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Smaller subplots first: Bobbi, for some reason, won't seem to go away, as she shows up to Don and tells him she's got an idea for a TV show starring Jimmy, and then apparently succeeds in getting in his pants again. Roger's daughter is engaged, and she defies her parents by insisting on not having a big splashy wedding. The nostalgia of his own wedding sends Roger into the arms of a hooker he once knew, as will happen. Peggy meets a young new priest at work, and he asks her for help with an upcoming sermon he has to give. Her assistance renders the speech a big hit, but this raises the long-simmering ire of her sister, who spills the beans about Peggy's pregnancy to the priest in confession. The priest, in turn, subtly lets on to Peggy that he knows, so we'll see where that goes.
Finally, Don and Betty are being amorous and romantic at the beginning of the episode, but things go south as Bobby keeps acting up. Don has to give him a talking-to, but it falls short of Betty's expectations, and things get more tense when a change in the American Airlines timetable not only forces Don to go in to work on Palm Sunday but to take Sally with him. We get to see everyone in their casual clothes, but Sally makes up for the comfortable atmosphere by talking about boobs with Joan and sex with Paul. On the day of the big pitch, all the players at SC wait anxiously in the conference room, only to find out from Duck that their big contact over at AA just got canned that morning. In the wake of this disaster, when Bobby acts up again at home, Don snaps and throws something, leading to a yelling and shoving match between Don and Betty, and some cracks in the Don Draper mask might be starting to show. I mean, we all figured Don's dad beat the crap out of him, but to hear him admit it to his son and wife is another story.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!As a sermon can be heard in the background, we start on a close up of two gloved hands holding a booklet that holds "The Church of the Holy Innocents" Passion Sunday order of events (the date is April 8, 1962). We then see two boys who can only be Peggy's nephew and son, because to them in a pew are Peggy, her sister Anita, and her mother. The sermon is of the fire-and-brimstone ilk that likely made Peggy stop going to church in the first place, and when the priest gets to the part about people living worthily and having their own crosses to bear, Peggy says she's not feeling well and walks out, much to her sister's annoyance, particularly since she needs Peggy's help with dinner. However, in the anteroom, Peggy runs into another priest, who... hey, it's Colin Hanks! I personally haven't seen him in anything since they killed him off on Roswell! Could it be that we were once so young? Well, he was, anyway. After finishing giving two apparently naughty boys a talking-to, Colin Hanks introduces himself as "Father Gill." He recognizes Peggy as "Katherine Olson's girl" (I seem to remember that this method of reference was common back then) and mentions that he's a visiting priest, and also, he's having dinner over at Anita's. This is enough for Peggy to change her tune and head back in. I don't think the sermoner would approve Peggy thinking the new priest is cute as an example of worthy living, but he'll at least be happy she's inside when the collection plate gets passed.
Cut to an overhead shot of Don and Betty having a morning lie-in. The phone rings, and Betty groggily answers and mumbles some things about a barbecue they're apparently supposed to attend, and Don's half on top of her practically before he's even opened his eyes. What's the story, morning glory? He breathes that Betty should cancel, and with a mischievous look, she does, telling "Caroline" that Don isn't feeling well. They reschedule, and when Betty hangs up, Don tells her he had an amazing dream. He doesn't mention if the dream was about her, but given the Valentine's Day droopiness, I suppose she's not in a position to split hairs. Their foreplay is interrupted, however, by the kids rushing in, and Don barks at them to get out. "We're... sleeping." Heh. I just hope the bed's strong enough to take it when you're "awake." Sally's got a great "I didn't just fall off the turnip truck" look on her face, but regardless, Don kicks her and her brother out and gets back to his, uh, nap.
