As this chapter opens, Peggy Olson and Pete Campbell are seen in the elevator on their way up to work; both are early for a day's work. The place is empty. Peggy volunteers to go out for coffee, but Pete has something else in mind. He asks her to come into the office. Pete goes to Peggy with a passion one has not even imagine he had in him. Closing the door, he makes Peggy lie down with him to have sex. It is an intense scene between them. Pete succeeds in tearing a piece of her blouse collar. Later on, a cleaner passing nearby can see their silhouettes behind the opaque glass partition.
Lois Sadler, one of the new telephone operators, is clearly thrilled listening to Sal's conversation with his mother. They speak in a mixture of Italian and English. She likes the man and makes no bones about it. Later on, Lois makes an excuse to come into the office where Sal and the guys are with the pretext of delivering something to the art department. Sal is flattered by the attention Lois is giving him.
Fred Rumsen makes the presentation to the Belle Jolie executives. The head man, Hugh Brodie, does not like the campaign that has the theme "Mark your man". Don Draper listens to what Brodie has to tell him. He feels that if these executives think it is not what they expected, they can take their business elsewhere. Explaining how the ads are supposed to work for women, Brodie begins to like them, while his associate, Elliott Lawrence is all for it. Mr. Lawrence clearly likes Sal's art work. He mentions about the great look he has from his room at the Roosevelt Hotel.
Later, the men gather in Don's office to celebrate getting the account. Peggy feels forgotten; it was her idea, anyway. When she gets a call on her intercom to go see her boss, she opens the door and Don hands her a drink, as a gesture that means he appreciated her good work. A shoeless Don Draper is seen at Mr. Cooper's office. The purpose of his being there is a bonus check the head of the agency wants to give him for $2,500, something that comes unexpectedly. Don is flattered.
Looking at an old photograph in his drawer brings back memories to Don Draper. In his reverie, he is a boy in a farm during what must be the Great Depression. A vagabond man approaches the fence to ask the woman if she can spare some food. He will work for it, he tells her. She is charitable, inviting him in, but he must give her the clothes he is wearing because he reeks. At the dinner table, the hobo finds a coin by his plate, but the man of the house grabs it, promising to hand it after the work is done.
The whole office has decided to go to celebrate Peggy's success at P. J. Clarke. The only ones absent seem to be Sal and Don. Sal goes to the Roosevelt Hotel, where he meets Elliott Lawrence, drinking at the bar. It is obvious why Sal came to the hotel: he is attracted to the man. The two men, while appearing to connect, never get to go any further, perhaps because Sal does not want to go to Elliott's room. In the office, before everyone goes out, a fight breaks out between Pete and Ken, when a slur about Peggy sparks the fight.
That night, the boy goes to the barn, where the visitor is staying, with some blankets. The boy wants to know about where did the stranger come from. The vagabond reveals he has been all over. He wants to be free. Taking the boy into his confidence, he takes a chalk out of his pocket, drawing some symbols men like him mark places, a sort of a rating about what to expect. The next morning, after working, the visitor goes to the farmer wanting his coin, but he is told to go away. The boy goes to the fence looking what rating the man gave the farm and notices a sign of dishonesty carved into the wood.
Don goes to Midge's apartment in the Village. To his surprise, he finds four of her friends in a party mood. Don is invited to partake using the drugs in the place. Don takes Midge aside to tell her the purpose of his visit. He wants them to go to Paris and have breakfast there, coming back right away, something that he wanted to do with the bonus money. Midge appears not to have any intention of going. Taking a Polaroid picture, Don captures Midge behind Roy; her look tells it all. She is in love with this man. Don endorses the check and hands it to Midge as a parting gesture.
This chapter, directed by Phil Abraham, based on a screenplay by Chris Provenzano, packs a lot. More of the childhood of Don Draper is revealed. Sal's homosexuality, while not an issue, becomes quite clear. Peggy's involvement with Pete is also something that will play heavily in the plot of this award winning series. The cast does a marvelous job for Mr. Abraham.
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