Episode Report Card Couch Baron: B+ | 514 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT Half the Battle
By Couch Baron | Season 4 | Episode 8 | Aired on 2010.09.12
Perhaps because of the nod to her Italian heritage, Don orders them two glasses of Chianti, and then Faye tells him that when she's out of sorts, she looks at the calendar, as there's usually something significant on the horizon. As much as I like her, I feel constrained to point out that for a lot of people, that would only make them more out of sorts, and Don kind of proves my point when he tells her it's his two-year-old's birthday, but he's not going to the party because he isn't welcome there. "He thinks that man's his father. Maybe that's okay." Faye opines that all Gene knows of the world is what Don shows him, which is pretty much what she told him in regard to Sally, so you'll forgive me if I'm glad that we're spared further platitudes by the arrival of the wine, with Don pausing almost imperceptibly before taking a sip. He then tells Faye that even though he's sometimes behaved in a manner that contraindicates this, he does admire her work, and when she seems flattered, he asks her to tell him a trade secret -- how does she get her people to do what she wants them to? In response, she paraphrases a rather famous fable of Aesop about the wind and the sun, ending with the moral: "Kindness, gentleness, and persuasion win where force fails." You're lovely, Faye, but that phone call seemed awfully windy. They smile about Aesop's economy of words before Don gallantly offers her his coat to protect her against the night air...
...and then, after they're settled into a cab, he grasps her hand and they kiss rather passionately. When she suggests that she'd like to come back to his place, however, he tells her that he's going to stick to the plan of taking her home, "because that's as far as I can go right now." Probably best not to mention how much farther he went in his last cab ride, but I am happy to see him treat Faye with the respect she deserves, not to mention it's nice to see at least one woman not get shit on this episode. Of course, he may just be thinking that he doesn't want to risk hurting someone whose dad could have his kneecaps broken as easily as blinking. Faye admits that his demure attitude isn't what she expected, but she doesn't seem to have a problem with it, instead settling back into making out with him. As consolation prizes go, that leaves little to be desired.