Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A- | 488 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT I Went To A Garden Party…
By Couch Baron | Season 3 | Episode 3 | Aired on 2009.08.30
Don's listening to a radio broadcast concerning an investigation into the State Liquor Authority, which I believe would interest him on general principles, when Betty enters, calling for Carla. Don compliments her appearance; pleased, she responds that while she looks good for her condition, "I'm still in my condition." Translation: This baby better not come late or I am never going to let her hear the end of it. Gene then enters angrily, Carla in tow, and reports his missing five bucks, but of course Betty thinks he's just being forgetful. She gets Don to offer him a replacement fiver, but Gene refuses, and seethes that "you people" think money's the answer to every problem. Don replies, "No, just this particular problem," and if January Jones didn't break character in at least one take off that line, she is an even better actress than I thought. Betty apologizes but says she doesn't know what Gene wants, and when he snits that what he wants is his five dollars, Jon Hamm brings the hilarity again with a look at the bill in his hand followed by a frustrated eye-roll. Hee. The parents leave, and then Carla takes the kids out to play in the yard, but not before Sally looks back and gives her grandfather an "I did it! Ask me how!" glance. You can't blame him for being slow on the uptake, kiddo, but he'll figure you out eventually.
Paul opens his office door, and the douchebag I described in the recaplet as a young Tom Cruise with Peter Gallagher's eyebrows enters. (Judge for yourself on the looks, but the voice and mannerisms are freakishly Cruise-like.) Anyway, the guy is a classmate of Paul's from Princeton (looking and acting the part rather well) who also happens to be versed in the fine art of selling drugs. When "Jeffrey Graves" tells Smith that he's looking at the "two great coxmen of Princeton '55," Smith hilariously replies, "Oh, the times you must have had!" Being part of a team with Kurt, I can't imagine he wasn't throwing some innuendo out there, but veiled accusations of High Ivy homosexuality quickly give way to the business at hand: Buying weed. As he talks price and gets out a jay (already rolled for maximum customer satisfaction) he mildly notes that Paul never calls him these days, which is either a sensitive, halting attempt to identify and repair whatever's broken in their relationship, or an inquiry as to whether Paul's been using another dealer. Smith then thoughtfully uses Paul's sweater to block the smoke from sifting out under the door, and since they were just on the subject he's the one that should have been the coxswain -- Michael Gladis slouching is still significantly taller than Patrick Cavanaugh. Smith eagerly asks for a toke, but Jeffrey tells him to relax, and then turns to regard the view: "You ever look out this window?" He's not facing Paul, but if he were, he might read his facial expression as, "This is why I never call you, dickhead."