In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.
Adam Whitman returns -- to hang himself in the first minute. Goody, an upbeat episode! He sends Don a package before he goes. But before we get to that, Don and the boys are working on an ad campaign for some belt that's supposed to help with losing weight. Peggy then chooses the wrong moment to bring her hips into the room, and Don and Freddy ask her for her thoughts on it. She's a little wary, being sensitive about her weight, but she takes the assignment anyway. She gets more than she bargained for, though, when the she realizes that the belt actually is a fancy vibrator. She haltingly explains the true appeal of the belt to Don, and he gives her some advice about how to put that into words. Also, she goes on a disastrous date that makes it clear she wants to get out of Brooklyn and into the city. She then gives a presentation to Don and the boys, and although Don gives her some notes, she's pretty much a big hit again.
Don is still sleeping with Rachel, and it seems pretty clear that they regard each other as The One. Meanwhile, Betty is alone again, only not for long, as an air-conditioner salesman in the form of Adam Kaufman comes to the door. You can be forgiven for not recognizing him with his massive hair slicked down. Betty's pleasant enough until she starts to have stirrings Down There, whereupon she abruptly kicks him out. When Don hears that a stranger was in "his" house, he picks a fight about it. The day, Betty tells Francine about it, and notes Don is very protective. That's one word for it. Don calls Betty's shrink and chews him out for Betty's apparent backward progress. Betty then improvises her own version of the vibrator belt by making love to the washing machine while fantasizing about Adam Kaufman.
Roger returns to the office for a quick visit, and everyone notices his pallor, so Don and Bertram get Joan to touch him up for a meeting with the Lucky Strike people, who are worried about having lost their first lawsuit. When they're alone, Roger gives Joan some heartfelt compliments in his usual misogynistic, narcissistic way, and she's overwhelmed, at least for her. The meeting is going great until Roger keels over again, for which Mona chews Bertram out. The elder Lucky Strike guy obliquely suggests Don should be made a partner to reassure the clients, an assessment with which the boys, except for Pete of course, openly concur. And regardless of Pete's contrariness, Bertram makes Don the offer, which he accepts. And again regardless of Pete's contrariness, he's the first one to kiss Don's newly-minted partner ass. Don's in a jaunty mood on his way out, as he gives Peggy her requested raise and sends her home early. A half-in-the-bag Pete goes into Don's office and pretends that he'll ever belong there; just then, Adam's package arrives, and Pete snags it. Don comes home, and he and Betty attempt to normalize, but it doesn't come off, quite. And Peggy decides to do some more research on the belt. It's several steps up from Pete Campbell, at least. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
A longer-haired and suit-wearing Adam Whitman appears in the lobby of a seedy-looking transient building; I'd guess that, despite his assertion that it was temporary and all the money Don gave him, Adam hasn't left the place in which we last saw him in "5G." He gives the lobby guy a package and asks if he can mail it for him, and we can see it's addressed to "Donild Draper." I know they're making the point that to Adam, Don's new name is still unfamiliar, but it seems a little heavy-handed, given that he's seen the name in print. Unless Advertising Age really needs to up the quality of their copy-editors. The guy takes some money from Adam for the postage, and then Adam irresolutely walks away, keeping his eyes on the guy the whole time.
Cut to a close-up of Adam tossing a stack of twenties (although nowhere near five grand's worth) on a table; to it is a pencil and some hotel stationery, and if you don't know where this is going yet, I'd suggest you, um, brace yourself. Adam then throws down a lot more cash, so maybe it is most or all of the five grand after all. He picks up the pencil and writes something, and then looks like he's unfastening his belt; thing you know, he's climbing up on a chair, and as we fade down, he's presumably putting the makeshift noose around his neck, and then he kicks the chair away and does the Times Square version of the Spandau Ballet. Don, if you hurry, you'll be able to afford that house in Cape May after all! What? Too soon? Seriously, this is so brutally bleak I don't even know what to say about it. Other than to wonder if this will be enough to make Don flinch.
