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Eli's bummed about the fact that he dumped Taylor, but doesn't have much time to think about that, as he gets a vision of a guy in a hospital gown begging him to help him. The visions get out of control in a staff meeting, but when Eli goes to try to beg some drugs off Nate, he finds that the star of his visions is alive and well and living in Nate's office. Turns out the guy is pretty famous, as he was in a coma for years. He's suing his former business partner and wife, who married each other and basically stole his company. However, Eli advises the guy to contest the annulment his wife got, which will entail suing the church that granted it. Eli does well in court and looks like he'll succeed in getting the annulment overturned, but he talks Coma Guy into realizing that he can't get his wife back. However, the visions persist, so Eli begs Nate to do more tests on Coma Guy. Nate refuses, and Coma Guy accepts a big settlement, whereupon he collapses almost immediately and dies. Both Stones feel awful, needless to say, but when Nate gets hammered and comes over to Eli, Eli fesses up about the prophetic aspect of his visions, and Nate, in turn, remembers a link between Eli's visions and their dad, thus coming to believe that Eli's telling the truth. In other news, an older guy of some repute, "Mason Andrews," comes to Jordan for help on a racial-discrimination-hiring suit, which is interesting since the both the plaintiff and the defendant are black. The plaintiff alleges that Andrews is prejudiced against only poor black people, and argues his own case. We get to see Jordan in action for the first time, which is pretty cool, and he wins but then offers the plaintiff a job, which is also cool. Good week for Victor Garber. Taylor shows up for lunch with Jordan, and also tells Eli that she'll be picking up her stuff later that week. She's very unhappy, of course, and later Jordan calls Eli in, thinking that maybe he unwittingly influenced Eli to break things off with his daughter. Eli meets Taylor at the apartment, and they have a more conciliatory talk. Eli uses the lesson from the case of the week to realize that staying with Taylor is the right play, and they hook up. Taylor talks to her dad, and although he's worried that she's going to end up getting hurt, she makes it sound like she's going to stand by her man. Also? Sassy Patti needs to shut up so hard. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Eli is trying to return the engagement ring he got for Taylor, but the woman won't take it back without a receipt, which Eli can't find. Okay, seriously, show, stop it. Eli's supposed to be this amazing attorney, and we've now seen him start off episodes by failing to win an argument with an airport security guy, a tow-truck guy, and a saleswoman. When he stops by the hospital to see his brother week, is he going to be verbally thwarted by a candy-striper?
Nate: "That'll teach you not to pay retail." Heh. The brothers are on the phone, with Eli curled up in a blanket on the couch. Eli tells Nate he misses Taylor, and wonders if maybe he did the wrong thing. Nate: "You did do the wrong thing, buttwipe!" Hee. I think Nate might be my favorite character now, although the idea that the cute doctor is still single is pretty ridiculous. But it's not like eligible straight men are hard to come by, am I right, ladies of San Francisco? Eli eats popcorn as he says that Taylor would end up miserable with him, but Nate rightly points out that that should be her decision. He advises him to get Taylor back before he becomes even more pathetic, and goes on that Eli is the worst bachelor ever. "Instead of hooking up with old girlfriends, of which we know there's not many, you break out the microwave popcorn, and you spend your nights in bed watching reruns of TV movies on the WE Network!" HA! That's characterization you can sink your teeth into. And more importantly, laugh at. Needless to say, Eli is doing exactly what Nate said, except for the part where he's on the couch, a difference of which he's quick to inform Nate. Nate says he's got to get some sleep, and then we hear a deeper intonation of "Help me, Stone." Eli first thinks it's Nate, but when Nate hangs up, he hears the voice again, and warily turns toward the TV to see a close-up of a thirtysomething man repeating, "Help me, Stone." If this is the best WE has to offer, I think they need a shakeup among their network execs. ["They can start by bringing back the Felicityreruns like I've bitched about a hundred times." -- Sars] After the remote fails him, Eli runs over to the cabinet and turns off the TV, but when he looks to his right, the guy is there in his living room, and we see that he's wearing a hospital gown as he repeats his entreaty. After a little more of this, he disappears, and Eli starts to relax, but then, in a horror-movie-esque camera setup, when we pan around Eli, we see the guy standing on his right again, causing Eli to squeal like a little girl. As if Nate needed any help proving his point.
