Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A- | 762 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT The Cat is Out of the Bag…
By Couch Baron | Season 3 | Episode 11 | Aired on 2009.10.25
Don gets into the office and tells Allison to cancel his plans, as he has plenty to do. Yes, figuring out how to word an apology to someone you left in the car in those circumstances may take a while even for someone of Don's talent with words. But no, he calls her straightaway, and when she answers it's pretty clear she's been crying. She asks if he got caught, but when he tells her it's more complicated than that, she knows it's over, even as she asks if that means she won't see him anymore. He tells her, "Not right now. No," which may just be a way of softening the blow rather than a genuine attempt to keep things open, but when she asks if he's okay, he's gut-punched again: "Only you would ask about me right now." She fearfully inquires if she has to worry about her job, probably in reference to the fact that she's still unclear if Betty knows about her, and this is a bit troubling, because if she ever runs into Betty and assumes she does know, she might spill something she shouldn't. Don, however, just tells her she doesn't have to worry, so she bids him a tearful goodbye...
...and then that evening, the family is waiting to go trick-or-treating when Don arrives home to find Sally and Bobby sharing the episode title by dressing as a gypsy and a hobo, respectively. Betty again asks Don if he'd like something to eat before wondering if she should take the carriage or just hold Gene herself. Don says it's pretty cold, and then offers to take the kids while she stays home, or vice versa. Betty says no, though, and he's genuinely happy that she's okay with going out with him as a family...
...and then they're ringing a doorbell. Carlton answers and gives the kids some candy, and then looks in Don's direction: "And who are you supposed to be?" I think he's just joking about the adults not wearing a costume, but Don looks like he was hoping the tough questions were done for the episode already. "Where Is Love" from Oliver! kicks up, and it's over. Try to recover by Sunday.
John Ramos is a writer and film producer living in Los Angeles. You can reach him at couchbaron@gmail.com.