- Don and Duck try to bury the hatchet, and Peggy attempts to join in on the execs' after-hours meetings. Also, Duck receives a family visit at the office.
- Duck is facing pressures both at home and at work. On a Memorial Day holiday visit from his children, he learns that his ex-wife is planning on remarrying. At the office, he is still smarting from the loss of the American Airlines account, from which much tension still exists between himself and Don. Roger orders a truce between the two, who comply. More work stress is added on Duck's plate when one of Sterling Cooper's largest clients, Playtex, who has been happy with their advertising thus far, have of late aspired to the edgier advertising of their competitor, Maidenform. Ultimately, the stress for Duck becomes too much, Duck's dog Chauncy taking the initial hit. With the Playtex account, Peggy has been shut out by "the boys" in providing any meaningful input and even asks for advice from Joan on how to infiltrate the boys' network. But working on the account for Clearasil, the client of who is Pete's father-in-law, Peggy does develop a new concept that plays well at least informally with Pete and his father-in-law. On personal fronts, Betty has been avoiding Arthur at the riding stable, but Arthur eases Betty's mind about any future advances. Pete relieves some of his sexual frustrations with a model auditioning for the Playtex account. And Don and Bobbie intensify their sexual liaison. However, Bobbie make an off the cuff comment which makes Don realize that he has to be more careful about his public personal life.—Huggo
- It's Memorial Day weekend 1962 and Don Draper ducks out of a day at the club to spend it with Bobbie Barrett only to find that she has made other plans. At the office, Duck Phillips again treads on Don's toes by suggesting they come up with a new ad campaign for Playtex bras. Don wonders why they would bother because Playtex is currently number 1 in the market but he agrees. Although they come up with a brilliant idea, the company passes for just the reasons Don had earlier suggested. Peggy Olson is concerned when she is left out of after work meetings and seeks Joan's advice. Duck Phillips has his children and his dog for the Memorial Day weekend. Roger Sterling tells Don to patch up his differences with Duck over lunch. They skip the lunch and have a chat, but it's not obvious they've buried the hatchet.—garykmcd
- Previously on "Mad Men": Bobbie Barrett wanted to have Don on the beach (a trip that didn't end well); Pete had a showdown with Don; Betty wanted Don to spank their son, but he wouldn't; Pete and Lovely had a donnybrook over having a baby; Joan introduced Don to his new secretary, Jane; Roger stepped between Duck and Don over the value of the American Airlines account compared to Mohawk; and Betty told the engaged horse rider, Arthur Case, not to kiss her.
Betty, Joan and Peggy are shown in a montage in various states of putting on lingerie to surprisingly era-inappropriate music (The Infanta by The Decemberists). It ends in a quick cut to Sterling Cooper, where Duck shows Don a Maidenform ad that Don says has been running for 10 years. It shows a woman dreaming she stopped men in their tracks because of her bra. Duck says the Playtex people are jealous and want something similar. The two go at it briefly, with Don saying Playtex's campaign which is a more technical approach highlighting the comfortable fit is working because their sales keep going up. He asks Duck Why now? in regard to the Playtex peoples sudden interest in change. Don gives in a little and asks Peggy to research new angles and tells Duck to tell the Playtex he couldn't get a hold of Don.
Ducks ex-wife, son Mark, daughter Patricia and dog Chauncey arrive at the office. He asks his ex about her mother and she says she's worse. She tells Duck she came early because he's not good in the afternoons, to which he replies, "That's not true anymore; you know that." She drops the kids with him. He's got plans for a wonderful time on the town including tickets to "A Funny Thing Happened" which they've already seen. Duck leads his kids to his office when Freddie stops him and tells him, in front of the kids and the dog, that were going to need another box of brassieres. Duck, a little uncomfortable, agrees and walks the kids away.
Pete, Peggy and Sal are talking over plans for the Clearasil ad, with nothing but dowdy before-and-after headshots in front of them. Peggy suggests a panel ad in print that would work better on TV, showing a boy and girl getting ready for prom without a care in the world about their skin because they used Clearasil. Pete wants the tagline to be, "Thanks, Clearasil." Peggy says she'll think about it, and Sal says he can work with it. Pete says he'll run it by his father-in-law, "Eventually."
In a country club, Don is talking to a man named Crab and Betty is making small talk with a suburban couple. Crab tells Don he was on the team that the CIA hired to coordinate a wave of sabotage and rebellion, the Bay of Pigs. Betty, left alone for a moment, is spotted by Arthur Case. He tells her he's been going to the club since he was a kid. Betty said they were guests of the Pattersons. Arthur says he's worried he's the reason Betty changed her riding schedule. Don notices her talking to him from across the room. Soon, Betty's kids run up to her, shouting, "Mommy! Mommy!" It's an awkward end to their chat. Arthur leaves. Crab tells Don he's building a bomb shelter. Crab left offering Don a reference, saying, "We'd love to have you."
The emcee of the country club event welcomes folks to the Ribs and Fashion Show on its traditional Memorial Day weekend. As a token recognition of the servicemen in the room, he asks them all to stand, calling them heroes. Don stands reluctantly, then with a bit of pride, before his face falls into something that leaves us knowing he's questioning his heroism.
Pete has his brother and sister-in-law over for a barbecue and his brother tries to convince Pete to take a vacation. Pete says he's very important to the agency and that his absence is felt.
Back at the ribs and fashion show, bikini models are showing off their goods when Don tells Betty he has to go. She's upset and says, "You're going to miss the sparklers." "Call me from the emergency room," he tells her, as he walks out to a pay phone, where he calls Bobbie. She says she's got plans with her 18-year-old son and invites Don to join her at the beach because Jimmy's gone for 10 days. He says he'll call her and she says she'd like that. Don goes home, alone, and looks pensively out the window while drinking milk out of the bottle.
