Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A- | 450 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT All the Real Girls
By Couch Baron | Season 4 | Episode 9 | Aired on 2010.09.19
Don enters the room and wonders where Faye is, and after Peggy tells him she didn't know if she was even coming in, Ken makes fun of the Fillmore guy's stutter, for which Don reproves him, and then Ken goes on that they don't want anything rock-and-roll-based, and he was pushing Perry Como, Pat Boone, and some other selections from the inoffensive white singer catalogue. Peggy, seeing an opportunity to check out Abe's accusations about Fillmore, suggests Harry Belafonte, which results in uncomfortable cringing and then condescending "Here's how things are, sweetie" explanations from Ken and Stan about why that won't work, while Don keeps his eyes fixated on Peggy to see how far she's going to take this. And Peggy does take it further, asking why they're doing business with a company with discriminatory practices, and when Ken and Stan don't have a ready answer for her, Don pipes up: "Our job is to make men like Fillmore Auto, not make Fillmore Auto like Negroes." Roger: "Well, that's it in black and white!" Okay, he's not in the scene, but I feel like it's what he would have said. That, and I don't want to take credit for it myself. Peggy nods in submission, and then Megan executes what's apparently her primary job responsibility by waving Don out of the meeting. When he's gone, Stan laughs that they should pick Dean Martin, as he's friends with Sammy Davis Jr. "Does that work for you, Peggy?" Peggy's "Eat shit and die" expression suggests the answer is "no," and she leaves...
...while outside, Megan informs Don that Betty is going to be arriving any minute, and she has to cover Reception "per Joan's orders." Don, more respectful of Joan's authority than the departed Joey, tells her to go ahead, but when he enters his office and tells Sally to get her things, she informs him she wants to stay, and she doesn't know why she can't. Unwilling and unable to discuss this further, he tries to take her by the hand and lead her out, but she pulls away and yells that she's not going and that she hates it there, and then Faye comes in and asks if everything is okay. Oh, Faye, with your loose connection to the Mafia you should know how not to get involved in ugly scenes like this. Don takes Faye outside and asks if she could calm Sally down, and although Faye says she doesn't have much child psychology expertise, she gives in. Once again, though, her effort is a bit stilted and seems to be geared toward someone a fair bit younger than Sally, although it's not like Sally's acting so mature when she tells Faye to shut up and that she doesn't need her help. Her lashing out at Faye is the last straw for Don, and despite the exceedingly loud tantrum she starts pitching, Don grabs her by the arm and manhandles her out of the chair. Sally, however, is more slippery than he gives her credit for, and she breaks free of his grasp and runs down the hallway until she trips and falls flat on her face. As Don and Faye, accompanied by a suddenly-appearing Joan and Peggy, catch up, Megan rushes over from Reception and picks Sally up off the floor into a kindly hug, but when she tries to tell Sally it'll be all right, Sally demurs: "No. It won't."