Eli is telling Chen how the guy came out of the television. Chen: "Like that creepy chick in The Ring?" Heh. Eli babbles until Chen tells him it's clearly a "WNS kind of vision" -- short for "Wait 'n' See." Eli is nonplussed that Chen has categorized his visions, but Chen, gesturing to the elaborate and immaculate arrangement of his shelves, confesses he's "a little OCD with the labeling." He kicks Eli out, again telling him to wait and see. Hope you didn't charge for that session, dude. Thanks for stopping by this week!
In a posh-looking restaurant or gentleman's club or something, Jordan is sitting with a similarly-aged and distinguished-looking African-American man named "Mason Andrews," who opines that Eli is a "remarkable young man," and notes that he made the engagement party eventful. After some exposition that lets us know these two have known each other for quite some time, Jordan sighs that Taylor's taste in men "has always been a few steps beyond my comprehension." Mason theorizes that Taylor sees a lot of Jordan's qualities in Eli -- his spirit, intellect, and sharp legal mind. I wonder if that means Jordan's known to catch Girl Meets Cowboy when a particular mood strikes him. Jordan notes the fawning language and asks if this means Andrews wants something, and indeed, there's an internal matter at his firm that's gotten to the point where he needs to retain outside counsel -- a man he interviewed but ultimately chose not to take on is suing him for discriminatory hiring practices. The twist? The guy is black. Jordan's face: "Well, that's an onion in the ointment!"
Eli gets off the elevator to find Maggie waiting for him, as usual, and she's chipper and he's grumpy and boring. Also boring is Sassy Patty's predictable glee, as someone blabbed the news to her about Eli and Taylor's breakup. I don't buy that, since Taylor doesn't work at the firm and I doubt Eli's told anyone other than his brother, but Eli worries that Jordan might have found out, and explains that he broke up with Taylor because of his aneurysm. Sassy Patti: "Oh, and I thought your condition was a bad thing!" Wow, I really hate her. He asks her to find out from Taylor's assistant if she told Jordan, but she sassily refuses, reminds him of the staff meeting that day (is this really how law offices operate?), and makes another obnoxious comment to get out of the scene.
Eli takes an atypical seat, right to Jordan, although that could be because it's the first one of these meetings to which he hasn't been horribly late. Eli asks Jordan how he is, and the response is a terse "Things could be better." He then kicks off and tells them about their new client, to whom Tom Amandes refers as "the Mason Andrews," in case we were worried that Jordan normally hobnobs with people whose reputations don't precede them. Jordan says he needs a second chair, and every associate in the room's hand goes up -- except Eli's. And I know she's not necessary to the scene -- that kind of goes without saying -- but did these meetings suddenly become optional for Maggie? Does she actually work here? Jordan notes Eli's reticence, and Eli stammers that he wasn't sure...under the circumstances...Jordan: "I'm sure Mr. Andrews would be well served by such...eloquence." Hee. Eli's eyes then go wide as he sees the guy from his vision sitting in Tom Amandes's chair, although he speaks with Tom Amandes's voice as he asks what the heck is up with Eli now. Matt has also been replaced by the guy, and Matt's voice snarks about how he needs to start bringing a camera to these meetings. I think Berlanti Television has you covered, dude. Eli lamely says something about bad sushi and leaves the meeting, to Jordan's continuing chagrin...
