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Peggy and Pete run into each other in the elevator very early in the morning, and Peggy tells him Freddy is presenting her copy that day. Soon after, Pete and Peggy totally do it on the couch in his office; afterward, he tells her about his marital problems, which is nice of him, because I'm sure we never would have guessed otherwise. Later, Pete's wife shows up, all bubbly about the place they just bought, but he picks a fight with her, and although they sort of make up, things are still tense. Peggy's copies get pitched; the crusty Bel Jolie man doesn't like it, but everyone, including and especially Don, goes to the mat for Peggy's general idea, and Crusty is sold, and when the boys celebrate, they even have Peggy join them, which is far better for her than I expected. A call for drinks after/during work is made, which leads to Salvatore connecting with one of the Bel Jolie guys; they talk about how great New York is before having dinner; the guy propositions him, but Salvatore, despite really, really wanting to, is too scared to go through with it. Meanwhile, the boys are having a grand old time with Peggy while Joan keeps up a running snit-etary, but really, everyone (and I do mean everyone; the whole office minus Bertram, Roger, and Don are there) is having a good time except for Pete. Peggy tries to snap him out of it, but he's in no mood to be happy for her, and he hurts her feelings badly. Bertram calls a meeting with Don; he gives him a fat check and tells him to read Ayn Rand. Don promptly goes to Midge's place, only to find her having a hippie stoner party; he offers to use the bonus to take her to Paris, but Midge convinces him to stay and chill out with some alternative refreshments. Said party favors induce a memory of Don's childhood; it concerns a drifter Don's stepmom takes in, and a conversation with him leads to the young Dick/Don referring to himself as a "whore child." The drifter imparts the wisdom of having no attachments, even telling Dick the drifter chalk code. Later, Don calls Midge and Roy out for being in love, and the hippies round on Don for his career that spreads lies, but he tells them there is no lie -- the universe is indifferent. This looks like it might mark the end for Midge and Don, and he says goodbye by giving her his big bonus check. Don goes home, wakes up his son, and tells him to ask him anything; the kid doesn't pick anything profound, but regardless, Don promises him he'll never lie to him, leading to one more memory of the drifter leaving; when Don's dad (…I guess) shafts the guy, Don realizes that his dad's a jerk. Don sleeps in his son's bed. They morning, Peggy gets into work early again, but no one's there, and when Pete gets in, he doesn't acknowledge her. Meanwhile, Don seems to have made peace with who he is, at least for the moment. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
In the very empty-seeming lobby, Pete gets on the elevator, and Hollis gives him a friendly nod. The doors start to close, but Peggy's voice calls to them to hold the door; she enters wearing a clashing lilac blouse, aquamarine skirt, and dull-brown newsboy-type thing on her head. Hon, I know you're a go-getter these days, but take an extra few minutes in the morning to look at yourself in the mirror while you're getting dressed. It'll help you more than you think. Pete asks Peggy what Draper is up to that's causing her to get in so early, but Peggy tells him she came in because she couldn't sleep for nerves. A bit of exposition that the service elevator is out allows a bespectacled janitor type to join them, and then Pete tells Peggy he's moving that day, and he's supposed to go by at lunch and supervise the men. That does seem like the only possible role for him, since with his build, lifting even a large ottoman looks like it would be a strain. At Pete's query, Peggy tells him that Freddy is presenting her copy to the Bel Jolie people that day; exposition that it's 7:00 AM is followed by the elevator finally getting to their floor.
Sometime presumably soon after, Pete is sitting and staring morosely out his window (it should be noted that the absence of his doing any work suggests that he came in early just to avoid his wife) when Peggy tentatively enters and asks if he'd like coffee; swiveling around, he orders her into the office and tells her to close the door. When she points out that there's no one there, he softly repeats, "Close the door," and she obeys. He approaches her, and the look of hopeful anticipation breaks through despite her attempt to cover. He stands close and asks her if she knows how difficult it is for him to see her walk around the office all day, and her look of anticipation gives way to a bald hunger; they make out until he breaks the lip lock and pulls her head back by the hair, an assertion of dominance she's pretty clearly into. Pete gets her on the couch and pulls it in front of the door, and they are soon completely doing it, with Peggy ordering Pete just to pull her skirt up, and him following by ripping the collar of her blouse. We then cut to the janitor from the elevator completely seeing them through the window of Pete's office and giving a derisive snort. I sympathize, dude -- that's not a sight you need to see before you even have coffee. Regardless, for a sex scene between a man-boy and Mouse Ears, that was pretty hot. Also, great work from Moss and Kartheiser both.
