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Trudy and Pete go to see an obstetrician about their inability to conceive, allowing Pete to show off both his comic timing and his rather miserable philosophy of life. He also learns that his boys can swim, not that we didn't know that already, which of course makes Trudy feel completely inadequate, not that Pete has a lot of sympathy. Joan gets engaged, and everyone duly admires her beautiful rock, except for a rather wistful Roger. Joan also has found a new secretary for Don named Jane, but has to lecture her for showing too much of her goods, even deliciously using the word "décolletage" to make her point. Bobbi calls Don with the news that a pilot for her show is going to be made, but when he goes to meet her for a celebration, he runs into Rachel, who's newly married. Bobbi then invites Don to her beach house in Stony Brook, and they bond over their love of movies before Don crashes his car. He gets hit with a fine he doesn't have the cash on him to pay, so he gets Peggy to come pick him and Bobbi up and bring them back to the city.
Don arrives home early in the morning to an angry and worried Betty, and does nothing to relieve her state of mind by blaming his accident on the medication for his high blood pressure, which Betty didn't even know about. Bobbi stays with Peggy to hide out from Jimmy while her wounds heal, and she wonders why Peggy is going to such lengths to help Don, but the answer comes when we get a flashback to when Peggy was in the hospital, heartbreakingly drugged-up and unable to deal with or even acknowledge the fact she had a child, and it was Don who came to the hospital and basically gave her the strength to move on, albeit in a very denial-heavy way. Bobbi counsels Peggy to treat Don as an equal if she wants to get ahead, and also to embrace her womanhood rather than trying to be a man. Peggy takes the advice by calling Don by his first name for the first time, and then Don goes home to a salt-free but love-filled meal.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!We start in a doctor's office, and we pan across to see Pete and Trudy looking somewhat uncomfortable. A man in his late fifties or so enters and introduces himself as "Dr. Stone," and Trudy eagerly explains that her friend's father is Head of Obstetrics at Lenox Hill, and the father said Dr. Stone gets results. Dr. Stone demurs: "They got results. Sometimes all a young couple needs is a good old-fashioned hand holding." I think it's going to take more than that in this case, but as a start I suppose it can't hurt. Dr. Stone declares his intention to ask them some questions both together and separately, and then ascertains that they've been trying to conceive for eighteen months. He asks if they're aware of the principles of conception, and Trudy smiles in embarrassment while Pete says yes. "Although, if you'd like to show us some films..." This is the first demonstration of a mathematical equation that goes, "Pete Campbell + Conception Hijinx = HILARITY." There will be many more such demonstrations as the hour goes on, which may sound like overkill but really, really isn't. Trudy then mentions that before they started trying, she was using a diaphragm. "Although it's possible I didn't need to." Aw, it's sad, if consistent, that Trudy, one of the most decent people on the show, is being denied her most fervent and desperate wish. And you can't even bright-side it by saying this is the universe not wanting Pete to reproduce.
Freddy is telling Don some off-color joke as they walk into SC, and then they hear some loud female squealing nearby. Freddy: "Sounds like a visit from the stork, or De Beers...or it could just be a new hairdo." That was a lot funnier than his joke, I'll give him that. Anyway, it's Door Number Two, as a beaming Joan emerges and flashes her ring finger as she bids them both good morning. Aw. It's nice to see Joan acting like a girl, considering she's more man than most of the office put together.
Pete's alone with Dr. Stone now, and is fielding some questions about his medical history. When Dr. Stone asks if his testicles descended normally, Pete's response is, "Absolutely!" Hee. I can't begin to do justice to the delivery there, but it's like he thinks the descent of his balls is the standard to which every man should aspire. He goes on to tell the doc that he's never fathered a child, and I'm looking forward to him finding out not only that that's not true but that the mother went temporarily insane as the result of his progeny. Upon being asked if he ever has trouble "completing the sexual act," Pete gives the idea some thought, and replies, "Drinking doesn't help. But no! I always reach home base." Pete eventually gets irritated with all the questions, so the doc assures him that fertility has nothing to do with manliness. Dr. Stone then asks if Pete wants to have a child, and Pete defensively says that he does, of course -- but then again, with the world in the state it's in...Dr. Stone refrains from pointing out that that's basically a "no" in favor of talking about Pete's line of work, which he opines must be fun, to which Pete scoffs in response. "I'm an account man. I spend half my day tiptoeing around Creative crybabies and the other half drinking with ungrateful turnips who just fell off the truck." I'm not entirely sure what an ungrateful turnip is, but it's not going to stop me from using the term from here on out. He goes on to complain about the economy, his inlaws, and "this baby thing," and he's certainly sounding crotchety enough that I'm surprised he still makes it all around the bases every single time. He mentions that it's been "a few months" since his father passed on, and Dr. Stone sympathizes, but offers that we're all part of a continuum. Pete replies, "So maybe I'm the end of the line." This hangs in the air for a moment, and then Dr. Stone tells him they're done, and asks him to send Trudy in and also to schedule an appointment with the nurse for a semen analysis. Pete chuckles: "Whenever she's free!" Dr. Stone's face: "If I had a nickel..."