...and then he's shown up to bother his brother for some medication, notwithstanding the fact that Nate's with a patient. Nate slams the door in his face, but Eli barges in after him, prompting Nate to apologize to "Jake McCann," his patient -- who just so happens to be the guy from Eli's visions. Eli, after gaping for a moment, recovers and introduces himself, which is an improvement on passing out cold, although perhaps not from George Michael's perspective. Title card.
Out on the street, Eli has apparently been badgering Nate with questions about Jake, and Nate wants to know why, especially since he just woke up from a coma. That gets Eli's attention -- "Jake McCann is Coma Guy! You're treating Coma Guy!" Apparently the guy appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which seems like kind of a gyp, especially since the guy's hard-luck story seems like the sort of thing Oprah wouldn't wait to get her hands on. At least he didn't have to talk to Tyra, though. Nate goes on that Jake doesn't need a lawyer, as his coma came about when he fell off his roof while cleaning his gutters. Eli begs Nate to ask Jake if he has any legal problems, and if not, he'll leave him alone. Nate: "If this ends up in a malpractice suit, I'm going to kill you, tool." I'd get on that -- there's a line forming.
"Keith Bennett," the guy who's suing Mason Andrews, is meeting with Jordan and Matt. He tells them he'll be representing himself, and after he wins a quick verbal round with Matt, Jordan suggests that Keith drop the matter, as his claim might be deemed frivolous. Keith is like, "Yeah, whatever," so Jordan opines that the suit would render him "virtually unemployable in this town." Matt makes the valid inquiry as to why Keith thinks Andrews is prejudiced against blacks, but Keith clarifies that he thinks Andrews is only biased toward those of more limited means. So his complaint has as much to do with classism as racism. He tells them to let him know about a trial date, and leaves. Matt: "Seems pleasant enough -- can't imagine why he'd have a hard time finding a job." Heh. Jordan, understandably given the nature of the case, declines to make a remark about the pot calling the kettle black. Still, it's all there on his face.
Sassy Patti finishes sassing someone on the phone, and then jumps when she sees Eli standing to her. Eli asks her if that was Taylor's assistant, a question he's apparently been posing every time she ends a call. Wow -- petty, quirky, hot, and defective. No wonder I like him. Their bickering ends when Sassy Patti informs Eli that Taylor is standing right behind him. He turns and awkwardly asks what she's doing there, and she tells him she's having lunch with Jordan. She then, in a friendly manner, asks Patti how she is, and Patti, with a smug smile, responds, "Better than I've been in quite some time." Look, I know it's TV, but...do you know anyone who would actually behave like this? Professionally or personally? It's time for a nickname change for this hateful asshole. I Hate Patti disappears, and Taylor takes Eli to task for all the assistant-fu before informing him that she's going to stop by the apartment on Thursday to pick up her stuff, and there's no need for him to be there if he doesn't want to be. She starts to walk away, but Eli calls to her, and tells her that for what it's worth, he feels awful. Taylor nods: "And you broke up with me. So you can imagine how I feel." Another round of verbal sparring gets away from Eli. On the plus side, though, he didn't say that he feels awful-ly. (I'm not good at letting things go.) When Taylor's gone, Eli's phone rings, and it's Nate -- turns out Coma Guy does need a lawyer.
At an outdoor café, Eli's sitting with Jake when Maggie comes over with coffee for them. Ah, that's her real job! She babbles about "Coma Guy" and "McCann" for a while, causing me to recall Jordan's delicious delivery of that comment about Eli's eloquence. After some humor at Jimmy Kimmel's expense, Jake tells them that while he was in the coma, his wife left him for his best friend and business partner, and he has a lawyer already, but the guy has counseled him to just take the ten-million-dollar settlement they've offered him. On the one hand, that doesn't sound like the worst advice ever given, but I have to tell you, if that lawyer's being paid on commission, I'm appalled and also jealous. Jake goes on to explain that after his accident, his partner took their startup public, and it tripled in value. However, he doesn't care about the money, but the company he built, and he wants to get it back. Eli lets us know that "Brooke" must have gotten the company "in the divorce," although that makes no sense to me, given that she initiated the proceedings, but he goes on that the marriage was annulled, and...ding ding ding! Eli gets An Idea -- they'll contest the annulment. Maggie's face falls as she realizes what he's saying, and Eli explains it to Jake -- "we have to sue the church." Apparently no one at the table is Catholic, because you'd think, given the circumstances, a member of that faith would reflexively make the sign of the cross.