Close up on a vodka cranberry being made, and let's just say that the proportions suggest that Don won't be complaining about this one. Don thanks Sally, calling her "Jeeves," and then she asks why they're in the living room. Betty: "Because we live here." I'd like to know what her smart answer would be if the house had a ballroom. Betty then snaps at Bobby, who's fiddling with the stereo. He lies that he wasn't touching it, prompting Betty to swivel her head like a praying mantis and look incredulously at Don, who continues reading blithely. Getting no help, she turns back to Bobby and points out that she saw him touch the stereo, but when he denies it again, she sends both kids off to watch TV. That's probably what he wanted in the first place, so it seems like the whole mess could have been avoided. Anyway, perhaps still flushed with happiness from the morning encounter, or perhaps because a song about wedded bliss, Perry Como's version of "The Blue Room," is playing on the stereo, Betty does not light into Don for failing to back her up with Bobby; instead, she opines that Como's voice is like silk, and Don agrees: "He makes everything sound like Christmas." Betty says she loved dancing to the song in high school, and gets him to get up and dance with her. They stand and rock back and forth together, which is ideal because it's very romantic, and also doesn't require them to put down their cocktails.
Peggy is setting the table, and then asks her heretofore-unseen brother-in-law "Gerry" (Senior, I guess, given their son's name), who's sprawled out on the couch, if he's going to join them for dinner. He complains, in a stock Brooklyn accent, about his back being out, so Peggy goes to answer the door for Father Gill. He no sooner tells Peggy he hopes she's not leaving than an ostensible fellow churchgoer comes rushing in and apologizes for being late, saying she was at Greenwood visiting her son. Father Gill says he'd love to meet him, which elicits a long face from the woman and this from Peggy: "It's a cemetery." Do acts of contrition work for a faux pas such as this? Katherine bustles up and dispels any awkwardness with a warm greeting, and Gerry manages to get up off the couch long enough to shake Father Gill's hand. He reseats (relies?) himself, and everyone else heads to the table, with Anita calling to "Gerard" and "Mikey" to wash their hands. She then asks Father Gill to honor them by saying Grace, so he thanks the Lord for the food, the people and their home, and the parish. Everyone looks up quizzically, and Katherine intones, "That was beautiful. Are you gonna say Grace now?" I don't know where you're visiting from, Father Gill, but in Bensonhurst we do things by the book. Father Gill, with a bit of a sigh, gets up and gives a more traditional recitation about being mindful of the needs of others, making everyone happy. Well, except for Peggy, who probably didn't appreciate her visit being extended one millisecond longer than necessary.
Cross-fade to later, when the turkey has been stripped down to the marrow and it's time for dessert. Even Father Gill is smoking, and after Katherine sets him up by saying she's heard he has a beautiful singing voice, he regales everyone with stories of learning to play the mandolin and soccer when he was in Rome. I'd pay to see him do both at the same time. He's eagerly asked if he got to meet the Pope, and responds, "It's kind of like being in Washington and asking if you met the President. But you know when he's in the building." This gets an appreciative laugh from the group, and when Katherine pours him a drink, he invites her to join him, and she doesn't have to be asked twice. Talk then turns to Peggy's job, as Katherine tells Father Gill that Peggy "comes up with the words in advertisements." Anita tells her it's called copywriting, which prompts Peggy to call in from the kitchen that she's glad Father Gill is there. "I didn't know they knew what I did." Heh. Katherine proceeds to gush, at least for her, about Peggy's work and how she used to practice giving presentations to them, even sometimes using Latin. As she pours a drink for her mother, Peggy apologizes but says she has to go, and Father Gill offers her a ride. She says she's heading to the "Fourth Avenue BMT." Aw, I remember people still calling it that when I was a kid. The women fuss over Father Gill and insist on getting a picture, which Peggy takes, instructing them to say "cheese." Given their obvious worship of Father Gill, I applaud their restraint in waiting until he leaves the house to ask, "Can I get a copy?"
In a restaurant, Roger and Mona are sitting with their daughter Margaret and her fiancé "Brooks." Margaret tells her parents that she doesn't want a big wedding, and thinks the whole spectacle would be embarrassing, and Brooks backs her up with a "Whatever she wants." Considering that when we met her, it was all Margaret could do not to spit on him, you'd think Roger would be happy enough to be marrying her off regardless of the circumstances. He, however, has his personal version of Brooks's statement with which to contend, as he points out that Mona wants a wedding. Mona recalls how beautiful she looked and how giddy she was on her own wedding day, and tells Margaret what a wonderful dancer Roger is, and how she wouldn't want her to miss dancing with him. Margaret does look moved by Mona's words, and then she and Brooks share a schmoopy moment, which Mona opines is sweet. Roger, however, looks like that's about the only taste that's not in his mouth at the moment.
