Season 1, Episode 02:
Chess Moves
Stephanie and Mark wake up and begin another day in the city. As they rise from bed, Carrie calls Mark and tells him that she read his play and loved it, then offers to help him finance his work. He happily agrees. Afterwards, Stephanie goes into work and plans a revamp of Communique. She immediately butts heads with Carrie after telling her that her gossip column is going to be dropped.
Peter and Gil go running in Central Park and discuss what happened with the former's date with Alex Bartoli the previous night. Despite Gil's attempts to tell him that she's playing him, he refuses to believe it and thinks she might be keeping her past a mystery. Despite Alex's hesitance to run with the story, she continues to see Peter and goes out for dinner with him. She is eventually forced to reveal her true career when he discovers the Sunday paper with the picture of himself and her in the restaurant on the front page. He storms off as she pleads for him to come back.
That night, Gil is working out at home when Deanne comes to his apartment and asks to be let in. Despite his reservations, he relents and opens the door for her. She attempts to seduce him, but he catches himself at the last moment and tells her she has to leave, as he felt that he betrayed her trust by losing all her money. She storms out, but not before claiming that she'll make his life a living hell. The next day, as he has lunch with Peter, Carrie and art gallery owner Nikki Sheridan at a diner, Deanne stalks him.
Stephanie hosts a party to welcome advertisers to Communique for their revamp, while Mark goes to meet with Carrie and her producer friend for drinks. When Mark arrives at the Zinc Bar, she reveals that there was no producer and she wants to produce his play herself. He agrees on the condition that she produce results in one month.
The Fairchilds eventually meet up for brunch and discuss current events. Peter tells Carrie that he feels like a fool, and she calls out Allan for not financing her production of Mark's play. Allan storms off and Linda rails at her for being insensitive.
That night, Peter goes to the Zinc Bar with Gil and eventually goes home with a random woman. He nearly sleeps with her, but is distracted when Alex calls and leaves a voicemail on his phone. The mood is ruined and he and the woman go to sleep, but Alex surprises him by showing up at his house the next day. She sees the woman and storms off as Peter tries to stop her.
Nikki has a lunch date with Carrie, but sneaks away later on. She enters an apartment to find... Allan, and it's revealed that they've been carrying on an affair. Despite her hesitance, she embraces him...
Carrie goes back to the office and encounters Stephanie, who warns her to stay away from her husband. Carrie ignores Stephanie's threats and walks off as she looks on...
Tropes:
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Alex leaves Peter a voicemail to this effect.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Carrie calls out Allan for his relationship with her mother.
- Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Peter nearly has a one-night stand with a woman he picked up at the Zinc Bar, but the mood is ruined when Alex calls and leaves an Anguished Declaration of Love on his voicemail.
- Chess Motifs: Used in the title of the episode and the various machinations the characters put into play.
- Dress Hits Floor: When Deanne tries to seduce Gil.
- May–December Romance: Nikki and Allan are revealed to be carrying on an affair behind his wife's back.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Alex gets this when she realizes her story is going to be published despite the fact that she developed feelings for Peter, and tries (unsuccessfully) to get it pulled.
- Naïve Newcomer: Linda sees Stephanie as this.
- Opening Monologue: Shown at the beginning of the episode in order to better explain the plot of the show, as the pilot bombed in the ratings.
- Sexy Coat Flashing: Used when Deanne attempts to seduce Gil in his apartment.
- Stalker with a Crush: Deanne.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- Peter calls Alex out for betraying his trust and running the story of her date with him.
- In turn, Peter gets called out by the Assistant District Attorney for spilling information to a reporter.