In court, the opposing counsel is pointing out that Eli is asking the state to insert itself into a church matter. Eli counters that "the recent spate of priestly misconduct" cases demonstrate that the First Amendment doesn't protect the church from a civil suit, and I'm sure all those scarred altar boys appreciate their experiences being used to set precedent like this. He goes on that both church and state law require that both parties be notified of annulment proceedings, which obviously didn't occur in this case. The judge isn't inclined to hold a full trial, but does want to hear from the priest that vitiated the marriage, and calls an evidentiary hearing for the afternoon. I sure hope the priest can make it!
In a different courtroom, Keith is saying that the first part of the interviewing process at Andrews's firm went great, but things changed when he met Andrews. While Andrews was once a hero to Keith, Keith could tell that Andrews didn't like him from the start. Jordan stands: "And so begins the speculation." I am so glad we're getting to see him in court. Keith, however, counters that his assessment of Andrews's reaction is based on experience, and he's gotten that "you're less than" look hundreds of times. I have to say up front, though, that if Keith had all these amazing interviews with people in Andrews's firm, it's ridiculous that he's not calling them as witnesses. That seems, potentially, like the strongest part of his case. Matt makes a sarcastic comment about that description and gets wearily smacked down by the judge in response, and the less successful he is in court, the more amused I think I'm going to be. Keith goes on that Andrews asked him if he wore an afro so his criminal clients (he was a public defender) would identify with him more. He adds that Andrews excused himself, allegedly to go to a court appearance, but when he checked the dockets, he found that Andrews didn't actually have one. "Black people like me make black people like Mason Andrews uncomfortable." Jordan isn't going to let the scene end like that, though, as he first establishes that Keith has no real evidence for his claim, and then asks him why he didn't apply for a job at, say, his firm, given that they recruit from the same applicant pool. Keith admits that he didn't think it would be a good fit, and Jordan is quick to point out that that means Keith made a simple choice, yet he's suing Andrews for making the same kind of decision. "Perhaps I should sue you for discrimination." That made me laugh, and I'm not the only one, as Keith shoots a giggler in the jury box a wicked side-eye. Victor Garber needs so much to do on this show, I can't even tell you, and it's not just because I saw the "Sinfully Delicious" Will And Grace episode again just the other day. But that is part of it.
So I was wrong -- Maggie is Catholic, which means not only is she doing no work, bothering Eli, and being a general irritant, she's also ruining my jokes. Anyway, she's complaining that they're "suing God," and then I Hate Patti enters with Brooke and business partner/new husband Adam in tow, causing Eli to freak out, given the absence of their attorney, about the ex parte-ness of the visit. I Hate Patti leaves without acknowledging that, and Adam starts in, saying the lawsuit is "playing havoc" with their lives. Boo hoo, multimillionaires. Brooke adds that they care about Jake a lot, but after three years of the doctors telling them Jake would never wake up, they moved on. Eli isn't having any of this, thankfully, and kicks them out, and then I Hate Patti comes in from a different door from the one she left by. Eli complains that she's supposed to be his gatekeeper, but I Hate Patti responds, "You're suing God and you're telling me what I'm not supposed to do?" Yes, as your boss, he is, you hateful, preposterous thing. She tells him Jordan would like to see him...
