The second season premiere picked up in the exact spot where season one concluded. After Alicia told Will they needed a plan, and then hung up on him to join Peter on stage at his press conference, Will called back - but Peter grabbed his wife by the arm and Eli grabbed her phone.

He listened to two voicemails from Will. The first said he and Alicia should just drop all romance, the second took it back and said he loved her and wanted to work things out. Eli erased on the first. Fast forward a week and this is what went down:

- Things are awkward at work between Alicia and Will because he thinks she ignored his love admission, while she thinks he wants to drop all romantic talk. It doesn't help that the firm has merged with another firm, led by attorney Derek Bond.

- He has brought in a slew of new lawyers, some of which gossip about Alicia because a new sex scandal is in the news involving some politician in Colorado. It brings things back up for Peter and Alicia. However, they are doing okay aside from that, as Alicia is helping with campaign speeches and playing the role of, well, the good wife.

- On the professional front, a judge forces Alicia to sit in on a case that involves a guy defending himself against murder charges. She does such a good job of helping him pin a murder on the government that Childs steps in on the opposing side and makes Cary first chair. He makes a solid point and seems to be tilting the case the way of the prosecution... but Alicia essentially wins out in the end, as her client agrees to a plea bargain and just five years in jail.

- Elsewhere, Kalinda has a new rival at the firm: Bond's investigator, played by Scott Porter, who seems to be kind of a smart ass.

- Meanwhile, Grace is approached by what Eli would describe as a "tracker," someone hoping to catch her in a honest moment, admitting something scandalous about her parents. Also, Eli tries to get Peter an award from a women's group, which is headed by the older Mrs. Florrick.

- The episode ends with Derek, who is trying to institute a few new rules at the firm and raising Will's suspicions in the process, telling Alicia he will be her new professional mentor.