1/22/07, 1:30 am EST

The Definitive Guide to Episode Three: Bipolar Express

ACT I
Russell has interviewed quirky singer-songwriter Nellie McKay over the weekend and is to turn in his assignment that morning. He asks Executive Editor Joe Levy what the surefire ways for him to blow his opportunity to work for the magazine are (and says he frequently acts like an asshole and harasses women and watches porn a lot). Joe tells him not to harass women and to show up on time and everything else is his own business.

The music department holds its daily morning ideas meeting, in which Russell tells editor Jason Fine and the rest of the staff that he was enamored of Nellie McKay and his interview with her went well. He says he could relate to her because she’s “out of her mind.”

Later, Russell speaks with Joe and admits that he as a tendency to act obnoxious because he’s got a history of bipolar disorder, and worries that his behavioral problems might undermine his chances at Rolling Stone.

Pete speaks to editor Alex Mar about his first assignment, an interview with Seattle indie-rockers Band of Horses and a report of their live show. He confesses that he’s a bit nervous about his first real piece of journalism.

Pete heads out to Brooklyn to meet with Band of Horses singer Ben Bridwell for the interview. They discuss New York, Bridwell’s transition from drummer to frontman and pre-performance rituals. Afterward, Pete says that the interview went well.

Back at the Rolling Stone offices, Tika gets her first assignment from Joe: interviewing hip-hop act the Roots. In the fishbowl, she discusses her excitement. Krish, clearly jealous, congratulates Tika on the assignment. Tika senses that Krish is pissed she didn’t get to interview the group but brushes it off.

Russell discusses his Nellie McKay piece with Alex, who is concerned that he doesn’t have the factual back-up for a quote he has used in the article. In the quote, Nellie makes a comment about gay men and their appreciation for musicals. Russell admits that he didn’t write the quote down word for word, and Alex says he’ll need to rework the piece.

Back in the fishbowl, Russell seems indignant about having to rewrite his article. He speaks with his mentor, contributing editor Jenny Eliscu, about his frustration. Jenny tells him revisions are what will make him a better writer. She suggests that he go somewhere quiet to focus, as he’s due to turn in a rewrite in an hour. Russell brushes it off. Pretty soon we see Russell flipping out all over the office, procrastinating on his rewrite and generally acting manic. In his webcam diary, he admits that he’s aware that he’s resisting Alex’s suggestions and realizes that he’s undermining himself.

Later that night, Pete arrives at Bowery Ballroom for the Band of Horses show. As soon as he arrives, he orders two drinks. Russell shows up at the concert looking for Pete and finds him getting sauced at the bar. He asks a visibly drunk Pete if he’s even taking notes on the show.

The next day, Pete sits in his apartment and attempts to write his story. He’s drinking a beer, and confesses that he’s become accustomed to writing when he’s drunk and isn’t sure how to break the habit.

Tika, at home in her apartment, rings her mother to tell her the good news about her interview with the Roots, saying that it went well. She goes over the video footage of her interview with ?uestlove to begin taking notes for her story. As she watches herself, she starts getting frustrated at the way she comes across and berating herself for asking dumb questions. Five hours later, at two in the morning, she logs onto her webcam diary to say she’s finally finished taking notes and outlining the structure of her piece. She shows the camera a notebook full of material for the article, which is only a 750-word item.

The next morning, Tika arrives at the office promptly at ten, ready to start writing her article, and finds that somewhere between the subway and the office, she’s lost her notebook. The piece is due in three hours, and she’s starting to flip out. Eventually she resigns herself to piecing together what she can remember and filing her story anyway.

ACT II
Tika sends her Roots article to Alex, explaining the situation with her notebook. At the daily music meeting, Russell is nowhere to be found. The editors wonder where he is, and Alex muses aloud that she wonders if she’ll see Russell’s revised Nellie McKay article.

Two hours later, Russell still hasn’t shown up at the office. In the fishbowl, the kids discuss what’s going on with him. Krish says she’s been making a habit of calling Russell every morning to make sure he’s awake. Tika thinks indulging him encourages him to be irresponsible. Pete disagrees and says that friends should help each other out.

Joe telephones Russell, who is at his apartment watching television. Joe asks him to get to the office immediately. Russell tells him he’s on his way, then steps onto his porch to have a cigarette. He speaks about his propensity for getting into trouble and says that he’s more comfortable being in trouble than not.

At the office, Pete sits down with Alex to discuss his Band of Horses item. She tells him the piece needs heavy revisions and suggests that he sit down with his mentor, associate editor Brian Hiatt, to talk about how to improve the article.

Pete and Brian go over the piece line by line. Brian suggests that a certain sentence, in which Pete describes the band’s lead singer as “adorable,” misrepresents his ideas about the group and the two continue to tinker with the article. Afterwards, Brian asks Pete if he’s feeling demoralized from all the editing, but Pete remains optimistic and says he’s happy that he’s learning new things.

Tika swings by Alex’s desk to try to get a read on what she thinks of the Roots item. Alex tells her that the piece has solid reporting in it, and assures her that if the writing was way off the mark, she wouldn’t hesitate to tell Tika.

Russell travels uptown to the Rolling Stone offices. Joe comes and finds him in the fishbowl, and asks that they talk in his office. Behind closed doors, Joe tells Russell that he’s one of the best writers out of all the kids and he’s fucking up with his irresponsible antics. He warns Russell that he’d better make a point of showing up to the office on time the next day at 10 A.M. sharp.

Russell tells Krish about his chat with Joe. Krish seems genuinely concerned, tells him he’s breaking her heart and that she won’t allow him to screw things up for himself.

ACT III
The next day, Russell still hasn’t turned in his Nellie McKay revision, making it three days late.

Joe pops his head into the fishbowl to see if Russell has arrived on time. He’s nowhere to be found. Jenny also stops by to check on Russell, but he still hasn’t shown up.

In Joe’s office, Joe and Jenny discuss what to do about Russell. Joe is clearly frustrated and annoyed that he’s late again. He tells Jenny that she needs to have a serious talk with Russell. Jenny tells him that she’s a sucker for a hard-luck tale.

Russell finally arrives at the office, whereupon Joe calls him in and gives him an even harsher tongue-lashing for being late. He restates that he’s blowing his chances of winning the competition.

Tika sees her article posted on the Rolling Stone website and is giddy with excitement. Russell reads it, tells her he’s learned something new about the group and congratulates her on a job well done. Meanwhile, Pete is still struggling with revisions on his Band of Horses item. He reads a sentence to Tika, who doesn’t mince words telling him she doesn’t like it. Tika attempts to help Pete with the rewrite. Later, she speaks about Pete’s writing, saying that he’s smart and intellectual but that his writing isn’t great. She feels bad that he’s struggling with the assignment.

Pete gets a call from his father in Australia. He tells his dad that he’s having a lot of trouble with his writing assignment and that even his attempts to curtail his drinking hasn’t helped him improve. He promises that he’s going to keep plugging away and working hard, that he’s going to give the assignment another go. Later, he muses to his webcam diary that perhaps he’s not equipped for the competition. He considers dropping out so that he can take writing courses.

Jenny and Russell head outside for a smoke break, where Jenny further emphasizes that Russell needs to tow the line. She says that showing up for work on time is the easiest part of the job, and if he keeps on doing what he’s been doing, he’ll hand the competition to Tika. Russell promises that he’s going to make an extra effort to get to the office early, joking that he’ll be there by 9:50 A.M. so that he can flap his balls around for ten minutes before work starts.