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It's August, and amid the sweltering heat, Pete has been left on his own while Trudy's at the beach, and when he runs into a German au pair who lives on his floor and has ruined an expensive dress of her mistress's, he takes it upon himself to get it replaced. When he speaks to a manager at the store, it just so happens to be Joan, and she handles the dress situation with her usual extreme competence, but when Pete triumphantly produces the replacement frock, the girl tells him she's got a boyfriend. He seems to take that in stride, but later, he drunkenly shows up at her door, and soon, they are going at it. Unfortunately, the girl's employer shows up the day and gives Pete some friendly but pointed advice about staying away from his nanny and keeping his extracurricular activities out of the building. This lesson is driven home when Trudy and Pete run into the au pair in the elevator, and although nothing untoward happens there, Trudy's kindness and affection cause a wave of guilt that suddenly overwhelms Pete. The meaning of this reaction is not lost on Trudy, but later, Pete tells her he doesn't want her to go away without him anymore, and she chooses to see this development in a positive light.
Don has been doing some intermittent traveling for the Hilton account, and he and Betty are getting along again, so when he gets called to Rome, he invites her along, but she initially declines, at least partly because she's too busy slaving away for an imminent hearing over the Pleasantville reservoir issue. Francis shows up at said hearing with a request from the Governor's office for further study of the quality of the reservoir's water, which is enough to suspend the project for the moment. But when this leads to a kiss between them, initiated by him, Betty changes her mind and decides to accompany Don to Italy. You'll remember, of course, that Betty spent a significant amount of time in Italy when she was younger, and she falls right back into speaking the language as though she never left, which charms everyone around her, including Don, as the two of them spend a romantic night of reconnection together.
While Don and Betty are away, Francine leaves her kids with Carla, and when Bobby sees Sally giving Ernie a kiss, Sally lashes out at her brother verbally and physically. Carla reports this to Betty when she returns, and Betty gives Sally a short but stern talking-to about hitting her brother, and then a longer, more motherly chat about the magic of a first kiss. Combined with the lovely trip, it's no wonder when Betty tells Francine not to expect her to reach out to Francis anymore, but it's clear that the trip to Rome only underscored to Betty how humdrum her existence in Ossining is, so despite her tacit declaration of fidelity, it looks like a bumpy road ahead indeed.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!At SC, people are leaving for the day, and Hildy pops her head in to find Pete reading Ebony. HA! I would love to hear what working on this set is like when the cameras aren't rolling. It must be hard to get the days in on time when you're laughing so hard. Hildy informs Pete that she's prepared all his correspondence and she has "the summaries" for him to go over. She puts them down expectantly, but he doesn't catch her drift, so she explains that it's five o'clock, and he cottons on that she wants to be given leave to, well, leave. He asks what she's up to, and she tells him that some of the girls from SC and also from Traveler's Insurance (presumably in the same building) got a place out in Saltaire (a community on Fire Island, and they're probably doing shares for the summer, which is a nice option for New Yorkers to take advantage of). Paul and Harry drop by, with Paul asking if Pete's making Hildy work because he's got nowhere to go, but Hildy brightly says no, and Pete tells her, "Have a wonderful weekend, dear." It occurs to me that, since I seem to recall that Hildy used to really kind of despise him, the friendly and non-creepy nature of this exchange underscores the fact that Pete's come a long way. And I'm sure he won't do anything to change that evaluation by the hour's end! Anyway, Hildy heads for the beach, and is soon replaced by Ken, who can't believe that Pete's still working, as Bertram's in Montana, "Sterling's in Jane" (ew, and hee), and Don's on vacation. Mention is made of the fact that Don's been traveling for Hilton, to places including "Dallas or Denver or something," and Harry longingly says he'd love to get out of town during August, even for work. Pete, however, echoes the sentiments of many natives when he says he loves the city when no one's around, although Ken disagrees, opining that there's "nothing but those fat girls with the hairy armpits putting their feet in the fountain." Thanks for stopping by, Ken. Pete stands and magnanimously says he'll take anyone for a drink who wants one, which is a lot safer thing for your wallet to declare when Roger's not within earshot.
