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It's kind of amazing how little plot there was in this episode, considering how much of a turning point it felt like. Pete is back on the train with that douche Howard, who tells Pete he's got a great new thing going in the city. Later, Howard's wife RORY GILMORE corners Pete, and you wouldn't think Pete's awful driving would be an aphrodisiac, but soon, they're going at it. Pete uses Howard's desperation to buy life insurance in an effort to get an invitation to Howard's home, and although that doesn't go particularly well, Pete does get a declaration of love from Rory in the form of a heart drawn on a steamed-up car window. Transitory, yet romantic.
Megan gets out of working late by telling Peggy she has to meet Don, but when that gets exposed as a lie, we learn that Megan's auditioning again, and she confesses something to Peggy that's hardly news to us, which is that she hates being in the position of being Don's favored wife. Peggy has little sympathy at first, but when she witnesses Don and Megan doing a sickening role-playing bit for Cool Whip, you expect her to soften, and indeed, when Megan quits, Peggy has her back. Peggy then stands in for her on Cool Whip, and she and Don fail absolutely spectacularly, leading to an a serious knock-down drag-out between the two of them. In the denouement, Don and Roger express their jealousy at Megan's ability to follow her dream, but Don at least realizes that he has to let her pursue it. But when he ends up going to bed before she comes home, you wonder how long he's going to humor her dreams. It's kind of terrific how Megan has become the focal point of the season, and even more so that it's completely working.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Before I start, in case you didn't know, here's a link explaining the Sylvia Plath poem to which the episode's title refers. Also, of course, the Plath poem takes part of its title from the Biblical Lazarus, a man Jesus resurrected. You know... no reason.
Pete, in his usual seat on the morning commuter train, is reading a book when that douchey cheater Howard joins him with a comment about how he didn't want to play cards anyway. I'd like to ignore him, but he segues into bitching about how he's having such a lean month that he's been reduced to hustling people on the train and whatever. Pete's like, "Okay, get the pitch over with so we can get back to the marginal amusement you provide me." He goes on, however, that he already has life insurance -- it came with his junior partnership and it even covers suicide after two years. And, of course, suicide and death are what this episode is about, but also, I can't sit on this anymore; following the season premiere, my great friend Ali Arikan predicted that Pete would bite it by the end of the season. I didn't see it at the time, but "Signal 30" sure looked like a step in that direction and now that he's discussing the ins and outs of his life insurance policy, I have to wonder if we're going to be Kartheiser-less soon. No spoilers and I'd hate to lose Pete, but it was such a great early call, I have to give it a mention even if it doesn't come to pass. Anyway, Howard thinks that Pete's policy -- given that it originated from his partnership -- is designed to benefit SCDP and not him, but "I'll leave that to you and your sleepless nights." Pete: "I'm surprised you're not doing better." Heh. Of course, his problem might stem from the fact that he can't go five seconds without bringing up all the tail he's getting, bragging about some twenty-four-year-old (girl, WHAT are you thinking) he's hooking up with in the city and adding that he even got an apartment for the purpose, which if it were possible, would make me even less sympathetic about his financial woes. Pete, sadly somewhat intrigued, asks what Howard's wife says and Howard claims that she's fine because he provides for her. Pete wonders if Howard worried about getting caught, but given Howard's grin and the enthusiastic way he rushes off to corral a potential client, the answer seems to be "no."
Megan's typing in Don's office when Dawn informs her that a "Jack Shapiro" called for her -- "well, for Megan Calvet." Ooh. Looking nervous -- surely due to whatever clandestine activity she's doing -- Megan emerges from Don's office and thanks Dawn, taking the guy's information as she does. She then spares a glance into the conference room, wherein Ginzo is jumping up and down and making what sound like chimp noises for some reason. Shockingly, Megan does not look impressed...
