Nick in a t-shirt and a sweat - now, that's alluring. Young 'Dina' (played by the very excellent Heather McComb) apparently can't resist, and while the dead plant thing is certainly original (indeed, Nick at first seems more interested in the dead plant than in her), the rest of her pick-up routine never strays far from cliché. This seems somehow appropriate, considering the man she's trying to pick up. In fact, the only thing not clichéd about it is the speed with which it's accomplished. Nobody even buys anybody a drink first! Nick succumbs faster than you can say, 'May I see your ID?' and they are outta there, much to Amanda's disappointment.

Nick is still smothering yawns the following morning (hey, they did do it twice, ya know - what a stud) when he finds himself face-to-face with Dina again, now playing the schoolgirl routine and not a dead plant in sight. I am a big fan of understatement in many things including acting, and the deceptively mild, transfixed look of shock on Simon's face as Nick considers the consequences of his moment of weakness, and Dina's hinted-at blackmail, is masterful. Understated writing is always nice, too. Dina talks about 'what you did to me', mentions Nick's 'tricks' and even his underwear, but we never actually see any of this. Much as I wouldn't mind clapping eyes on Nick's underwear myself, I think the episode would have been far less effective if these things had not been left to our imagination. (And I do have a great imagination...)

Alvin, meanwhile, is in desperate need of funding for the clinic. So desperate that he finds himself on the auctioneer's block where party-girl Pamela thinks he's worth $1000 for a date with her, or $2000 for sex with her. Alvin has sex with her.

Dina's little sister, Lisa, is about to be adopted by Wayne Haller and his mute wife. Mrs Haller is a mute, I suspect, because it costs less to hire an actor who doesn't have any lines. This unfortunately makes her look rather stupid, but I guess a budget is a budget. Back to Nick - while Dina tweaks his tie and does her best to mislead him in his quest to track down her parents, he seems eager to believe each of her stories and false leads. He has a soft spot for her, despite her threats and lies - she does, after all, have that cute pick-up line about the dead plant.

Finally Nick finds her real parents, who may be trailer trash but could never be accused of overestimating their parenting abilities. "We had a sorry bunch o' kids. None of 'em turned out so great." Having learned the truth, Nick finally tries to wash his hands of Avis Donaldson, who retaliates by accusing him of rape in front of the entire CLS staff. When that fails to impress, she changes her story to "sex". Two times. Possibly in his BMW. Was a dead plant also involved? The mind boggles. Anyway, this means Nick has to shamefacedly sidle into Alvin's office to face his weekly dressing-down before paying a final visit to Avis for a sympathetic parting shot.

Coda: Alvin, who blew his chance at the half-million on offer from the class action suit because he wore the wrong jacket, takes a legal aid grant instead and the clinic will now represent adults.

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* Is sweet with Lisa. (Tip: He should brush up on his knowledge of all things Barbie if he wants to engage little girls in meaningful conversation.)

* Thinks first of helping Alvin's clinic with the money from the class action suit.

* Tells Avis that he liked her, when he could have just said nothing.

• Nick looks hot in a t-shirt (which he apparently wears under his shirt and tie on unseasonally hot days).
• Nick lives in an apartment.
• Nick's car radio is tuned to a teenage pop station.
• Amanda hates working at Fallin & Associates.
• It costs Alvin $300,000 annually to run the clinic.
• Nick has a friend who is willing to dust his car for prints and fake the invoice. Handy!

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