Later, as the two of them are finishing putting themselves back together, Pete confesses that he never read Peggy's copy, and she's actually relieved, as she assumed he wasn't saying anything because he didn't like it. Pete then sits her down, and they make out a little more before Peggy asks him if he thinks about her. He confesses that he has a few times, as she's only twenty yards away. Peggy: "Not right now." Careful, girl. That blouse has enough problems as it is. Pete tells Peggy that when he wakes up and looks into Trudy's eyes, he thinks they're supposed to be one person, the implication being that that's not the case. Which is good to hear, because Trudy doesn't strike me as a couch slut. He goes on that Trudy's just another stranger, but Peggy stands and says he's not alone in this. Not with Peggy and each of her gi-NORMOUS breasts to keep him company, he isn't. He gives her an appraising look, and then she starts to go, but thinks fast and grabs a folder to make it look like she was there on business. It probably won't fool anyone with either sharp eyes or a keen sense of smell, but it's certainly worth a try. As she opens the door, Pete playfully whispers that he's sorry he ripped her blouse, but Peggy tells him it's okay, and being a sighted person, I'm going to have to agree.
There's a new girl working the switchboard, and she's happily listening in on a conversation in Italian between a guy and his mother. Luckily, the show provides subtitles, because I'd hate to have to pretend I remember much more of my college Italian than "mi dispiace," although you have to admit that's a good expression to hold onto, especially in this job. Anyway, the conversation is unremarkable, but that doesn't stop the new girl from wetting herself at the "Ciao, ciao!" signoff. Just to get it done with, the guy is Salvatore, and "he talks to his mother a lot." So what is the Italian for "confirmed bachelor"? Joan comes in with some pastries, and waves off the women's offer to reimburse her, but she does say that Roger's wife will be calling before lunchtime, and they should put the call directly through to her. Hmm. We barely have time to file that one away for future reference before New Girl asks Joan about Salvatore, and Joan, without irony, says he's handsome and "very debonair," and wears a nice cologne that's probably European. One of the hardened women appreciatively notes how specific Joan is. Joan: "You have voices. I have other things." Heh.
Don makes his appearance, and Peggy tells him that Bertram wants to see him in his office, and adds that it's just him and not Roger. Don takes a moment to process that, which is interesting, and then notices the damage to Peggy's blouse, which she tries to say happened because she caught it on something. "I might start keeping a spare." Girl, where are you going to find the money for that on your salary? Especially since your birth-control budget is so clearly off-limits?
Don is waiting outside, looking a little nervous, when Bertram opens the door and invites him in. He tells Don that he'd prefer he not smoke in there "right now," which is interesting -- it's so offhand that it didn't even occur to me at first, but do you think Bertram could be having some health issues? This is the second time he's come down on smoking, and on top of that, this upcoming scene makes a lot more sense if you consider that Bertram might be grooming Don to take his place. Anyway, Bertram tells Don that he's been incredibly valuable, and although it's hard to put a price on it, he's going to try anyway, and hands Don a check for twenty-five hundred bucks. To put that in perspective, that's well more than what Pete makes in half a year, as he'd be only too bitter to tell you. Don can't hide his joy, and they both enjoy the moment before Bertram points to his bookshelf and asks Don if he's read Atlas Shrugged; when it's clear that Don hasn't, Bertram tells him that once you hit forty, you've met every kind of person there is. So I only have three more years before I stop adding to the types of people that annoy me? Sweet! Bertram goes on that he knows what type of person Don is, because he's like Bertram, a "productive and reasonable man, and in the end, completely self-interested." Well, if that's the case, it seems like Don reading a thousand pages on Objectivism is redundant, but I'm a mean person, so I'm not going to tell him that. Bertram goes on that they're strong, and as such, "unsentimental about all the people who depend on our hard work," and that Don should "take a dollar ninety-nine" out of the bonus and buy a copy of the book. I suppose when he puts it that way, it's the least he can do, and Don agrees as Bertram goes back to tending to his rather large bonsai tree.