Father Gill's car pulls up to the station, and Peggy thanks him for the ride, but he asks her to stay a moment on a personal matter -- he has "the honor" of delivering the Palm Sunday sermon, and he'd like to run a few ideas past her. Peggy tries to opt out, tactfully saying that she doesn't know that she's his audience, but Father Gill thinks that the coincidences of her running into him as she was trying to leave, them attending the same dinner, and her experience with public speaking are God's work in getting them together. Peggy can't, or at least won't, argue with that, so she tells Father Gill that if she's prepared and confident in what she's selling, that allays her nervousness, as does picking one person on whom to focus. Also, she tells him that the sermon is the only part of Mass that's in English, "and it's very hard to tell sometimes," so she counsels him to keep it simple. Considering Peggy probably actually understands the Latin parts of Mass, you might want to listen her, padre.
Don and Betty flop down on their bed and are joined by the kids. It's a fun little family time until Bobby jumps up and down too hard and the thing breaks. At least Sally didn't do it -- the girl's going to have enough image problems in this era as it is. Betty scolds him for being "wild in the house," and sends the kids off to bed, but they protest that they haven't had dinner, as it's only seven-thirty, so Betty takes them downstairs for some grilled cheese, leaving Don to flop back down exhaustedly. Hey, that's the dark side of going so light on the cranberry juice.
After an establishing shot of a blackboard with the lunch specials for Monday written on it, at a table in the restaurant, some older bald guy is telling a joke, and Pete and Ken make a big show of trying to out-chortle the other at the punchline. A woman then joins them who's probably a few years older than Ken and Pete but decidedly much younger than Baldy, and Ken takes the opportunity to introduce "Vicky" (Marguerite Moreau, in point of fact, who was awesome in Wet Hot American Summer) to "Marty." She wastes no time in flirting with him, but is interrupted when Roger walks up. The boys introduce Marty, who works for Gorton's, to Roger, with Marty mentioning that he was scheduled to meet Roger the day anyway, and then Vicky pipes up that she's Marty's wife. Ken and Pete exchange awesome side-eyes at the ease at which Vicky plays this part, although it's not clear if Roger's fooled. He soon excuses himself with the hope that he'll see both of them the day. Marty looks confused, given that Vicky's services are going to be on SC's dime, but forgets all about that once Vicky gives him a seductive look. I hope Pete and Ken brought rain slickers -- it would have been both client-appropriate and prudent!
Don's in his office when Joan buzzes that Bobbi, who you no doubt remember from last week, is there "at my desk." Don has Joan show her in, and when Joan's gone, Don chastises her for showing up unannounced. She tells him she was in the neighborhood, and her demeanor is a lot more tractable than it was last week -- it even seems like she's trying to be ingratiating, although since I hate her it's not working. Don looks unsettled by this change, although it could just be that she forgot to wear a chastity belt and as such is feeling rather vulnerable in his presence. She tells Don that she has an idea for a TV show -- it'd be like Candid Camera, only Jimmy would host it and be his normal dickish self, and it would be called Grin And Bear It. If Jimmy's really going to host, I hope Bobbi's willing to settle for half the title. Don thinks it's a great idea, as it's "derivative with a twist," which is what TV execs are looking for. He goes on that ABC is sick about losing Candid Camera, but the challenge would be to get Jimmy out of his contract at Utz, and Bobbi replies that she's thought about that -- Utz could come on as a sponsor. Of course, Jimmy could just call Edith a fat cow again, but Bobbi's way probably has the potential to make more money. Don doesn't think Bobbi's idea would work, however, as the show would need a national sponsor and Utz doesn't qualify, but he does point out that Utz might be persuaded that their spots would pack more punch if Jimmy were a TV star. Bobbi likes the way Don thinks, and then goes to the door and locks it, which Joan hears above her typing. Inside, Bobbi asks Don to sell the show for her. He tells her he's not interested in that job, but he will talk to the Schillings for her. She repays him by coming over and planting one on him. He lamely tells her that he's got work, but she calls bullshit on that, and tosses her coat to the floor meaningfully.
