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James Carville upsets things at the consulting firm he runs with his wife, Mary Matalin, by accepting an offer to prep Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean for an upcoming debate. This sends Maggie (Mary McCormack) scrambling to tell the firm's conservative clients, including Republican senators Rick Santorum and Don Nickles, that Carville is acting on his own, and not as a representative of the firm. Political consultant Paul Begala joins Carville and Tommy Flanagan (John Slattery) in prepping Dean. "The reason you became the frontrunner is because you weren't the frontrunner," Carville advises Dean, "So don't become the frontrunner now that you are the frontrunner." While Matalin watches on television and stews, Dean gets a big laugh at the Democrats' debate, using a joke Carville suggested about Republican Trent Lott. The next day, the notably well-groomed Francisco Dupré (Roger G. Smith) comes in to interview for a job at the firm. Carville thinks he's "bizarre," while Matalin is impressed, but they're going to hire him because one of the firm's investors has demanded it. The premiere episode of K Street was directed by Steven Soderbergh, one of the show's executive producers.