Mon, Sep 22, 1997
After seeing how easily her father responded to a bumbling but beautiful delivery girl, Maya complains that good looking people get all the breaks. To prove her point, she suggests sending two men, one handsome but stupid and the other well qualified but homely, to apply for the same job. Meanwhile, as Jack struggles to assemble a toy for his baby daughter, Elliott enlists Nina in a practical joke on Finch. After meeting the handsome Derek and the well qualified Neil, Maya sends them out to interview for a job. But Maya's thesis quickly runs into trouble. When Neil returns with news that he's a shoo-in for the job and asks her out for dinner to celebrate, Maya is careful to turn him down, citing journalistic ethics as her reason. However, when Derek returns to announce that he got the job, she accepts his offer for a date.
Mon, Sep 29, 1997
Maya struggles with her incompetent assistant, Cindy. Jack and Maya clash over whether to fire Cindy; Maya likens Jack's intolerance of Cindy to his intolerance of an unruly dog Maya had when she a child. Nina is invited to appear on NPR to debate against a feminist leader about whether the fashion industry creates false and harmful images for women. Elliot and Dennis conspire to sabotage Nina's preparatory study of erudite vocabulary.
Mon, Dec 15, 1997
With greed running rampant at the office, Maya suggests that everyone pool their Christmas present money and give it to someone in need. Dismissing Nina's suggestion that they donate it to her favorite male stripper, Maya decides to give the money to Jesus Santos, the building's night janitor. Although led to believe that he's going to use the gift to open his own business, Maya is stunned when Jesus falls in love with her and uses the money to buy her a series of lavish gifts to prove it. Meanwhile, Finch begs to be invited along for a Caribbean swimsuit shoot with Elliott and a dozen beautiful models. When his pleas to be included in the trip fail to do any good, Finch decides to turn up the heat on Elliott by stealing his favorite camera lens. And though Elliott tries to resist, the lure of his lucky lens proves too strong and he invites Finch along.
Mon, Feb 2, 1998
After arriving at work to propose a story about plastic surgery, Jack's mood turns unexpectedly ugly. Ordered to leave her father alone, Maya and her colleagues look for what could have suddenly caused his mood to sour. And after ruling out a possible health problem, Maya begins to suspect her dad is having an affair. Meanwhile, Finch is surprised when a fellow employee suddenly responds to his suggestion that they go out on a date. While Nina uncovers a problem with some alterations Jack wanted made to an old school jacket, a look at a photograph on his desk convinces Maya that her suspicions of an affair are justified. Between Elliot's close scrutiny of the photo and a search of his phone messages, Maya concludes that he's involved with a waitress named Rhonda. Meanwhile, Finch realizes he's being played for a fool after Courtney asks him to pick up an old boyfriend at the airport.
Mon, Feb 23, 1998
A legendary rocker comes to the magazine for an interview. Nina claims to be the inspiration for one of his songs, "Nina in the Cantina", because they had a moment years ago. But when Maya talks to him, he claims that someone else is the inspiration. He only used the name 'Nina' caused it rhymed with 'Cantina' doesn't remember Nina. Maya asks him to pretend to remember Nina when he meets her.
Wed, Feb 25, 1998
When the student she's been mentoring for several years comes to visit, Maya takes care to warn her dad and the staff to be on their best behavior. Despite getting good grades and having lots of friends at school, Karey senses that something still isn't quite right with her life. Recalling how she once turned down an opportunity to study in Paris during her own college years, Maya encourages Karey to pursue something she's passionate about. Meanwhile, Finch agrees to fill in for Jack's wife at the Gallo's regular bridge game. After encouraging Karey, Maya is stunned to find she's decided to become a model. And while Maya tries to point out the many pitfalls of getting a modeling career off the ground, Elliott reveals that she already has a number of offers to work. However, Nina begins to have second thoughts about pushing Karey to model after discovering she's also a gifted poet.
Wed, Mar 18, 1998
In order to keep him from renting something he may not even want, Elliott asks Maya to help him look at a new apartment. When Elliott sees the fabulous place and learns of its outrageously low rent, he's ready to move, regardless of what Maya has to say. But the elderly landlady prefers a young married couple, so Elliott quickly introduces Maya as his wife. And once the opportunity to put on a good show presents itself, he gives Maya a passionate kiss. Meanwhile, Jack's trust is destroyed upon discovering that Finch has been renting out his office parking space. Following their kiss, both Maya and Elliott worry that they each liked it more than they should have. So when Jack wants to send them to Montreal on a story, both have excuses for not wanting to go. However, Elliott still needs Maya to help him get the apartment and invites her to a weekly tenants party being thrown by Mrs. Pierce. But when Maya refuses to go, he asks Nina instead, hoping that the landlady won't notice.
