Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A | 5 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT If You Love Someone, Shoot Them With A BB
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 9 | Aired on 2007.09.13
Speaking of, the next day, in the living room, we see "Ethel," a woman Betty mentioned earlier as a regular kid-watcher. Of course, that's a loose term, as she's sawing logs on the couch while the kids chase the dog.
It's Betty's photo shoot; she's keeping a smile plastered on her face as she hands two bottles of Coke to her "husband," with their two "children" off to the side. In between shots, she asks Ronnie how the bottles are already open, to which he smiles, "We don't want life to look difficult, now, do we?" Indeed, so perhaps it's time for Betty to stop smiling so hard that her teeth look like they could pop out at any moment.
The kids are watching the homing pigeons return to the neighbor. However, one of them flies too low, and the dog ("Polly," I believe) makes a successful leaping grab for it. Sally is horrified, but the neighbor quickly grabs Polly and induces her to let go. He picks up the pigeon, which is a little bloody but seems okay, and then turns to Sally and tells her, "If I see that dog in my yard again, I'm gonna shoot it." First off, the dog didn't actually get into your yard. And second, perhaps that's a sentiment you should WAIT TO TELL THE PARENTS? Sally terrifiedly leads her brother and Polly back into the house.
The family's at the dinner table already when Don arrives home. Betty smilingly tells him about how great the photo shoot was and says she brought a form home that he can help her with so she can get paid. He replies that he'd love to, and I know Betty's wrapped up in her own success here, but it's hard to believe she completely missed Sally almost biting through her lower lip over there…
…but later, Sally comes in and wakes her parents up, saying she had a bad dream. She recounts what happened that day, and Betty assures her that no one is going to hurt Polly. After she returns from putting Sally back to bed, Don thinks he should go have a talk with the neighbor, but Betty thinks that's a bad idea at two in the morning, and says she'll handle it the next day. Don makes some pointed comments about Ethel's child-care abilities and her failure to tell Betty about the incident, but Betty thinks the kids simply didn't mention it to Ethel, and says they'll be over at Francine's for the next shoot anyway. It's too bad Francine isn't coming over to the Drapers', because neither the neighbor nor his stupid pigeons would stand a chance against her. Don, in a more conciliatory tone, says that Sally's never slept well, but Betty thinks that's not true, and then asks if Don noticed the size of Sally's tears. "I really want to get a picture of her crying one day." Trying to get her started early on the therapy, eh?