We get a close-up of a paper that reads "Save The Reservoir!" on Junior League letterhead, and we see Betty is working on a cold-call list at the kitchen table as Don bustles around in his undershirt, which is shorthand on this show for "it's hot as balls." Well, the whirring fan and the sweat the makeup people have liberally applied to both their brows are helping create that feeling as well. Don opines that "they" should be paying her for all the work she's doing, perhaps not quite grasping the concept of a volunteer organization, but she merely mentions the upcoming hearing before adding, "I'm paid well enough already." A sentiment she may have trouble holding onto by the end of the episode. Hearing the kids outside, Don asks what they're doing, and Betty tells him they're catching lightning bugs. With a small smile, she suggests he join them, and after giving her an answering wry smile of his own, he goes to do just that. These two are in pretty great moods for people without air conditioning.
Speaking of, Pete comes stumbling into his darkened apartment, which is okay because, given the earlier exchange in his office, it's safe to conclude that Trudy is down at the beach with her parents. He starts to loosen his tie, but then gives the whole process a total "Fuck it" and pulls his shirt, undershirt along with it, right over his head, before putting some music on and taking a seat on the couch. I'll say two things: One, it strikes me how rarely men take their shirts off on this show except when they're having sex. And two, Pete has an awful lot of chest hair for a fourteen-year-old. Someone's a big boy now!
Later on, we see Betty unsuccessfully try to reach someone on her list, and then a call comes in for Don, who gets up from the couch to take it. It's business, and when the person on the other end gives him an itinerary, he writes it down on Betty's list, like, she may not be getting paid but that's still pretty rude. I'd suggest she get him back by writing down the name of her callee on his white shirt, except she's probably going to be the one stuck with washing it anyway. Betty, however, doesn't seem offended as she asks where he's going now, and I guess he's taking a sabbatical to attend exclusively to Hilton business, because this really isn't much of a vacation. So much for just a few hotels in New York, though. Even the fact that he's now being sent to Rome, which Betty opines is "much better than Dallas," isn't so wonderful, as he's only going to be there for two days, and Betty suggests that she and the kids should have gone to the beach for the summer, as Don's been gone the whole time anyway. He denies that that's the case, and also points out that she could come with him to Rome, but she brings up their "two-month old," who I'll point out is suspiciously quiet at the moment. Maybe Sally's right and he's up in his room chanting evil hexes in her direction. Like, you know, ones that make her think boys aren't icky and gross. He rubs her shoulders and tells her, "Sorry, Birdy," and that's the first time in a while I remember him calling her that, so I wonder if we're meant to revisit the idea of her being a bird in a gilded cage. Of course, said bird is so sweaty at the moment that she could probably slide through the bars with no problem. Don says he's got to catch up on his sleep, and after she rips off the part of the paper with the information on it and gives it to him, she goes back to her unpaid work.
In the morning, Pete's eating cereal in front of the TV and guffawing at the antics of Davey And Goliath. I preferred the Gravey version of this on The Simpsons, but other than that I have nothing bad to say about this tableau.
