Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A- | 1034 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT A Turkey Lurkey Christmas To You, Jerky
By Couch Baron | Season 4 | Episode 2 | Aired on 2010.08.01
Freddy Rumsen comes in to see Roger; noting the antiseptic, minimalist décor, he opines that it's like an Italian hospital in there. Roger agrees, explaining that Jane got a decorator, and adding, referring to the overwhelming preponderance of white, that with his hair he feels invisible. Well, at least we've discovered a practical use for your fake tan. After Freddy postpones having a drink, to Roger's mild surprise, Freddy gets down to business -- he's apparently been freelancing, and he walked out of "JWT" with Pond's Cold Cream, a $2 million account. Roger asks how he managed that, and Freddy explains that he and the client are in a "fraternity" together, and I'm all for discretion, Freddy, but since you're going to come clean, so to speak, in a moment, I'd vote for not dangling the word "fraternity" in front of Roger. Getting on with it, Freddy says he can't service the account by himself, but he's clean and sober -- he hasn't had a drop to drink in sixteen months, and he'd like a job, adding that if it doesn't work out, SCDP can keep the account. Roger readily accepts, but Freddy's not quite done -- he doesn't want Pete anywhere near the account, and frankly, he's surprised they took him along. Rather than go into a long story about how they needed accounts quick and Pete was obviously far more motivated to leave than Ken, Roger simply shakes Freddy's hand and, with a wry smile, replies, "No comment." Heh. He does look thrilled to have his old pal back, although I wonder if he's really grasped the "no drinking" thing quite yet.
Don's got Pete and Peggy in his office talking ham (and from the bit we hear, it sounds like sales have gone waaaaaay up, so suck on that, Don) when Roger brings Freddy in; you'll be shocked, I'm sure, to learn that the relative happiness to see him starts with Peggy and ends with Pete, although the latter does shake his hand and ask how he is, getting a genial reply that he couldn't be better: "I was just talking about you!" Hee. Roger breaks the news about Pond's Cold Cream, and Don fires off one of his typical bon mots: "That explains why you look so good!" I wouldn't be surprised if he left for the day after that one. Don goes to pour drinks for the drinkers, and Roger tries to send a signal by asking if it isn't a little early, but Don doesn't take the hint, coming as it was from someone who knows where in the world it's five o'clock at every moment of every day, so it falls to Freddy to explicitly decline the offer, also to Don's mild surprise. After Roger waves Pete off the account, Pete starts to ask, basically, if Freddy's going to be pissing on the office carpet on a regular basis, but Roger cuts him off, asking instead if Freddy will be Santa at the Christmas party. Freddy jokes that it's the role he was born to play, and everyone giggles like that scene wasn't at least as awkward as all the previous ones so far.