Episode Report Card Couch Baron: B | 6 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT The Man-Boy Becomes A Man
By Couch Baron | Season 4 | Episode 4 | Aired on 08.15.2010
...and outside, they run and giggle about the adventure they just had. Aw, it's cute to see Peggy having a good time. That'll last, right?
When Don arrives at work the next day, he finds an elderly woman, with an accent I would describe as "New York Truck Stop," at Allison's desk. He greets her as "Miss Blankenship," and I don't believe we've seen her before, but I'm pretty sure she was Bertram's secretary back at SC. Anyway, as I mentioned in the recaplet, I think her advanced age will serve to solve the problem Don had with Allison (nice work as usual, Joan), and if it doesn't, I think he's beyond help. She tells him that Mr. Sterling would like to see him, and then turns to her side, "RAH-jah! He's hee-yah!" Heh. Yes, Roger is sitting there watching the whole scene with amusement, especially the part where Mrs. Blankenship barks into the phone, "Could you fetch Campbell and Lane, Pryce, Mistahs?" Ha ha. When Don goes over to him, Roger wonders what Don did "to make them take her out of mothballs?" He adds that she was working in Bertram's apartment. "You know he works without pants?" I did not know that, in point of fact, and was quite happy as such. Anyway, the purpose of the convocation of the partners is so Pete can announce his coup with Vicks Chemical, which gets the predictable reactions: An approving smile from Roger, wary indifference from Don, and unmitigated glee from Pryce. Pete adds that he thought he'd throw Clearasil over to Geyer, which seals him and Ken as bros again, and then Pryce says they'll be taking Tom and "Phillip Coakmeyer" to lunch. Roger, to Don: "Don't worry, we already checked with your... girl." It could be the high of the new billing, but even Pryce giggles at that one. Don shakes Pete's hand and tells him to keep it up, and I think it's significant to both Pete's journey and Don's that Pete has a normal, rather than schoolgirl-ish, reaction to the praise. On his way back into his office, Don tells Mrs. Blankenship to reschedule Faye...
...while elsewhere, Peggy is babbling excitedly about the nude photos to Joey, who I wish would get a subplot, but I'm still happy to see any time. Joey indulges her patiently, but when she asks if he knows Malcolm X was shot last Sunday, he sighs, "Do you ever read the stuff between the ads?" Heh. One of the girls then comes in with an envelope and says they're sending a bottle of champagne to the Campbells, and Joey says he'll sign the card. She sniffs that she was hoping for a contribution, and Joey replies, "No, thank you!" Hee. When Peggy sees the card with a stork on it, she chokes out, "Trudy's pregnant?" You... care now? I know we're getting the hard sell about Peggy wanting to get married, but I still don't believe it, sorry. It's been too long, both in dramatic and actual time, and on top of that, it's inconsistent with the way Peggy is living her life. I'm not saying she should have zero feelings about it, but I don't buy her giving the card back without signing it and looking like she's about to vomit; I think they're trying to shoehorn her into this "rejected" theme this episode has going on, as well as punish her for being so unsympathetic to Allison earlier, and I'm just not really convinced. Luckily, Joey isn't paying any attention as he muses that he can't believe Trudy's married to Pete. "I would get her so pregnant." I'm surprised Roger hasn't adopted Joey as his son-around-the-office, because he cracks me up with the best of them. Peggy gets up...