Carter discovers an old love letter written by Stuart. He decides to set Stuart up with the addressee of the letter, a woman who turns out to be Stuart's ex-wife. The woman quickly manages to set a whipped Stuart into his old rut. Meanwhile, Caitlin hires an image consultant when the mayor's approval ratings go down. The consultant discovers that the mayor has a problem with women, causing Charlie to make himself over. And also, Paul worries that he's unrecognizable.

Julia's having a hard time dealing with her kiss with Charlie, so he asks her out. Their first date is a nightmare. Meanwhile, the mayor and his staff take the subway to prove that the mayor is in touch with the people. The train gets stuck in a tunnel, screwing up Charlie's plans for a second date. Meanwhile, Paul tells an exclusive cafe that Carter is Cuba Gooding Jr. to get reservations.

The mayor's daughter Meg returns and inspires Caitlin to be more spontaneous and free. Paul, Stuart and Carter give Charlie advice about compromising with Julia. This leads to Charlie deciding he's ready to commit, while Julia decides she's not.