Ep 22 stands out by giving three very different characters clear, clashing motivations and letting the comedy grow out of that friction.
Peggy’s confidence in her own goodness pushes her into morally murky territory, Hank’s instinct to protect her collides with his respect for rules, and Dale’s obsession with authority takes on a darkly absurd edge.
What makes the structure work is how Dale’s B-story doesn’t dilute the A-story but reframes it, using satire to comment on the same ideas from a safer distance. The writing stays focused on character rather than shock, which allows both the humor and the unease to coexist.
It is one of the season’s more balanced and thematically confident half hours.