Case against Mr. Turkle, accused of attempted robbery. Dan produces a gallery of men that resemble the accused to prove his point that it could’ve been anyone on the security footage and seen by the eye witness.

The defendant casually confesses to the crime. Abby rules guilty despite Dan’s fast talk.

The courtroom team is waiting for Abby after they’re done for the night. Neil’s confused by Abby’s approach to work. Gurg hopes Abby is bringing them presents. Dan warns him Harry Stone used to waste his time all the time. He bets she has an inspirational speech for them.

Abby enters with a box she says are gifts but gives a speech first. She challenges them all to work on improving the courtroom and gives them water bottles, customized for the “Nighthawks,” her new team name for them. Neil’s the first one up to meet her challenge.

In her chambers, Abby asks Gurgs her opinion on Dan as a public defender. Abby believes he can be a good one but is afraid to push him too hard.

Dan comes in and Abby confronts him with the fact he’s not as good at defending as he was at prosecuting. She offers him some help in the transition.

His response is that it’s not necessary because he’s only in the position temporarily. However, at her pleading, he agrees to be a “real” public defender.

Neil decides to improve things by changing the shade of white of the paper they use in the courtroom.

Abby notices the paper change and congratulates Neil on his improvement.

The next case sees Dan enter in a knitted cardigan and bow tie to defend his client, Mr. Buckwold, a man accused of indecent exposure while urinating in public on a Starbucks. Dan defends him with a melodramatic fiction about the man’s hatred of coffee due to his father’s death in a coffee field in Columbia.

Abby calls him on the fiction. Dan explains this is how he defends the public. With so many feelings.

She compliments his sweater and points out he’s being obstinate. She addresses Mr. Buckwold directly, asking if he’s dyslexic. She realizes that his dyslexia made it hard for him to type in the security code to access the restroom. She dismisses the charges on the basis of disability.

Olivia points out the judge did the defender’s job. Dan’s happy that they make a good team.

Dan admits that Abby might be onto something.

Olivia wants to stay on good terms with Maggie, the court stenographer but is concerned that it may be a stalker situation. She’s put off an outing with her several times but Maggie catches her in the most recent lie and tells her they’re leaving on a bus at 5am for a girls’ trip.

In the cafeteria, Dan interviews his next client, Howie, who drops nets on his neighbors because he thinks they are lizards. He accuses Dan of being one too.

Dan decides to pay Gurgs to talk to defendants for him and report back.

Abby comes into the courtroom to find Neil has hired the maintenance guy, Nikolai, to paint a mural to cover a water stain the city was taking too long to paint over. Olivia’s hired a new stenographer, Blaine, who actually does the job and brought in better doughnuts than Abby.

Gurgs brings her notes on clients to Dan in a jumble of post-it notes. He is unable to effectively defend Howie and his deal with Gurgs is revealed. Abby is disappointed.

Maggie storms in to protest being replaced by Blaine. When Gurgs tries to take her into custody, they knock Nikolai off his ladder. He grabs onto a light fixture that pulls out of the ceiling, startling a flock of pigeons that fly to Blaine’s doughnut box.

Dan, Neil, and Gurgs wait in the corridor, discussing what just happened. Dan feels that him being a disappointment to Abby will teach her about what she can expect working at the night court.

Howie is handcuffed to a pipe and shares a story about his stepfather. Dan and Gurgs realize a client just opened up to Dan.

Dan walks into Abby’s chambers. She’s ready to accept his resignation, but instead he reviews several files with her, proving that he’s connected with his clients.

He admits that she sees the best in him and he’s smart enough to know that he should help her instead of getting in her way. She crosses “Fix Dan” off her list but promises him that he’s on the list four more times.

Abby helps Neil clean up the courtroom and they admire the mural of the four Golden Girls dressed and judges that Nikolai painted.

Neil confesses he’s not a big swing guy but Abby reassures him that she feels like people are buying in. She thinks the birds are gone but Nikolai says they aren’t but he’ll be ready with an ax when they come back.