Sarah (portrayed by Leah Lewis) seeks Madeline's counsel on captivating Olympia's (played by Skye Marshall) attention. Madeline gently advises Sarah that her eagerness is overpowering. However, Sarah's primary challenge lies in her lack of attentiveness; she was unaware that Billy (David Del Rio) had a girlfriend named Claudia, despite Billy's frequent mentions of her. Sarah sincerely apologizes to Billy, who reveals that even his therapist knows Billy's name due to Sarah's constant referrals. In a gesture of goodwill, Billy introduces Sarah to Claudia, and they collectively vow to assist Sarah in finding a romantic partner.
This week's legal saga revolves around the tragic demise of Sandy Walton, who succumbed to respiratory failure caused by Legionella. Sandy had always maintained that the building she inhabited was to blame for her condition. After her passing, her husband, Robert (John Billingsley), an eccentric artist, passionately pursued her case. Yet, Olympia receives directives to abandon the Walton case. This directive stems from the fact that Senior (Beau Bridges) and Elijah (Eme Ikwuakor) are representing Foundate Financials, the owners of the building where Robert and Sandy resided, and Foundate generously compensates Jacobson & Moore with $10 million annually.
Julian (Jason Ritter) cautions that abandoning Sandy's case may send a detrimental message to their smaller clientele. Despite acknowledging the legal complexities, Olympia insists that they can navigate through them. Julian further warns Olympia that while Senior might hold affection for her, he would not hesitate to betray her to secure a victory.
A mediator is engaged to facilitate a resolution between the parties. Olympia presents to the mediator that Legionella was present in the building's watering tank and was detected in Sandy's urine at the time of her death. In contrast, Senior contends that his client adhered to all regulatory inspections, placing the blame on health and safety officials. He also suggests various potential sources for Sandy's exposure to Legionella. Olympia demands a settlement of $2.5 million, while Elijah counter-offers with 10% of that amount and hands the mediator a crucial document—a study revealing dangerous levels of toxins from a resin compound in the building's air vents. This revelation undermines Olympia's argument that Sandy's respiratory failure was solely due to Legionella. Robert, who uses resin in his artwork, is plagued by guilt, fearing he might be responsible for his wife's untimely death.
Olympia entrusts Madeline with the task of keeping a vigilant watch over Elijah amidst the ongoing legal matter. When Elijah announces that their $250,000 offer will expire within four hours, Olympia promptly confronts him, calling him aggressive. Subsequently, Elijah seeks Olympia's forgiveness, confessing that collaborating with her has been arduous due to his lingering romantic feelings for her. He further reveals his unwilling relocation to the Dallas office for a month. As Elijah departs, Olympia can't suppress her tears. Meanwhile, Julian's lingering affections for Olympia become ever more apparent.
Meanwhile, Madeline joins Robert at his cluttered apartment, aiding him in his search for documents proving his artwork's innocence in Sandy's poisoning. However, Robert's habit of hoarding transforms their quest into a challenging treasure hunt amidst a labyrinth of disarray. Their endeavor uncovers extensive water damage stemming from outdated, banned piping. Moreover, they learn that the trust owns 72 additional buildings nationwide, potentially neglected in similar fashion.
A recent toxin report reveals that Sandy's body tested positive for black mold. In response, Foundate offers Robert a $6 million settlement, pledging to address mold remediation across their properties and establishing a fund for those who can prove their health woes were mold-related. Olympia, learning of this, hastily instructs Billy and Sarah to notify all residents in the affected building.
Madeline stumbles upon a perplexing corporate filing by Foundate, indicating a sinister plan. The company is engaged in a Texas two-step—a strategic restructuring maneuver aimed at facilitating bankruptcy. Senior executives have cleverly separated liabilities from assets, rendering Robert's freshly signed settlement virtually worthless. This revelation strikes hard; Foundate has lavishly spent $4 million on accounting fees just to execute this scheme. Olympia describes working there as a treacherous snake pit and, despite their mutual aversion to friendship, she and Madeline agree to forge an alliance. Trust, albeit cautious, blossoms between them; Madeline assures Olympia of her sincerity.
At Olympia's earnest plea, Madeline has been offering Robert a comforting grip throughout this legal ordeal, driven by Olympia's belief that Madeline, too, had recently lost her life partner. As the case progressed, Robert confided in Madeline, revealing that while he rejoiced in the prospect of the building's restoration, both he and Sandy harbored a desire to see Foundate pay. Their disputes over the case were relentless; she sought justice, while he longed for time with her. Ultimately, they reached a reluctant compromise. Robert then boldly invited Madeline on a date, but she gently declined, stating she wasn't yet emotionally prepared.
After a lengthy negotiation with Mrs. Belvin (Patricia Belcher), Madeline finally secured access to the hallowed halls of the document room. She delved into the Wellbrexa archives with urgency, searching for the precise form Alfie had requested. To her disappointment, the requested documents were nowhere to be found. Instead, she discovered an eerily empty file that once held countless pages. She swiftly contacted Alfie, who was at school, and tasked him with uncovering the file's former contents and tracing the individual who signed it out. All he needed was the locator number. Upon investigation, it was revealed that a staggering 342 documents were missing. Although the signature was digital, Madeline ventured back to the document room to inspect it. The documents were stored digitally, but the signature remained unreadable.
Alfie's academic responsibilities began to suffer, prompting Edwin to criticize Madeline for leaning on him too heavily. She promised to refrain from disturbing him further. However, when she inevitably sought his help again, Edwin reprimanded her harshly, noting that Alfie had even resorted to feigning illness to escape early. This sparked an intense argument, with Edwin accusing Madeline of losing her moral compass. She, in turn, vowed never to seek assistance from anyone else. Edwin insisted he had never encouraged her to do so initially. They both conceded that a cloud of discontent loomed over their household.
Upon returning home, Edwin sought forgiveness, acknowledging his failure to support Madeline adequately. They embraced and reconciled. She then unveiled the incriminating document to Edwin, noting that it didn't match Julian's or Olympia's signatures, which she had on record. Cleverly, she had also snapped a photo of Senior's signature in his office—a perfect match. The only remaining challenge was proving his involvement.