...but let's find out what's up -- turns out Ginzo and Stan are doing a pitch for a TV spot using the concept from A Hard Day's Night to sell Chevalier Blanc. The clients are impressed, even breaking into applause at the end. Cut to Megan using the pay phone like she's betraying some state secret; like, now might be the time to use those thespian skills of yours and ACT NATURAL. Back in the room, the clients talk about the music and I feel obligated to inform you that one of them, "Rick," is gayer than Sal and my beloved Kurt put together. He and "Calvin" want music that sounds like the Beatles, and Rick muses that all they want is "the chaos and the fun. That sort of... adolescent joy." Don replies that they know what the Beatles sound like and he's slightly sharp here, but in fairness, he did take Sally to see them, so he's not talking out his ass. Also, his ears probably rang for days after that. The clients leave and Stan makes a comment about Rick that's fairly mild but still disappoints me; he and Ginzo then argue about potential bands in the Beatles vein and when they can't agree, Don says he'll just ask Megan, leaving Stan and Ginzo to regard each other with "Happy now, bonehead?" looks on their faces. It's hard not to agree with both of them.
Pete enters Roger's office to find a couple pairs of skis and poles and Roger asks him to take his pick. Pete, warily: "Do they explode or something?" Well, if we're discussing Pete death scenarios, that one's as good as any. Roger tells Pete that some dude from Head Skis personally requested that Pete service his account. Pete's surprised that Roger's being so chill about it and Roger, surprisingly enough, does not attribute his new attitude to the wonders of LSD, but merely tells Pete that he's always wanted to sit back and let the money roll in while Pete does the heavy lifting. Pete still looks suspicious, given what an about-face this is for Roger from the beginning of the season, but like any good WASP, he can't resist the lure of expensive privileged-sports equipment and soon he's clumsily trying to carry both pairs of skis and poles out with him. Roger: "And I got to see that!" Hee. Of course the equipment's useless without boots, but he's barely managing as it is.
Don's wrapping up for the day when Megan enters. He asks her to join him "to dress up a drab client dinner," and then rolls right into complaining about how clients are so into music right now -- they want all these specific songs and whatever. For this show, it's a clunky moment; we all know that Don's getting shittier at his job and one reason is his inability to keep up with the times, but he's not usually so explicitly "These kids today" about it. Megan tells him that music's always been important and he shouldn't worry because no one can keep up, before begging off the dinner by saying she has to work. They share a nice kiss and goodbye, but when Don's gone Megan looks guilty. I hope she can use that in her audition.
Pete's drinking in his dimly-lit office (always a great sign of emotional fulfillment) and then he's trudging out with the skis when Peggy, working in a communal area, notes that he's leaving late. They exchange some light words about skiing and then Pete heads out and if he can get those things to Grand Central by himself, he definitely deserves the account. Megan then appears, jacket in hand and a sheepish look on her face. Peggy says she thought they were working and Megan explains that Don called and she has to meet him for dinner. Megan! You dishonor all of Quebec with your lies! Peggy muses that whatever she's working on doesn't feel quite right, but gives Megan leave to go, so Megan heads out to her "dinner."
Speaking of untruths, Pete apparently managed to lug the skis to the train and now is finally getting them into his car when Alexis Bledel calls to him and asks if he happened to see "Howard Dawes" on the train. Pete realizes she must be "Beth," and in response, Beth apologizes and explains Howard doesn't talk about anyone to her, so Pete introduces himself. A comment about the skis leads Beth to confess she locked her keys in her car and she's worried that Howard fell asleep on the train as "he's done that before." Probably more efficient to let us know what he hasn't done, hon. Pete, probably falsely, says that now that he thinks of it, he did see someone corner Howard in the oyster bar, so he might be a while. He offers to call a locksmith, but Beth says that since her house is open, she'd prefer that Pete just drive her home. Pro tip, Beth: Wear your seat belt.
In the car, Beth wonders when the train is, but when Pete offers to give her his number so she can call him to pick Howard up from the station, she drops the act and tells him he's not coming: "We got an apartment in the city. We." At that, she stares at Pete and Pete is unable to cover his guilty look, so Beth goes on that she didn't even know Pete's name before that night, yet he knows where Howard is and she doesn't. Pete claims not to know anything, so Beth turns the subject to his "awful" driving and he admits he just learned how, being from Manhattan as he is. Beth tells him she could never live in Manhattan, with all the "hobos" and "panhandlers" -- she always gives them money and then can't stop thinking about them for the rest of the day. She goes on to recall that when she was a girl, she tried to get her father to give to one of them, but he wouldn't. "He said we couldn't take care of everybody." Pete supposes they're supposed to get used to not seeing them and Beth agrees, which is an interesting comment in light of the social unrest going on in this time period. Beth, however, agrees that that is exactly what happens...