Under the normal "Art Department" lettering on the door, there's a hand-written sign that reads, "THIS IS THE ART DEPARTMENT, NOT CASTING." That's funny enough that I'll forgive the all-caps. New Girl (Lois Sadler is her name) causes the geeks both young and old working there to horn up, and then Salvatore appears and suavely introduces himself and apologizes for the mess. Lois says it's no problem: "I work in a closet all day." Be as on-the-nose as you want with this character, writers -- I'll still giggle. Lois awkwardly asks for directions to the Accounting Department, and after Salvatore gives them to her, leaves with a pointed, "Ciao, ciao!" Salvatore doesn't bat an eye at the switch-stalking, only commenting to the boys that he's glad the tie he bought worked. I think you'll soon find that it works a little too well. Young Geek and Old Geek enviously say that the ladies always talk to Salvatore, and then Salvatore heads back into his office, but not before snarking on Old Geek's (Dwayne) attire. He may be in there with the shoe trees and tie racks, Dwayne, but that doesn't mean he's wrong.
Pete's having a highball of something amber when Hildy rings and tells him she's got his wife; after some snotty and slightly drunken confusion from Pete, Hildy clarifies that Trudy is there in the office. Pete hastily shoves the drink in one of his desk drawers and rushes to the door to greet his wife, who's in a white Jackie Kennedy number, complete with pillbox hat, and toting a bottle of champagne. She wants him to go with her to the new place, but Pete claims he's got a busier day than he thought; her face falls for a second, but she brightly recovers, saying they can at least have a celebration there. She goes to sit down, and while her head is turned the other way, Pete rushes to her and turns the cushion to her over. Keep in mind for the future that those things only have two sides, Pete. Pete, obviously spoiling for a fight, tells Trudy that he said he'd meet her there if his schedule allowed; she says that wasn't the plan, and she's there anyway, so what's the problem? The problem is obviously that you haven't gone to a secluded cabin and cooked up some wild game for your manly hunter of a husband lately. You're supposed to be one person -- does he have to verbalize everything? Pete yells that this is his office, and then, more calmly, tells her that when she just shows up like this, they fight. Trudy, for her part, says he's ruined the festive mood she was in about their apartment, so he retreats to oily and fake as he suggests they have a glass of champagne. Mollified, she apologizes for her part as well, but he really doesn't look all that happy.
It's presentation time, and Freddy is talking as the head Bel Jolie guy (played by Bruce French, who's been a total Hey! It's That Guy! since like, the dawn of time) stuffs his face. The campaign is centered around Peggy's idea that women don't just want any old color on their lips, and it uses the "basket of kisses" quote on the way to the ultimate line: "Bel Jolie lipstick. Mark your man." Nice that they tied in the idea of Don's from a few episodes ago that women want any excuse to be closer to their men. This show is so subtle, I swear; it makes my job harder, but I'll live with it. Not so subtle is Bruce French's distaste for the campaign -- he thinks women want colors, despite his partner's assessment that the slogan is "pretty cute." Ken tries to sell Bruce French on the "fresh approach," but Don, fire in his eyes, stands and says they should call it a day. Bruce French is confused, so Don tells him, "You're a nonbeliever. Why should we waste time on kabuki?" Bruce French: "I don't know what that means." As someone in the makeup business, Bruce French, you really, really should. Don's point, though, is that Bel Jolie has been going with their approach for a while and is fourth in the market, and Don isn't interested in participating in an approach that's already proven to yield mediocre results. Bruce French still isn't convinced, so Don tells him he's not there to talk about Jesus. "Either he lives in your heart or he doesn't." This is met by a "WTF?" look from Freddy, while Ken just looks like he's about to let the cigarette fall from his mouth, which is how you know he's really in shock. Don goes on to parrot Peggy's statement about how women don't want to be one of a hundred in a box -- they want to be unique. He artfully pushes the "Mark Your Man" idea some more, and Bruce French is convinced.