...and then Eli enters the man's office. Jordan wearily asks, "Suing God now, are we, Eli?" Eli laughs uncomfortably and tries to play the whole thing off, but Jordan tells him that's not why he summoned him -- Taylor told him about the end of the engagement. Eli looks defeated and apprehensive, but Jordan tells him he's not angry with him; in fact, he wants to be sure that he didn't influence that decision. Eli starts to ask if that's what Taylor told him, and Jordan confesses that she didn't give any specifics. Jordan looks a perfect blend of worried and curious here, and Victor Garber has really been doing a great job conveying his mixed feelings toward Eli. Eli looks a little lost as he tells Jordan how great Taylor is, and that he's sorry it didn't work out, but the reason is personal. Jordan understandably does not look thrilled with this explanation, as it sounds a little capricious, and he dismisses Eli more brusquely than is his usual style. Eli spares a glance back as he exits...
...and outside, he passes a vision of Jake back in the hospital gown. Another one approaches him and starts to sing "Good Lovin'," and soon there are dozens of Jakes doing a big musical number. Eli gets into it and runs down the stairs to the lobby, and a bunch of the Jakes pick him up and twirl him around. The running down the stairs suggests Eli has some control of his actions, but the part where he gets picked up contraindicates that, so I'm just going to assume that he doesn't, to avoid wanting to kill him for being so stupid all the time. Seriously, though, this is a bothersome part of the show -- his being a lawyer seems to be necessary to fulfill his missions, yet the way the visions affect his day-to-day life threatens (or at least should) his position. It's a problem. Anyway, when the vision abruptly ends, Eli's standing on a table with lots of people watching him, and he steps down sheepishly.
Andrews is on the stand talking about how he graduated number one in his class at Harvard Law. ["So did everyone else on TV who went to Harvard Law. What else you got." -- Sars] However, when he went on his first job interview, he overheard the men he had just talked to joking that "letting a Negro into Harvard was like teaching a donkey to ice skate." Gross. He pointedly adds, with a look in Keith's direction, "That's not being hired because of your race." Matt asks if that's why Andrews started his own firm, and the answer is yes, and Andrews adds that his hiring practices are the most diverse in the country. Matt then has a bunch of people in the room stand, and it happens that they're associates at Andrews's firm. Andrews informs us that that's not all of them -- "the others had better things to do than to help defend me this afternoon." Most of the associates laugh, but this one guy on the end is practically scowling, all, "What he just said isn't exactly complimentary toward us, morons."
It's now Keith's turn, and he asks Andrews if he ever wore his hair in an afro or cornrows or anything like that. This line goes on for some time, with Keith's position obviously being that Andrews discriminates against blacks who are unwilling to try to pass, to a certain extent, and Andrews simply countering that he has a right to make his own judgment calls on whether to hire anyone. Keith presses the point, though, picking out a black man whose physical appearance is roughly similar to that of Andrews and asking if he was, say, salutatorian at Harvard, as Keith was. Jordan seems to be dismayed by this line of questioning, as if it's now hitting him that Keith might have a point about his friend. Keith gets a little fiery here, though, when he points out that the associate is lighter-skinned than he is, prompting Jordan to object and the judge to tell Keith to settle down, but he's successfully stirred Andrews's ire, and Andrews seethes that he hates it when black men use their race "as an excuse for shiftless behavior." As Jordan and Matt cringe, Andrews goes on that he's seen Keith's attitude in other black men, who use their race to justify "a certain kind of arrogance, as if the rules that apply to the rest of us don't apply to them. If I am prejudiced against anything, it's that kind of arrogance." Keith sums it up: The day they had lunch, Andrews wasn't eating with a great lawyer, but a black punk with an unkempt afro. "No wonder you left early." This case is far more interesting than any of Eli's, I have to say. Is it too late to rename the show "The Jordan Family," like what they did with Valerie?
Speaking of eponymous leads, Eli is asking the priest who granted the annulment about the Catholic Church's view of marriage, and it goes on for quite some time, but let's just say Eli makes his point, and we don't hear from opposing counsel...
