We open on Daniel lecturing his class about love’s effects on the human brain. After class, Daniel blows off a student conference Lewicki reminds him about because he has a “lunch.”
Shoot to Daniel and Caroline in bed after having sex. Caroline comments on how much she enjoys their “lunches.” Caroline then gives Daniel a present, a new cell phone. He thinks it’s so she can keep tabs on him but thanks her anyway. She then asks him if he’s okay since she saw him talking to himself. Then, “Natalie” appears in bed with them urging Daniel to tell Caroline that he went off his meds. He ignores her. When Caroline goes to take a shower, “Natalie” tells Daniel, “If you’re going to have a relationship with your real girlfriend, you’re going to have stop seeing your imaginary one.” Daniel tells “Natalie” that he plans on telling Caroline that he went off his meds “when the time is right.” “Natalie” thinks he isn’t telling her because he’s afraid it will scare her off. He replies, “Maybe you’d like that.” She answers back, “Do you know how crazy that sounds?”
Shoot to Kate running into Donnie. He asks her to come to his grandmother’s picnic birthday party. She correctly assumed that Donnie hasn’t told his grandmother they they’re divorcing and wants her to keep up the illusion that they’re still happily married. She declines the offer. Donnie then tells Kate that he got the final divorce papers in the mail. She asks if he signed them yet. He replies that due to his heavy case load, he doesn’t know when he’ll get around to doing so. She replies, “Blackmail, really?” Donnie calls it a “hostage negotiation” then begs her again to come. She relents only for his grandmother’s sake, not his then says she wants him to sign the divorce papers. Then, a male colleague of Kate’s comes over and says he’s got a case that would be perfect for Daniel.
Shoot to Kate asking for Daniel’s help on an abduction case but then she tells him the wife claims that her husband has been abducted by aliens. Kate says they’re obligated to look into it in case there really is an underlying crime. Daniel then mentions Roswell, etc. and says that they “could blow open the biggest cover-up in American History.” Kate looks at him like he nuts and then he says, “Had you going there for a minute, huh?” Kate then punches him for joking with her.
Shoot to them going to the Resnicks’ house. Ellen Resnick answers and says her husband, Preston, went on a business trip and she hasn’t seen him since. Then, Preston comes to the door but Ellen says he isn’t her husband…he’s an alien!
Shoot to Preston talking to Kate alone. He says Ellen was fine before he left on his trip but when he came home early to surprise her, she freaked out and locked herself in the bathroom until they came. Meanwhile, Daniel is asking Ellen when she realized her husband was really an alien. She tells him it was when she thought her husband came home early from his business trip. She turned on the light and saw the alien. Daniel then sees a copy of the novel Preston just had published about alien abduction. She then tells Daniel that she knows it wasn’t Preston because the real Preston wouldn’t have raped her.
Shoot to Kate and Daniel talking to Preston alone. Daniel asks Preston if Ellen had been acting odd prior to this. Preston then says she’d been paranoid that she was being followed. He thought she was imagining it since she always said it was a different car “first a Chevy then a Ford and the last time it was a Hyundai. She said it got too close, ran her off the road and she hit a telephone pole.” Daniel then tells Preston that he thinks Ellen is suffering from a neurological disorder known as Capgras delusion, where people think their friends and family have been replaced by imposters. Daniel then suggests letting Ellen continue with her delusion but also to get her to the hospital to be checked out.
Shoot to Daniel telling Ellen that they are taking her to the hospital for a brain scan. She thinks it’s because they think the alien did something to her. Daniel tells her that it’s just a precaution. She then asks what’s going to happen to the “alien?” He tells Ellen that Kate will put him in custody.
Shoot to the hospital. Daniel tells Preston along with Gerry [played by Raphael Sbarge from ABC’s Once Upon a Time] and Barbara Buckner [played by Maggie Wheeler, better known as ‘Janice’ from Friends] his and Ellen’s closest friends, that Ellen suffered a ruptured aneurysm, probably from the car accident and that it probably caused the Capgras. Preston’s afraid that Ellen will never recognize him again but Daniel tells him that there are therapies they can try. Daniel then says he’ll have to only talk to her on the phone for the time being. Daniel then says he’s convinced Ellen to stay the night at the hospital but tells Preston that when she comes home, he can’t be there. He says he’ll check into a hotel. Barbara, who’s his publicist, then tells Preston that she’ll cancel his appearance at the sci-fi convention. He tells her not to because he’ll need the distraction. Gerry and Barbara then ask Daniel if they can see Ellen. He says they can. When they do, Ellen asks Barbara to go ask the nurse for some cranberry juice. Once Barbara walks away, Ellen whispers to Gerry that Barbara is an alien too. Daniel hears this.