That evening, Pete awakens on the same couch, although he at least managed to put on a decent shirt sometime in the intervening hours. Cut to him taking the garbage out to what looks like the floor's service hallway, and as soon as he's opened the door, he hears crying. Rounding the corner, he comes across a well-built young girl trying to stuff a white dress down the incinerator chute, and Pete, after asking if she's okay and getting no response other that further sobbing, asks if she's trying to get the thing in or out, which I suppose is good information to have but still strikes me as hilarious in a uniquely Pete Campbell way. In a German accent, she tells him it's stuck, which doesn't exactly answer his question, but as I mentioned English is not her first language. After identifying her as "the Lawrences'" au pair, he offers to deal with the dress, but when he pulls it out, he sees it's been stained with what looks like red wine, and asks what happened. She says she can't tell him, so he changes tacks and asks her name, which she reluctantly supplies as "Gudrun." He offers that he's "Peter" and promises that he won't get her in trouble, so she spills (heh) what happened: She had a party and borrowed the dress, and the mishap occurred, and she can't get it cleaned and now the family's about to return and she doesn't want them to send her home. He points out that getting rid of the dress is no solution, as they'll just think she stole it. This only causes her further despair, so he suggests that she put it back where she found it and, when her employers see it, blame it on their little girl, but Gudrun says she would never do that, sounding a bit scandalized. Hilariously, Pete merely nods, like, "Okay, you've got scruples, I'll work with that," and when he learns the Lawrences won't be back until Thursday, he offers to take the dress to see what he can do. She hands it over reluctantly but hopefully, although she'd probably be less of the latter if she'd seen him in action at return counters in the past, and he seems heartened when he sees it's labeled "Bonwit Teller." After grandly saying that people think New York isn't friendly, he cautions that he's not promising anything, echoing Henry Francis in the way he warned Betty he wasn't sure what he could do about the reservoir issue. Her enthusiasm wanes a little, but whether that's because she's less sure he can help or because she's getting the sense there might be a quid pro quo expected here is for you to decide, but whichever it is, she bids him an unsmiling good night.
The morning, Betty's alarm goes off, and she gets up with an expression that suggests she's looking forward to facing the day. Junior League: Better than coffee. After a couple of jumps ahead in time to show her bustling through her day, she goes upstairs and joins Sally at her cosmetics mirror. She touches up and blots her lipstick and then checks her eyelashes as Sally watches, silently fascinated, and when Betty finishes and walks away, Sally looks back at her own image and smiles. I don't know if I've said it yet, but the girl playing Sally (Kiernan Shipka is her name) has been just brilliant this season, which is such a rarity among child actors. Also, note the number of words in that scene.
The hearing's time has come, and Betty, Francine, and the younger woman who came to Betty's house last week are nervous, because they're and Francis hasn't shown up. Again, swooping in at the last possible minute to save the day. This guy knows all the tricks. Anyway, after some confusion on the schedule that makes it clear that the mayor (who's played by Mark Metcalf, by the way, which makes him a little hard to take seriously) isn't all that jazzed about even hearing from the Junior League, Francis finally makes it, and Betty positively glows upon seeing him. He stands and introduces himself as "Governor Rockefeller's Director of Public Relations and Research," and produces a written request from the Governor's office for further study; he goes on that the project was initiated based on the mere assumption that the water in the reservoir was "lacking." Mayor Metcalf points out that there was indeed a study done of that issue, but Francis claims that the Governor now feels that said study was inconclusive. After taking a look at the letter, Mayor Metcalf accedes to "the Governor's" request without bothering to confer with his fellow trustees and orders the immediate suspension of the development of the new project, much to the ladies' delight. Betty looks back at Francis and smilingly mouths a "Thank you," and he looks back at her adoringly...