...and then, at SCDP, Peggy gets a call from Don asking if Megan's there. Stupidly, Peggy asks if she's not with him, getting this response: "Yes. We're playing a hilarious joke on you." It's interesting to speculate that if Megan were a man, Peggy would probably reflexively cover, but she suspects nothing and says Megan left a while ago to meet Don at the restaurant. Even when she learns Don never called, it doesn't seem like she suspects anything, but she does get irritated with Don's persistent questioning, finally snapping, "Do you know where Abe is?" You'll forgive me, Peggy, for wishing that the answer was yes. When they hang up though, Peggy finally looks worried and probably not for Megan's safety.
Pete and Beth arrive Chez Dawes and Pete opines that it's a lovely house. Beth: "Is it harder to lie to me now that you know me?" Well, you did only just meet. I think it would still be rude to call your home ugly. Pete tries to tell her that he's sure Howard is working, but Beth sighs that he probably doesn't care if she lives or dies. Not with the insurance in place, as it no doubt is. She gets out of the car and heads into the house, unaware until he closes the door that Pete has followed her. He opines that she's being "very dramatic," which is hilarious coming from someone as high-maintenance as Pete and grabs her around the arms as he tells her he's not leaving until he's sure she's not "hysterical." In response, Beth kisses him and you know I love Kartheiser as an actor but I still have to say that throwing yourself at Pete Campbell is not the way to convince us you're in your right mind. Pete says as much, but Beth won't be deterred, whispering that he can have her and asking if he's really worried that Howard's coming home. Check and mate! They get down to the business of traumatizing anyone who was a fan of Gilmore Girls.
Peggy's still in the office when the phone rings and she regards it like it might bite her but does pick it up; however, she declines to voice a greeting and then, upon hearing Don's voice on the other end (he's lying in bed with a drink and THAT should be an ad for something), Peggy yells, "Pizza Haus!" in what I think is an awful German accent? That was hysterical in more than one sense. Peggy is all "WTF was that" at herself (as well she might be) and then when Don calls again, she declines to answer, instead reading it as her cue to call it a night. If it takes something like that to get her out of the office, I'm surprised she ever even goes home.
Pete and Beth have finished their, um, hysterics and Beth admits she "used to be like this. Reckless." She seems to be recalling those times fondly, but when Pete happily strokes her face and asks her to say something she tells him she's had men paying attention to her time out of mind. "They don't care what I say. They just watch my lips move." If you didn't make a Julia Ormond joke there, you're a better person than I. Pete sincerely (and yet still smarmily) tells her he's listening to every word, so Beth tells him that his blue eyes remind her of the recent photos taken of the Earth from space and if ALEXIS BLEDEL is complimenting your eyes you should be flattered indeed. She wonders if it bothered him to see the Earth "tiny and unprotected," speaking of things it's probably best not to think about. Pete doesn't seem to share Beth's existential concerns, but pays attention when she tells him their little tryst can never happen again. Pete at first acknowledges that and starts to get dressed, but admits he doesn't want to leave her; however, she tells him she's fine and calmly thanks him for the ride home before demonstrating that she has no idea how to stage-smoke a cigarette.
In his car, Pete takes a moment, obviously feeling something strong for Beth, before touching up his hair and driving off. Seriously, Pete, I hope you're calm, because you're enough of a road menace even at your best.
Megan arrives home and Don, without suspicion, asks where she was. Megan breezily says she went out for a drink with "Joey and Troy," and I wonder if that's our Joey from last year. If so, Roger's going to be sad he missed the Jack & Bobby reunion. Megan adds that she had to lie to Peggy to get out of there, which is kind of cold, but no more so than Don replying, "I've done that!" I like the idea that Peggy is everyone's guilty reminder of how they could be working harder. Megan then goes to get some "crackers, or something," which Don declines, because smoking and drinking in bed is one thing, but getting crumbs all over the sheets is where you draw the line.
