Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A- | 580 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT "I Demand Satisfaction!"
By Couch Baron | Season 5 | Episode 5 | Aired on 2012.04.15
As if to underscore how bizarre his behavior just was, when they get out of the conference room, Pete is all smiles with Don, as he's under the impression that he and Megan are coming out to the Campbell Cos Cob Cottage -- Trudy even dictated directions to Clara, directions which are now typed and which he hands proudly to Don. Don tries to tell him he and Megan are away that weekend, but Pete says he doesn't think so: "Trudy will only act on a certainty." Nice. Sensing that there's no more to be done here, Don thanks Pete and then learns from Dawn that Megan is in his office; he heads in and instructs her to inform her "new best friend" (heh) Trudy Campbell that they're busy that weekend. Megan replies that Trudy told her Don had already said yes, which makes me love Trudy even more, but Don's not impressed with her "subterfuge." Megan, however, tells him she likes Trudy and now that I think of it, she may be the most popular character on the show (among the other characters, that is, not the audience); I can't think of anyone who doesn't genuinely like her, even -- by his own admission here -- Don. However, said like doesn't extend to spending a Saturday night in the suburbs, which he says could make you want to "blow your brains out," and Don really is great with the inappropriate references to real-life tragedies here, especially when they tie into an episode's theme. Megan, her breeziness as effective a weapon as any against Don's commanding personality, informs him that if he wants to back out of their engagement, he can do the dirty work himself and leaves him to script that conversation, when we all know he might as well not bother.
Ken enters the copywriters' room and asks where Stan and Ginzo are and Peggy's like, "Why? Do you have something you want to tell them?" Hee. Ken closes the door, whereupon Peggy lights into him for betraying their PACT and Ken says it wasn't about the PACT, the PACT still stands, and it can't be the one where they'll get together by age thirty if they haven't found anyone by them, since Ken's already hitched to... oh, what is her name? I'm sure it'll come to me. Anyway, Peggy wonders why he didn't introduce her, so I guess the PACT has to do with them doing business things together, but after Ken complains that he'd love just a shred of privacy, he locks the door and reluctantly confesses that he's still writing under a pen name and he's had quite a bit of success in "a certain genre." Given that, from the way he's telling the story, said genre is a source of embarrassment for him, I was thinking we were going to discover he's been churning out bodice-rippers, which aside from being hilarious would be interesting in that his nom de plume would probably be female in that case. But we'll get back to that -- Ken goes on to explain that the rude non-speaking extra was from Farrar Straus and Cynthia is trying to talk him into taking Ken's best twenty stories and publishing them as a collection. Peggy can't believe Ken has been so prolific and wonders when he's had time, but Ken explains that he's been doing client drinks instead of dinner and if he has only one, he's in good shape to write when he gets home. I love Ken and am all for his hobby, but it's worth remembering that, by his own admission, he is cutting into his account servicing when Roger lights into him later. Ken goes on to reveal the genre, which is "between fantasy and science fiction -- robots and planets and things," and I can only imagine how popular/reviled "Ben Hargrove" would be in the Internet age. Oh, yes, that's Ken's pseudonym and I'd crack on this writer for such a lack of imagination if his sheepish look didn't reveal he already knows how lame it is. Anyway, Peggy's both mollified and full of congratulations and Ken tells her the PACT still stands -- if he goes anywhere, she goes with him. Well, he can't be talking about work functions, since he just had to explain how he's been operating, so I guess he means he'd take her with him to another agency if he were to leave and the mere fact that they've had this conversation is interesting indeed. Ken opens the door...