In the lead up to Emmy night, Valerie attends Juna's annual party, where she receives an unexpected proposal. As the ceremony approaches, she must deal with a crisis at home and a massive bombshell.
Valerie's plans to spend Saturday night with Mark are wrecked when reshoots for Seeing Red are relocated to the middle of the desert. As the heat intensifies and time drags on, Valerie becomes increasingly stressed.
Jane pulls rank on Tom and Paulie G. to get Valerie more lines on Room and Bored. Meanwhile, a stalker threat forces extra security on set, exposing old back problems as she's prepping for a big pratfall scene.
As shooting for Seeing Red reaches its conclusion, Valerie faces the prospect of working a different director, an interview with a journalist from the New York Times and several other problems.
Valerie arrives on set for the first day of shooting Seeing Red, where she meets her co-star, Seth Rogen, and has to deal with the awkwardness of a potentially explicit sex scene.
Valerie and Mark head to the desert for a long weekend in Palm Springs... with strings attached. While Mark draws the line with Jane's crew on the golf course, Valerie finds a new mentor in an old acquaintance.
Valerie discovers that Paulie G. has written a new HBO show based on his experiences working with her on Room and Bored. Angry, she goes to confront him, only to be cast in the role of "Mallory Church" herself.
When Seeing Red is beset by budget cuts, Valerie offers to let the production shoot some vital scenes at her home, which leads to much drama, expected and otherwise.