Mel reports on a patients' rights group picketing an HMO-sponsored health care center in Kentucky and winding up gassed by the police for seemingly no reason. While watching a tape of the riot, Mel discovers that Trevor, his sound guy, provoked the cops by throwing a bottle at them, and rats him out to Peter. Quentin discovers a hostage crisis in a Kansas City dry cleaners, which hasn't hit the wires yet. Jack Barnes, the CEO, hands Sloan's workload to Peter, while angrily telling him that he's putting the replacement search on hold, because I24's ratings are in the toilet. He also suggests Peter stop relying so much on Bill as the network's lone star, and start relying on one of the women. So, to everyone's disgust, Peter forgoes giving Janet another puff piece, and sends her, and not Bill, out to Kansas City with Julian to interview the deranged terrorist, Hank Noonan, who's taken his ex-wife as one of his hostages and who promised to free a hostage if they send Janet. Meanwhile, Madeline asks Mel to join him in therapy to talk about how they won't compromise in regards to Russell.