The ring-admiring is still going on, and Joan tells the gaggle of girls around her that red and green are her colors, so they're going to have a Christmas wedding. "He doesn't know that yet." Heh. One of the secretaries tells Joan she'd be happy to cover Don's desk for her, and Joan doesn't miss a beat as she replies, "You had your shot." Double heh. Joan then answers the phone and tells Don that Bobbie is on for him, and then closes the door and signals for the hen party to disperse...
...and inside, Don answers the phone to hear this: "Don, I want you to ask me how I am." At this point, I think he's already done enough research to have an informed opinion. She tells him that she and Jimmy sold Grin And Barrett, and they're going to make a pilot. He congratulates her, and she invites him to join her for a celebration. Don continues to baffle me by doing an uncharacteristic dance, asking why he would come and protesting that he's working. She suggests they call it a business meeting, but he says he doesn't want to "confuse this." Too late.
Don shows up to find Bobbie sitting alone at a table, and notes that there's not even a party. Bobbie sighs that Buddy Hackett told Jimmy that "[Jackie] Gleason" didn't have to make a pilot, so Jimmy went home to sulk, "and the rest went out to celebrate that they ruined his day." Heh. She doesn't have more than a few moments to complain about how Jimmy's bound to ruin the opportunity, however, before Don spies Rachel, entering in the company of a bookish man who seems a little older than she. There's nothing to do but for her to come over and say hello, and the change on Don's face isn't lost on Bobbie. Don and Rachel greet each other formally, but Rachel corrects Don that she's no longer Miss Menken, but Mrs. Katz. We learn that Menken's moved ad houses, not surprisingly, and on her way out, Rachel offers, "You two enjoy working together." Marriage certainly hasn't dulled her ability to size up a situation. Nor Bobbie's, for that matter, as she notes that it's gotten "a little cloudy" in there. Don denies that, so Bobbie lets it go, and after Don correctly calls what entrée she'd like, she mentions that she always pays when they go out, because if she leaves it to Jimmy, he ends up buying for people they don't even know. "He doesn't realize that being a big shot means you don't have to pay." Don disagrees, but Bobbie points out they're in different businesses. Well, honestly. I think I'd be horrified to see SC's business expenses even without the whores. Bobbie talks a bit about how she sold the pilot, leading Don to realize that she really does handle Jimmy's business. She replies, "This is America. Pick a job and then become the person that does it." Don agrees with this homespun wisdom, and Bobbie goes on that she realized a long time ago that she negotiates for everything. "It's touchy, because you're really telling somebody they're not worth what they think, but you can't hurt their feelings." Don proclaims his dislike of negotiating, prompting Bobbie to ask him what he does like. Good question. He tells her, somewhat soulfully, that the answer is huge, and she asks him if he likes the ocean. He does, so she tells him she has a little place in Stony Brook, right on the shore. "I want to have you on the beach. Feel the cold sand on my back. The surf pounding behind us." From the look on Don's face, I'm guessing From Here To Eternity is another of his likes.
And just like that, they're speeding out to do their own far boozier remake. Don seems much more drunk than we've seen him as he slurs that he likes movies, and they bond over La Notte, which possibly was supposed to be the film Don was watching a couple episodes ago. (Rights issues are so annoying.) Bobbie, probably thinking of Jimmy, asks why it's so hard just to enjoy things, and then says she feels "so good." Don looks at her: "I don't feel a thing." Yup, can't say I'm surprised. She slides close to him, and he starts to drift, until a car comes out of nowhere and Don has to swerve to avoid a head-on collision. We see the car lurch off the road and hear a crash...