Nice closeup of Peggy picking at a muffin; if they're going to stuff Elisabeth Moss into a fat suit every week now, we might as well be reminded of the reason why. She's on the phone with her mother; from what we can infer, some "busybody" named "Mrs. Winter" wants to fix Peggy up with her son. Peggy looks up and sees Joan standing over her, so she gets off the phone; they trade smiles that go on a little too long, which prompts Peggy to ask if Joan was listening to her phone call. Joan: "You mean your personal phone call?" Heh. Don makes his entrance and asks Peggy to get him a glass of ice water. "Someone hasn't told the sun it's October." As I write this, it's eighty-three degrees outside. Don, mind if I steal that one? Joan informs Don that they have a client luncheon the day, and Bertram told her that Don is responsible for it with Roger out. Don gives Joan the authority to handle any catering questions, and then Joan asks after Roger, whom Don describes as "less sickly." Jeez, Don, the heat must really be affecting you -- that doesn't paint a positive picture at all. You'll want to get your skills as a wordsmith back for the luncheon, so where is Peggy with that water? Joan typical smooth efficiency cracks a bit as she tells Don she hopes Roger knows how concerned "we all" are. Before Don can come up with an appropriately coded reply, though, Freddy, Pete, Harry, Ken, and Salvatore appear; Joan beats a hasty retreat as the men head into Don's office. Pete announces that Joan's "been a bitch" lately; everyone concurs, with Salvatore piping up, "I like it!" Salvatore going to die from ecstasy when What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? comes out.
Freddy opens up a case containing some pink contraption with wiring attached, and Pete tells us that it "got kicked over" from another agency named "Compton," apparently in return for Sterling Cooper recently sending them a Firestone campaign they couldn't touch because they were already working for Goodyear. Anyway, the thing is some sort of belt that apparently helps you lose weight, and while the inventor calls the idea behind it the "P.E.R.," for "Passive Exercise Regime," the product itself doesn't have a name. Don suggests "'The Electrosizer' -- for a slimmer, better you." I suppose that works even given the true nature of the product. The users will certainly be happier, making them "better," and they'll also be "slimmer" in the sense that they won't need their husbands around anymore. Speaking of which, Freddy mentions that some of the guys brought the product home to their wives to get their opinions, and Harry says that his wife told him to wear it instead, which is an "ouch" in more ways that one. Freddy, for his part, says his wife has been using it, and while she hasn't lost weight, "she hasn't given up on it like she does with diets after a week." I think it's safe to say that if it doesn't give up on her, she won't give up on it. Freddy goes on to say that they have eight wives in total trying the belt, and none of them have shown any weight loss. Ken doesn't care, as the deal the company is offering them is sweet, but Pete is worried that "fake weight-loss claims" could get them in trouble. Peggy then finally arrives with the water, and somewhere Gunga Din is rolling over in his grave. She turns and leaves, and Freddy's eyes follow her with a "We're gonna need a bigger belt" expression on his face. He suggests Peggy as another test candidate, and Salvatore and Ken make nasty comments about her weight. Boy, Pete's punch must have been even girlier than it looked if Ken's insulting Peggy's weight again. But actually, Pete's amusement suggests that, as I thought at the time, he doesn't care a bit about her and was just drunkenly reacting to Ken's unwitting disparaging of his taste. Don remarks that maybe Ken should put Peggy on his "regimen of sprinting out the door every day at five to five." Heh, nice one. Freddy also sort of sticks up for Peggy, reminding us what a great job she did with Belle Jolie, but Pete isn't impressed, saying he promised the client they'd go with their "big guns." No one makes a comment about Peggy's big guns, which makes me think that's one sense of that bit of slang that emerged after 1960. Anyway, Don overrules Pete and calls Peggy back in, explaining that the weight-loss belt imitates calisthenics by stimulating the muscles, and they'd like her thoughts on it. Peggy's a little wary, given the weight-loss subject matter, and only gets more so when Freddy tells her she'd be perfect for it, even asking why. Don says it's because she's a woman, and Freddy adds that they like her point of view. No one else in the room says anything, which is collectively the smartest they've ever come across. Peggy's reticence gives way to happiness that she's getting another assignment, and she takes the case, but not before asking if she's allowed to change the name. Don takes a moment to consider exactly how much of a monster he's creating before answering in the affirmative. She leaves, and everyone sits there like, "Who's gonna say it first?"