...but outside, when Jake appears with his team, Brooke asks him why he's doing this. That is a good question. She tells him that for the first two years, she barely left the hospital. Jake, however, doesn't want to hear it: "I don't believe that you love him the way that you loved me." Well, most people do learn a thing or two in five years. She tells him she's sorry, and walks away with Adam, arms around each other. It may seem unsympathetic of her not to be more openly caring, but...she's part of the problem. She can feel for his position while recognizing that there's nothing realistic she can do to help him emotionally, I think.
Back at the office, Jordan is asking Andrews what his thought process was on the day of the lunch. Andrews recounts Keith's cheap outfit and familiar manner with the waiter, and says he couldn't see putting him in front of a corporate client. He adds that he's sorry if the way the corporate world works "interferes with his keeping it real," but at his firm, that's the way things are, and it's also how they are at Jordan's firm, "unless you've changed your hiring practices recently." Jordan says he'll win the case, but if Andrews wants to settle, that's fine too. He makes a comment about how Andrews should make sure that if he settles, it's not because of a guilty conscience, which strikes me as extremely odd, because if anyone's seemed to doubt the merits of their position, it's Jordan, not Andrews. Anyway, Andrews is perfectly happy to go to verdict, as seemed obvious.
Elsewhere, Eli is telling Jake that they'll probably get the annulment, er, annulled, but he's not sure Jake is doing the right thing here -- if he wants his company back, that's one thing, but Brooke is another matter. Jake denies that he still has feelings for Brooke, but Eli doesn't buy that. He asks if Jake wants her to be happy, and then tells Jake that he knows "a little something about living on borrowed time." Maggie's brow creases at that comment, and Eli's going to be pissed that this is the one time she chooses to keep up. He points out that Jake already lost five years, so maybe he doesn't want to spend a lengthy amount of time in a courtroom. Jake is powerless against Eli's unrelenting earnestness, and accedes to the settlement idea. Either he was only using caring about the company to mask his desire to get Brooke back, or he just came to the realization that being partners with Adam is no longer something he wants. Either one is quite believable. Eli pats him on the pack, and once he's gone, Maggie asks Eli about the "borrowed time" remark. Eli tells her everything's fine, but she doesn't look convinced.
At the apartment, Taylor is packing up when Eli enters. He thanks her for not telling her dad about the aneurysm, and she, without any bitterness, says she loves him, and she meant it when she accepted his proposal. Eli muses that it seems like a long time ago, and Taylor neutrally replies, "Three months." Considering it feels like there hasn't been a new episode of Dirty Sexy Money in years, three months can seem like a long time. Eli shows her the ring and mentions how he unsuccessfully tried to take it back, and tentatively offers that he thought it might be a sign. Taylor, however, is still a lawyer, so she asks for clarification: "What does that mean? You were so sure that breaking things off was the right thing to do." Eli tells her the basics of his current case and how devastated both parties have been after the tragic event ripped them apart. "You know what could happen to me, and you still want to stay." Taylor's eyes look misty, but she smiles and tells him that's what she's been saying all along. Except for when she told him she wasn't sure if she could handle it, but since then she's been a rock. (Eli's forgiven her, and I never thought she did anything that terrible in the first place, but darn it if she didn't completely set me up there.) Eli notes that he ruined their engagement party and Jordan hates him now (although I'm not sure the latter is true), but Taylor wonders why he thinks those things would matter to her more than he does. All resistance and arguments now eroded, Eli moves to Taylor and kisses her. She asks what that means, and he admits he doesn't know. But, probably realizing that vision- and music-free sex with Eli is a rare commodity these days, she sinks out of frame with him and leaves the tough questions until after the commercial break.
