Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A- | 893 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT Company Woman
By Couch Baron | Season 5 | Episode 11 | Aired on 2012.05.27
It looks like Ocean's Eleven as the SCDP boys -- Don, Roger, Pete, Stan, Harry and Ken -- roll into the Jaguar showroom. Cut to Don talking about how deep beauty creates deep desire -- and then we cut to Joan turning up to a hotel room and seeing Gross Pig answer the door. Oh GOD. She's at least putting forth her usual Joan confidence even as she must be dying inside and she enters before we cut back to Don talking some more about longing; then back to the hotel, in which Gross Pig fastens an emerald stone on a gold chain around Joan's neck. More intercutting, more talk of unattainable objects, Gross Pig asking to "see 'em," Joan wordlessly turning away so he can unzip her dress. It's no coincidence she's been compared to Helen of Troy and Cleopatra in this episode; what we're seeing is tragedy on a grand scale. Don talks about how you can actually have a Jaguar and then it's... afterwards, as Gross Pig thanks her for a wonderful time and says she's a "hell of a gal." Don unveils the art with the tagline on it and no one looks more enthused than Gross Pig...
...and then Joan, in her bedroom, is just taking off the necklace Gross Pig gave her and putting it back in the box (doesn't look like she's throwing it away) when her mother comes in to tell her Don is there. So she'd already gone through with it when he turned up, as if you didn't think the tragedy could be elevated any further. Joan asks why Gail told him Joan was home, making me wonder how much she told Gail, but Gail simply says he's her boss and she should see him. She heads back out and Joan, with a look of absolute despair, pulls her robe on...
...and now we get to relive the scene armed with the knowledge that Joan already gave it up for Gross Pig. Well, it's actually only up to the point where Don tells her it's not worth it and she closes her eyes in realization. I'm actually surprised they didn't let the whole thing play out again; in an episode that is sticking your face right up to it, I can understand why they'd want to give us two looks at the scene one without all the relevant information and one with, just to drive home how the characters are viewing the same events through extremely different prisms here. The plus side -- if there is one -- is that I don't have to witness as much of Joan's pain, which, as I've probably said before is my Kryptonite.
Don leads the boys back into SCDP and Joan stops him with a question of how it went. He says they'll see, but his grin betrays how good he feels about the whole thing. Roger adds that it was one of his good ones and I'd imagine he's trying to normalize things with Joan, which is embarrassing for everyone on many levels. Don asks if she'd like to join them for a drink and she chirps, "Maybe later!" while her face looks like a moderate breeze might cause it to shatter. Once Don walks on, Joan finishes filing what I'm hoping is her executed partnership agreement...