Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A | 495 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT The Short Goodbye
By Couch Baron | Season 4 | Episode 3 | Aired on 2010.08.08
Don arrives and Allison greets him with a new Jackie hairdo. She seems to have been able to erase the awkwardness from last week, and I think it's fair to say that despite Peggy's copywriting skills, Allison is the best assistant Don's ever had (no pun intended; I just REALLY couldn't get around it). Don's not been in his office more than a few seconds before Harry comes in to bother him, and despite my antipathy for the character, I'm really not editorializing; Don's "What do you want?" is delivered in a tone usually reserved for particularly aggressive Jehovah's witnesses. Anyway, Harry wants Don to go on some TV-related errand while he's in Los Angeles for a day on his way to Acapulco, and Don shows what he thinks of that idea when he looks at Harry and replies "No," when Pryce enters and asks if he's interrupting. Heh. Pryce mentions a meeting set for that afternoon, about which Harry wastes no time whining and suggesting Pryce take off for England already. Pryce counters that he's happiest when he's working, and acidly says another day and a half won't come close to the amount of "fiddling about" Harry did in L.A. that year. Having been tag-teamed, and not in the good way, Harry exits, leaving Pryce to drop off some documents for Don to sign before he leaves and wish Don a sincere Happy New Year, a sentiment that's rather warmly returned. Once Pryce is gone, Don gets to work on the papers as he offhandedly asks Allison what she'll be doing; misinterpreting his question (or simply taking an opportunity), she somewhat wryly says she'll be there until the bitter end. Well, that's good news for me; after last week I certainly had my doubts. Don clarifies he was talking about her New Year's plans, and they exchange light small talk before Allison tells Don if he wants her or someone else on his desk for West Coast hours, she can arrange it. Don declines the offer...
...and we cut to Joan, who arrives at Pryce's office and asks why his door is shut. Pryce's assistant replies that she doesn't like pipe smoke. "He's very considerate." Joan obviously loathes this woman, so she doesn't wait for her to dither about for very long before entering and sunnily telling Pryce she's getting fried chicken for lunch, and she knows he likes it so she wanted to include him. He's gratified, seemingly both at the consideration and her ensuing enunciation of the words "thigh" and "breast," but when she then submits an oh-by-the-way request for a few days off the second week of January, Pryce points out that she's getting New Year's off. Joan tells him Greg's schedule isn't flexible, but this of course is not the time to bring up any issues of a familial nature to Pryce, and he likens her situation to "some nurse" asking Greg for days off right after a holiday. Holding her temper, Joan tells him she'd be happy with only two days, but when he brings up some expense reports that he'll need her help on, she somewhat tartly suggests they do it now. "No one knows why we're here anyway." Pryce heatedly counters that there's work to be done, "and I understand that all men are dizzy and powerless to refuse you, but consider me the incorruptible exception!" I'm guessing they had him nail a hooker as part of the episode to counter the inevitable speculation of "So, is Pryce gay or what?" borne of his refusal here, although his subsequent calling her out on the fried chicken gambit seems reasonably justified. Less so is his ensuing taunt - "Don't go and cry about it" - and I don't know what revenge Joan might exact for this, but the purposeful way she marches out the door makes me think we won't want to miss it.