Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A | 374 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT Roman Holiday
By Couch Baron | Season 3 | Episode 8 | Aired on 2009.10.04
Don awakens to the sound of the phone ringing as Betty gets out of the shower, and when he answers, it's Connie. Don lies that he was up, but at Betty's silent gesturing, he declines Connie's offer of breakfast, saying Betty already ordered something up to the room for the two of them. As Betty settles back into bed, Don makes plans to meet Connie later, and after they hang up, he tells Betty he likes sleeping on that side of the bed, which I suppose is another indication of how this isn't their normal life, or something. Come on, you're only in Italy for a few more hours -- go back to doing it. Not hearing me, Don says he has to get up, but once he's disappeared into the shower, Betty takes a moment to admire the view, and then heads into the bathroom after him, dropping her towel as she goes. The woman did not get on an international flight for nothing.
The next scene has Betty and Don arriving home, and Betty happily takes Baby Gene from Carla. After a bit of hesitation, though, Carla tells Betty what happened with Sally, and Betty thanks her for the information. Carla tries to soften things in retrospect by suggesting that the kids just missed Betty, and Betty wryly replies, "Wouldn't that be nice." Heh. Carla goes to get her things, and Betty tells the baby she missed him. Of course, given what we saw her getting up to in Rome, the baby might want to enjoy his youngest-child status while he can.
Pete's eating when the doorbell rings, and he answers the door to find a strawberry blonde guy who introduces himself as his neighbor, Ed Lawrence, and this announcement looks like it's going to ensure that Pete's meal keeps moving right along. After ascertaining that Trudy isn't home, Lawrence asks to come in for a moment, and after Pete obliges him and Lawrence turns down the offer of a drink, Lawrence says they have a German au pair working for them. Pete says he didn't know that, but Lawrence is on a schedule: "Yes, you do." Awesome. Lawrence, however, isn't angry, as he says he knows it's August and "all the cats are away," but he goes on that Gudrun's been crying all day, and she's a rare bird in that she gets along with his wife, so if Pete would please back off it would be much appreciated. Presumably not knowing about the dress, I expect Lawrence doesn't suspect there was any coercion involved, but Pete still gets a hangdog expression at being lectured, which Lawrence mistakes as genuine concern for Gudrun, so he tells Pete that there are plenty of nannies in the neighborhood, and it would be smart for him to take his business out of the building anyway. Ick to the max at the casual discussion of logistics here, but I have to admit that the advice is sensible in the context of being gross. Pete abjectly apologizes, and Lawrence says it'll be fine. "Enjoy the rest of your summer." Much like Betty's will be, the balloon of Pete's fantasy life has officially been popped.