S1, E8: Mackenzie Allen vows a new direction for her administration - one of action instead of reaction - and, finding few allies and lagging in the polls, turns to her closest advisor, Rod, appointing him to an official West Wing position of strategic planning advisor… which miffs Chief of Staff Jim Gardner who is already in a power struggle with her husband. Meanwhile, when Vince's random drug test comes back negative for drugs but outs him and his HIV status, Templeton, who has been digging for dirt on Mac and her staff, intends to use this to his own political advantage. At the same time, Mac is presented with damning information about Templeton's past and struggles with how to handle it. On the home front, Horace is having a hard time at school, and nearly gets into a fight with Rebecca's boyfriend when he finds out the rumors he's spreading about her.