Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A | 469 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT A Change Is Gonna Come
By Couch Baron | Season 3 | Episode 12 | Aired on 2009.11.01
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.A deceptively shattering episode, more felt than understood, that sends some characters into the arms of change while causing others to revert to old habits. Before everything goes to hell, Pryce tells Pete that, on his own authority, he's giving Ken the sweet promotion to SVP of Account Services based on superior interpersonal skills. The lowlier title promotion to Head of Account Management doesn't mollify Pete, and his first instinct is to call Duck, but Trudy convinces him to wait and see how things shake out. Speaking of Duck, Peggy's still seeing him, to the bemusement of her roommate. Betty and Don seem to be doing okay in light of last week, but Don's pissed at Pryce for still not having hired a replacement for Sal. Also, Margaret's wedding is imminent, but she's unhappy about the way Jane has been trying to be all buddy-buddy with her and still resentful of her existence, and is generally bummed about marriage and pissed off at the world. She calls Roger and tells him once again she doesn't want Jane at the wedding, but Mona and Roger conspire to keep her under control. Roger then chews Jane out for being so familiar with Margaret, so everything's looking like Happy Fun Times for the nuptials.
But the real shock is that the JFK assassination happens in this episode rather than in the finale, which thankfully gives the show a little time to explore the characters' reactions before the end of the season. While Betty sobs with Carla, and Pete and Trudy are indignant that everyone's not as devastated as they, Don, after doing so well at acting like a human being last week, doesn't seem to have any emotions attached to the tragedy and is unable really to relate to those who do. Amazingly, the wedding still takes place, but while Don convinces Betty to go, Pete talks Trudy out of it, and later, she tells him she sees things differently now -- he should take his clients and leave SC. Pete and Trudy are not by a long shot the only ones to stay home to grieve, so the affair's an expected disaster on both the attendance and service fronts, but Margaret seems to be relieved at how decidedly not perfect it is and also able to put things in perspective in light of the tragedy, and all seems forgiven between father and daughter when they share the first dance. Roger, however, is moved by all the emotional upheaval of the last day to call Joan, and between the tension with Jane and the fact that Greg may be gone soon it seems like there's potential for a Season Four reunion between those two.
Betty's watching when Lee Harvey Oswald is murdered on live TV, and this causes her to freak out at Don, as he assured her at the wedding that everything was going to be okay, and now she apparently thinks that was representative of the empty lies he's been telling her for years. This moves her to see Francis, who was at the wedding, and, with his own perspective no doubt colored by the preceding events, he tells her while she doesn't need to answer immediately, he wants to marry her. Betty then goes home and tells Don she's so angry with him and wants to yell, but there's no point -- she doesn't love him anymore. He's not trying to hear that, thinking she's too distraught over JFK to be thinking clearly, but when he's alone, he looks smaller than we've ever seen him. He goes to work on Monday and finds only Peggy, his kindred spirit in many ways, but declines to join even her in viewing the state funeral. He instead goes to drink in his office, and now it seems that the worst-case scenario from the events of last week will come to pass, and he's truly alone, just as it seems he thought he'd always end up. And you'll pardon me if I now go watch a Glee rerun to get myself back into emotional balance.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!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.