Outside, Ken, in a not-very-veiled way, invites himself for drinks with the Bel Jolie guys at the Roosevelt; Bruce French's partner enthuses about the architecture there, and says he was in the lounge the night before and ended up having a drink with Robert Mitchum. Bruce French and partner leave, and Ken slathers praise on Don for the Jesus gambit. Don says that someday Ken will learn when "seduction is over and force is actually being requested." I don't feel like being terribly disturbed, so I'm going to skip right past that to the point where the crowing boys head into Don's office and close the door without a look Peggy's way. Don then buzzes Peggy for some ice, which is fitting, because that was cold.
But not really! Because when Peggy comes in, Don tells her to fix herself a drink, and Freddy adds, "Home run, ballerina!" Peggy, after a moment of uncertainty, smiles pretty radiantly, and Don urges her to take a drink "before Joan Holloway sees." Ah, interesting. Joan's jealousy perhaps has not gone unnoticed. Peggy takes a dainty sip, but at Salvatore's urging, she throws the whole thing back, to the boys' delight. Peggy confesses that the lengthy meeting had her worried; she then looks at the poster appreciatively, but notices they changed her copy slightly. Freddy jokes that she really is a writer, in that she's arrogant, which gets the boys going again; Don offers her another drink, and when she hesitates, they're like, "Not a writer!" Heh. The good-natured ribbing is a fun shift, and I have to say, this is not how I expected this storyline to end up. Love this show.
Lois is signing up for something on a bulletin board when one of her co-switchboard people tells her not to do that, as the man keeps track of everything they do. "Have you never heard of Joseph McCarthy?" Lois protests that she's just putting her name down for the bowling team. Well, sure, honey, but haven't you ever noticed that in bowling, everyone gets the same number of turns? If that isn't Communism, I don't know what is! Peggy rushes in and excitedly spills the news about her success, and when Joan enters, saying she's going out (perhaps to meet the absent-from-this-episode Roger) Peggy does so again. Joan: "I'm glad your other work was suffering for a reason!" The switchboard girls, however, are thrilled, and suggest after-work drinks at P.J. Clarke's as Joan thinks to herself that there will be no pastries for those bitches for quite some time.
The boys, minus Don, are now in Pete's office; after Pete makes a thinly-veiled derogatory comment about his wife, Peggy enters, looking for Hildy, and Ken sincerely congratulates her again. Harry says that she can trust Ken's opinion, since he's a published author, and if Ken's experience is any indication, Peggy, you can look forward to these guys never letting your success go. Harry adds that Ken can't write copy, prompting Ken to say he hates puns and then keel over, or at least on my screen, being that he's now dead to me. Dead Ken asks Peggy if she's going to celebrate, and Peggy, without taking her eyes off Pete, tells them about the after-work plan, but Paul counters that Bertram, Roger, and Don are all out of the office now, and they should therefore bump up the timetable to three. Pete tries to beg off, laughably saying that he's in charge with those guys gone, but Paul dismissively calls him "Speaker Of The House," and says Pete will be there. Pete still isn't sold, but eventually caves. Outside, when no one's looking, Peggy does a cute little skip of joy. Aw!
Lois rings Salvatore and fakes having a phone call for him; she then tells him it disconnected, and Salvatore's amused smile reveals that he knows what's going on. I'd certainly hope so, given that even my dog rolled his eyes at how transparent that ruse was. Lois tells Salvatore how everyone's talking about how great his artwork was, and invites Salvatore to the drinks he's already going to. Salvatore says he'll be there, and then looks pensively at his phone once they disconnect.