...and then the two of them are walking through the parking lot with Francine, who gushes her admiration for his coup before asking how long he thinks the study will take. He confesses he has no idea, but offers that there's a saying in politics: "When you have no power, delay." I feel like that would sound more impressive in Latin. Francine tells them she's got to go, and Betty says likewise before asking Francis if he's driving to Albany, a question that gets a rather unceremonious negative in response. Francine then takes her leave, and Francis walks Betty to her car, or actually, her Dad's Cadillac. On her way out of the parking lot, Francine gives Betty a little conspiratorial wave, so she's certainly aware of what's going on between Francis and Betty, even if there's a question of degree that's unanswered. And when they stand by her car, it's clear that he's hoping she'll make it easy for him as he says he'd love to buy her some coffee, but he's afraid there's nothing open at this time. And while we're focused on the tension between them, it's easy to miss how his statement also drives home how boring and limited suburban life can be. God, I love this show. Anyway, Betty says it's just as well, as she really needs to get back. Before she gets into the car, though, she thanks him again, saying he really came through, despite how busy she knows he must be. He replies, "I think you'll find that I put my heart into things when something's important to me. Or someone." I always love analyzing the subtext of the dialogue on this show, but that line pretty much speaks for itself, I think. Betty gets into the car, but he leans down and sticks his head in the now-open window (which is a continuity gaffe; the window was still up in the cut right before this), saying he saw how happy she was in there. "Dear God. Did I have anything to do with that? Because that would make me happy." This is a very interesting moment, because it's fairly obvious that she's not planning on taking things any further, but it's not clear whether he'd be satisfied with her acknowledging they have a connection and that she feels something for him outside of the reservoir issue, or if, despite the "This is it for me" message she's silently exuding, if he's going to press for something more. In other words, after she says he did have something to do with it and he leans in and kisses her, it's not clear whether he's agreeing to say goodbye. After a moment, she bids him good night, he tells her to drive safely, and she heads off, but not before giving him a look in the rearview mirror.
Don is packing when he hears Betty come in downstairs, and we cut to him entering the kitchen and asking if she's seen his Hilton cufflinks. Given your preoccupation with getting paid for the work you do, Don, I hope your deal with Hilton includes billboard fees. She smiles that Bobby was playing with them, but they're now in her top drawer, and noting her terrific mood, he asks how it went. She tells him they won, and punctuates the news with a little celebratory dance that's easily the most endearing she's been in recent memory. Aw. After a little talk about the logistics of his trip, he asks if they killed the whole development, so she tells him that "a man from the Governor's office" (ahem) intervened and ordered another study of the water, which could take years. She repeats said man whom she has never kissed's dictum about stalling when you don't have the power, and then adds that they should just do the project up in Newburgh. "It's already disgusting." Having had sad occasion recently to visit Newburgh, I'm hard pressed to disagree.
Later, Betty's awake in bed, and she wakes Don up and asks if it's too late for her to add on to the Italy trip. He tells her it's fine, as he can buy her a ticket at the airport, and she says Carla can watch the kids. "I just want to get on the plane." And back in the days when they didn't charge for bags, either.
Pete turns up to the store with the dress in hand and accosts a woman who works there, but despite his story that his wife spilled wine on it and he'd be doing her a huge favor, she says she can't exchange the stained garment, as "anyone could have sewn a tag in this." Offended at the potential accusation, Pete offers to pay for a new one, but the woman tells him it's from last season, and she doesn't know if they still have it. Pete asks to speak to the manager, or "whoever can help me with this, because you're falling short." Slightly nastier than needed, perhaps, but I can't say he's wrong on the merits. Instead of telling him why she can't help him, she should be offering a solution, and my opinion is in no way colored by the hour I spent on the phone this weekend with an unhelpful "customer service" type. The woman goes to get a superior, and while she does, Pete takes a look around the room, so when the superior asks if she can help him, he doesn't see who it is until he turns -- AND IT'S JOAN. Awesome. Uncharacteristically, she