Peggy's sitting on her bed, with her hair down and in a nightgown, when her roommate comes in (without knocking, for shame) and demands three fifty-nine for the phone bill. Peggy protests that she never uses the phone, but the roommate counters that Peggy ate all the "saltines, and the Velveeta, and the liverwurst -- I never even got any." You know, despite all the show's hints in that direction, I don't believe Peggy's pregnant -- she got that birth control for a reason. On the other hand, I'm starting to hope she is for the sake of my opinion of her, because if she isn't there's no excuse for such nasty eating habits. Peggy snits back that she had some people over "while you were out drinking on Tuesday." Heh, but...do we believe her? The roommate reiterates her demand for the money and soon leaves, and Peggy locks the door behind her and gets the belt out, which, despite all the wiring, resembles nothing more than a big fake ass. Isn't it going to be tough for Elisabeth Moss to wear two of those? She puts the thing on, lies down, and flips the switch in the case; without much delay, she gasps, and removes the thing with a "Well, I never!" air. That may be, but I bet you will again.
Betty's lying in bed alone, smoking and reading Family Circle (heh, Props Department), when she hears a noise. She looks startled for a moment, and listens, but eventually she turns off the bedside lamp and settles unhappily into bed...
...and her image fades into that of Don and Rachel, who are also in bed but looking a whole lot more pleased about it. Rachel asks if he has to go home; he tells her no, and she's glad. Looks like Rachel has decided which derivation of "Utopia" better suits her and Don. Rachel tells Don she keeps thinking about being with him, and she's not sure if she understands how "this" works. "I'm worried it's a fantasy." Don responds that it's not -- as he told her, he's right where he's supposed to be. "I just haven't figured out what to do yet." Oh, dear. This could get ugly. I mean, even for this show. Seriously, in the last episode, Don emotionally lowered himself to Rachel, even more so than the one time we saw him do so with Betty, so you sense that something's got to give. Throw in the fact that Don will presumably be learning about his brother's suicide soon enough, and I'd wager that even The Man Who Made Compartmentalization Into An Art Form's walls are going to start crumbling. But for now, he and Rachel make out.
Don's in his office, pulling out a new dress shirt from his desk drawer. Heh. I wonder if Brooks Brothers makes deliveries in Don's case. Peggy opens the door, and seeing Don in a slight state of undress, asks if he'd like her to wait outside. He somewhat off-puttingly replies that it's up to her, but given what she needs to talk to him about, that doesn't even register on the Un!Comfortable! meter. She drops a folder on his desk that she says contains her report; he tries to elicit any information from her, but she's remarkably unforthcoming, and when he examines it, he notes that her written report is even more terse. Peggy: "It's hard to put into words." Come on, Peggy. You borrowed Lady Chatterley's Lover like, eight episodes ago! Don baldly tells her if that's the case, she's failed, so she gives it a try: "You definitely feel something, that I think some women...would like to feel." Hee. Don doesn't really get it, so Peggy cuts to the case: It vibrates. "And that coincides with how you wear it." Jon Hamm brings his usual level of subtlety to the "Oh, noooooow I get it" expression to which his face changes. Now that Don has caught up, Peggy goes on that the "sensation" explains the belt's success, which "made me think it was probably unrelated to weight loss." Don doesn't let embarrassment take hold as he says they now have a benefit to work with, so they just need to figure out how to put it into words. He tells her to think about it, "deeply," and then forget it -- and an idea will jump up in her face. Considering from where the idea is likely to come, "jump up in your face" is more apt that perhaps Don realizes.
