By Couch Baron
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Betty has a decorator work on the house, and she also meets with the local chapter of the Junior League about taking over Francine's spot as secretary. They want to approach the Governor about a proposed water tank in the neighborhood, and Betty offers to talk to that dude Henry Francis that hit on her at Roger's garden party. Turns out Francis grew up in the neighborhood, and he offers to meet her for a cup of coffee and look at the proposed site. When they meet, Francis tells her the project is already underway, but although he cautions her against being optimistic, his attraction to her certainly doesn't seem to have diminished. He also suggests she buy an ugly antique couch, which she does, much to her decorator's chagrin.
Duck is still courting Peggy and Pete, and although the two of them are at least getting along better, Pete is still wary of Duck's motivations, thinking he's only after them to stick it to Don. Peggy then calls Duck and tells him to stop sending her gifts, but when Don very nastily chews her out for reasons that have little to do with her, again, she changes her mind and goes to see Duck -- and the two of them end up in bed together. Hopefully this will not end in her getting pregnant again.
Connie Hilton turns up unexpectedly at SC for a meeting, and basically, he wants to cheat on his regular ad agency with Don. This coup makes the boys fall in love with Don all over again, with Pete in particular trying to get involved with the Hilton account. The senior partners congratulate Don, but there's a little snafu -- Hilton doesn't want to do business with anyone who's not under contract -- including Don. Pryce produces a contract for Don to peruse that includes a "healthy raise," but Don isn't so ready to give up his freedom, even for Hilton, and it's like pulling teeth even getting him to consider the idea. He takes so long that Roger calls Betty and asks her to intervene on his behalf, but Betty tells him to suck it, in language a little more polite. However, when Don comes home, Betty confronts him about the issue, both about him not signing it and not telling her, and they have a terse but ugly exchange that results in him storming out. On a whim, he picks up a young hitchhiker couple who are heading for Niagara Falls to get married, not because they're in love but to save the boy from being sent to Vietnam. They give Don some Phenobarbital and have a little party in a motel room, during which Don has a vision of his father, who tells him he's a bum who can't settle down and isn't worth a lick. The kids then rob him, and when he makes it into the office looking like hell, Bertram tells him how it is: He and Roger brought him in and have nurtured him like family, and it's time to pay them back for these efforts. He then, obliquely and rather evilly, brings up what he knows about Don's past in "suggesting" that Don sign, which is not a place I ever thought they'd revisit, and Don signs the contract but tells Bertram he doesn't want any further contact with Roger. And they were doing so well!
Discuss this episode in our forums, then see why vloggers Val and Beth think the ladies of Mad Men have it good in TV is the Answer. And check back soon for the full recap!
Want more? The full recap starts right below!We start the episode with a series of seemingly disconnected images. Peggy is lying asleep in bed in what looks like a hotel room or some other place that doesn't belong to her, an unknown man to her facing away from the camera. Betty lies languidly on a large chaise longue. In a motel room in morning, the remnants of a small party in evidence, the camera pans over to show Don lying face down on the floor. He comes to and sits up against one of the beds, and we see dried blood all over his nose and upper lip. And while that looks unpleasant, it's hard to be too sympathetic in the wake of the foot-ectomy we witnessed last week. At least Don will still be able to golf again. He massages his throat, and the close-up of his neck area...
...gives way to one from sometime earlier, it seems reasonable to conclude, as he's getting ready for work, no marks of unsavory origin visible on his face. When he gets downstairs, Betty calls his name from offscreen, and we see her in the living room, accompanied by an older woman who warns Betty that he may take a moment to accustom himself. "I told you, men don't like change." Embroider that on a throw pillow so we don't forget it later in the episode. Don makes a pointed comment about the price possibly affecting his opinion, but the woman ignores that in order to show off her handiwork, which includes some chinoiserie, "a Dunbar Japanese-influenced sofa, and a classic Drexel end table." I can see why she didn't want to mention the price. Betty notes an open space in front of the fireplace, and the decorator tells her it's the hearth, the soul of her home. "People gather around a fire even if there isn't one." Hmm. That sounds like the makings of a koan to me. Betty presses Don to give an opinion, so he takes a look and counsels her to move the end table and lamp to the other end of the couch. He then gives her a kiss and heads out, and when he's gone, the decorator's like, "I think he's right." I knew that was coming and it was still the funniest moment of the episode. Hee.
Don's already on the elevator at SC when Roger joins him, and wow, I don't know if he's trying to show solidarity with Bronzo, but he's working one hell of a fake tan at the moment. Has he looked this way since he got back from Greece and I just didn't notice? Probably, given this show's attention to detail. Anyway, speaking of Bronzo, Roger tells Don that he too got the galleys for Ogilvy's book, as they want a quote from him. Given the lines he regularly delivers on this show, I can see why. He sighs, "Advertising's already up there with lawyers as the most reviled. This is not going to help." Don opines that it'll help Ogilvy...