Okay, I need to go on a little sidebar about this whole Don and Bobbi thing, because it's bugging the crap out of me, and I'll feel better if I explain why. So Don was a confirmed philanderer last season. Beyond the fact that this was obviously what a lot of guys did back then, there were clear, specific, character-based reasons for his propensity to cheat in general, his need for someone besides Betty, and his attraction to both Rachel and Midge. This season, in the first two episodes, the show went to great lengths to show that Don was trying to be a good family man. But along comes Bobbi, for whom I think it's safe to say Don feels nothing, and yet after a couple of half-assed protests he gives in to her, twice. If the show hadn't painted Don as such a strong character, or if he had cheated again with someone with whom he had a strong emotional bond, it wouldn't have bothered me, but the way it's gone down makes his earlier efforts to be a good husband seem cheap and hollow. Maybe the show intended for Don and Bobbi to have more of a connection, but it hasn't happened that way, at least for me, and that renders this whole plotline disappointing and dramatically unsatisfying, at least so far. But the show has zigged when I thought it would zag many times before, so hopefully this story will turn interesting soon.
Anyway! Ken and Pete are discussing an account when Roger enters and asks if Marty is bringing "the missus" to their three o'clock. Pete sends the female secretary and her delicate ears out of the room, and then tells Roger that there is a Mrs. Hasselback, but Vicky isn't she. As if the implication isn't clear enough, Ken pipes up that he has her number if Roger wants it. "I've got lots of numbers." Just looking at you, Ken, I wouldn't think you'd have to pay for it. But I have heard you open your mouth. Anyway, Roger declines and exits.
Don gets home, and Sally jumps into his arms, but that's all the fun we're going to have, as Betty enters and tells Don that Bobby broke the record player, and when she asked him about it, he lied and said he didn't do it. Don goes upstairs to talk to him...
...and when he opens the door, Bobby's sitting on his bed expectantly. Don says that he believes Betty's assertion that Bobby broke the hi-fi, and tells him not to do it again. Bobby softly says he won't, and Don closes the door. Hey, what more could Betty want, right?
Well, apparently a lot more, as she tells Don that just putting him to bed isn't enough -- he needs a spanking, otherwise he won't learn the difference between right and wrong. "You think you'd be the man you are today if your father didn't hit you?" Probably not, considering he'd likely still be going by "Dick Whitman" in that case.
It's now Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Innocents. Meanwhile, Don is just starting to make pancakes, with Bobby watching intently, when Betty enters, carrying what I believe is the case containing the broken hi-fi, and pointedly says Don left it by the bed. Don, looking a little harried, says he'll take care of it, but Betty heads out, presumably to put it in the car. The phone then rings, and Don answers to find it's Duck. Don's none too thrilled to hear his voice, but Duck tells him that he heard from his contact at American that they scheduled a bunch of pitches for the upcoming week, so Duck moved their own pitch up to Good Friday. I don't know how you feel about it, but as a not-particularly-religious-or-superstitious person, I'd still be awfully hesitant to tempt fate in such a brazen manner. I mean, if God does exist, it's not a stretch to think he's going to be in a pretty bad mood. Duck goes on that most of the team is there, and the rest are on their way. At that moment, Bobby touches the grill and howls in pain, the only bright side to which is that it gives Don an excuse to hang up on Duck unceremoniously. By the way, I did basically the exact same thing when I was a kid. We had electric burners on the stove, and I just thought when they turned red, they were so pretty I just had to touch one! Kids are dumb. Anyway, Betty rushes back in and snipes at Don for not keeping an eye on Bobby in the short time she was gone, and then declares that Bobby needs to go to the emergency room. When Don tells her that he has to go in to work, she instructs him to take Sally with her, as Bobby will be all she can handle, and she's not about to impose on Francine on Palm Sunday. As Betty takes Bobby by the shoulders and marches him out, he whines that he wants to go with Don, and then Sally claps her hands in glee. Heh.