The Draper doorbell rings, and Betty, dressed only in a see-through robe over a negligee, goes to answer. We don't see him at first, but he identifies himself as an air-conditioner salesman, and pitches her on the idea of "living in frozen comfort." She shares a bed with Don, guy. She's familiar with the feeling. Betty says she's not interested, but when the guy asks her for a glass of water to defend against the "scorcher," she hesitantly lets him in -- and it's a sweaty Adam Kaufman, who you can be forgiven for not recognizing, since his hair is atypically slicked down. And if Brylcreem was able to tame that ginormous shaggy mane, I'd be willing to go on record as saying there's nothing it can't do. But even if you don't recognize him here, you may remember as Parker from Buffy, Gayoda from Dawson's Creek, or that pretentious artist in that episode of Veronica Mars. If none of those roles are familiar to you, you must be very new to TWoP. Welcome! Anyway, once Adam Kaufman takes a swig, he tries to pitch Betty again, and she laughs at the familiarity: "I'm married to a salesman." She says she's sure they can wait out the Indian summer, but Adam Kaufman is undeterred, going to the window and showing her exactly where the cool air from the house is escaping. He tells her she needs a unit in the living room and the bedroom. Dude, she's pretty sheltered. Start with your unit in the bedroom first and see how that goes. He offers to take some measurements, and Betty's charmed; she starts to lead him up the stairs, but, apparently suddenly thinking better of it for any or all of a number of reasons, turns back: "You know, my husband -- I think he would rather go to Sears." She kicks him out, which is just as well, since that line made any air-conditioning completely unnecessary.
Don's recording a reassuring message to a client; he finishes up when Bertram enters, who tells him that he just had to talk "Lucky Strike Sr." off a ledge, and his team is coming for lunch the day to see if Roger is "still involved." Bertram admits that he invited the guy out of bravado, and he called his bluff, so he needs Don to "draw focus from our guest of honor." Don looks dismayed.
Rachel is having lunch in a Chinese restaurant with her sister Barbara, who's trying to sell her on a date with some guy; when Rachel declines, Barbara asks, "Are you still seeing that Goy?" I guess that's what we're going with now, sure. Rachel decides to test the waters, basically saying that Don's married. Barbara: "My goodness. Jesus!" Hee. Barbara must be quite shocked to take the not-Lord's name in vain. Rachel immediately pulls back, saying that nothing's happened, but she's thinking about it, as it feels so natural, and she feels so close to him. "He's married, but I don't think he's happy." Oh, Rachel. You were one of the few non-participants in the Rationalization Theater that is this show. Barbara says what she knows, she knows from movies, but basically, everything seems magical until you start talking to the guy (Goy?) about leaving his wife, and then he doesn't. Barbara then cracks open a fortune cookie for Rachel, which reads, "You are your own worst enemy." True enough, and it's a testament to how on-topic this show always is that it's still true if you add "in bed."
Fade into shirtless (as opposed to typically pajama-clad) Don getting into bed with Betty; it's a nice touch. It also illustrates how hot it is. Betty tries to cuddle with him and tells him he's working too much, an assessment with which he sort of agrees. They try to get comfortable in the heat, but then Betty tells Don what the salesman said about the air escaping. This awakens Don, as he sits up and sharply asks, "You let a stranger in my house?" They have words about it; he grumpily bids her goodnight, and she poutily turns away from him. Oh, good, getting to sleep will be much easier now!