Shoot to outside Ellen’s hospital room. Barbara asks Daniel why Ellen thinks she’s an alien but not Gerry. Daniel thinks Ellen doesn’t have the same emotional connection with Gerry that she has with Barbara and Preston. Gerry then says he’ll help Ellen all he can.
Shoot to Daniel and Caroline having dinner at his house. Caroline tells him she’s never known a patient with Capgras and starts to suggest possible therapies for Ellen when “Natalie” appears. She notes to Daniel that Caroline made him couscous with raisins and he hates raisins, which suggests that Caroline doesn’t know him so well. Daniel makes an excuse, leaves the room, goes into another and closes the door. “Natalie” is there too and Daniel asks her why she’s doing this to him. “Natalie” tells Daniel that he’ll stop seeing her if he goes back on his meds. He says he can’t because they were giving him tremors and “Natalie” suggests trying new meds. Then, Caroline knocks on the door. Daniel opens it and she gives him his cell because Lewicki is calling him. Lewicki tells him that Ellen checked herself out of the hospital. He then asks Caroline to drive him over to the Resnicks’.
Shoot to Daniel and Caroline going to the Resnicks’ and finding the front door ajar. When they go inside, they find Preston on the floor dead, with Ellen straddled over him with a knife covered in blood. Caroline is horrified but Ellen tells Daniel that it’s okay because it isn’t Preston, it’s the “alien.”
Shoot to Caroline calling the police. Meanwhile, Ellen explains to Daniel what happened. She tells him that Preston called her and told her he wasn’t at home but she heard their distinctive doorbell in the background and thought Preston was being forced to lie and was in trouble. She then checked herself out of the hospital and went home. She found the “alien” shot dead on the floor then thought she’d cut him open and expose his alien organs so people would realize he wasn’t her husband. Then, Kate arrives on the scene. Daniel tells her the police’s “ridiculous theory that Ellen shot Preston in a fit of rage, left the house to dispose of the gun, which they haven’t found, then came back to perform an alien autopsy.” Daniel thinks the police are “railroading” Ellen. Then, Kate sees that Caroline is there. She tells Daniel that she’s been cleared to leave and Daniel tells her he has to stay and work with Kate. After Caroline leaves, Kate asks Daniel what his former therapist was doing at the crime scene. He lies saying he and Caroline were discussing Ellen’s case when the call came in. Daniel then tells Kate that they have to figure out who killed Preston because the police won’t. Kate then asks Daniel who besides Ellen could have killed him?
Shoot to Kate and Daniel talking to Barbara, who points to fellow author, A.Z. Weyland as Preston’s murderer. She tells them that Weyland wrote an “autobiography” about his alleged alien abductions but Barbara maintains that it’s fiction. Kate then asks Barbara why she thinks Weyland killed Preston. Barbara says that Weyland accused her of giving Preston his manuscript and that Preston used it as the basis for his novel. Daniel asks if she gave Preston the manuscript and if he plagiarized it. Barbara denies both. Kate then asks Barbara where they can find Weyland.
Shoot to a sci-fi convention. Kate leaves Daniel alone to find a map to find Weyland’s booth. Daniel runs into Lewicki, who is dressed like Lando Calrissian from Star Wars. Daniel then becomes overwhelmed by all the people and ducks into an elevator. He meets a red-haired kid in the elevator, who seems to know a lot about Daniel. He then realizes, the kid is a hallucination. Then, the elevator doors open and Kate is there. She asks Daniel if he’s having an “episode?” He says he isn’t. They then find Weyland [played by Robert Picardo,] who says he didn’t know that Preston was dead but won’t say where he was at the time of the murder. Then, he flees. Kate runs after him and he is subdued by two people wearing Star Wars costumes. Kate thanks them for their help.