At Anita's house, Katherine is doing some last-minute straightening up around her son-in-law, who's of course asleep on the couch. We see that some neighbors are sitting at the table expectantly, so we can infer that the rock star of the Holy Innocents is once again invited to dinner. And on cue, the doorbell rings, and Anita rushes to get it. Father Gill enters, but immediately tells Anita and Katherine he can't stay, as a parishioner has taken a turn for the worse, the implication being that he'll be needed to give her Last Rites. He then asks about Peggy, and when Katherine tells him she's ill (Peggy, you LIAR!), he produces a piece of paper and asks Anita to give it to Peggy, saying it's a copy of his sermon, with which Peggy helped him quite a bit. Katherine compliments the speech: "I felt like I was the only one you were talking to!" Heh. Anita, however, looks like she's having a proto-"Marcia, Marcia, MARCIA!" moment, especially when Katherine opines, once he's gone, that it's so nice that Father Gill is taking an interest in Peggy. He'll be taking more of an interest once Anita the Bitter Blabbermouth is done with him.
At SC, Don gives Joan his daughter with this admonition: "Keep her away from the paper cutter." Yeah, one child per day in the emergency room is plenty. Joan regards Sally warily, who gives her a great big unironic grin in return. Heh.
In the conference room, Duck is giving everyone marching orders. I should note that most everyone in the office today is in varying degrees of casual clothes, which is fun, but positively hilarious is Pete's outfit of a tennis sweater and John McEnroe-in-the-seventies short shorts. Duck interrupts Pete to ask Harry rudely why he's in the meeting, and Harry uncertainly tells him he's Head of the Television Department. Harry, I'd check your paycheck to make sure that extra twenty-five bucks a week got processed.
Duck goes back to talking without another word to Harry, in case we didn't already think he's a douche, and we see that Harry's smoking again these days. Nothing like a cigarette to calm yourself when your wife's pregnant. Duck finishes up by coming to Don, saying he'd love a preview of what he's going to present, but Don brusquely says he's not ready to offer one yet. Everyone hilariously swivels their heads back to Duck like they're at a tennis match, so maybe Pete's attire was more appropriate than he realizes. Duck suggests that they show American something from all three of the campaign approaches they have, to eliminate all possible objections. "Something for everybody." He goes on that this doesn't have to be the final pitch -- it just has to win the execs over. This is about all Don's willing to hear, so he calls the creative team into his office. Well, this probably won't be the most fun of meetings, but at least it got Peggy out of church.
Joan's typing away when Sally tells her she has "big ones." Hard to argue, given that a huge corner of my screen is being rendered purple by Joan's bosom at the moment. Sally goes on that her mom also has big ones, and she's going to have them too when she grows up. I'm beginning to really like her. Most kids aren't nearly so good for comic relief. Sally watches her dad lead his underlings into his office...
...and then Don is telling them that even if they're merely selling a point of view, they have to commit to one thing. "I don't like wiggle room. I like to see us blowing up bridges behind us." Given the recent tragedy, I hope that's not one of the campaign concepts. After some discussion of the artwork and ideas they have so far, it's clear Don's not satisfied, and he dismisses the team with this: "You got a lot of bricks, but I don't know what the building looks like." They all file out, Sal looking his usual combination of frustrated and slightly offended. Honey, you have got to start having sex with people to whom you're actually attracted.