looks like a deer in the headlights for a long moment, but by the time he's finished exclaiming in surprise upon seeing her, she's recovered, and she explains that they needed some extra help at the store, and she "get[s] her pick before they get put out." They get down to business, with Pete again saying the dress is Trudy's, but this time offering that he's the one that spilled the wine, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to get out of the doghouse. Joan muses that the dresses must run small, as she doesn't see Trudy in a 10, and Pete hastens to add that it doesn't fit perfectly, but she loves it anyway. I don't see why -- honestly, the thing looks all kinds of My Very First Prom Dress to me, with an old-fashioned bodice, tepid light pink color, and cheap-looking tulle on the bottom. Regardless, Joan starts writing out a receipt for Pete to bring down to Customer Service, saying someone will retrieve a replacement from the stockroom. Pete again offers to pay, but Joan brightly says it's all taken care of, and given that her fabrics were awash in a man's fresh blood the last time we saw her, I'm not surprised she's failing to be intimidated by a little red wine. Pete then asks Joan how she's doing, and after she replies that she's never been better, she asks about the office. Pete says "Moneypenny" hasn't self-destructed yet, but he thinks it's just a matter of time, and for God's sake let that be the imminent opening for Joan to return to SC. I mean, retail needs its great people, but she literally saved a man's life there. Joan then spins a bullshit yarn about Greg looking for another specialty because it's "the latest thing," rather than because he has hands like oven mitts, and when Pete asks what he's going for now, Joan tells him psychiatry. Terrific. I can't decide if he'd be more dangerous with male or female clients. Joan finishes up, and Pete asks, should she ever see Trudy again, that she please be discreet. "The whole incident was fraught with drama." Even though said incident didn't actually happen, I'd still love to hear more about it. Of course, telling Joan to be discreet is like telling Don to be... well, discreet, and when you throw in the added factor that she'd like him to tell approximately zero people about this interaction, it's no wonder she replies, "This never happened." What I also wish never happened is me noticing the big Hermès name on the nearby mirror, because I hate to think of the writers being forced to come up with storylines that integrate product placement. Of course, the fact that they're so good at it makes it less painful to contemplate. When Pete leaves, Joan looks after him with a mix of contemplation and worry, as you might well imagine.
Don and Betty have arrived at the Rome Hilton, and Betty's wearing a pink suit, which, combined with the red stain on the neck of the dress and the earlier mention of Dallas, serves as a reminder of what end this season is careening toward. Betty notes that the air smells like "rubber, or diesel," and I'm not sure if that's got any significance other than so many European cars run on diesel fuel, and that's never more apparent than in August. Don goes to check something or other out, and when Betty takes out a cigarette, she finds it lit in approximately 0.seconds by a passing bellboy, a bit of attention she'd do well to get used to. She looks around at the grand lobby...
...and then we cut to her and Don being shown into their room. The bellboy tells her in Italian that he hopes she finds everything to her liking, and adds that her Italian is very good. You'll probably remember that back in the first season, Betty told Francine that she spent a summer in Italy when she was a fashion model, but it's still impressive that she's retained such command of the language with no practice. Maybe she's been calling Sal in secret for late-night chats. I don't know what they'd talk about, but listening to them would sound good. Don tips the guy two dollars, for which Betty chides him: "That's what he makes in a week." On the plus side, he'll probably be the only guy in Italy who won't hit on her now. Betty takes a moment to admire the view before the phone rings, and when she answers, "Pronto," Connie, on the other end, thinks he's gotten the wrong room until she switches to English and introduces herself. He's very pleased to speak with her, and encourages her to put his staff "through their paces" and complain about any little thing, adding that he would have given them a suite, but he "wants Don to see the way this works for most people." Hey, she's the anthropologist.
Later on, Betty and Don have been napping off the jet lag, but she gets up and calls down for a beauty salon appointment. Lord, like the Italians aren't going to be all over her already.
Inside the Drapers' door, Francine is thanking Carla for taking her kids for an hour or two on short notice. Lucky thing Carla's well-rested from her vacation.