Eli wakes up (the day -- that was quite a session or five) on his side of the bed, and, finding the other side currently unoccupied, groggily calls Taylor's name. Getting no response, he goes out to the kitchen area and uncertainly announces that they should probably talk about the night, and both his sleepy demeanor and the fact that he's talking to an empty apartment suggest a desperate need for coffee. He finds a note from Taylor explaining that she has court, and then he hears Jake's voice calling to him to help him. He looks over and sees Jake, back in the gown, lying on the floor, and when he tries to tell him that he's going to settle the case and everything will be fine, Jake simply repeats, "Help me, Stone." You could crack on Eli for not seeming to notice that he's not saying "Help me, Eli," but then again, you could just as easily blame the vision for not saying "Help me, Nate." I mean, if there's anything we've learned, it's that Eli needs all the assistance he can get.
In any case, Eli does in fact go to Nate and try to convince him that he should check Jake out again, as there's something medically wrong with him. Nate, however, isn't hearing that, as Jake has had countless and unending tests, and he's not willing to trust Eli's word. Eli attempts The Eyes Of Earnestness again, but older brothers often develop an immunity to this sort of thing, and Nate says he's not going to subject Jake to tests that will cost him time and thousands of dollars. I think the subtext is that Nate, a scientist, is scared to believe that there might be some meaning to Eli's visions, so I'll forgive him for mentioning the money when Jake is about to get an EIGHT-FIGURE SETTLEMENT. Nate walks out, leaving Eli alone in his office yet again, and I'd think this were an intentional running gag were it not so incredibly random.
It's time for closing arguments, and Keith is recounting a story about how an ADA once assumed he was a defendant instead of a defender, and upon being corrected, gave Keith the same look that Andrews gave him at the lunch. When it's Jordan's turn, though, he talks about how Andrews has been a famed advocate for civil rights. "There's a difference, ladies and gentlemen, between discrimination and discretion." He works in Andrews's comments, admitting that he might harbor some resentment "toward young black men like Mr. Bennett," which seems like treacherous ground to tread. However, he contends that resentment isn't racism. "And if you have any doubt of that, ask yourselves if these two men were white, would we even be here today?"
Brooke shows up alone to meet with Jake, Maggie, and Eli, and Brooke tells Jake that Adam didn't want to be there. Some best friend he turned out to be! Eli tells Brooke that Jake has agreed to the settlement terms, and she and Adam will retain control of the company. Jake, still not thrilled with the arrangement, gets up to go, having signed the papers already, but he turns back to tell Brooke that he's glad she and Adam found each other (odd choice of phrase, given that they must have known each other well already) and he hopes they have a good life. "I want you to." He turns again, but Brooke calls his name, and they exchange a fond smile. When he's gone, she unnecessarily tells Eli and Maggie, "That's the man I fell in love with." I know Eli's been trying to warn Nate, but I still blame the imminent cardiac event on the cheese contained in that line. We hear a commotion outside...
...and Jake is lying at the bottom of the stairs, apparently having collapsed on his way down. He breathes, "Help me, Stone." At this point, I think the best he can do for you is to sue his brother, and he kind of owes him too big for that.
Eli's back in Nate's office, gingerly asking what happened. Nate is taking this awfully hard, and says that he had an "acute MI" -- a heart attack. While his heart could have been compromised by the coma, Nate says that there weren't any signs. "It was like it just stopped." This plotline wasn't bad, but it kind of falls apart here. It doesn't sound like Nate is saying, even now, that there were tests he could have run that would have caught the problem in time. And if, as seems overwhelmingly likely, they're implying the whole "he died of a broken heart" idea (speaking of cheese, by the way), I'm not sure what Nate could have done -- he said earlier that they'd run every test in the book, so if anything, it's Eli's fault for pushing Jake to accept the settlement, not that that would have changed Brooke's mind. It doesn't seem like Eli (or Nate) really could have done anything different, so the only reason I can think of for this mission is so that Nate will henceforth believe that his brother is a prophet. But we'll get to that -- for right now, Nate kicks Eli out, unable to deal with the fact that his brother warned him and he didn't listen. Eli looks heartbreakingly sad and sympathetic as he gets up to go.