The morning, Peggy's already on the elevator when Don and Megan board; Peggy gives them both a Mona Lisa smile, as she's wont to do, which sends Megan skulking to the other side of the elevator. Heh. The three of them enter, with Peggy giving both of them hilarious furtive looks and then she follows Megan into the ladies' room and sensibly checks for feet under the stalls. That just makes me think of Roz from 9 to 5, sitting on a toilet with her feet up while taking notes on toilet paper. Once Peggy's satisfied, she glares Megan's way so Megan sighs and apologizes, saying she had no idea Don would call. Peggy starts to demand that Megan not force her to lie to Don again, saying she lost a night's work because of it, but Megan cuts her off and explains that she had a callback for an Off-Off-Broadway show that she didn't want to miss. However, she goes on that she didn't get it, "so that's it," and if that's her attitude she really isn't cut out for the realities of being an actress. Peggy asks why she didn't tell Don and when Megan sarcastically suggests she's going to inform Don she still wants to be an actress, Peggy asks in consternation, "Do you?" Never thought Peggy would feel a real sense of loss without Megan. Switching to Encouragement Mode, Peggy tells Megan she knows copywriting is difficult, but Megan is doing great and she's not just saying that. Megan, however, sadly says she contemplated throwing some of Stan's originals in the trash the other day so she'd be fired and Peggy looks horrified, I think not at the sentiment but that Megan flirted with the idea of dealing them such a setback, in which case: Hee. Megan goes on that she then realized that, as the boss's wife, she'll never be canned, but Peggy hasn't quite caught up: "You want to quit?" She raises her voice and sharply tells Megan that there are people who would kill for her job and she doesn't even want to do it? Peggy, I get that you're upset, but the acoustics in there aren't exactly dampening. Megan says she's sorry she told Peggy, but Peggy rightly says she didn't so much and adds that Megan acts like she wants advice, but it's obvious she's made up her mind. Megan tries for a combination of guilt and sympathy, saying that Don's not easy to talk to and it's so simple for Peggy to say what to do when it's someone else's life, but Peggy, who's certainly no stranger to sucking up difficult choices, has had enough and dismissively tells Megan she doesn't care what she does before leaving her there. Megan, I don't know if you're familiar with how emotional scenes in the SCDP ladies' room end, but here's the part where you burst into uncontrollable sobs.
In Don's office, Ken's telling Stan and Don about a "Phil Beachum," who's apparently the "Head of Desserts" at Cool Whip. Peggy joins them as Ken goes on that someone else, "Pat Wallace," at the company liked Don and Megan's banter, prompting Don to call for Dawn and asks where Megan is. Peggy, having learned nothing ever, says Megan's not coming, which is of course Megan's cue to enter with a sunny smile and apologize for being late. Ken tells her he was just saying how Wallace liked the "Mr. and Mrs. Draper thing," so they're going to go to the test factory and taste some Cool Whip and act like it's not gross, essentially. He then prevails on Don and Megan to do their little bit and Megan and Don launch into a script where she's telling him all about Cool Whip and trying to get him to taste it and the whole thing is so nauseating that Peggy can't help herself from blurting "Just taste it!" in response to Don's character's unending questions about it. Don cluelessly agrees that "Just taste it" is the tagline and Stan offers that it's a "nice twist on the stupid husband and pushy wife, because they actually like each other." It's probably best that they don't actually have the product on hand, otherwise Stan would be getting a faceful of it from Peggy's direction. But I suppose it's good that Don and Megan are pulling off this dessert bit, considering how badly they bombed with orange sherbet. Peggy asks if Don and Megan are going to be in the ads and when Ken tells her they're not interested, Peggy judgily asks for clarification whether it's Cool Whip expressing lack of interest or Don and Megan. I'm no expert, but wouldn't ad reps appearing in a TV spot for their client be a potential PR disaster? Regardless, this is all so Megan can reply that "We're not interested," and Peggy's clenching so hard at this point that even Don notices, quizzically asking if she doesn't like it. Shifting to fake like an old pro, Peggy says she does. "I'm just absorbing it." Don stares after her with that patented Season Five Dumb Grin and I really have to agree with Peggy that he was better when he was mean.
The pay phone is getting a lot of action this episode, as Pete calls the number from Howard's card and gets Beth. He asks her to come to the city and meet him, but she's like, 'You're buds with my husband and we live a stone's throw from each other, so maybe this isn't the best idea?" He's forced to concede the point, and she encourages him to fantasize about their time together -- "I will too" -- but tells him not to call her again. She hangs up and Pete looks sad. Jesus man, get it together. If it helps, maybe think about how much like your father you're becoming?