Wed, Apr 8, 1998
As Nina faces the grim prospect of an income tax audit, Jack is suffering from a case of writer's block that's keeping him from completing his memoirs. Pressed by Maya, Jack reveals that he's stuck at the point where he and the magazine's founding partner parted ways. And that's when Maya discovers that her dad is guilty of pushing Herb aside after they launched the first issue of Blush. Meanwhile, Nina asks Elliott for help by taking IRS auditor Janet Hansen on a date. Realizing that Maya is right, Jack tracks down Herb at the Connecticut toy shop he opened after leaving the magazine, and finds that he still holds a grudge after thirty years. To make good for having forced him out, Jack then hires him as the magazine's new managing editor. But on his first day at work, Herb can't seem to make up his mind about anything. Meanwhile, Elliott's lack of interest in Janet jeopardizes Nina's chances at surviving her audit unscathed.
Wed, Apr 22, 1998
When she decides to attend another celebrity event, Nina throws out her invitation to designer Oskar Milos' fashion show. Retrieving it from the trash, Finch persuades Maya to join him while masquerading as Nina. As Finch ingratiates himself with the fashion world celebrities, Maya is less than guarded about her opinions of Milos's new work. But she's stunned when her candid criticism appears in the next day's newspaper attributed to Nina. Meanwhile, Jack decides to help a reluctant Elliott get a date. When Nina insists she wasn't at the party, Maya steps forward to take responsibility for the misunderstanding. And wondering just how much damage she's has done, Maya is surprised when her father reveals that Milos has withdrawn almost $4 million in advertising from the magazine. So to make things right, she insists on apologizing in person. And upon arriving at the studio, she claims her remarks were misquoted.
Wed, Apr 29, 1998
After arranging a blood drive at work, Maya fills the nurse, Tisha, in on her history with the magazine. When complaining about her father hiring a beautiful but inept young writer, Maya gets overly excited and faints. Hoping to take advantage of Maya's condition, Finch tries playing a practical joke. Maya awakes in time to stop him, leaving Finch to use his turn with Tisha to recall how he was hired by Jack after losing his job as a movie theater usher. When Elliott arrives, Tisha claims to be a big fan of his work. In response, he fills her in on how Jack hired him off the street just as he was about to give up on his dream of being a fashion photographer. Meanwhile, Maya again loses consciousness after Elliott graphically describes his own blood donation. As Maya regains consciousness in time to help the hair-brained Shannon, Nina shows up for her turn with Tisha.
Mon, May 4, 1998
When Jack's ex-wife Eve drops in unannounced, her long-standing hostilities with him are renewed. Tired of always having her parents fighting, Maya threatens to stop talking to either of them if they can't behave. And hoping it will make things better, she suggests that her mom and dad join her for dinner. Meanwhile, on Jack's invitation, Bill Slatton arrives at the office determined to make the staff work harder. After agreeing to the dinner date, Jack begins to suspect that Eve has come to take back a favorite painting he's supposed to give up as part of their twenty-five year-old divorce settlement. And once Maya lets it slip over dinner that Jack is worried, Eve seizes upon the idea of getting the painting back. Meanwhile, Nina and Finch both find it hard to outwit Bill's efforts. And even though Elliott tries to meet the new standards, Bill sees through his efforts to brown-nose.
Mon, May 11, 1998
When Nina suggests a double date with her and her boyfriend, Maya isn't interested. But when Nina and Roger arrive at her apartment anyway, Maya agrees to have them and their friend Michael in for dinner. Then, while Maya is out of the room, Nina and Roger take off. And after he takes advantage of the moment with a kiss, his back goes out, leaving him stranded. Meanwhile, after insisting that Finch participate in an inter-office paint ball match, an accidental shot takes Jack out of the contest just as it's getting started. Only after realizing he can't move does Michael reveal that he's both married and a Congressman. Because his wife thinks he's on a hunting trip in Louisiana, he cannot call for help. However, Maya is determined to get him out of her apartment. But when Nina provides some pain pills to help get him up and around, he passes out cold. Meanwhile, Jack won't forgive Finch for taking him out of the paint ball contest early.