Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A+ | 11 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT "Mr. Campbell. Who Cares?"
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 12 | Aired on 2007.10.11
...but he doesn't return to his own office, instead making for Bertram's, which is enough for Pete to catch him by the arm and ask him what he's doing; he can't believe that "you would rather blow yourself up than make me Head of Accounts." Don gives him a long look that I interpret as meaning, "I'd rather slice off my own skin, then blow myself up." He moves, and Pete gets in front of him again and asks why Don can't give him what he wants. He's earned this job! Don asks why: "Because your parents are rich? Because you went to prep school and you have a five-dollar haircut?" If that last is true, I don't need to do the inflation-conversion math to tell you that Pete got ripped off there. But this obviously is all about the Nixon vs. Kennedy parallel -- self-made man versus product of money and privilege. Not that it completely holds up in this episode, but once again I'm gleefully getting ahead of myself. Pete asks if it would really be so bad to give him the job. "Why is this so hard for you?" Not to give Pete credit for anything, but it is a good question, even beyond the parallel as already discussed. I mean, Don paid Adam five grand to go away; even if you grant him the credit that it was partially motivated by his desire to take care of his brother, the main reason was clearly to protect his secret. And while I'd point out that giving Pete the job probably wouldn't solve anything -- the unscrupulous scumbag would most likely leverage Don's secret for eternity -- still, rather that pursue the course he's currently on, he could stick with his original instinct by running away and starting over someplace. But now he's committing to this identity regardless of the consequences, which means I guess we have to thank Pete for being more unctuous than Don or anyone else could ever have dreamed was possible. Anyway, just to drive home the theme, as Don walks off, Pete stands next to a TV on which Kennedy is presumably making his victory speech...