Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A | 374 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT Roman Holiday
By Couch Baron | Season 3 | Episode 8 | Aired on 2009.10.04
The next morning, Betty's alarm goes off, and she gets up with an expression that suggests she's looking forward to facing the day. Junior League: Better than coffee. After a couple of jumps ahead in time to show her bustling through her day, she goes upstairs and joins Sally at her cosmetics mirror. She touches up and blots her lipstick and then checks her eyelashes as Sally watches, silently fascinated, and when Betty finishes and walks away, Sally looks back at her own image and smiles. I don't know if I've said it yet, but the girl playing Sally (Kiernan Shipka is her name) has been just brilliant this season, which is such a rarity among child actors. Also, note the number of words in that scene.
The hearing's time has come, and Betty, Francine, and the younger woman who came to Betty's house last week are nervous, because they're next and Francis hasn't shown up. Again, swooping in at the last possible minute to save the day. This guy knows all the tricks. Anyway, after some confusion on the schedule that makes it clear that the mayor (who's played by Mark Metcalf, by the way, which makes him a little hard to take seriously) isn't all that jazzed about even hearing from the Junior League, Francis finally makes it, and Betty positively glows upon seeing him. He stands and introduces himself as "Governor Rockefeller's Director of Public Relations and Research," and produces a written request from the Governor's office for further study; he goes on that the project was initiated based on the mere assumption that the water in the reservoir was "lacking." Mayor Metcalf points out that there was indeed a study done of that issue, but Francis claims that the Governor now feels that said study was inconclusive. After taking a look at the letter, Mayor Metcalf accedes to "the Governor's" request without bothering to confer with his fellow trustees and orders the immediate suspension of the development of the new project, much to the ladies' delight. Betty looks back at Francis and smilingly mouths a "Thank you," and he looks back at her adoringly...