Don's asleep in bed when Megan, after steeling herself, wakes him. And as if we didn't already think this was going to be a pivotal moment in their marriage, the setup is reminiscent enough of Betty waking Don back in "A Night To Remember" to drive the point home. Don stirs and asks what's wrong and Megan, after taking a breath, confesses she lied to him. She tells him about the audition and he doesn't seem particularly put out, but wonders if she lies to him often. She's relieved to be able to tell him no truthfully and gushes that even though she didn't get the part, the experience was incredible and while she knows she's rusty and needs to resume her studies, she misses acting. Don thinks this is about the Cool Whip ad and tells her they can't be in it because it's bad for business -- THANK YOU VERY MUCH! -- but Megan's obviously got her sights on something bigger. Don tells her that it's a reality that we don't get to choose where our talents lie and adds that what she did with Heinz? "It took me years to be able to think that way." He goes on that she'll really feel proud of her work when she sees it realized in an actual ad, but Megan leans in and says she knows if she doesn't give this a shot, she'll be angry and bitter. Knowing what that looks like, Don asks her what she wants to do, but he's still not quite Getting It as he tells her he knows working together is tough for her, but there are many agencies that would be happy to have her, so she has to straight-up tell him that she doesn't want to do it. After a moment, he tells her he understands and doesn't want to keep her from her dream and goes on that there's no need to drag it out -- "we'll go in tomorrow, and you'll say goodbye to everybody and we'll get you on your way." She can scarcely believe this has gone so well and tells him she loves him; he returns the sentiment and she happily crawls into bed with him. After she closes her eyes, though, he looks thoughtful and not entirely thrilled. Elsewhere, though, Bertram's dancing a jig and doesn't even know why.
Cross-fade to Don's and Megan's feet walking into the office. When he stops, she looks back and he regards her with both love and some sadness at the knowledge that this is the last time they'll walk in together. When Megan goes on to Creative, Don enters Joan's office, closes the door and tells her Megan's quitting and today will be her last day. Understandably guessing from the urgency that something has happened, Joan asks if Don would like to take a seat, but Don says it's not like that before explaining about the acting thing and then wondering how they proceed from a protocol standpoint. Joan suggests they have the girls take her to lunch and, perhaps not completely convinced that this is all there is to it, inquires further, "She's not disappearing, is she?" Don tells her no, she isn't and then turns to go, but Joan, sensing Don needs some assurance, tells him she'll take care of it and he pauses in acknowledgment before continuing on without looking back. It really is amazing how happy he's been with Megan at the office; nothing to make both him and us realize that like her leaving.
Speaking of which, when Peggy enters the Creative room, Megan starts to tell her she has an announcement. Peggy's stony expression cracks when Megan's face breaks and when she asks if Megan's okay, Megan tells her she's not going to be working there anymore. Realizing how hard this is for her, Peggy barks at the oblivious Stan and Ginzo to listen up and once she has their attention, Megan informs them of her news. Ginzo, in his crest-the-ridge voice: "Did he fire you? That son of a bitch!" Easy, tiger. Megan laughs at the conclusions to which everyone's jumping and explains that she's going back to acting; Stan thinks she's joking, but she sagely notes that she'd better get used to that reaction. Ginzo then comes up with a typical WTF question about whether wardrobe is provided for the actors and Megan's like, "I'll let you know when I book something." The boys then bid her a warm farewell and sit back to watch the rest, as Megan hands over her folders to Peggy; Peggy, with the obvious many emotions playing over her face, asks Megan if she's sure about this, but Megan answers by way of telling Peggy how much she appreciates everything she's done for her "and not just yesterday." I'm sure the boys are wondering what THAT might be referring to; Stan's mind in particular is probably going to some predictably sensual places. Megan, with a last watery look, says she should go see Joan and heads out. Peggy looks proud of Megan as she opines that what she's doing takes a lot of guts and then Ginzo complains about how Megan's borrowed like fifteen bucks from him for lunches, and now he won't get it back. "What am I gonna do, ask Don?" He speculates that that's why she left and I kind of admire the fact that he's being completely serious, but Stan tells him what's what: "Reality got her. You work your ass off for months, bite your nails, for what? Heinz Baked Beans." Peggy looks like that one's hitting her where she lives, although it could just be that the mention of Heinz automatically causes her to look vaguely sour.
