Episode Report Card Couch Baron: B+ | 386 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT You Got Served!
By Couch Baron | Season 5 | Episode 10 | Aired on 2012.05.20
Roger enters Joan's office with a bouquet of roses and a warning that they're not from him. Joan evenly thanks him for delivering them, but Roger says he had to: "The girl in Reception's too scared to bring them back." Hee. Noting that he's not rushing out the door, Joan asks what's up and Roger sighs, "How many times have I left you alone with a card from another man?" Nice counter to the scene earlier, especially in light of Don and Joan's "hypothetical" conversation and it's another example of Roger having actual, real-person feelings this season that we've never much seen before. Of course, we're meant to think that the guy from last night's patience was rewarded and that may or may not be true, but the flowers are actually from Don, as you can see from the card: "Your mother did a good job -- Aly Khan." Aww, but as much as this must have made the Internet explode, I don't want anything to happen between them. Certainly not yet and not just because it would make Roger the saddest little boy in the world. It's just... the two of them have this bro-like relationship that's really enjoyable and maybe in the modern day they could get involved romantically without compromising that, but not in the '60s I don't think. I'm hoping this was just the cap on his efforts to bolster her confidence and from the smile on her face it looks like that mission's been accomplished.
Harry meets Paul in another diner and Harry proceeds to spin a ridiculous story about how the reader at Mike Weinblatt's company thought it was one of the best scripts he'd ever read and while the company can't get involved for legal reasons, he thinks Paul has a bright future -- and so does Harry, which is why he's giving Paul five hundred bucks and a ticket to LA to leave the Krishnas, go out West and become a writer. Paul starts to wonder about Lakshmi, but Harry firmly tells him he'll only make this gift if Paul promises literally to go straight to the airport (bus station?) and go. Paul doesn't know what to make of all this, but Harry tells him it's amazing out in LA: "This failure, this life? It'll all seem like it happened to someone else." I'd make a comment about how he'll have too many fresh failures to worry about the old ones, but despite these two being far from my favorite characters and Harry having banged Paul's girlfriend, it's a touching moment and the first instance of humanity I've seen from Harry in some time. They get up and Paul kind of heartbreakingly clutches the envelope Harry gave him before pulling his old friend into a mournful embrace: "All these people said they'd do something for me. You're the first one who did." Harry nods emotionally, tells him to break a leg and goes, leaving Paul standing there. And it's confounding, given everything that's happened -- including his outfit -- that he could manage to look sadly dignified.