Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A | 491 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT A Change Is Gonna Come
By Couch Baron | Season 3 | Episode 12 | Aired on 2009.11.01
Pete's lying on his office couch, and from the way he's bundled up and the fact that Hildy brings him some hot chocolate, either SC is having a really bad month, or the building owner is pulling a classic New York City move and being all "Oh, is it really November already?" Dicks. Pete indulges in a little complaining about the fact that the stuff is instant before apologizing to Hildy, but given what's coming if the apology is an attempt to improve his karma it's not going to work. At Hildy's relaying of a request for his presence, Pete then goes to see Pryce...
...who's sitting in his office sipping tea, scarf and leather gloves in use. After Pete takes a seat, Pryce unceremoniously gives him some bad news: Ken has been made Senior Vice President of Accounts Services, while Pete will be Head of Account Management. Pete is not exactly thrilled, and when Pryce goes on that this isn't to ignore all his great service to the company (when it kind of totally is), Pete asks what the decision was based on, pointing out that his billings and Ken's are neck and neck, and opining that he thinks he did pretty well with what he was given "in this arbitrary scheme." Pryce leans forward and tells Pete the truth: While Pete is excellent at getting the clients to feel their needs are being met, Ken "has the rare gift of making them feel as if they haven't any needs." There are different ways that could be interpreted, to be sure, but I think what he's basically saying is that clients like Ken better than Pete, which is something I suspect Pete feared would be the deciding factor all along. Pryce just about flat-out tells Pete that the title improvement should make him happy enough not to bitch to his clients about the decision, and when Pete asks if Bertram and Roger know about it, Pryce tells him he made it on his authority alone. "And I have to commend you on taking it as well as you have." I think that's Pryce's clever way of drawing the meeting to a close, because now any real complaining by Pete will seem terribly gauche. I mean, my idea of taking bad news well certainly doesn't match up with Pete's face, on which the words "murder" and "suicide" are currently separated by his nose. And Pryce's gambit works, as Pete stands and sticks out his hand. After Pryce gets his glove off and shakes, Pete expresses the hope that it was at least a difficult decision, but Pryce's "It was" comes far too automatically to be sincere. Pete exits...
...and we cut to him walking back out into the main area in a daze, and the way he's clutching that hot chocolate like it's the only thing keeping him alive is unexpectedly affecting. He finds some focus, however, when he sees Ken helping one of the secretaries plug an appliance in under her desk, I think. Their eyes meet, and Ken looks both chastened and bummed at the hurt in Pete's eyes. You can argue the merits of the decision, but even Ken would admit that Pete wanted it more. Plus, I'm guessing they won't be going out for drinks after work anymore, and with Sal gone and Harry still married, the Boys' Club is looking pretty sparse these days. And speaking of sparse, leaving aside this competition that really hasn't gotten all that much screentime, has Ken really had any subplots this entire season, other than indirectly causing a guy to lose his foot? It makes the promotion feel a little weird, even though on the merits it's probably correct. Anyway, Pete only stops back in his office long enough to exchange the hot chocolate for his bag, and when Hildy asks the obvious question, he practically spits that he doesn't feel well. He'll be in good company soon enough.