Pete enters, apparently later than usual, and Harry follows him into his office with the Megan news. Pete exhibits no surprise and when Harry asks about Don, Pete sniffs, "They do whatever they want. Even to Draper." Jeeze Pete, the old "We're all unwilling victims of the vagina" position? You really are regressing before our eyes. Harry, unsurprisingly, is relieved at the idea that he won't have to worry about Megan reporting the bonehead things he says to Don, but when Pete goes on about women and their games, Harry wonders, "Trudy pregnant again?" Heh. Pete brings up the photos from space and asks if they make Harry feel small, but Harry, embracer of his own hormones that he is, merely replies that Jennifer takes care of that... and by the way, he's not small. Pete: "Save it for your convention whores." Seconded. Harry, however, eventually realizes that Pete's complaints about women have nothing to do with either Megan or Trudy and when Pete asks why they get to decide what's going to happen, Harry simply replies, "They just do." For all the shit I give him, Harry does seem happy and his ability to accept what is probably has a lot to do with it.
Don walks a still-tearful Megan to the elevator, who tells him she'll be back after her lunch to get her box, but Don suggests maybe she doesn't need to put herself through the emotional wringer once more and says he'll bring it home. She nods and thanks him and when the elevator comes, gives him a long kiss that I'm sure the watching extras totally appreciate. She waves goodbye and then she's gone; then something very odd happens. Don presses the button and the door down opens; when he sticks his head in, there's no elevator but an open shaft, down which he can see the elevator descending. There's no real indication of it, but I wonder whether this is actually happening, as it's such a major malfunction for a door to open this way, you'd think Don would have more of a reaction. I mean, this is how Rosalind Shays died on L.A. Law! But whether real or imagined and whether the imagery signals actual death or something more metaphorical, it's another jarring, disturbing moment in a season that's been full of them and against the backdrop of everything that's happening in the country, it seems evident that we're in for some sort of tragedy. And I'm not just talking about whatever production books Megan for her first role. Discomfited, Don returns to his office and makes himself a stiff drink; soon after, Ken enters with Stan and Ginzo in tow and happily announces that Rick found a song Chevalier likes for the Hard Day's Night spot; Stan cues it up, and soon Ken is white-guy dancing to "September In The Rain," a song that an aghast Ginzo tells us "is like thirty years old." He goes on that it's "stabbing [him] in the fucking heart," and I can't wait for Ginzo to have kids that think his musical taste is antiquated. Ken doesn't have time for this and kicks Stan and Ginzo out to make room for the elephant he has to bring up, that being the fact that Cool Whip is expecting him and Megan. Don instructs him to tell them Megan's sick and to have Peggy do it instead and given how acidly she told him to "Just taste it" in the earlier meeting, you can't really say that the coming fiasco was impossible to predict.
Pete's on the train home when Howard joins him and Pete acts like someone who didn't just bang Howard's wife as he jovially says he didn't expect to see him. Howard tells him the evening is going to be some requisite time with the wife and even over the train noise, you can practically hear the gears in Pete's head grinding before he tells Howard that he checked with the office and it turns out Howard was right about the policy. He lets out some line by continuing that he let the company set him up with a broker and Howard goes straight for the fishhook as he's like, wait, what about me, I could come by your place after dinner. Pete, with a face to make Machiavelli jealous, says that actually, their baby's been sick, but he could join Howard for dinner. Howard's down with that, adding that Beth's a great cook and Pete's response of "Is she?" is sublime.
Joan, dressed to leave for the day, tells Peggy in the break room that she missed Megan's lunch, noting that Peggy probably has some extra work given the circumstances. Peggy replies that she just wanted to do her own farewell with Megan, but Joan's in Gossip Mode, saying that she didn't see it coming. "I thought she would fail here." Peggy tells her she worries that she scared Megan away by being too hard on her, but Joan, probably thinking about whoever's going to be getting her nails into her own husband, says that second wives have a playbook. "She's going to be a failing actress with a rich husband." Peggy demurs, saying she thinks Megan's one of those girls who's good at everything and Joan sniffs that in that case, Peggy had every right to be hard on her. Joan goes on with a bit of history about how Betty was a model and he met her doing a print ad: "That's the kind of girl Don marries." It's a little unkind, especially since Megan has proved to be something of a pleasant surprise, but given how Don threw Faye over for Megan, the comment has its place. Of course, Joan's perspective on being a career girl is something that's changed rather a lot over the years, but I'm always happy to see her and Peggy bond.