Back in the office, Pete tells Peggy his father-in-law loved the "Thanks, Clearasil" line. They make small talk before Pete tells Peggy, "I know you don't like the line." She says she knows he has to keep his father-in-law happy. "I do my job, you do yours," she says. He encourages her to play with the Clearasil ad and she tells him she's got a lot of work to do.
Dons new secretary got too much sun at the beach. Roger walks in and, after giving Jane a full look, asks Don if his wife has seen that yet. "Let me be there when it happens," Roger tells him. He takes a cigarette from Don and tells him he's having lunch with Duck. He wants them to stop fighting.
Duck finds out from his kids that his ex-wife is getting re-married to a man named Franklin Reeve. They tell him she's going to stick him with the dog, Chauncey, because Frank's allergic.
Kinsey works his way into a meeting about the Playtex account because he came up with an idea at a bar the night before that every woman is either a Jackie or a Marilyn. Peggy disagrees, but to little avail. Don says Kinsey can work on the account with Peggy. Duck walks in and Don tells him he can schedule a meeting with Playtex the next day. Duck's happy with that and asks Don to lunch. Afterward, Peggy goes to Freddie and lets him know she's upset that she wasn't invited to the bar. He blows her off and asks her to go write some titillating copy, and smacks her on the bottom with a file folder.
Don goes to Duck's office and says he wasn't planning on coming back to the office after lunch. He wants to get the conversation over with, but Duck says Roger told him it was just a friendly lunch. Don scoffs a little. Duck says it's been hard to figure things out. Don tells Duck. "he's been pitching more to me than you have to clients," meaning Duck is selling clients' ideas to Don, rather than Don's ideas to them. Duck goes into a story about when he was in the Marine Corps and ultimately tells Don he's grateful that Don brought him into Sterling Cooper. He defends the American Airlines thing, saying it was a risk worth taking. Duck tells Don, "You have an 'I told you so,' OK? Can we move forward? I'm the one who looks bad. It hasn't hurt the company." Don says, "Yes, of course we can." He agrees to tell Roger they had lunch and they shake hands as Don leaves.
Don's just wrapping up the deed with Bobbie and she says she has to go because her daughter is in a play. There's another kid he didn't know about. She offers to let him stay in her house while she's gone and he says he would never leave her alone in his place. She thinks he would.
Back at SC, Peggy walks in on a casting session for the Playtex ad and wonders why she wasn't invited. Pete sees Chauncey in the office and Duck tells Pete he made his wife give Chauncey back to him. Pete says he likes having a dog in the office and thinks maybe he'll bring one in, too. Duck doesn't think that's a good idea, and leaves. On his way out, Pete shares an elevator with a blonde who was there for the Playtex casting call. She doesn't think it went well, but he charms her a bit and she's impressed by his business card.
Next they're at her place kissing and giggling before being interrupted by her mother. The blonde turns off the lights and turns on the TV before they lay on a couch and get down to business. Later, Pete quietly sneaks into his house and looks himself in the mirror proudly.
The next morning at the Draper house, Betty is wearing a yellow, two-piece bikini and asks Don if he likes it; she's going to wear it swimming. He tells her he doesn't like it and says a 15-year-old lifeguard, or the tennis pros, or the loafing millionaires will ogle her. He says, "It's desperate." Betty drops her head and says she didn't know that. Don leaves.
At SC, Peggy tells Joan to tell all the girls that she is to be included on all memos regarding the Playtex account. Peggy says there's business going on and she's not invited. Joan tells Peggy she's in their world now and suggests she start speaking their language. Then Joan tells her, "You want to be taken seriously? Stop dressing like a little girl."
Don gives yet another Draperian presentation to the Playtex people, showing them the Jackie and Marilyn idea. They liked it, but said they'd decided to stick with the idea of explaining the comfy fit because sales are strong. Don said, I couldn't have said it better myself. Don tells Duck not to worry about it, saying they bought a couple of years of security. On the way out, the Playtex guys invite Freddie and the gentlemen to a night out. They make plans to see girls in their underwear later that night, and the Playtex man says the tab will be open. Peggy sees the handshakes in the distance.
Late that night in the office, Duck finds his way to a bottle of liquor and nearly takes a swig before catching Chauncey the dog looking at him. He puts the bottle down, takes Chauncey out to the front door and unleashes him before walking back toward the office.
Don is again with Bobbie as they pour champagne before Don tells her not to talk before jumping into the sack. As they're getting into it, Don ties her up to the bed posts and Bobbie says she wants the full Don Draper treatment. She says she wanted it and got it and it's better than they said. She tells Don he has lots of fans. Don, disturbed by this, asks who was talking about him. She gives him a name and he says, I don't know who you're talking about. She tells him to enjoy his reputation. He forces her down again and asks, "Does it make you feel better to think that I'm like you?" He ties her up more securely, then gets up and leaves, saying, "I told you to stop talking."
The guys are watching a burlesque show at the Tom Tom with the Playtex men when Peggy walks in. The older Playtex immediately tells her she's staying all night, pulls her over and sits her on his lap. Peggy looks increasingly uncomfortable, sitting on the old guy's lap and watching a nearly naked woman dance on stage when she notices Pete looking at her disapprovingly. She pauses and gets even more uncomfortable.
The next morning at the Draper house, Don is shaving when his daughter comes bounding into the bathroom. She sits on the toilet seat and tells him, "I'm not going to talk. I don't want you to cut yourself." Don smiles at first, then stops and stares at himself in the mirror. Sally asks him if he's OK and he quietly tells her no and says, "I think you'd better leave me alone." He wipes his face and sits on the toilet seat alone.
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