Love and Understanding

Enter Neal's old good-for-nothing friend, Richie, for a surprise visit, straight from South America-or somewhere. He needs a place to stay and Neal is too weak to say no

Rachel doesn't want him either, but Richie manipulates her, creating a sexual tension between them. Richie immediately uses this charge to stir up trouble between the couple, insinuating that Neal is boring and that Rachel needs a good time with a black sheep like himself

And while he works on Rachel, Richie steals drugs from Neal's office. By the end of Act One, Richie has declared his interest in Rachel, but she resists. In Act Two, she tells Neal about the pass, but Richie denies it

Thinking Neal doesn't care, Rachel sleeps with Richie, but the couple is caught by Neal. Richie almost delights in the trouble he's caused, and with more drugs, ends up comatose from an overdose

The strain of all that's happened causes Rachel and Neal to split up. Richie recovers, and takes off for Wales, leaving Neal and Rachel with a new-found understanding of one another which may or may not lead to reconciliation