Shoot to Kate questioning Weyland at the station while Daniel watches through a two-way mirror. Weyland finally says that he was being visited by aliens when Preston was murdered. Meanwhile, the red-haired kid notes to Daniel how Weyland is slurring his words and a few other physical attributes. Daniel then interrupts Kate and tells her that Weyland is suffering from sleep deprivation and couldn’t have killed Preston. Just then, a male colleague comes in saying they found the gun that killed Preston at Weyland’s apartment. Kate’s ready to charge Weyland with Preston’s murder but Daniel insists he’s being framed. Kate then says she’s going to have Ellen released.
Shoot to Daniel telling Gerry that Ellen is signing her release form and then he can take her home. He then advises Gerry not to mention Preston’s death to Ellen. Gerry agrees. He then gives him Caroline’s address so he can set up an appointment with her for Ellen. Before they leave, Ellen asks Daniel why Weyland killed the “alien.” Daniel says he doesn’t know. Ellen then tells Daniel to thank Weyland for her because now the alien can’t hurt her or Preston ever again.
Shoot to Daniel obsessing over the case as Caroline wonders why. He tells her that Weyland is being framed and that he has to figure out who would want to frame him. He suddenly thinks of Barbara, who pointed him and Kate in Weyland’s direction in the first place. Daniel then thinks that Barbara did give Preston Weyland’s manuscript, that he did plagiarize it and that Barbara killed Preston because he wanted to come clean and she would be ruined. Caroline then tells Daniel that she doesn’t think it’s good for him to be consulting on these cases. He disagrees saying it’s giving him “something to focus on.” Daniel then asks for her help and she replies, “You don’t want me to be your shrink and I don’t want to be your Natalie.” Then, “Natalie” appears telling Daniel that it’s “lucky I’m still here.”
Shoot to Donnie taking Kate to his grandmother’s picnic birthday party. In the car, he gives her he wedding ring to put on. She refuses. He says his grandmother will notice if she’s not wearing it. She puts it on. When Donnie goes to get his grandmother the blanket she asked for, his grandmother tells Kate that she knows they’re divorcing. Kate asks if it’s that obvious. His grandmother then says that Kate wasn’t looking at Donnie like she used to. Kate tells her that Donnie hurt her and his grandmother apologizes. She then says if Kate still wants him, he can change.
Shoot to Daniel going to the sci-fi convention and listening to Preston’s memorial service. Barbara and Gerry are there. The red-haired kid appears again to Daniel and points out Ellen’s unusual presence there since she’s supposedly believes that her husband is still alive. Daniel then chases after Ellen when she sees him, but she calls him a liar and rushes off. Daniel then approaches Gerry and Barbara and asks them if they said anything to Ellen. Barbara says that Gerry tried and Ellen freaked out and now Ellen thinks Gerry is an alien too. Barbara then begs Daniel to help Ellen.
Shoot to the hospital as Caroline asks Daniel’s current psychiatrist, Rich, about his progress with his meds. Rich reminds Caroline that he can’t divulge any info about Daniel to her because of doctor-patient confidentiality. Rich does tell her that Daniel has missed his last three or four sessions with him.
Shoot to Daniel venting to “Natalie” about Ellen not trusting him anymore and why she’s in mourning if she thinks Preston is alive? “Natalie” then tells Daniel that he needs to figure out why Ellen now thinks Gerry is an alien too when yesterday he was just Gerry. Why did she develop an emotional connection to him overnight like the one that caused her to think Barbara and Preston were aliens? Caroline overhears Daniel talking to “Natalie.” Daniel realizes that Ellen must have fallen in love with Gerry. Then, “Natalie” asks Daniel what Gerry could have done in 24 hours to make Ellen love him? Daniel replies, “I love you, Natalie Vincent” and Caroline hears him say it. Daniel then opens the door and finds Caroline standing there. She tells him that they need to talk but he says he knows who killed Preston and rushes off.