At Sterling Cooper, Mona leads a weak-looking Roger in with Bertram in tow, and when they get to the reception area, Bertram rallies the troops for a round of applause. That's presumably for being back on his feet, and not for keeping Mona from finding out about riding that girl like a pack mule. Roger says he feels like he should make a speech, and then orders everyone back to work. Pete of course almost busts a gut fake-laughing, which is fitting, since Roger was fake-joking. Roger kisses Mona, and she tells him he's got one hour. Don and Bertram lead him away, and Harry and Paul note how terrible he looks, although it's nowhere near as bad as it was last episode. Pete agrees with me, which: Ew. I need to go take a shower.
In his office, Roger is musing about the fact that the attack happened right there. Joan then enters, and Bertram tells her they brought her in because of her "discretion." They ask her if she can help mitigate his paleness, and then Roger smiles, "Hey, honey." Bertram and Don look over, surprised at this breaking of the office code, but they don't dwell on it, and Don asks Joan to do her best. When the two men leave, Joan sits down and kisses Roger; she then fixes him with a fond smile before reaching for her makeup and getting to work. Roger: "We should have done this for Nixon." Hee. Roger blusters about how bad the Nixon campaign has been, and Joan softly cautions him not to get so upset. He tells her he missed her, and she tries to keep it mostly business at first, but as the scene goes on, it's clear that her emotions are getting the better of her. Roger says that since she's very dear to him, he wants to tell her something. Her face is laid open to him, lip quivering as she waits for this: "You are the finest piece of ass I ever had. And I don't care who knows it. I am so glad I got to roam those hillsides." If that's the most eloquent he can be, it's just as well Don's about to be made partner. Roger does a lot better, though, when he tells her that he's had a lot of time lately to contemplate his mistakes and regrets. "And being with you is not one of them." This sounds like a goodbye, and poor Joan looks so sad and vulnerable here. If only Carol had waited until now to make her Sapphic overtures, she might have had a shot. Joan dries her eyes, but, as you'd expect, she doesn't take long to pull it together, and, telling Roger he looks better, she withdraws.
Betty and Francine are in the nursery; Francine has dropped the kid, and between the weather and the lactating, she's a hot mess, if you'll pardon the expression. Betty wonders if they should leave the kid in peace, but Francine says that the door is a lot noisier than their voices. Betty asks about the "pushy" salesman, but apparently Francine didn't even let him tell her what he was selling; she adds that if she'd let him in while she was alone, Carlton would have broken her arm. Betty thinks that what she did was foolish, but Francine is more concerned about why she told Don. Betty says she doesn't know -- it just came up, and Francine seems to accept that. I doubt Dr. Wayne would do the same. Betty adds, "He's very protective." Use the commercial break to come up with your own retort.
It's the big meeting, and the same aged good ole boy from "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" (his name's "Lee," and he's the one who told Pete they weren't selling death) is digging into a spread from one of the local Jewish delis. Roger and Don then enter, and after the greetings, Lee looks appraisingly at Roger while saying how wonderful it is to see him. Lee and Roger do a little verbal dance about Roger's health, and then Roger brings up the lawsuit; Roger thinks there's nothing to worry about, as while the decision in the lawsuit did blame the company, there were no accompanying damages. However, surprisingly, given his attitude at the last meeting, Lee sees the writing on the wall; even though Roger assures him he talked to the Surgeon General's office and it will be "at least three years" before they can compile a report on the health effects of tobacco, he's worried that legislation is already in progress. Pete mentions that another year or two beyond that, there will probably be warning labels on cigarettes. (It actually happened in 1965, if you're interested.) Don thinks they should wait and see if market share drops before they panic and create a whole new ad campaign. It's not that I disagree with the idea of not panicking, but I don't think the SC boys' ostrich-like attitude about this whole issue is doing them any favors. On the other hand, considering how much stress Don underwent to come up with this campaign, I can understand his reluctance to start over. Roger backs Don up, and then manfully stands and lights a cigarette as Lee relaxes for the first time and says he's glad they all came by, and adds that he missed all them New Yorkers. Roger holds up a pastrami sandwich and starts to toast New Yorkers, but then clutches his chest and keels over. Damn, Roger's circulatory system, that is cold. I mean, that pastrami looked good -- you could have at least let him have a bite before you sent him back to the hospital. Several people rush over to him, and they don't drag this out too long...
