Sally, looking nowhere near as Codfish Ball made-up, but still wearing the forbidden go-go boots, checks her look in the mirror before letting Glen in. They awkwardly beam at each other before Glen tells Sally she doesn't look that different, a sentiment Sally can't return. And no kidding, that's quite the exodus of baby fat since she last saw Matt Weiner's son. Sally asks Glen what he thinks of the apartment, but Glen tells her that one of his classmates has a place better than hers. "It has a second floor." What, the sunken living room doesn't qualify? Sally asks Glen what he wants to do and I don't know if she's testing whether he likes her like that, but Glen is oblivious to any such games and points out that the Museum of Natural History is right nearby. Sally tells him they don't go across the park, as there are "bums" (I remember that word still being used for "homeless" when I was a kid) on the other side, but Glen says he has money for a cab, so they head out. Sally, if he gets fresh with you, stick him with a spike from a Stegosaurus.
Cut to the museum, where Sally is staring at some stuffed bison and wondering how they got all the animals. Glen: "Teddy Roosevelt killed them." It's true, you know! No wonder he carried a big stick. Glen complains that there's a kid at school who picks fights with him who's twice his size and I'm sorry for your misfortune Glen, but what kind of mutant is he? Some further talk of bullying prompts Sally to tell Glen that Henry got picked on as a kid, which in turn leads to her admitting that she keeps wishing Henry would leave Betty even though she knows that's awful. She then tells Glen that she could get in trouble too, but she really wanted to see him and adds that her stomach hurts, which yup, I get it... NO NEED for anything further on that front! Glen then confesses that to get out of being teased, he might have told the lax players he was coming to the city to dance the Posturepedic polka with Sally, but Sally's not offended -- more interested that she might have read Glen wrong. However, she goes on to tell him that while he can say what he wants, she's not sure she likes him that way and he admits that he thinks of her like a little sister, "except smart." Hee. At this point, Sally absolutely has to visit the ladies', so Glen tells her to meet him in Africa. No need to hurry boy, she's not waiting there for you...
By Couch Baron
...but only as far as the elevator, in which Glen wonders why everything you think is going to make you happy "just turns to crap." Don thinks Glen is too young to be talking that way and Matt Weiner's son seems too young to be able to sell this line, but Glen asserts that it's true, so Don slides down the wall to Glen's height and asks him what he would do if he could do anything. As The Lovin' Spoonful's "Butchie's Tune" kicks up, Glen considers that question for a moment...
...and then we cut to the two of them driving... with Don in the passenger's seat, surrendering responsibility for making any decisions at least for an hour or two. Again, a small bit of visceral comfort to end an absolutely brutal episode. The only other season that battered me quite as much was the third, but while that ended with some bright spots, I'm not feeling this one is going to relent at all. But whatever happens, I'll see you week.
John Ramos is a writer and film producer living in Los Angeles. His current film, "The Trouble With Bliss," starring Michael C. Hall, Lucy Liu, Brie Larson and Peter Fonda, can be seen on iTunes and other digital platforms and cable VOD everywhere. (Facebook and Twitter here.) You can email him at couchbaron@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/couchbaron, or check out his blog, "Pull Up A Chair," which he'd just love for you to stop by.
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