Jess comes to a conclusion about her romantic feelings for Nick and she struggles to tell him - until she's hopped up on pain medication. But after admitting her feelings, she finds out he may have been keeping something from her. Meanwhile, Schmidt becomes obsessed with buying a fish, which Winston sees as a metaphor for Schmidt's unresolved feelings toward Cece and Nick plans a bar promotion to impress the bar owner (guest star Odette Annable).

Jess tries to become good friends with Coach by watching Detroit Pistons games with him and becoming a Pistons "fan". However Jess' "fandom" starts to interfere with her relationship with Nick, who is a lifelong Chicago Bulls fan. Winston agrees to shadow Schmidt at his marketing job, where Schmidt is later asked to guide Ed (Bob Gunton), a sixty-something intern, to avoid a company lawsuit over age discrimination.

As part of Winston's police academy training, the loft must pass a home visit and background check, which shouldn't be a problem until Jess admits she might be hiding illegal substances in her closet.