...and then the car is on its side, with Don asking Bobbie if she's all right, and she somewhat groggily responding yes. Considering he was severely impaired and she, at least, wasn't wearing a seat belt, the mere fact of this conversation is a minor miracle.
Later, Don's in the police station, and the cop on duty says that although "your wife" claimed the whiskey in the car was hers, he did fail the sobriety test, and is at the legal limit -- .15 percent. I'm kind of torn about this, because on the one hand, that is an awful lot of alcohol to be flowing through one's system. Against that, however, is that this was a different time, and men like Don could reliably be counted on to suck down straight gasoline without turning a hair. Damn blood-pressure medication. Anyway, the fine is a hundred and fifty dollars, but Don only has just over sixty, so he tells the officer he'll mail him the rest. This, however, is the wrong tack to take with this guy, and he threatens to keep Don in jail. Don then tries offering to have an employee come out the day with five hundred, but that approach fails as well. I guess it's safe to conclude that people who work the night shift are generally going to have less patience for games. Don, far too blithely, asks what the problem is, and the cop's voice gets sharper as he says that people's kids are out on that road. He hands Don the phone and tells him to call someone, and after a moment, Don looks up a number...
...and later, a female pair of legs enters the station, and we pan up to reveal...Peggy. Very nice. I've been waiting for Don and Peggy to reconnect in a meaningful way. She forks over a hundred and ten dollars, which is all she could get on such short notice. Bobbie then staggers out, which is good timing in that it gives Don some company in the looking like hell department.
Don's up front with Peggy while Bobbie's riding bitch in the back, and I realize it makes for a better camera setup but it's still pretty unrealistic that she's not flopped and drooling onto one of the windows. Peggy asks that she please give some warning if she's going to be sick, as she borrowed the car from her brother-in-law and gassed it up, and she doesn't want to have to clean it too. She then advises Don to keep Bobbie awake, and Don, after complying, gruffly tells Peggy that she can drop him off at Grand Central, and then asks Bobbie what she wants to do. Bobbie mumbles that Jimmy can't see her this way, so she should check in somewhere and see how her "shiner" heals. Don pointedly asks if Peggy has a roommate, and the answer is no, so the raise that came along with her copywriter status apparently has allowed her to afford her own place. Peggy catches on and tells Bobbie she should stay with her, tells Don he needs to rent a car, and offers to go into the city the day to fetch Bobbie's drycleaning. Bobbie's response to this is to pass out, which seems like a pretty even trade. Don then tells Peggy that no one in the office can know about this. "It's business." Yes, Don, most business consists of stuff of which no one in the office can be aware. YOU DIRTBAG. Peggy assures Don that she'll forget about all this. "I don't want you treating me badly because I remind you of it." It's too bad for Bobbie that she's asleep, because she missed one hell of a line there. Don looks flummoxed at how neatly Peggy just told him how things are, but Peggy doesn't dwell on her little victory, instead saying how the situation can be fixed. Don manages to save a little bit of face by not passing out himself.
The sun is already rising by the time Don gets home, and he tries taking off his shoes, but Betty's wide awake when he gets up to the bedroom. In the dim light, she can't really see the state of him, so she asks where the hell he was, but he replies that he was in an accident. She flips on the light as he tells her about his recently-diagnosed high blood pressure, and speculates that the combination of the medication and copious amounts of booze was too much for him. Betty, of course, is chagrined that he kept her in the dark about his condition, and dismisses the idea that he didn't want to worry her with a sentiment that boils down to this: Nice job on that. She tells him that he promised he wouldn't disappear like that anymore, a promise it's reasonable to suppose she elicited from him after she came to the conclusion he was cheating. She's then shocked to hear that he's turning around and going in to work, but he tells her he doesn't want anyone to know. She urgently tells him her father has high blood pressure (alluded to so obliquely last episode that I didn't even mention it) and he promises that he'll stop by the doctor's on his way in to work. He asks her to help him get dressed, and she nods in silent assent.
Bobbie's on the phone with Jimmy, lying that she's gone to a fat farm, as they're going to be all over the television, "and the camera adds ten pounds." She gives him a bit of shit for his behavior the night before, and then hangs up and greets Peggy, who's just returning from whichever of the many errands she's up to in aid of dealing with the whole mess. Peggy excuses herself to lie down for a bit, as she's not used to being up all night. Not since the voices stopped, anyway. First, however, she offers to make up the couch for Bobbie, and they chat a bit about Marilyn Monroe (the "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" event is mentioned as imminent) and concussions before Bobbie admits that she keeps forgetting the accident, and it keeps getting stranger in her mind. Peggy: "Well, if you're lucky, it will disappear." She heads off to lie down, but Bobbie stops her to ask if she's Don's secretary. Peggy tells her no, but they work together, leaving the obvious follow-up question of "Then why the hell are you doing this?" until after she's had her disco nap.