Shoot to Daniel and Kate questioning Gerry. He tells them how long he’s known Ellen and Preston. Kate shows him pictures she got off Facebook of trips the four took together. Gerry then asks why he’s there. Daniel mentions how when Gerry heard Ellen’s diagnosis he was “offended” that Ellen didn’t share the same emotional connection she had with his wife or Preston to make her think he was an alien. Daniel asked him why he was “offended.” Gerry scoffs saying it was a “bad joke.” Daniel doesn’t think so and says he thinks Gerry was upset that Ellen didn’t have the same feelings for him. Daniel thinks that “stung” Gerry, who brushes Daniel’s comment off. Kate then mentions about Gerry renting a lot of cars recently specifically a Hyundai, which was the car Preston mentioned ran Ellen off the road. Gerry says there must be a million similar cars on the road but Kate questions him renting such a car when he owns two German luxury sedans. Kate then accuses Gerry of stalking Ellen, that he rented cars to follow her since she’d recognize his car, got too close to her one day and caused her accident. Gerry then asks for a lawyer. Kate then asks Gerry if he feels guilty about causing Ellen’s brain injury. Daniel tells Kate that Gerry couldn’t have known about Ellen’s aneurysm and says it was Preston’s fault for taking her to the hospital. Gerry then says Ellen deserved better. Gerry then tells them he just wanted Preston to go away. He tells them he went over to the Resnicks’ house to tell Preston his marriage was over since Ellen thought he was an alien but Preston wouldn’t listen. So, he shot and killed Preston and framed Weyland because he knew he had threatened Preston and Barbara and no one would question it. But, Daniel can’t understand why Ellen thought Gerry was an alien practically overnight. He remembered Gerry being there when Ellen told Daniel to thank Weyland for killing the “alien.” Gerry knew she was thanking the wrong person and wanted to set the record straight. Gerry then says he told Ellen that he killed the “alien” not Weyland. He then told Ellen that he did it to protect her and that he’s loved her for years. Ellen reminded him that she was married but he told her that Preston wasn’t coming back and told her Preston was dead. Gerry then said she cried for hours and when he went to check on her, she was so grateful to him for killing the “alien” that they made love. Gerry says it was the “most wonderful moment of my life,” but the next morning, Ellen thought he was an alien too. “I wanted her to love me and for one night, she did,” Gerry tells them. As Kate leads Gerry away in cuffs, the red-haired kid appears again to Daniel then disappears.
Shoot to Kate giving Donnie back the wedding ring. He tells her that he wants her to have it and if she doesn’t want it, she can sell it. He then gives her the signed divorce papers and says he lied about being transferred there and that he asked for the transfer…”because I missed you.” He then tells her that he hopes she doesn’t file the divorce papers. Kate says nothing and just walks away.
Shoot to Caroline approaching Daniel. He tells her that he’s been trying to call her. She says that she knows and thought it would be better if they talked in-person. Daniel then tells her that’s he been off his meds and apologizes for not telling her sooner. Caroline replies that she already knew. Daniel is surprised. Caroline says she overheard him talking to “Natalie” in his office. Daniel tries to make like it was no big deal but Caroline adds that he heard him say he loved “Natalie.” Daniel still says that Caroline doesn’t understand and his relationship with “Natalie” and his relationship with her are different. Caroline asks if he’s hearing what he’s saying. He apologizes again for going off his meds and not telling her but Caroline says it’s her fault because when “you told me that you saw me once 25 years ago and that you’d fallen in love with me at first sight. I guess I was taken by how romantic that sounded. And then you went on your meds and started getting better and I was so attracted to you, but I guess I was the one being delusional. To convince myself there was a world in which this relationship could be healthy for either of us, but it was a mistake.” She then tells Daniel that she can’t see him anymore, apologizes and walks away. Then, “Natalie” appears and tells Daniel to go after her and tell her that he’ll get help. “Tell her that she means more to you than I do,” she tells him. He replies, “No. I can’t lie to her anymore.”
Shoot to Daniel asking his class, “Why do we bother with relationships?” We see Donnie, his grandmother and Kate having a good time. Then, we see Kate walking with Gerry in handcuffs. Then, we see Lewicki holding Daniel’s cell phone, which is now a charred mess. We see Kate looking at the signed divorce papers and also signing them. We also see Daniel watching Caroline walk away with “Natalie” sitting next to him.