A background check is in order when Susan agrees to meet a gentleman who sent her a rare book as a token of his readership appreciation - and who turns out to be still in high school. Meanwhile, Jack plays pimp for his ugly pooch; and stress takes its toll on Todd when he is put in charge of the magazine's new web site.

While Susan prepares to fly to Venice with Cooper, Jack tries to find the courage to utter three, make that five, little words about his feelings for her. He fails -- but Susan, having figured it out, has a miserable time with Cooper in Europe. After rejecting Cooper's extremely premature marriage proposal and returning home, she confronts Jack, accusing him of using her to compete with Cooper. Jack finally convinces her that his feelings are genuine -- but Susan tells him that she doesn't love him.

Susan's conflict with Maddy begins to invade her dreams, so she turns to a therapy group for help; Pete's partner thinks Pete and Jack are an item.

Susan's attraction to a hunky actor gets a bit complicated after she sees him bomb onstage; Todd struggles with claustrophobia.

A stranger claims to have known Susan in a past life, so she undergoes hypnosis; Luis and Todd lose Jack's dog while using the pooch as a prop for meeting women.

Deciding to go after the new investigative reporter position Jack has created, Susan reluctantly seeks professional advice from her old high school rival Maddy Piper, now an established and aggressive journalist - who quickly infiltrates Susan's professional and personal lives by double-crossing her, getting the story and the job, and displaying considerable interest in Jack. Meanwhile, Vicky is being driven crazy by the fact that the bagel delivery guy shows no sign of remembering the night they spent together; and Todd is disturbed by the fact that his web-surfing inevitably lands him in lesbian chat rooms.

Susan, overcome with that Thanksgiving spirit, decides to spend time with an elderly resident of a nearby retirement home.

Susan is appalled when she misses a deadline but discovers that Nana covered for her by submitting an article in her stead - which Jack and her fans think is the best thing she's ever written. Desperate to find an idea for an even better column, Susan ultimately does the obvious: writes a confession about the previous column. Meanwhile, there's a big change in Vicky's life when she finds a wallet and falls for its handsome owner, only to discover that he's a rabbi.

Vicki's folks arrive for her wedding---a double ceremony shared with gay couple Pete and Hank; Todd's parents ready for the birth of twins.

Margo's drunk with power during her divorce proceedings with Jack, thanks to Susan's inadvertent slip about Jack's intoxicating past: she interprets the fact that Jack fell asleep on Susan's couch as evidence that he had an affair with her, thus violating their pre-nuptial agreement. Now Susan must testify in court about her true feelings for Jack. Meanwhile, Vicky becomes obsessed with the idea that someone is tampering with her lunch; and Todd begs Luis to teach him how to dance.

Vicki's torn about Ben's unusual proposal; the guys head to Reno to capitalize on Luis's streak of good luck; Susan consults a spiritual healer.

Susan fixes Nana up with a charming businessman---who's not exactly how he appears; Vicki arrives in Israel and tries to adapt to life on a kibbutz.

Vicki looks for love at a hockey game, but it's Susan who attracts the attention of one of the athletes; Todd and Luis vie for the attentions of a new water-delivery ""man.""

Edie may not make it to Vicki's wedding ceremony.

Todd joins Susan at a poetry class to meet women---but his verses end up being better than hers; Vicki's new apartment may be haunted by a womanizing ghost.

Kenny flies in for a visit---and proceeds to smother Susan with attention; the gang plots to surprise Luis with a visit from his mom, all the way from Cuba.

When the congressman turns the tables on Susan, she finds herself in the middle of a scandal, searching for a way to clear her name.

Vicki goes to dinner with Nana---and they become fast friends; Todd's hippie parents show up with some unexpected news.

Susan twists Jack's arm to participate in the holiday choir she's organizing---then she has her regrets, in more ways than one.

On her birthday, Susan expects a surprise party---but the gang seems to have forgotten; Todd accidentally downloads a computer virus that wipes out The Gate's files.

Susan's sent to interview a congressman---who makes a pass at her; Vicki plans a glitzy wedding; the guys hope to cash in by selling yellow bell-bottoms.

Family conflict rises to the top of the agenda at the funeral of Susan's grandfather, since Liz wants a traditional funeral while Nana wants a party to celebrate her spouse's wonderful life, and Susan is too busy organizing a tribute to her grandfather to deal with her own grief. Meanwhile Vicky, Todd and Luis go to the wrong funeral home and find themselves comforting the wrong widow; and Jack becomes the reluctant owner of a very, very ugly dog.

Believing Luis was discriminated against at a car-rental agency, Susan launches an undercover investigation. Meanwhile, Vicki gets hung up in customs while returning from Israel.

Todd and the gang attend a Shawn Colvin performance, but the singer recalls Todd from his scathing review a year earlier. Meanwhile, Susan's apartment gets robbed, so she decides to get a gun.

Hospitalized, Jack puts Susan in charge of the magazine---much to the chagrin of Maddy, whose father, an esteemed journalist, is visiting.