Don knocks on Midge's door, and is surprised when a nerdy-looking guy wearing a fez answers with a "Can I help you, sir?" However, Fez is quickly joined by our favorite beatnik Roy, who remembers Don and lets him in. Inside, we get a closeup on Midge putting a record on her phonograph; she mildly makes a comment about calling first, and then he plants one on her, evincing applause from the randoms scattered around the room. He tells her to pack a bag, as they're going to Paris, and shows her the check as evidence of his seriousness, but she begs off, saying she has a special night planned. Well, sure. When you're going to smoke pot with smelly people you've toked with a hundred times before, what hope does the boring old City of Lights have of competing? Roy asks if Don is staying, and Midge says he has to. The randoms draw the blinds as Roy explains that they're "going to get high and listen to Miles." Don: "That's your plan." Leave it to the ad man to sum up what I'm thinking so succinctly. Anyway, semi-lewd comments about Don follow, with Midge's blonde friend looking like she's in for a piece...
...but later, it's a stoned Don, Midge, and Roy (...button your shirt, dude) lying on the same couch. Midge asks if Don likes the stuff, and Don replies, "I feel like Dorothy. Everything just turned to color." It's a testament to Don's virility that that comment doesn't make him seem the slightest bit gay. Roy, seemingly sincerely, says that Don is good with the words, and Don smokes some more before heading to the bathroom. Inside, he looks in the mirror...
...and is thrown into a flashback; he and what will turn out to be his dad and Adam's future mother ("Abigail" is her name, according to the AMC site) are doing various chores outside on the farm. A long shot pulls back to reveal part of a man standing watching; Abigail notices him, and when she approaches, the guy, a drifter (oh, all right, "Hobo," it's shorter, and this guy's totally another H!ITG! ["Ryan Chappelle and Father Phil, for starters. -- Joe R]) greets her; presumably referring to the Depression, he says that he knows everyone has it hard at the moment, but he'd work for a meal if they can spare it. Dick's dad ("Archie Whitman" is his name, apparently) tells him, "We're not Christians around here no more." I'm going to assume he's being metaphorical, referring to a Christian mindset of charity, because it's easier than trying to parse who prays at the church of what at this point. Abigail is an easier sell, though, as she says the guy can stay and eat with them, and he'll work the day. She then tells him she'll have to boil his clothes, to which he unsurprisingly is relieved and not offended, before yelling at Dick to stop digging holes, and to build a fire under the cauldron instead. Wow, he can make fire? If only they'd had Survivor back in his day! Hobo waves to Dick, who backs off like he's the undead, and then remarks that Dick reminds him of himself. Thanks for stating that explicitly, because the rest of the episode really does not make that point at all. Dick's stepmom says that doesn't surprise her at all. So, young Dick gets lice in his clothes too?
Cut to the group at the dinner table, where Ma is just finishing up saying grace. When she's finished, the hobo thanks her profusely, and she's impressed with his manners, although Dick's dad is curt and crusty about it, even, when Hobo mentions he's from New York, saying that's why he "took to being on the bum" so easily. It's too bad this is a period piece, because this would be the perfect time for a Jean Stapleton-like "Oh, Awwwwchie!" Talk turns to farm work, with Hobo confessing he's not an expert but saying he's got experience with hard work in general, and then, at Ma's question, saying he's not a Communist. After some general agreement that Communists are bad news (and with Abigail sounding kind of religious-nutty about the whole thing), Abigail says her mother told her that life is like a horseshoe. "It's fat in the middle, open on both ends, and hard all the way through." That doesn't sound as fun as a box of chocolates. Ma gets a coin (a dollar, I think, which is quite a bit, given the times) and puts it in front of Hobo, but Archie takes it away and says he'll get it when he's finished some work. Dick watches all this attentively, and then everyone starts to eat in earnest...
...and then we're back in the bathroom, with Don looking in the mirror and realizing that pot gives you flashbacks in some wicked detail.