When Beth sees whom Howard has brought home for dinner, you can hardly blame her for looking stunned, not that Howard notices as he rushes off to get his paperwork. Pete takes the opportunity to tell Beth that he'll be at the Hotel Pennsylvania at 12:30 the day and kisses her over her protests. Wow, this is ugly, but the show is smart in the way it balances out the likability of the characters over time; Pete's descent has coincided with a rehabilitation of sorts for Roger, whom I was just about at the point of not being able to abide by the end of last season. When Howard returns, Beth pulls him aside and Pete can't stop his self-preservation instinct from kicking in as he heads for the door, but Howard returns within a moment and wonders where Pete's going before explaining that Beth has a migraine, but they're only serving baked chicken and he can set a table. Pete, already thinking how spectacularly ill-advised this all is, isn't sure, but Howard prevails upon him to stay and talk insurance. I just hope for the sake of Pete's wallet that he hasn't let Howard see him drive.
Don quietly enters the apartment to find Megan cooking and listening to a radio broadcast about Vietnam and I thought we'd be hearing a lot more of that this season than we have, but there was also a much smaller time jump than I expected. We get a pan up to establish Don's ensuing comment -- that Megan shouldn't cook in bare feet. (I think it's believed you can get electrocuted that way, although that could be an urban legend. Regardless, it seems like good advice anyway to keep your skin covered.) Megan kisses him long before joking that he shouldn't get used to her good mood, as "there's going to be a lot of crying from rejection." And I thought she was the one who was so good at not crying. Further testing the waters, she tells Don she thought he'd come home drunk, but he sincerely tells her that what she's doing is okay and she's thrilled. She invites him to fix himself a drink, but calls him back to tell him she loves him. "You're everything I hoped you'd be." He returns the sentiment and they smile at each other, but if anything, the events of the last day have shown him that moments like this can be taken away by decisions over which you have no say...
...and a cross-fade into the day suggests that such thoughts are still on his mind, which is too bad because he and Peggy are supposed to be concentrating on Cool Whip. Some dude in a lab coat is droning on about, if you can believe it, the order in which they're supposed to taste the different samples and then he asks the three of them (Ken is there as well) to go ahead and give their reactions. Ken's response is expectedly positive and beige and then the Head of Desserts (played by Saved by the Bell's Dennis Haskins a.k.a. Mr. Belding) enters and hears Peggy give a canned speech about the product, whereupon he looks expectantly at Don, expecting him to do the married bit, as he's under the impression that Peggy is his wife. Lab Coat disabuses HOD of that notion and HOD is hilariously disappointed, but Lab Coat assures him it'll be "just as good." In much the same way, I'm sure that Cool Whip is "just as good" as actual whipped cream. Peggy screws up right out of the gate, biffing a line and mistakenly handing Don the samples too early and then asking him to "just try it." Don sharply asks if she doesn't want him to "just TASTE it," and the way she bit that line out in the earlier scene makes it much harder to defend her fucking it up now. Peggy's performance doesn't improve and HOD is like "Thanks for coming" in just the way an unimpressed casting director would be. He walks out, again acting hilariously crestfallen about the whole thing and after Lab Coat goes after him to try to talk him down from the ledge, I'm guessing, Ken grabs a glass of water and sips it with such extreme prejudice it looks like he's trying to turn it to booze with his mind. He does, however, put a brave face on things by saying the clients know they're going to cast it, but when Don sarcastically asks if the actors will be able to remember the word "taste" instead of "try," Peggy fires back that he didn't want to rehearse with her and before you know it, they're fighting about Megan, with Don saying that Peggy didn't want her in Creative, and Peggy contending that she spent more time training Megan than Don did. It's kind of amazing to see them fight as equals, not least because Peggy obviously cares about Megan too and isn't just coming from a defensive position and she ends things with "You know what? You are not mad at me, so SHUT UP!" Don grimaces but doesn't seem to have an appetite to contest things further; instead, he reaches for a cigarette, whereupon a female lab coat who's been silent witness to this whole scene informs him he can't smoke in there. Heh. The three SCDP people stare at her like they're wondering how the day could get any worse...