The jury finds for Andrews, but when Jordan and Andrews shake hands, things are a little chilly. Andrews says Jordan was right not to let him settle, so I guess part of a scene was cut, because as I mentioned, Andrews never seemed to me like he was considering settling. He asks Jordan if they'll have lunch at the club week, and Jordan, without smiling, says he'll call him. Yeah, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that phone to ring, Andrews, but if you're desperate for a date, Matt over there would practically wet himself from the excitement of being asked. Jordan then catches Keith on his way out, who manages a gracious congratulations. Jordan notes that Keith didn't have the law on his side, and then smoothly offers Keith a job. Keith, a little taken aback, asks if he needs more black lawyers at his firm. Jordan: "No. I need more great lawyers. Especially since the best one I had suddenly can't stop dancing around my lobby." Some of that may have been implied. Keith takes a moment and then holds up the card in a "thanks, I'll think about it" gesture, and walks away.
Taylor is berating Jordan for talking to Eli about her, saying he promised not to interfere in their relationship. Jordan points out that Eli works for him, and he didn't say he wouldn't speak to him. "I'm a lawyer -- I look for loopholes." Heh. Taylor is obviously worried that Eli's change of heart was influenced by Jordan, but Jordan assures her that he hasn't bullied Eli, nor does he feel the need to -- while it's clear to him that Eli is conflicted about his decision, he also doesn't want to see Taylor get hurt. Taylor considers this, but, steel in her voice, says that Jordan taught her to fight for the things she believes in. "And I know what I want to do." I think I know what she means by that, but I've read week's episode description. These two have good scenes together.
Speaking of which, there's a knock at Eli's door, and I thought after the last scene that it would be Taylor, but it's actually a drunk Nate, which is a nice change-up. Eli heads to the door, and it's not just the WE addiction, but Eli's really got some slightly effeminate and (if I can get away with using this word in 2008) metrosexual qualities; it's kind of endearing, character-wise, but also interesting in that Jonny Lee Miller has kind of oozed masculinity in the prior roles I've seen. Also, I haven't seen him slip on the accent, which is impressive. Nate slurs, "Are you Eli Stone? Asshat-at-law?" Hee. He cracks up and hugs Eli (aw), and admits that he drank enough that the bartender took his car keys. Eli looks bummed, but asks Nate if he's going to be okay, and Nate admits that Jake isn't the first patient he's ever lost, "but that doesn't make it suck any less." Nate then asks why Eli came to him about Jake, and Eli admits he knew Jake was going to die. He...did? I'll assume he's taking a little license here. Eli sucks up his courage and tells Nate that he thinks his visions aren't because of his aneurysm. Nate doesn't believe him at first, but Eli tells him how Jake was singing "Good Lovin'," and notes the lyrics: "I was feelin' so bad/I asked my family doctor just what I had." Nate looks shocked into an epiphany here as Eli goes on that he was supposed to get Nate to help him, and he knows Nate won't believe him. However, there's something bigger in play here -- when their dad died, Nate put a cassette in his coffin of a song that he kept singing over and over again on a fishing trip. Nate laughs as he goes on, "I hate fishing, and he was the worst singer in the world. But that trip was really special to me." Nate goes serious again as he tells Eli that the song on the cassette was "Good Lovin'," and no one else knew about it. I really like the idea that Eli is mirroring his dad's journey, only he has some help with and understanding of his visions. Eli looks like he's going to cry as he replies, "It's crazy, huh?" Nate heartily agrees, and unsteadily gets to his feet and says he needs another drink. I just hope he remembers this conversation in the morning. Eli's cutting Nate off, but does offer him some microwave popcorn and tunes the TV to Working Girl on WE. Hee. Nate laughs that he's got to get back together with Taylor, as if he's not going to be singing "Let The River Run" at the top of his lungs soon enough. Eli puts a hand on Nate's shoulder, and then the boys toss popcorn and lightly shove each other like the brothers they are to end the episode.