darnell Williams
- Dr. Jarvis – Carl Hadesty
- Neal Warren – Larry Haines
Loving (1983-1995) 