...before Roger's back on the gurney. Joan leads Mona into the area but hangs back, not that you'd expect any less of her, while Mona goes to Roger's side. I guess since Roger hasn't been drinking, there was no need for Don to slap him and tell him his wife's name again. Don instead laments that this whole idea was stupid (as was strongly suggested in the earlier scene with Don and Bertram, I think we can be clear that the whole thing was Bertram's idea, probably backed up by Roger), and he offers Mona some sincere condolences and then accompanies the gurney to the elevator. Mona then rounds on Bertram: "I used to think you couldn't put a value on a human life. But I never asked Bert Cooper, did I?" I really don't know how the air temperature is holding on to the heat this episode. Mona tells him to go to hell, and stalks off, leaving him to tell Lee that Don has everything under control. Lee's not so sure, pointedly saying that while he has a family business, he's not an autocrat, and he has a board to which he has to answer. "We all like Don Draper. But if I was you, I'd find some way to show him that you all do too." What, like letting him take Rachel to Israel on the company dime?
The boys are in Pete's office speculating about the future of the company. Salvatore, Ken, and Paul seem inclined to panic, while Harry thinks that they'll promote Don to partner, and then everyone (meaning the clients, I assume) will fall in line. Pete's the only one who disagrees that Don will be made partner, and for someone who sees JFK's and Elvis's appeal, he sure has a blind spot when it comes to Don Draper. I mean, you'd think he'd draw a connection based on the womanizing alone. After some talk about whom Draper likes, Paul points out that cleaning out people at the top is good for them -- it opens up spots. Pete considers this with a "Wow, it's almost like you're talking about...a pyramid!" look on his face. Good thinking, dickhead.
Peggy's on her date at some Italian restaurant; the guy's pretty cute and cleans up well, and is also super-tall, which you can tell even though he's sitting down (his IMDb profile lists him as 6'5"). However, even though he offers that his mom wouldn't shut up about her, she answers "Isn't that nice" in a way that tells you loads about how badly this is going to go. He looks a little bummed that she smokes, but gamely lights her cigarette as she twitters that it's "practically mandatory" at her office before understatedly gagging on her first puff. Oh, Peggy. The waiter comes with drinks (a Rheingold for the guy, which is awesome, and a Brandy Alexander for Peggy); he notices that she makes a face when she sips the drink, and she tells him that her "friend Joan" orders them for her, and they're usually much sweeter. Oh, the irony. Peggy volunteers that Joan's a "scream" and lives in the city, and then babbles about some bar in Manhattan where the glasses are chilled. Carl (that's his name, although I'm not sure it's mentioned) looks unimpressed, although it's still Indian Summer and one of those would probably be pretty refreshing right now. Anyway, Peggy, with too much attitude, announces that Carl drives a truck. He tries to tell her about how he bought his own route, how he needed a special license, how his sister's a secretary too, but every overture is met with a stomping from Peggy's new Manhattan-loving shoes. He then turns the tide by saying that advertising doesn't work on him, and it takes less than five seconds before Peggy is asking him why he's insulting what she does. Honey, don't dish it out if you can't take it -- even your idol Joan The Scream would tell you that. He bitterly tells her (and sure, he's probably being oversensitive, but it sure doesn't excuse her snooty attitude) that he's his own boss, and he's sure they're not exactly showering her with gold at her job. "Let me tell you: You can act like you're from Manhattan, but you don't look like those girls." Oof. He hit her where it hurts. Right in the fat suit. She starts to leave, and to his credit, he apologizes, twice even, but it's not like she was ever interested in giving him a chance, and her parting shot is this: "Those people? In Manhattan? They are better than us. 'Cause they want things they haven't seen." You may be pleased with yourself here, Peggy, but you are going to catch hell from your mother for this.