Joan is leading the episode title to her desk, saying that while they'll both be handling Don for the time being, she's expecting her as a college girl to jump in quickly, as she's got a lot of wedding planning to do. New Girl breathlessly compliments Joan's ring, and Joan looks at it, um, appraisingly. "You'd like to think it doesn't matter." Heh. New Girl whispers that she's "a little bit clairvoyant," and she thinks Joan and her fiancé will be very happy together. Honey, I hope you use your second sight to anticipate your boss's mercurial desires, or you'll soon be joining Lois at the switchboard, college degree or not. No sooner is New Girl seated than the "welcome wagon" (as Joan puts it) of Ken, Paul, and Harry appear. New Girl no sooner introduces herself as "Jane Siegel" when Don arrives with his arm in a sling and almost completely ignores Jane as he heads into his office. Inside, he explains to Ken, "I don't pay any attention anymore until they've been here a month." Heh. Ken tells Don he got an urgent call from Jimmy, and he wants to come in. Don is understandably wary of this development, and asks if Jimmy was upset about something. Ken: "Who can tell?" Nice one. Don suggests Ken put Jimmy off for a few days so he can cool down, and Ken sees what he thinks is the wisdom in that plan and heads out. Don picks up the phone...
...and rings Peggy's place to talk to Bobbie. Bobbie can't imagine why Jimmy would be calling Don, as everything went fine on her phone call with him. Don seems to buy this, and after a few awkward words, they hang up. Bobbie then tells Peggy she just has to know -- why is she doing this? Peggy says Don's her boss, and Bobbie notes, "Quite an example he's setting." Peggy offers that Don has done a lot for her, and Bobbie sighs that Don is a decent man. "You wouldn't think he would be." Particularly not after he jammed a finger into you, no. Peggy's cryptic reply is this: "You never expect him to be any other way than what he is." She heads into her room and closes the door...
...as we cross-fade into a flashback of her lying morosely in the hospital. Off-screen, the doctor is telling Catherine that Peggy's still not in any condition to make decisions for herself, and they need to keep her for a few more weeks. Peggy then looks up and greets Catherine, who's standing with a very pregnant Anita. Hmm, that's interesting. I completely assumed that the infant in the crib back in the second ep was Peggy's son (the AMC site even refers to him as the cousin of Anita's kids) but if that's the case, what happened to the kid Anita's carrying in the flashback? The doctor tells Anita and Catherine they'll have to leave for the moment, so Catherine tells Peggy, "I'm goin', but I'm not leavin', Peaches." Aww. They step out, and the doctor sits and asks Peggy how she is. She tells him she's still so tired, but is able to correctly give the year and the President's name and her current location. However, when she's asked if she knows why she's in the hospital, her answer is no. She adds that she doesn't feel like herself, so the doctor confesses that that's because she's on medication to relax her, so she'll feel more like talking. It's probably also why it seems to be taking a Herculean effort just to move her head six inches in one direction, but no one said dosages were an exact science. The doctor says that he's told her this before -- she had a baby. Peggy is no more willing to accept this now than she was in last season's finale, so the doctor leaves without another word.
Pete enters a bathroom, cup in hand, and you all know where this is going, so let's just say he picks out a magazine called "Jaybird USA" and leave it at that.
Roger is aggressively playing with a ball attached to a paddle like a five-year-old boy would, and Joan enters and tells him the noise is audible outside. Roger replies that no one knows what he's doing. "It's good for mystique." With a knowing smile, she shows him the ring, and he responds by expressing some disdain for marriage and a hoary prediction about how her sex life will dwindle to nothing after the first year. He also mentions that he told his daughter the same thing, which, if it weren't John Slattery here, would be enough to earn him the label of Officially Creepy. Joan's with me: "I envy that girl, having you to give her away." She acidly goes on that she's been faithful to everyone she's been with. "And despite your jokes, I always assumed you were unhappy with Mona, not the whole idea." He assures her that she was something special, and she regains her smile to tell him that it doesn't matter now, as she fell in love. He tells her it's just another reason not to come in to work, and she assures him she's not going anywhere. Roger: "Yes you are. You'll see." Joan's smiles fades again, and she takes her leave.
