Episode Report Card Couch Baron: B | 283 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT White People Problems
By Couch Baron | Season 6 | Episode 5 | Aired on 2013.04.28
Peggy enters her office and is surprised to find Phyllis, who apologizes for not being out doing reception. Peggy's like, it's not that - I just didn't expect you to come in at all. She goes on that she kept calling her number but no one answered, so Phyllis explains that she, her mother, and their family went out to her sister's in Newark. Peggy tentatively offers, referring to the violence, that Abe told her things could have been a lot worse, but then, realizing how inadequate that sounds, adds a heartfelt "I'm so sorry." Phyllis's face starts to break, so Peggy stretches out and embraces her in as heartfelt a gesture as I've seen on this show in some time. Still in Peggy's arms, Phyllis says she knew it was going to happen, and so did Dr. King, "but it's not gonna stop anything." Her own words giving her some strength, she breaks the embrace and adds that "these fools running in the streets - it's exactly what he didn't want." Peggy tells her she should go home. "In fact, none of us should be working." Phyllis thanks her and leaves, but Peggy still looks rather shaken.
In Rye, Betty, referring to the paper, asks Henry "if this is really what happened." Henry tells her the account is correct, "except that it was terrifying, walking into that angry, crazy crowd and Mayor Lindsay smiling like he was going to a pancake breakfast." Betty replies that it sounds like the tactic worked, but Henry scoffs that what worked was "cutting deals with all the militants last year." I think I want to go back to hanging out with Peggy. Henry tells Betty he's got to go back, but she informs him he's going to eat something first...
...while, in contrast, Pete isn't being taken care of, as he stomps out of his office to find that Clara has abandoned her post. Across the way, Harry is annoyed that Scarlett has similarly disappeared, and they suppose the girls are off watching TV somewhere. They then start to talk, but when Harry tries to get Pete to commiserate about all the ad buyers being worried about preemption, Pete snits that it's disgusting. Oblivious to Pete's liberal slant, Harry goes on that he's had enough of special broadcasts cutting into primetime, to which Pete snaps that the situation "cannot be made good. It's shameful. It's a shameful, shameful day!" Harry fires a salvo back at Pete, prompting Bertram to come out of his office and ask what's going on. Pete barks that they're in the presence of a "bona fide racist," but Harry isn't intimidated, saying that sure, now everyone's a racist these days. On the one hand, Harry's got a point about the zeitgeist being such that people are getting accused of racism like women in The Crucible got accused of witchcraft. On the other hand, Harry's still being a tin-eared idiot. Bertram calls for them to shake "in the spirit of erasing these remarks," so they grasp each other's hand - whereupon Harry says he's sorry because "I mistook this for a workday." Ah, the apology fake-out. It never loses its charm. Pete, hilariously still shaking Harry's hand, snarls that he's sure Harry can make his money back on some Movie of the Week "about the death of a great man." Harry's face falls at that one - hard to blame it, that line went through him like a rapier - and Bertram literally is like, "That is not what I meant!" Hee. Pete's not done, though, as he tells Harry he'll put it in terms he'll understand: "That man had a wife and four children!" Clearly having won, he turns on his heel and stomps off, and even Bertram looks like, "Well, I'll give him that one."