Betty and Don are on the couch watching The Danny Thomas Show; noting that his eyes are fluttering, she gets up and turns off the TV, signaling that she's ready for bed. He tells her he'll be up, but he's just going to check on Roger first...
...but it's actually Dr. Wayne with whom he's checking in, and he's not pleased, as Betty seems even more unhappy. Well, that may be, but as far as we know, her hands aren't shaking anymore, which was the initial problem. I'd think you'd view that as progress of a sort, Don, especially since it means your children are in less danger of flying through a windshield these days. Don tells Dr. Wayne that it's to the point where he's afraid to leave her alone. He fails to add that said fear seems to be alleviated by hot Jewish tail. Wayne suggests psychoanalysis, as opposed to the current regimen of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, as a means of expediting things, but cautions that would mean a minimum of three sessions a week, and optimally five. Don's basically like, "Yeah, I'm not paying for your new yacht," and hangs up.
The boys are in the conference room when Peggy comes in for her presentation, and given how badly her date went, I'd imagine she did some last-ditch research recently. She nervously launches into it -- she calls the product "The Rejuvenator," and says it gives you the "flush and glow" that you "might" have after exercise, but that you definitely had as a young girl. "Isn't it nice to feel that way whenever you want?" She throws in a bit about a sensible diet before wrapping it up, and Freddy is impressed with the copy and the "nice end-run around the weight loss." Ken, however, asks what the belt actually does, and Peggy's words are used up as she looks to Don, who sucks it up and says it "provides the pleasure of a man without the man." There's some copy that could be used today. The boys guffaw and make gross comments about "Mitch's" wife as Peggy stands uncomfortably; Freddy, as usual, has a little bit of sensitivity for Peggy's feelings as he explains that Mitch's wife is "very attractive." Of course, part of her is probably upset that they don't seem to be lewdly into the fact that Peggy used the belt, but, to turn Freddy's phrase back around on him, you can only expect so much from a dog playing the piano. Don gives Peggy some constructive criticism on the pitch, and then Ken realizes that Freddy's wife has one; when he points this out, Freddy starts for him, but Don gets between them and tells Freddy and Sal to get on their jobs. Sal: "I'll get arrested just doing the layouts." HA! Don and Pete both give Peggy muted compliments as they leave, and Harry pauses to tell her, "Freddy's wife does not look like Mitch's." Hee. Ken, as is consistent (he and Freddy have been the most complimentary of her work), sincerely tells her, "Good work, Pegs," and then Peggy's left alone to collect her materials.
Betty's folding laundry as the washer is loudly acting up; she goes and pushes on it, and quickly gets A Look that tells us she's found an alternative to the belt. Hee. They should name this washing machine "The Rejuvenator" and see how that sells. Betty keeps her, um, position as she fantasizes about a, while clothed, passionate and rhythmic session with Adam Kaufman; then the machine clicks off. Tease! Betty goes back into the other room and sticks her face in front of the fan.
Closeup on Don pouring himself a glass of what's most likely rye; there's a knock, and Peggy comes in and tells Don that she doesn't mean to seem ungrateful, but she thinks she could serve the company and him better as a copywriter if she had her own desk. He points out that she already has a desk, but she counters that she's got radio spots now. Don: "You presented like a man, now act like one." That's quite the tack to take, given that she had to product-test on her girl parts. But she gets the point and asks for five bucks a week more; he's kind of flabbergasted at how little she makes, which he covers with wry humor, but then Bertram comes in and puts an end to the fun...
