Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A- | 3 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT It's A Man's World
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 2 | Aired on 2007.07.26
At home, Betty serves the kids dinner and sits down with them just as Don arrives home. Sally announces to him that they went to the hospital and got lollipops. Betty does not say, "Which you really should be sucking on right now instead of shooting off your big mouth," but Don seemingly already knows about it, as he asks no questions, just looks at Betty, who tells him they're fine. He asks about her, and she admits that she's a little sore and embarrassed. That must just remind her of her first sexual relationship. After a little talk about how she was only going twenty-five and how Don hates the way she drives, the kids leave the table, and Don asks what happened. Betty eventually admits that the thing with her hands happened "again," and Don urgently tells her she needs to get the problem taken care of, although it does sound like he wants that primarily so he won't have to hear about it anymore. Betty reluctantly tells him that she's been thoroughly checked out by multiple doctors, and there's nothing physically wrong with her, but she's been told that she should see a psychiatrist. This of course goes over about as well as one of Pete Campbell's typical pickup lines, and Don heatedly tells Betty that he'll get her to a specialist, and by the way, she should leave the dishes "for the girl."
Don does some shirtless push-ups, for which we're all very grateful, and then puts his pajama top on as Betty gets into bed. He tells her that he does worry about her, calling her by the affectionate nickname "Birdy" for the first time. She says she knows, but haltingly presses the case for therapy, saying that it doesn't have as much of a stigma as it used to. Don, his fire gone now, wonders what the shrink could possibly tell her, and says that he always thought people see psychiatrists when they're unhappy. Well, Don, leaving aside any thought of some cracks in the façade of your blissful marriage, as Betty just told us, her mom is barely cold in the grave. That can cause a surge of confusing and pent-up "emotions" for those of us with "feelings" in the first place. Anyway, Betty backs off, saying she'll do whatever he thinks is best. She turns out the light, but while Don closes his eyes immediately, she keeps hers open and looks pensively outward.