Outside the hotel at night, Betty looks lovely in a fairly exotic-looking black dress with a long, showy necklace accessorizing it, her hair in an updo and light eyeshadow emphasizing the blonde color. She sits in the piazza near the fountain and orders an asti spumante, to the appreciation of two guys sitting a table over from her, one of whom addresses her in English and teases her for drinking alone. She responds in Italian and after they flirt with her and she chides them for their familiarity, she sees Don approaching, cigarette in his mouth, wearing a lovely blue-grey sport jacket. Her eyes follow him as he sits at a table to her on the other side from the Italian guys, and he asks if he might join her. The guys don't catch on to their little game at first, as one of them tells the "Yankee" to go home and the other speculates that he's an American millionaire before the first tells Betty that Don's old and ugly, and I know Italian men have the reputation of being supremely self-confident but I didn't know that extended to the point of blindness. Don asks Betty if they're making fun of him, and when she smiles and acknowledges that they are, "a little bit," Don says he's only in Rome for one night. "I won't have my heart broken." The guys realize they lost this one before they even started playing, and when Don moves over and joins Betty, they withdraw with a goodnight to the signorina, as they, probably purposefully mistakenly, call her. When they're gone, they discuss what the guys were saying, leading Betty to ask mock-seriously if Don thinks she's shallow. Don: "I was just hoping you were easy." Hee. More softly, though, with love in his voice, he asks what brings her to Rome, but the game doesn't have time to progress much further before Connie appears and interrupts. Take note, however, with respect to the end of the episode, of how the masquerade underscores the fact that this interaction has nothing to do with the reality of their day-to-day lives. Anyway, Connie's delighted finally to meet Betty, and tells Don, "You are an indecently lucky man." And again, it's true Don's lot in life is unbelievable, but... have you all looked at him? I mean, there's a reason he got cast as the bubble guy on 30 Rock, you know?
Don and Betty return to their room, apparently having spent more time with Connie than the bit we saw, if Betty's statement of "By golly, he's nutty" is any indication. Don agrees that he's something, and Betty smiles that Connie adores and sees great things in him. And that's all the dialogue you'll get in this scene, even though it goes on for about a minute longer. Sex between good-looking people and absolute silence. What more could a recapper ask for?
Bobby peeks into the bathroom and sees Sally and Ernie, Francine's son, playing house in the bathtub, and not the kind where they argue over differential diagnostics. Sally soon kisses Ernie on the cheek, prompting Bobby to recite the age-old "...sitting in a tree" rhyme. Sally chases, tackles, and smacks him, though, and while that may sound like an extreme reaction, given her recent sensitivities maybe she just wanted to shut him up before he got to the mention of a baby in a baby carriage. Carla pulls them apart, and they each blame the other, but when Bobby tells on her for kissing Ernie, Sally hits him again, weakening any claim she might have had to the higher ground. Carla sends them to their rooms with a promise that she's not going to let Ernie and Jessica (who's where at the moment?) visit any more, and as Sally heads away, she looks mopily at her husband, who looks bummed at the realization that he's not getting any tonight.
Pete shows up at Gudrun's service door with the new dress. She can hardly believe her luck, but when he suggests they celebrate, she balks. Oblivious, he asks what she likes to drink, and continues, "You're German, right?" and offers to get some "beer, or Riesling. Schnaps?" Gudrun tells him he's so nice (...), but she has a boyfriend, and he doesn't bother protesting that that's not what this was about, but doesn't press the issue when she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek and bids him goodnight...
...but we cut to him pouring himself a drink in his darkened apartment...
...and then he's back knocking on her door, looking disheveled and inebriated, much as he did in the pilot when he showed up on Peggy's doorstep. She answers in a robe and asks what he wants, and he slurs that he went to a lot of trouble to solve her "dress problem," and he'd like at least to see it on her. After a moment of consideration, she agrees, but says he has to be very quiet, no doubt because the kids are asleep. She takes him into her room, and then pauses for a moment like she knows what's about to happen, which is a nice bit of business from her. And indeed, when she offers to go get the dress, he closes the door instead and says he'd like to kiss her. She gives him neither encouragement nor discouragement, and he chooses to go for it, and after he's kissed her passionately for a few moments, we go to commercial. And while I don't think he physically intimidated her (I mean, look at him, how could he?), he obviously took advantage of the situation. I think he did feel bad for her when he offered to help her out, and if she'd invited him in willingly when he first turned up maybe there wouldn't have been a problem, but she made it clear earlier that she didn't want to do this, and taking advantage of her fear of being sent home, even if he didn't explicitly say anything about that, is at the very least horribly awful and gross. Oh, Pete, like people needed more reasons, you know?