...and we cut to Bertram leading Don to Roger's office. The purpose of the shot is so we can see Pete rushing out like an old biddy and asking Hildy to let him know when they reemerge from Bertram's office. Hildy: "Sure! I'll just sit here and watch the door. That's all I'll do." Heh. Pete is in no mood, however, and heatedly asks who the hell she thinks she's talking to. Give it up already, Pete -- no one thinks of you as a man. You'll figure that out when you see catch your wife with a sex belt.
Inside, Don somewhat nervously asks if Roger's dead, but the answer is no -- in fact, the hospital let him go home to convalesce. However, Bertram still wants to make Don a partner. Don thinks making the offer in Roger's office is in poor taste, which signals to me that after everything, he's still got a fair amount of affection for him. However, Bertram says that this is the way it works, and Roger knows that, and he's not adding Don's name to the masthead, just restoring faith to their clients. With that, Don accepts, and Bertram starts him at twelve percent and the promise that they'll see how things go with both him and Roger; also, Don will remain creative director, "and to fill the position of head of Account Services, you're the only member of the Blue Ribbon Committee." Don stipulates his desire not to have a contract, and Bertram chuckles and notes that one is supposed to beware nonconformists. Laughing, he starts to leave, and then turns back: "I'm going to introduce you to Miss Ayn Rand. I think she'll salivate." Well, she certainly did value beauty. Bertram heads out, and Don walks around Roger's desk and picks up his baseball. Pete then comes busting in, no doubt having thrown up a cartoon smoke cloud around poor Hildy, and asks if Roger's dead. Don says no, and then muses about the office being so big. "I might need it if I'm gonna lure in Marty Brennan as head of Account Services." Ha! Pete is unfazed by that remark, though, and smarms that he's a big fan of Don's work (man alive) and that they make a very good team (now I'm speechless). Don doesn't really respond to Pete's toadying, though, as is his wont, although he does try to hose Pete down by saying that Roger would want Don to have the office, because he knows Don would give it back to him. Nothing's turning Pete off, though, which I probably don't have to tell you is one of his grossest modes, and when he says he hopes Don's aware of his interest in the position, Don neutrally replies, "I am now." Had the expression "Don't call us; we'll call you" been coined in 1960?
Don heads out for the day; he tells Peggy that she can go home, even though it's 4:30; also, he grants her the raise she asked for (to forty bucks a week -- WOO HOO!) and says he'll talk to Joan about getting someone to cover for her as his assistant when she's busy writing copy. Peggy beams and asks if she can tell Joan herself, and he assents. "In the meantime, go with your friends. Celebrate." Brandy Alexanders and lung cancer for everyone! Peggy heads for the exits.
At five, a half-in-the-bag Pete teeters out of his office, finishes his drink, and puts the glass on the absent Hildy's chair. Ooh, good one, Pete. Now break all her erasers in half! He goes into Don's office and sits in his chair, like, as if. However, his timing is serendipitous, as a guy from the mailroom comes in and, thinking Pete is Don, drops off Adam's package. Pete starts to go, but gives the package a second look and takes it with him.
Don arrives home and tells the kids not to sit so close to the TV. Betty wasn't expecting him, as she called the office and no one answered, so apparently another schtupping took place off-screen. He tells her about the promotion, and she's momentarily excited, but the tension between them has yet to fade, and she tells him she's sorry for having let the salesman into the house. He takes a long moment and says he doesn't want to talk about that; from the expression on his face, it looks like he's trying to be conciliatory, but you'll notice he didn't exactly accept her apology there. She takes his hand and says the heat is supposed to break tomorrow, and he smiles that it'll probably be snowing in two weeks. Dude, given how closely your weather is matching mine, I didn't need to hear that. She turns back to the refrigerator, and all is not right in Draper-land.
Peggy's reading in bed; she then gets up and locks the door to her bedroom. She takes a quick look at herself in the mirror, and then turns out the light and hops into bed. After a few moments, she looks over, and reaches for the belt. The woman's got radio spots now! More research is needed! Also, "Fly Me To The Moon" is playing at the end, which: Nice. Two to go. See you time!