Peggy brings Bobbie some coffee, and tells her that she's enjoying the company and that her eye has improved. Some talk about makeup leads to Bobbie mentioning she used to be a dancer, and that she met a lot of interesting people during that time. How interesting they were probably depends on exactly what kind of dancing she was doing, but we'll leave that question for another occasion. Bobbie asks if Peggy has a boyfriend, and when she says no, asks if Peggy's in love with Don. Peggy flatly says no, so Bobbie opines that it's not a ridiculous question, and reiterates it. Peggy: "It's a personal question. And I've already answered you." I'd suggest giving her drugs to loosen her tongue if that had, you know, worked. Bobbie then inquires if Peggy isn't going to ask if Bobbie's in love with Don, but Peggy says it's none of her business. Peggy starts to withdraw into her bedroom, but Bobbie tells her she likes the place. "It takes me back." You'd think this would be the cue to head into another flashback, but this show does so hate being on the nose.
Several SC males are using the filing cabinets and lingering in Jane's vicinity with all the subtlety of...well, it's hard to find a superlative that tops SC males in this particular instance. Joan appears and puts paid to the ogling: "Unless one of you needs help finding a dead client file, I suggest you pitch your tents elsewhere." Hee. They disperse, and Joan chides Jane for her "décolletage," saying that the office prides itself on professional decorum. It's less likely Joan actually believes this and more likely that she doesn't want anyone reminding her of the halcyon days of yore when she was the Marilyn of the office, but regardless, Jane apologizes and covers up. Once Joan's gone, Ken comes up to Jane and says he has some important talent coming in the day to see Don -- somebody famous. He rather solicitously tells her he just wanted her to be aware of that, but is bummed when she's all business about it, noting that he's down in the book with Jimmy Barrett. Ken soldiers on, however, and asks if she'd like to go see him sometime. She does not look too into the idea, but is spared having to respond when Freddy comes rushing out of his office and pulls his zipper up and down to the tempo of a very famous part of Mozart's Einekleine Nachtmusik. Well, as sexual harassment goes, it's at least pretty upscale. Jane and Ken have the same "..." reaction, so good news for him that they have something in common, I guess.
Bobbie's working on making up her eye when Peggy comes in, and Bobbie thanks her for her hospitality. She then carefully asks if Peggy's aware of the value of her service, and cautions that people might take advantage of her. Peggy replies that she knows what she's doing, but Bobbie counters by asking what she wants. "You have to start living the life of the person you want to be." She looks Peggy straight in the eye and counsels her to start treating Don as an equal. "And no one will tell you this, but you can't be a man. Don't even try. Be a woman. It's powerful business when done correctly." She puts a kind hand on Peggy's shoulder and asks if she understands, and Peggy gives a small smile in return as she says she thinks she does. The lesson imparted, Bobbie puts her brassy mask back up and asks how she gets to Grand Central. Peggy offers to walk her to the subway, but Bobbie decides to call a car. Bobbie has certainly grown on me -- it's hard to dislike anyone who's kind to Peggy, and it's also a lot easier to respect her when she gives such valuable advice. Also, I think I finally see the theme of the season -- women starting to assert their power, while last season it seemed like it was more about men trying to come to grips with their gender identity. Betty, Peggy, even Francine -- they're all doing it, and Bobbi fits perfectly into the story. I still hate her and Don together, but really, if she weren't married to such a douche, we might actually get somewhere. Great work from Melinda McGraw, anyway.