Presumably in the lounge of the Roosevelt, Salvatore finds the Mitchum Man (we don't get his name for a while, so that seems as good a choice as any), who's happy to see him; they make subtle comments about the architecture and Mitchum Man's attire before Mitchum Man (he's MM from here on out) says he's normally a homebody (and implies that he's married with kids), but when he comes to New York, his heart pounds. Make your own joke about other types of pounding here. Salvatore muses that he takes New York for granted, and MM waxes poetic about how wonderful it is. After a stalled moment involving 42nd Street, MM says he's got to eat something, and references his expense account by way of offering to take Salvatore to dinner. Salvatore regards MM somewhat warily. Just don't get the oysters and you'll be fine.
At P.J. O'Hanley's, pretty much everyone else is in attendance, and Peggy is dancing with Freddy. Joan tells Lois that while Peggy may have something upstairs, at Sterling Cooper, things are usually happening downstairs. Lois, hilariously bemusedly: "I didn't know that." Now you do! After Lois notes that Salvatore isn't there, she claims to have had too much to drink, and Joan observes with mild disdain, "You are very petite." As if to emphasize her point, she goes to dance with Paul and shakes things in a way that emphasizes her ample assets. Poor Lois, although I suppose you could argue that if you're trying to hook a gay man, huge breasts aren't necessarily your best friend. Elsewhere, Pete balefully watches Peggy celebrate. It has been quite a long day already, no? Chubby Checker's "The Twist" comes on, causing all the women to squeal excitedly, and no one's having a better time than Peggy until she sees Pete sitting all by his lonesome with a look that could hose down weasels in heat. Peggy commits a miscue when she shakes her way over to Pete and asks him to dance, allowing him to coldly tell her, "I don't like you like this." Dude, you're the one that ripped her blouse! Peggy looks like she's been stabbed as she stares at him and then walks away almost in disbelief, and Pete takes the opportunity to beat a hasty retreat as Peggy tries in vain to hold back a few tears. Honey, the guy is a douche! You and your huge rack can do so much better!
We get a lovely overhead shot of the dining room, and then Salvatore receives a Sambuca from the waiter. Salvatore says an addendum to the name translates to "with flies," whereas I always thought it was "severe trouble." Talk turns to whether Salvatore is happy; he, showing some vulnerability, confesses he isn't, and MM pegs him as "loud, but shy." After some misinterpretation where Salvatore says he'd like to break off from SC and do his own thing, MM invites Salvatore up to his room to "see the view," and swigs some Sambuca from Salvatore's glass. There's some excellent work here as Salvatore struggles with the moment, made all the more impressive by the fact that Bryan Batt on-screen is usually gayer than a picnic basket. Salvatore wistfully tells MM (he finally gives up his name as "Elliott," but it's too late for that now) that he has thought about, um, "seeing the view" before; he knows what he wants, but he can't go through with it. MM asks what he's afraid of, and Salvatore asks him if he's joking before stiffly getting up and bidding MM farewell with a handshake. Powerful, understated scene, and as much as I've enjoyed the comic relief, I'm glad they're giving Salvatore more depth.
In Midge's apartment, Don is just emerging from the bathroom as everyone else is doing a bunny-hop line. Midge asks if he's all right, implying some time has passed, and then a loud alarm goes off, and the beatniks worriedly go running to the window to watch the cops pull up. Midge speculates that they're there for some guy who regularly beats his wife, and then Don snaps a picture of her and Roy. He puts the camera down, and we cross-fade into...
