Old grudges and new moves collide, but it’s the cracks in these relationships that steal the spotlight.
The episode kicks off with Samantha pairing up Rick and Stuart for an unusual mission, getting Enrico Colantoni out of jail. Stuart, always one for a bargain, agrees but only if Rick commits to a Dungeons and Dragons night. Their client claims it’s a case of mistaken identity, but the security footage tells a different story, Enrico is caught carving an obscene image into his neighbor’s hedge with a chainsaw.
Turns out, the feud started when the neighbor pranked Enrico during a private bathroom mishap. The prank video is enough to get the charges dropped, but Enrico isn’t satisfied. In a strange compromise, they negotiate a guest appearance on the neighbor’s livestream to boost Enrico’s “cool dad” image with his kids.
Meanwhile, Erica discovers that Lester’s name is being removed from his movie—a move that smells like Samantha’s doing. Ted, of course, doesn’t play it cool and confronts her directly. Samantha warns him that if they push this case to trial, every skeleton in Lester’s closet will come tumbling out. To prevent that, Erica pushes to speed up the trial and catch the prosecution off-guard.
Ted pulls some courtroom acrobatics, bluffing the judge into advancing the trial. Amanda steps in at the last minute, throwing the prosecution off balance. Still, Erica isn’t thrilled about Ted’s secrecy. The pair eventually strong-arm the studio into keeping Lester’s name on the film by threatening a costly audit.
Flashbacks to 2010 reveal how messy things were back in New York. Ted discovers that someone from his office leaked information to Pellegrini, leading to a witness’s death. Tensions between Ted and Samantha also begin to surface, as Ted finds a letter offering her a job in LA—planting the first seeds of her departure.
The episode ends with Samantha reminding Ted that he’s not the man he used to be, while Ted extends a bottle of congratulations to Rick and offers Amanda a new office.
While this episode tries to juggle humor and tension, it struggles under the weight of its characters. Rick and Stuart’s banter adds some much-needed lightness, but the deeper we dive into Ted’s story, the harder it is to root for him. His arrogance and emotional impulsivity make him less of a sharp legal mastermind and more of a ticking time bomb.
Lester’s case remains a weak link. He’s neither sympathetic nor compelling, which makes it hard to care whether he keeps his name on the film. The flashbacks attempt to add emotional depth, but they only reinforce how tangled Ted’s past is without giving us anyone to truly connect with.
