Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A- | 8 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT Strange Bedfellows
By Couch Baron | Season 6 | Episode 6 | Aired on 05.05.2013
A secretary is announcing the start to the partners' meeting over at CGC, which means we get to meet the third stooge, Frank Gleason. After Cutler condescends to the girl for a bit and we learn this is actually a Creative meeting, Chaough pulls out a portfolio case and says he wants to go over Chevrolet again, "and devote our final days to overdoing it on the artwork." Not that he could have known, but that's a sentence he probably would go back and rephrase. Cutler complains that he can't look at the sketches again, and adds that "they" are very keen on "the rocket ship thing with the astronaut anecdotes." Chaough is horrified that Cutler spoiled the Chevy people on the pitch, but that's forgotten when Gleason blurts out that he doesn't want to draw any more rockets and they never should have dropped Alfa Romeo (the implication being that they did so just to be able to pitch to Chevrolet). Chaough tries to cheerlead Gleason's work -- they're apparently even a smaller agency than SCDP if a partner is still doing sketches -- but Gleason mournfully says he doesn't want to draw any more astronauts, and given how evocative they are of the future, that's going to prove to be more than understandable.
Chaough sends the girl out, and after Cutler trails after her with a silly line -- he really is a low-rent Roger -- Gleason informs Chaough that he has pancreatic cancer, adding that he already told Cutler and he figured he passed the news on. Chaough reels from the news, and is even more blown away when Gleason starts to talk about the company's financial future, pointing out that now that they don't have the financial security Alfa Romeo provided them, when he dies, the monetary interest that will revert to him will cripple the company unless they land Chevrolet. After Chaough has a moment to process, though, he leans forward with his usual can-do attitude, saying he needs to stop talking about money, as they're going to get Chevrolet, and as a result, "you're gonna build a wing at Sloane-Kettering and beat this thing." Gleason is glad enough of the pep talk, but after they walk to the door and Chaough asks if Gleason will tell Cutler he shared the news, Gleason lets Chaough not he's not really fooling anyone: "He'll see it on your face." I realize you need a nap, Gleason, but comments like that aren't helping Chaough hold it together.
Daisy calls Roger and, sotto voce, tells him that she "has one," and his flight's even delayed. Just like that, Roger is grabbing his airline go-bag, out of which he removes a few copies of Sterling's Gold before leaving. If there's any early indication of how much more sensibly Roger is making decisions now, that would have to be it.