Episode Report Card Couch Baron: B- | 5 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT Don's Ghosts, Coast To Coast
By Couch Baron | Season 6 | Episode 10 | Aired on 06.02.2013
So there's a bit of tension outside the [NAME] offices, as after they get off the elevator, Joan grabs Peggy by the arm and asks what's with the attitude, as she just handed her an amazing opportunity. Peggy, however, retorts that Joan threw it away, and soon Joan is saying that Peggy doesn't have any "respect for me or what I do." I sure don't love to see these two going at it -- if I had two moms I'd imagine their fights would feel the same way -- but it's happening, as Peggy snaps back that she knows Joan wants this, but now she can't have it. "You could have, but now you can't." Joan tries to say that she didn't dissuade Peggy when she started writing copy, but Peggy tells her that actually, she did -- every day -- and it was worse because Joan made her feel like she couldn't do it. "I know you can do this." Joan wonders what the problem is, then, but Peggy tells her she worked her way up, to which Joan snits that Peggy was so brave, "letting Don carry you to the deep end of the pool." I'd point out that no one should even go near Don in the pool these days, let alone rely on him to keep them above water, but Peggy replies that she never slept with him. Joan's eyes narrow as she congratulates her for being "just like them," but Peggy apologizes before going on to add that she never thought she'd be in a position to tell Joan she made a mistake. Joan tells her all that matters is who has the relationship with the client. "Who is the client going to call?" She says she'll be fine, so an exasperated Peggy stomps off. Not only was that inconclusive and upsetting, technically they're late now!
On a phonograph in his office, Benson is listening to a self-help speaker, and seriously, at this point Benson is either the most earnest, decent guy you've ever met, or he's a serial killer. The phone rings, disrupting his reverie, and after he answers, the look on his face suggests he's indeed going to need some inner resources to deal with whatever situation...
...and, sure enough, once Stan has opened up Ginzo's locked office from the inside, Benson finds a sweaty Ginzo sitting on the floor complaining that he didn't sleep the night before, and he's got diarrhea and dry mouth. You'd think have something in the supply closet that could treat all of these. Did they ever have Pepto-Bismol as an account? Benson gets down on one knee and tries to be all rah-rah Ginzo, and it's not like he's never presented before, but I guess it's fair to conclude he's never done so as the sole Creative voice. Stan and Ginzo continue their married act as Stan complains that Ginzo will talk to Benson and Ginzo assures him he loves him -- "you're like a mother hen" -- before Ginzo tells Benson he's not going. Benson tries some motivational speech that makes me suspect he's already got the record memorized, but when Ginzo continues with the crazy talk (he's heading for Dog Day Afternoon territory), the upshot being that he can't do the Evil Ad World's bidding anymore, Benson gets to his feet and yells that there's no evil here -- Manischewitz are Ginzo's people and make a product used in religious ceremonies. "Now pull yourself together and be the man that I admire!" Ginzo rocks back and forth on the floor for a moment, but then grasps Benson's outstretched hand and allows him to pull him up before thanking him thusly: "Tell me the truth. Are you a homo?" Benson isn't fazed, though, so I guess the shorts were just that comfortable.