Charlie Crawford is late for his first press conference as the new deputy mayor. He later runs into trouble trying to settle a tollbooth workers strike when their lawyer is an ex-flame of his.

Caitlin causes a misunderstanding when she believes that Charlie is taking a Spanish class to improve relations with the Latin American community. Paul and the mayor struggle to create office water-cooler talk. Stuart becomes jealous of the time Carter has been spending with Caitlin.

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.