Don awakens to the sound of the phone ringing as Betty gets out of the shower, and when he answers, it's Connie. Don lies that he was up, but at Betty's silent gesturing, he declines Connie's offer of breakfast, saying Betty already ordered something up to the room for the two of them. As Betty settles back into bed, Don makes plans to meet Connie later, and after they hang up, he tells Betty he likes sleeping on that side of the bed, which I suppose is another indication of how this isn't their normal life, or something. Come on, you're only in Italy for a few more hours -- go back to doing it. Not hearing me, Don says he has to get up, but once he's disappeared into the shower, Betty takes a moment to admire the view, and then heads into the bathroom after him, dropping her towel as she goes. The woman did not get on an international flight for nothing.
The scene has Betty and Don arriving home, and Betty happily takes Baby Gene from Carla. After a bit of hesitation, though, Carla tells Betty what happened with Sally, and Betty thanks her for the information. Carla tries to soften things in retrospect by suggesting that the kids just missed Betty, and Betty wryly replies, "Wouldn't that be nice." Heh. Carla goes to get her things, and Betty tells the baby she missed him. Of course, given what we saw her getting up to in Rome, the baby might want to enjoy his youngest-child status while he can.
Pete's eating when the doorbell rings, and he answers the door to find a strawberry blonde guy who introduces himself as his neighbor, Ed Lawrence, and this announcement looks like it's going to ensure that Pete's meal keeps moving right along. After ascertaining that Trudy isn't home, Lawrence asks to come in for a moment, and after Pete obliges him and Lawrence turns down the offer of a drink, Lawrence says they have a German au pair working for them. Pete says he didn't know that, but Lawrence is on a schedule: "Yes, you do." Awesome. Lawrence, however, isn't angry, as he says he knows it's August and "all the cats are away," but he goes on that Gudrun's been crying all day, and she's a rare bird in that she gets along with his wife, so if Pete would please back off it would be much appreciated. Presumably not knowing about the dress, I expect Lawrence doesn't suspect there was any coercion involved, but Pete still gets a hangdog expression at being lectured, which Lawrence mistakes as genuine concern for Gudrun, so he tells Pete that there are plenty of nannies in the neighborhood, and it would be smart for him to take his business out of the building anyway. Ick to the max at the casual discussion of logistics here, but I have to admit that the advice is sensible in the context of being gross. Pete abjectly apologizes, and Lawrence says it'll be fine. "Enjoy the rest of your summer." Much like Betty's will be, the balloon of Pete's fantasy life has officially been popped.
Betty's serving the kids breakfast, and after she has Bobby sit down, she informs them that while "Daddy doesn't know" (heh, that old trick), Carla informed her they were fighting while she was away. Sally starts to say she didn't do anything wrong, but Betty firmly tells her to apologize to Bobby and start controlling her temper, "or I'm going to have to start taking things away." I'm betting she's not talking about the Barbie with magical powers. Sally tells Bobby she's sorry, not that Bobby couldn't care less or even still remembers the incident to which she's referring, and then Don appears and asks the kids if they're going swimming. Sally uncertainly repeats the question to Betty, but Betty assures her that they are, in fact. Betty then takes out a cigarette and starts to light it, but Don, in a playful callback to all the attention she got in Italy, beats her to it. They smile at each other, and he gives her a kiss and affectionately tells her he'll see her that night. When he's gone, though, she looks down at the drabness of her normal clothes and appears chagrined. On the plus side, the air in Ossining probably doesn't smell like rubber. Newburgh's another story.
Pete and Trudy are getting in the elevator, but before the door can shut safely, Gudrun and the two kids get in, with Gudrun's face falling hard when she sees Pete...
