Episode Report Card Couch Baron: B | 1483 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT The Man-Boy Becomes A Man
By Couch Baron | Season 4 | Episode 4 | Aired on 2010.08.15
Finding his office door closed and Allison nowhere in sight, Don tentatively knocks; getting no answer, he enters to find her sitting on one of his chairs. He tells her he's glad she's feeling better, and while it's true she's not crying at the moment she's a complete disheveled mess, so once again he's picked the Wrong Thing To Say. It won't be the last time, either. Once he's walked in, she closes the door and says she's embarrassed; he willfully pretends not to get it, so she tells him, "This actually happened! We made a mistake, and I feel like it's awkward, and it's better for both of us if I move on." He tells her that's unnecessary, although not with any of the compassion or sincerity it would take to get her to change her mind, and Allison says it's what she wants, and a friend of hers told her about a job at a magazine. "I thought that might be interesting, working for a woman." HA! I don't think that was meant to be nearly as hilarious as I found it. Allison concludes that she would appreciate it if he'd write her a recommendation, to which he readily agrees. However, he suggests that it might be even better if she were to just type something up and have him sign it. Now, much like with the Christmas bonus, I don't think he's being intentionally jerky here, at least not completely -- what he's proposing is fairly common practice. But as obtuse as he's capable of being, he still has to know that this entire situation has come from his failure to treat her with any kind of personal warmth since their physical encounter. Especially when you consider that skill with the language is how he makes his living, he could have realized that a few words of praise from his own hand might have resulted in Allison not throwing a paperweight in his direction and shattering a picture frame, which is what happens in practice. Outside, the noise attracts both Peggy and Joan, although Peggy understandably looks a lot less surprised that it's come to this; inside, Allison has started to cry again as she tells him she doesn't say this easily, "but you are not a good person!" She grabs her things and runs through the now-gauntlet of observers, and Joan takes a moment to process and figure out how to play this one...