Pete arrives home and greets Trudy with the news that "Duck called Bert Petersen a Mongoloid. What a leader of men." The good thing about Pete being such a scumbag is that if he's offended by something, it's worth taking notice. Trudy informs Pete that Dr. Stone's office called with the news that Pete's sample was "quite viable." Predictably, Pete pays no mind to the thought that this might be difficult for his wife, instead crowing about how his boys can swim. Trudy attempts a brave face, but when Pete suggests a toast to viability, her expression cracks, and she notes that now they know it's she who is the problem. Pete's like, "Exactly!" He says that now the doctor can work his fertility magic on her, but she doesn't want to hear it and stomps off. Finally aware that his wife isn't thrilled to have been tagged with the "barren" label, he half-yells after her that she had to know this was a possible outcome, and orders her to get back in there. She returns, sits down, and apologizes. Well, every theme has an exception. This only gives Pete an opening to suggest that maybe they don't need to have a kid at all. "I was having a great time. Weren't you?" He goes on about all the things that having a kid will prevent them from doing, but she thinks this attitude is immature, and suggests he express some concern for her "and stop talking about how you're going to miss seeing Cape Fear for the third time!" Well, he's got to make sure he has all his ideas in order. In his defense, I will say that the news of his father's fiduciary irresponsibility can't have helped his enthusiasm for the prospect of paying for a child. Pete starts to stomp out himself, seething that he sure wouldn't want a kid there to "watch this donnybrook," and tells her to work through her feelings or to keep them to herself. She begs him to stop and apologizes again, and heartbreakingly straight-up tells him that she just really does want a baby. "What is all this for?" Pete admits that he doesn't know, and Trudy, seemingly spent and broken, asks if they can eat now. Pete tells her not there, and to get her coat.
Peggy's sitting alone in her living room at night. The camera pans over behind a chair, and when it emerges, we're back in the hospital, where we can see that someone is sitting in the foreground waiting for Peggy to wake up. Given all the questions about why Peggy is so loyal to Don, it's no surprise to us that he's the one in the chair, but it is to Peggy, who asks what he's doing there. He points out that she disappeared right after her promotion, so he called her house, and her roommate gave him Catherine's number. "Your mother told me you were quarantined. TB. I guess that was supposed to lessen my concern." Don then asks what's actually wrong with Peggy, and she says she doesn't know. When he asks what they want her to do, she whispers the same response, but, matching her hushed tone, he tells her that she does know, and she should do it. He leans forward: "Peggy, listen to me. Get out of here, and move forward. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened." Peggy looks at him long, and nods. Electric scene, which of course gives us a more complete answer of why Peggy has so steadfastly acted like nothing happened. On the other hand, Don doesn't know about the kid, and that, as last week showed, is the element that's rather harder to ignore. Well, that and Anita.
Don's pouring himself a drink with his good hand while Pete and Sal discuss his father-in-law's account, and then Jane buzzes with the news that Jimmy's going to be early as Peggy walks in and apologizes for being late. Pete tells her what they were discussing, but Peggy says she needs more time, as she was "sick." Don gruffly indicates his arm and says he did his work. Yeah, and that's the problem. You don't mind of I call you "Dick," do you? She tells them additional help won't be necessary, so the boys leave, but she steels herself and closes the door. She hesitates, but tells him that a hundred and ten dollars is a lot of money for her. Slightly chastened, he hands over some bills and tells her he'll give her fifty the day. She nods, and he offers, "I guess when you try to forget something, you have to forget everything." If only this show weren't so good at making you remember. Peggy puts on one of her Mona Lisa smiles: "Thank you, Don." Don looks at her questioningly, but she holds his gaze for a moment before stepping out. And here I thought I was done with the unseemly cheering now that the Olympics are over. Outside, everyone watches Jimmy and Bobbie arrive, and Jimmy grossly hits on Jane for a moment, allowing Peggy and Bobbie to share a momentary conspiratorial look. Jimmy and Bobbie enter Don's office, and Jimmy notes the state of Don's arm, which Don says is an old football injury. Jimmy doesn't smile: "I get those too." Hmm, is Jimmy perhaps more observant than his insufferable blowhard exterior would lead us to believe? Oh, wait, I don't care. He thanks Don for helping convince the Utz people to let him do the show, and Don looks uncharacteristically thrown for a moment before he tells Jimmy it was his pleasure. Jimmy goes on that given his behavior, it wouldn't have surprised him if Don had refused to get involved, but he just wants Don to know that he's not a bad guy. Don smiles and says he already knew that, but Jimmy replies, "Nobody knows that." It's odd not wanting to argue with him. The Barretts leave, and Don closes the door to reflect on the very strange five minutes he just had.
Don arrives home to find Betty and the kids at the kitchen table. Betty serves him some food, but when he starts to eat, he asks where the salt is. Betty looks at him silently, and Don, with a note of pleading, asks if he really can't have it. She tells him he'll get used to its absence, and it's for his own good. "What would we do without you?" Sally asks why Don can't have salt, and Betty replies, "Because we love him." Don looks glum, but if it's any consolation, he can pretend salt never happened.
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