Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A- | 6 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT Good Night and Good Luck
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 5 | Aired on 2007.08.17
"They wanted you to know they were waiting, but they left." Hee. Peggy sees Don and Ken into Don's office and congratulates them both, and as she leaves, Don asks Ken what he did to deserve kudos. Ken hands a magazine over as he tells Don that he got a short story published in The Atlantic Monthly. We get a closeup of the first page, which reads "Tapping A Maple On A Cold Vermont Morning," and we can also see Ken's bio: "A graduate of Columbia University, Kenneth Cosgrove has lived in the New York area for most of his life. Working for the advertising firm of Sterling Cooper puts Mr. Cosgrove in a unique position to observe and study the trends that shape America today." Way to play it straight, Props Department. Pete and Paul enter and hear the news, and it's hard to say who's the more surprised, and who's the more dismayed. (In case it's not clear, they're both a lot of both.) Paul tries to be dismissively disbelieving about the whole thing, but this plan backfires, as Ken says that short fiction isn't even his strong point -- he's written two novels, and gives a quick plot synopsis of both as Paul and Pete look like they're the ones that drank a fifth too many the night before. Paul grudgingly admits that the premises sound interesting, and Ken offers to let him read one, but Paul deflects by bringing things around to business, saying he wants to talk about Liberty Capital Savings. Paying attention to business won't get that novel written, Paul. You think Ken wrote those on his own time? Anyway, Pete tells us that the bank is trying to get people into its branches, even if just for a visit, and Don muses that their strategy is silly, because it only serves to attract women, who for the most part aren't in charge of the household banking. He gets An Idea and says that men need their own accounts, beyond the family. Everyone sees the wisdom in that, and Paul adds that statements would be sent to the office, before suggesting, "Liberty Capital Private Account." Don amends that to "Executive Account," and before you know it, everyone's leaving with the satisfaction of having participated in A Job Well Done. As a reward, Don gets a call from Midge, who informs him she had a phone put in. Oh, Midge, how un-bohemian of you! What will the beatniks down at the experimental poetry house say? Outside, Peggy picks up the phone and accidentally hears their conversation; she starts to hang up, but is mesmerized by the prurient talk and so stays on until Midge tells Don just to get over there. "I want you to ravish me and leave me for dead." She's using hyperbole, Peggy. No need to call the police. Peggy carefully places the receiver back in its cradle ahead of Don appearing and saying he'll be back after lunch. I'd make fun of him for coming in at all if he hadn't been more productive in the fifteen minutes he was in than most people there are all day. Peggy uncertainly watches him go.