...Hobo, who's in the barn, I think, getting his bed made up by Dick. Hobo asks him if he smokes, and Dick finally finds his voice as he says no. He will of course be making up for lost time. Dick says that he's supposed to tell Hobo to say his prayers, but Hobo, with a good read on the familial situation, says praying won't help him in this place, and he should look to his mother to protect him. Dick of course says Abigail isn't his mother, and adds that he's a "whore child." Hmm. It's not that this is a surprise, but it seems a little convenient that Dick knows this. I mean, Abigail doesn't seem like one to use that kind of language, and as crusty and bitter as Archie is, if he's the one that laid the whore, I find it difficult to believe that he'd tell Dick about it in quite those terms. Then again, Archie does seem like an asshole. Hobo then talks about his lifestyle in rather grand terms, and I'm not saying a drifter's life doesn't have some appeal, but the whole clothes-boiling thing does tend to de-romanticize it to some degree. Dick says it's sad that Hobo doesn't have a family, but Hobo says he once did have a family and all the attendant trappings, and he couldn't sleep at night tied to all those things, so he "freed" himself, and now he's at peace with his life. Poor Dick is just putty in this drifter's dirty, calloused hands. Hobo warns Dick to flee this place as soon as he can, as he sees death lurking around every corner. Oh, and by the way, sleep well, kid! Hobo then pulls out a piece of chalk, saying that Dick is an "honorary," and explaining The Hobo Code; everyplace a hobo goes, he marks the front gate with a coded illustration; one means the food is good, another means "beware of dog," and a third means a dishonest man lives there. I suppose since he's made the critical point, there's no need to show the marks for "the farmer's daughter is easy" or "do not go in the outhouse." Hobo finishes up by telling Dick not to be scared. "You ain't a man yet."
Back at Midge's, Don tears off the Polaroid of Midge and Roy and regards it appraisingly, and tells the two of them that he realizes they're in love. Midge offhandedly denies that, but Don presses the idea, and despite Roy's assertion that love is "bourgeois," Don's point seems to be taken. Fez boringly blathers on about Don's career in a derisive manner, and Don responds, "My God. Stop talking." See what I mean about his command of making a point tersely? Don tells Fez to make something of himself, which gets Roy's back up; he reiterates the point he made two episodes ago that Don traffics in lies, but Don tells him that there is no big lie, because the universe is indifferent. Way to be a buzzkill, Don, and that word is far more literal than usual in this case. Don commands Midge to come with him to Paris, but she regretfully says she can't, and this is a fascinating scene, because for as liberated as Midge seems, this is demonstrating that she's actually the one who's unable to let go of her attachments. As if to prove that point, Don hands over his bonus check and tells Midge to buy herself a car, and she looks chagrined to realize that she's the one in the relationship who's tied down. She tries to get him not to leave, and Roy backs her up by pointing out the presence of the cops, saying Don can't go out there. Don: "You can't." He swaggers out, and I don't know for sure is this is the last we'll see of Midge, but if it is, that is one sweet breakup performance by Don. Outside, the wife-beater (wearing a wifebeater; nice touch) is led away as Don blithely greets one of the officers.
Don arrives home and heads upstairs. Cut to his son Bobby sleeping; Don wakes him up and tells him to ask him anything. Bobby asks why ladybugs light up, and Don closes his eyes in frustration. Well, Don, even adults are kind of stupid when you wake them up from a sound sleep. Or at least that's what my own experience leads me to believe. Don tells Bobby that he'll never lie to him, which seems to imply that his dad wasn't truthful with him. But we'll soon find out, as after they embrace, we head into one more flashback...
...wherein Hobo, apparently having done his designated work, is saying his goodbyes and thanking Archie for opening up his home. Archie reaches in his pocket, but only pulls out a cigarette, rather than the promised payment. Hobo is like, "awkward," and then Archie shoos him on his way. Hobo's face falls, but he obeys; Jack runs after him, but he's already hightailing it away. Jack then looks on the fence, which, carved into it, has the "dishonest man" mark on it. Not sure why Hobo didn't take heed of this before he stopped by, but I don't want to interfere with the episode's point or anything. Dick looks at his dad in a new light...
...and then we cut to Don, who's still asleep (it looks to be early morning) to his son. I'm sure Betty would have been pissed about yet another lonely night, were it not for her absence from the episode and all.
A small clock reads about 7:12 or so; Peggy comes into the office and hopefully looks for Pete (WHY?) but he's not there. She forlornly goes to her desk. Later, the laughing boys come in, and Pete heads into his office without sparing a glance Peggy's way. Sometime later, Don comes in; after he closes the door to his office, we focus in on his name on the door, as if to tell us that he's finally cast off everything he used to be. As if to purposely confuse me, though, a twangy song about "that old-time religion" plays jauntily over the closing credits. Okay, episode! I don't care what religion Don may have been! Uncle! See you time!