Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A+ | 949 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT Are You Gonna Drop The Bomb Or Not?
By Couch Baron | Season 2 | Episode 13 | Aired on 2008.10.26
At SC, Ken hands Harry a folder: "With love, from Ken Cosgrove and Pete Campbell." Not a pair I would have put together, but I hope those crazy kids make it work! No, it's some paperwork from Accounts, as Bertram asked for the ad-revenue projections early. Harry notes with some annoyance that Clearasil is missing, inducing an unnoticed guilty look from Peggy, before telling Ken he doesn't know what's up with the unusual request. Paul wonders if it could have something to do with Don's continued absence, but Harry thinks Don's just out landing a big aerospace account. Ken looks inquisitively at Peggy, who says she hasn't heard anything, and Paul speculates that Don might be opening his own shop before Harry suggests he might be finding a location for "Sterling Cooper West." Harry's looking in entirely the wrong direction, which is all too common among the junior execs on this show. He notes that whatever is going on, they're being evaluated, and expresses his fear that Kennedy's speech that night might go overtime, which would cut into his department's ad revenue. "I'll take it in the shorts." It's kind of jarring when Sal isn't around to pop an eyebrow at lines like this, so we have to settle for Paul asking, "Why am I sick to my stomach?" Also, Harry, I know your wear pretty thick glasses, but being concerned about your department's performance at a time like this seems myopic even for you.
Peggy comes in to see Pete, who says he's waiting on a call from North American Aviation. "It's ten there. They should just be getting in to work." Peggy nervously asks if Pete mentioned anything about Clearasil to anyone, and upon hearing a negative, tells him about all the emergency accounting. Pete, without a trace of pretension or anger, says he just doesn't know what to say to Duck, so Peggy advises him to tell the truth and not worry about the outcome. "People respect that." Of course, Duck might respectfully fire him, but that advice is still sound, especially since it's not like he has a choice anyway. Pete thanks her, and Peggy leaves with a smile: "I don't want you blaming Creative." Pete's face: "Wait, you think that might work?"