If I complained before about not having enough Al in this episode, the writers make it up to me now. He is in his office, talking to his best sounding board: Chief Head in the Box. "This fucking place is gonna be a fuckin' misery," he says, already aware that he'll pay dearly with the other whores for what he's about to do to Jen. "Every fucking one of them, every fucking time I walk by, 'Ooh, how could you? How could you?" with their big fuckin' cow eyes." He points out that the entire gaggle of them will have to grieve for a month before he can hope for peace. "What's the fucking alternative?" he asks the HitB. "I ain't fuckin' killing her that sat nights with me sick and taking slaps to her mug that were some less than fucking fair." His eyes get huge as he gestures around, waving his knife. "I should have fucking learned to use a gun, but I'm too fucking entrenched in my ways, and you," he adds, narrowing his eyes at the HitB, "ain't exactly the one to be leveling criticisms on the score of being slow to adapt. You fucking people are the original slow fucking learners!" He slams the cabinet door and in less than a minute makes all my down-to-the-wire, 11:59:30 PM recap send-offs worth the trouble.

Stepping out of his office, Al sees Jen emerge from another room with a customer. Nice and friendly, he asks the guy how Jen was. "Good," the guy says, happily, "wonderful. I don't mind a small pair of tits." Al gives a mirthless chuckle. "You sure you're done?" he asks. "You look the sort could turn right around and drop the hammer again." You've got to feel for Al, here -- at least he's reluctant to do the job. The trick says he'll take another turn if it's free, and Al gives him the brush. Sweet as pie, he tells Jen to "c'mere" and, though she ain't the brightest bulb, you can see in her eyes when he closes the door that she is smart enough to be afraid.

Charlie is over at Bullock's house, reporting on the whole Pinkerton incident he just had at the polls. Bullock asks if he thinks Hearst ordered the behavior. "Uh uh, being stupid on his own, that strong-arm was," Charlie says, before adding with a laugh when he sees Bullock clench in disappointment: "Or if you want, I could say 'Yes.'" Martha makes tea as Charlie and Bullock talk about the election and they are all surprised when Sol literally barges in. Bullock asks him what's wrong. Sol: "Uh...everything."