...and then upstairs, Trudy has Pete sit with her on the couch. She kisses him and tells him how much she missed him, and he tries to escape for work, but she won't let him go. It's clear that he's having trouble holding it together, and she notices, but mistakes his emotions as guilt caused by seeing little kids, and tells him she doesn't care about that anymore: "You're my husband. I want what you want." I wouldn't have pegged her to be interested in broad-shouldered female Germans, but you learn something new every day. Her kind words, however, only serve to remind him of how badly he's done by her, and when he hangs his head in shame and sadness, she gets seriously alarmed and asks if something happened. He looks into her eyes with a silent but unmistakable affirmative, and her concern turns instantaneously to anger and dismay as she stomps out of the room. How's the rest of that summer going, Pete?
Betty enters the living room and regards the monstrosity from last week with what thankfully appears to be distaste, but even if that's wishful thinking, whatever she's feeling prompts her to call Sally. They sit down on one of the tasteful couches in the room, and Betty tells her she thinks Ernie is very nice, but she still doesn't want Sally running around "just kissing boys" -- boys are supposed to kiss her. She adds that the first kiss is very special, and when Sally protests she's already had that, Betty smiles lovingly and says she's going to have a lot of first kisses, and she's going to want them to be special so she remembers them. "It's where you go from being a stranger to knowing someone, and every kiss with them after that is a shadow of that kiss." She urgently asks Sally if she understands, and when Sally seems to get it, she gives her a kiss on the forehead and tells her to go play. She then gets out a chainsaw and has a grand old time carving the monstrosity to shreds. Well, not yet, but I'm going to keep at it until it happens for real.
Trudy's got dinner on the table when Pete gets home. She of course is not her normal bubbly self, but after they sit and she embarks on an impersonal recitation of her day, Pete interrupts her: "I don't want you to go away anymore without me." He reaches his hand out to hers, and after considering for a moment, she chooses to take this as both an apology and a promise not to stray again, and smiles: "Good. I won't." She's like The Giving Tree, this one. The tension lifted, she asks what happened at work, and Pete tells her Paul invented a contraption that can shoot a water balloon across the office. "We filled it with ketchup." If that's true, I bet Moneypenny really is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Francine is over at Betty's explaining that she left the kids with Carla because the board called a secret meeting about the reservoir. "I think they reversed us." Well, there's my answer about Francis's mindset. She then playfully asks how Italy was, and upon deducing from Betty's coy responses that she had a good time, tells her she and Carlton went to Lake George for a week after their daughter was born. "No problems, no kids. It was magical. We have to do that again." Betty doesn't look like she needed the reminder that she's back in suburban hell, although she might also be pissed that Francine went for a whole week and she only got a lousy two days. Francine then tells her they have to be vigilant about the reservoir, but wink-winkingly suggests that it would be a good excuse to ask for more help from high places. Betty, however, doesn't want to play, and says she's done with that. "We made our stand." Francine's mind heads across the Atlantic again, opining that Madrid would do the trick, and Betty confesses she's never been. Don then arrives home, and Francine says she needs to be going: "From what I hear, you two must be very tired." Oh, Francine. Don't make me come over there. Betty, an unamused look on her face, goes back to cleaning up...
...and then we cut to upstairs, where Don is clearly still under the romantic spell from the trip, and Betty just as clearly is not, so when he asks what's wrong, she gives it to him: "I hate this place. I hate our friends, I hate this town." Dangling London in front of her is looking like a mistake in retrospect. And how ironic is it that now that Don really can't run away, Betty's the one feeling like she wants to? Don says the wrong thing, saying they'll go away again, and then asks her to look on her pillow. She obliges him, and finds a gold charm, which he says he'll have put on her bracelet. She nods sadly: "Then you can have something to look at, when I tell the story about the time we went to Rome." She heads into the bathroom, leaving him confused, and "There's A Small Hotel" appropriately kicks up as we go to credits. Awesome episode -- this season has really hit its stride, like they always do. See you time!