Roger's in a hotel room, and he opens the door to find... Vicky. He invites her in, and when she's seated, he, with perhaps just a tinge of nervousness, tells her, "I hate to sound remedial, but I haven't done this since I was in the Navy." Vicky tells him that while the "menu" is the same, the prices may have changed since his day, and he agrees, noting that her invoice came across his desk. I'd like to see how the Accounting Department classified her services. He tries to kiss her, but she reiterates that the menu hasn't changed, so I suppose that's not on it. Roger, however, offers an exorbitant sum to get everything he wants, so the making out commences. He warns her that he's not in great health, but she replies, "Don't believe what they say. No one dies doing this." Well, I suppose she should know, but wouldn't you think there's something on a good hooker's menu that could kill a man with heart problems? I should note, though, that unlike with Don earlier, Roger's motivations are clear here. We already knew from earlier in the season that he's been missing Joan, and on top of that, his daughter's engagement is making him feel old, so he's likely doing this as a way of reclaiming his feelings of virility. Throwing all that money around probably helps in that endeavor as well.
In Paul's office, Sally picks up a picture of Sheila and asks if she's Paul's maid. Paul sets Sally straight, so Sally asks, "Do you lay on top of her?" Heh, nice callback to the scene earlier when Sally walked in to find Don on top of Betty. Paul, however, does not know that there's a method to Sally's curiosity, so he tells her Don will be angry with him if he doesn't do his work. Given what we've seen of Don with his Creative staff, he'll probably be angry anyway, but I understand Paul's need to get out of the conversation.
There's a buffet meal set up in the main area, so everyone's taking a break and eating. Well, not the secretaries, who apparently have to wait until everyone else has stuffed their faces. A couple of them cast nasty looks Peggy's way, not that she notices. Also among the haves is of course Bertram, who looks like he just came from hanging out with Sam Snead. He then flips out, as he somehow got some gum stuck to his argyle sock, and then, noticing a secretary "chewing [her] cud," yells at her for treating the office "like a subway platform," and cans her. He hobbles away on a wave of crotchetiness, and once he's gone, Duck thanks the girl for getting Bertram out of the office for the day. He gives her a napkin for the gum and adds, "He won't remember firing you." I love Bertram, but Duck's probably right. Don then comes out of his office and, without fanfare, announces that American Airlines isn't about the past any more than America is. "Ask not about Cuba, ask not about the bomb -- we're going to the moon." Sal doesn't completely get Don's angle, so Don finishes with this: "Let's pretend we know what 1963 looks like." Here's a tip: You don't. When Don leaves, Pete complains that if they can't mention the crash, there's no preamble to their presentation at all. It's Duck, surprisingly, that sort of comes to Don's defense: "Our job is to bend down the branch. Let him pick the fruit." When the boys disappear, a nearby Sally picks up a highball with some booze still in it. Not too late for an emergency-room sweep!
Roger has survived, and he and Vicky are getting dressed. He asks her to have dinner with him, and after a brief negotiation, she agrees to accompany him to Lutece, and leaves on his arm, apparently not without some genuine affection. Or maybe he threw in an extra twenty that we didn't see.
Sally's passed out on the couch, and Don picks her up and carries her out of the office. As he does, the now-empty glass falls to the floor, and either he doesn't realize exactly what that means or he's had far too long a day to worry about it now. If it's the latter, it's not like I blame him, but Don, don't be surprised if she ruins your back-seat upholstery.
Katherine is on the phone at Anita's place, and then hands the receiver to Anita, saying her sister wants to talk. Anita looks ill at the prospect, but manages to be civil to Peggy for their brief chat. However, once she's done, she tells Katherine that Peggy does just as she pleases with no regard for anyone else, and that Katherine is too easy on her. Katherine decides that refusing to acknowledge this assertion is the way to go. What could go wrong with that plan?
It's the big day, and everyone's in the conference room nervously awaiting the AA execs' arrival. However, Duck comes in with terrible news -- their contact at AA just got fired that morning, so while the rest of them are still coming in for appearances' sake, as Don puts it, "We have to deliver a stillborn baby." "Hate" to say I told you so.
Anita enters a confessional to talk to Father Gill. She confesses some petty sins, but then gets to the part where she's "so angry" at Peggy for causing their mother so much pain. She goes on that Peggy seduced a married man and had a child out of wedlock, and even though it's a terrible sin, she acts like it didn't even happen. Looks like Anita gave up minding her own business for Lent. She goes on that she hates Peggy for it, and says that she's the one that tries to be good. She gets overcome, so Father Gill offers that he understands, but it's not her place to judge, and besides, God can see her goodness and loves her, and He knows that she loves her sister. Anita says that's true, so Father Gill gives her penance and asks her to forgive her sister. They recite an act of contrition together...