...and then the thirty-first cross-fade of the episode takes us to someone else who's having a bad day -- Pete, who's waiting alone in a hotel room for someone who clearly isn't coming. He trudges out, but not before petulantly tossing a champagne glass into the wall. I know you're having a self-inflicted bad day, Pete, but that's just rude.
Roger enters Don's office and asks if Don, who's lying on the couch, is avoiding him. Don: "Yes." Roger, with rather a lot of sympathy for him, asks what happened and Don -- the drink in his hand showing that Megan wasn't crazy with her speculation of the day before -- sighs that Megan is following her dream. Roger offers that he certainly didn't get to choose what he did -- his father made the decision for him -- and Don replies that he was raised in the '30s. "My dream was indoor plumbing." Roger wonders if this isn't Megan's journey to having a baby, but Don tells him that he suggested that path on their honeymoon. "She said my kids were enough." You know, I always assumed that Don would snap out of what I figured would be a phase with Megan, but the last two episodes have convinced me that if anyone does the leaving, it's going to be her and her lack of desire to have kids with him could be an unconscious expression that she doesn't think the relationship will last. Don's seeming older and more out of touch and younger women end up running men like that like sleds; she's going to make more and more decisions until one day, maybe, she'll realize she doesn't need him anymore. It's funny that Roger only broke out of that pattern by taking acid and feeling young again. Roger laughs that Jane wanted a baby, "but I thought, why do that to somebody?" Hee. Don muses that it's probably best for Megan to do what she wants, adding that he doesn't want her to end up like Betty "or her mother." Roger counsels him to go home and demonstrate that there's a routine, which will keep them both out of trouble. Fairly sound advice, but Roger follows with "Mona's dad told me that." He leaves Don to consider his move...
...and sure enough, we cut to Don arriving home to find Megan just getting ready to go to class. Don kisses her without a word and then she presents him with the latest Beatles album in an effort to combat his feeling of being out of touch. She points out a track for him to start with and then is out the door as he puts on the song, "Tomorrow Never Knows," with its invitation to "relax and float downstream," and the assurance that doing so "is not dying." If you're going to pay the kind of money it takes to license a Beatles song, might as well pick one with the lyrics that directly tie into your episode theme. Don reclines in his chair with a drink; as the song goes on to tell us to surrender to the void, we see Peggy puffing on a joint with Stan and Pete saying good night to Howard, getting in his car and exchanging a forlorn look with Beth, who surreptitiously draws a heart on her fogged-up window before rolling it down and erasing it. In class, Megan, along with other students, lies in shavasana, or corpse pose, representing the death of her old existence...
...and then, with a needle scratch, Don's taken the record off. With Megan nowhere to be seen, he wearily trudges off to bed, taking his drink with him.
John Ramos is a writer and film producer living in Los Angeles. His current film, "The Trouble With Bliss," starring Michael C. Hall, Lucy Liu, Brie Larson, and Peter Fonda, can be seen on iTunes and other digital platforms and cable VOD everywhere. (Facebook and Twitter here.) You can email him at couchbaron@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/couchbaron, or check out his blog, "Pull Up A Chair," which he'd just love for you to stop by.
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...and then, with a needle scratch, Don's taken the record off. With Megan nowhere to be seen, he wearily trudges off to bed, taking his drink with him.
John Ramos is a writer and film producer living in Los Angeles. His current film, "The Trouble With Bliss," starring Michael C. Hall, Lucy Liu, Brie Larson, and Peter Fonda, can be seen on iTunes and other digital platforms and cable VOD everywhere. (Facebook and Twitter here.) You can email him at couchbaron@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/couchbaron, or check out his blog, "Pull Up A Chair," which he'd just love for you to stop by.
Think you've got game? Prove it! Check out Games Without Pity, our new area featuring trivia, puzzle, card, strategy, action and word games -- all free to play and guaranteed to help pass the time until your show starts.
What are people saying about your favorite shows and stars right now? Find out with Talk Without Pity, the social media site for real TV fans. See Tweets and Facebook comments in real time and add your own -- all without leaving TWoP. Join the conversation now!