Episode Report Card Couch Baron: B+ | 5 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Giving Up The Ghost
By Couch Baron | Season 5 | Episode 13 | Aired on 06.10.2012
Harry joins Joan on the elevator and notices that she pushed the button for the thirty-eighth floor. Joan reaches to correct the "error" but Harry -- knowing that the only mistakes Joan ever makes have to do with men -- offers that he heard the parachute company upstairs got a big government contract "and moved to Washington to be closer to the cemetery or something." It's a terrible sentiment until you start thinking about Greg, but Joan doesn't let herself be distracted by thoughts of her ex-husband as she tells Harry to mind his own business "for once." Harry, of course, ignores her and takes the opportunity to lobby for a better office and after some allusion to the idea that neither of them wanted to move into Lane's space, they arrive at the thirty-eighth seventh floor, with Harry telling her he needs a window. "I'm getting scurvy." Heh. Don appears from another car and then looks back at a red-haired man getting on and asks, "Adam?" The man returns his gaze and it is in fact Jay Paulson, the actor that played Adam Whitman. "Adam" wordlessly looks away...
...and then we cut to someone who does not know the meaning of "wordless," Ginzo, who's pitching Topaz on a new concept that while their product is less expensive, "it's never cheap." The lead guy, however, hates it, saying he explicitly didn't want the word "cheap" in the copy even if it's being disclaimed, leading to a fairly heated bit from Ginzo that sends Ken to the window to knock urgently for Don to get in there. While Don pops some aspirin -- probably for the forthcoming headache as much as the current toothache -- Ken tries to keep the situation from devolving and then Don joins them and pretty clearly looks like he's reading the copy for the first time as he wonders what the problem is. The lead guy (remember they all had some serious Noo Yawk accents), however, thinks that the word "cheap" shouldn't come near any kind of fantasy scenario, which is what they're selling and adds that they should have gotten a girl's opinion. "I used to take that as a given around here." Of course, you recall that Peggy brought this account in (also referenced in the timeless "That's bullshit" scene), so it's nice to see her absence strongly felt. The meeting breaks up and as soon as Ken has led the Topaz people out, Don drops the winsome smile and wonders why the hell Ginzo didn't have any research done. Ginzo fires back that they never had to with this client before and Stan adds that they like it and the client doesn't, so that's how they know it's good. Don sarcastically notes that it's a success then, but Ginzo is too worked up to be anything other than a mini-freight train of straightforwardness: "I consider it a success that you didn't have to go a single day without telling me I'm an idiot!" Aside from the obvious point I already made about their work suffering without Peggy, it's also nice to know that without her around, Don has been taking things out on Ginzo. Still think he's "such a decent guy," Michael? Don grimaces and leaves without another word, whereupon Stan remarks exhaustedly, "I'm so bored of this dynamic." HA! They may not have given you much to do this season Stan, but I've loved having you around all the same.