...and then we're back at SC, where people file out of the meeting until it's just Don, Duck, and Roger. Don sardonically slides a copy of the presentation over to Duck, which bears the American logo and the name of the axed contact. Duck and Don look long and hard at each other, but Roger breaks up the silent argument by saying that they should have no regrets, as they were in the hunt, and that's what matters. Duck takes this as his cue to withdraw, and then Don points out that they hired Duck to bring in new clients, not to lose existing business. Roger, however, thinks it's all about the thrill of the chase, and waxes poetic at length in aid of that sentiment, but coming from a man who just paid more for a kiss than most people would for a vacation, it's not especially convincing, and Don's face agrees with me.
Don arrives home, and Betty brightly notes he's early, and asks how it went. He replies that it didn't, so without any further inquiry, she slides her glass of wine over to him. She probably would have done the same had it been good news, but it's a nice sentiment nonetheless. Betty tells Bobby to stop playing with the toy robot in his hand, but after she and Don exchange a little small talk, Bobby knocks over Sally's drink. Betty gets annoyed and tells Don to do something, so Don picks up the robot and throws it into the wall, smashing it to bits. He stomps out, on the way asking Betty, "Is that what you wanted?" Well, she wouldn't admit it, but seeing that damn toy get pulverized probably did give her the teensiest bit of satisfaction. She follows Don out...
...and up the stairs, telling Don he takes no responsibility for what happens in the house. Don asks about Carla, but Betty yells that it's not Carla's job to raise their children, and she's there all day until Don comes home and gets to be the hero. Betty may not be all that likable, but January Jones is kicking the shit out of this season, I tell you what. Heartbreakingly, the kids are at the bottom of the stairs listening to all this, as Don seethes that if he brought his experiences at the office home with him, he'd put Betty through a window. Betty shoves Don and gets shoved back twice as hard in response, and fixes him with a look that's anything but surprised before she goes and tells the kids to brush their teeth and go to bed. Don closes his eyes in dismay and sits down on the bed to contemplate his loss of control, but surprisingly, we don't leave the scene here, as Bobby enters and tells Don he's sorry. Don, disarmed, says it's okay, and that dads get mad sometimes. Bobby: "Did your daddy get mad?" Oh, boy. Don says he did, and when Bobby asks what he looked like, Don answers, "Like me, but bigger." Bobby asks what he liked to eat, and Don recalls, "Ham. And this candy, that tasted like violets, in a beautiful purple-and-silver package." The scene goes on like this for a bit more, and then Bobby offers, "We have to get you a new daddy." Don has Bobby come to him and give him a big hug, as if they weren't already KILLING ME HERE.
Later, Betty joins Don in bed. He's turned away from her, but she won't let him off that easy, asking if he has anything to say. He asks what she wants to hear, and she answers something, anything. "How about you're going to help raise these children, not be one?" Interesting full circle here -- last year it was Don complaining to Dr. Wayne that Betty was like a child. Don eventually tells Betty that his dad beat the hell out of him. "All it did was make me fantasize about the day I could murder him." Betty, giving this admission the respect it deserves, says she didn't know that, and Don adds that he wasn't half as good a kid as Bobby. Betty digests all this, and then puts her arm around him and lies there...
...and then it's Sunday at church, and outside, amid a sea of bonnets and flowers, Father Gill wishes Peggy a happy Easter. She compliments him on the colloquialism of his sermon, and he responds by giving her an Easter egg, "for the little one." She looks somewhat blank for a moment, no doubt unsure how he could possibly know, but once he's walked away, she looks after him with such despair and heartbreak that I almost flinched. Hey, it's not like Peggy normally wears her heart on her sleeve. I hope this development is positive, that it finally gives her the opportunity to unburden herself -- even that they're coming together is an example of God's work, as Father Gill might opine. But then I'm forced to ask myself if I've watched this show before.