Trama

Don makes a bold, desperate move to save Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, but the other partners are furious with his actions. Meanwhile, Sally's psychiatrist suggests that she is improving, but Betty is skeptical.

Sally is continuing on with her therapy sessions with Dr. Edna, who believes Sally is progressing so much that the frequency of her sessions can be reduced. However, Sally is also having unofficial therapy sessions with Glen Bishop, about which Betty is unaware. Betty feels the need to speak to someone herself about life, but doesn't want it under the guise of therapy sessions. She will really need to speak to someone after she makes a discovery, which in turn may set Sally's therapy back. Meanwhile, life at SCDP is not getting any better following Lucky Strike's departure. Although Don has an off the record meeting with Heinz arranged by Faye, they have the same opinion as all other potential clients: business is a possibility in six months if SCDP is still in operation. Beyond Lane's need to deal with the operational aspects of the the business such as payroll, none of the partners has a concrete proposal to get them out of their predicament. And an idea from Peggy to Don is dismissed as being unfeasible. Knowing that everyone on the outside sees fear and desperation at SCDP, Don takes a unilateral and bold measure. Whatever the result, Don sees that his life isn't all that bad in comparison to others after he has a not so chance encounter with an old friend.—Huggo

SCDP is scrambling for new clients but are finding few takers with most potential clients waiting to see if they will survive as a firm. Each of the partners is required to put in new capital to keep their bank happy but it puts Pete Campbell, who doesn't have the money, in a predicament. Fed up with the status quo and inertia around him, Don takes a drastic step without first consulting his partners. He's also surprised when he runs into Midge in his office building but it's not quite what it at first seems to be. Sally's therapy is progressing well and her psychiatrist recommends reducing her sessions, which makes Betty uncomfortable. When she learns that Sally has been sending time with Glen Bishop, she decides it's time for them to move.—garykmcd

"Mad Men" - "Blowing Smoke" - Oct. 10, 2010

Don is speaking to a Heinz person and reassuring them that no one knows about the meeting. He asks about his current frustrations. Heinz man is sad since beans have become the neglected kid at Heinz since ketchup is king now and he wants some attention. He thinks food is cyclical, that there's a time for beans and there's a time for ketchup. He knows beans will return and wants new ideas, but not humorous ones. Don offers that beans aren't funny but "substantial." Heinz man likes this but says they'll have to wait six to eight months to really talk. He wants to move but there's a breaking in period that's months. He's sorry to be blunt but he doesn't know if SCDP will be there in six months. Don says he knows. The Heinz guy says he can't take a chance right now. Don offers a discounted commission. The guy turns him down but calls him a helluvan idea man but thinks he should let the account boys do this part. They shake hands and part ways.

Betty's making dinner as Gene pounds the table with a spoon. Sally expresses a desire to eat with Betty and Henry and promises to try new food. Betty is heartened by this.

A consultant tells SCDP that signing new business before they're seen as decaying is their first priority. He tells them to do what they do best: cigarettes. He tells them Phillip Morris is introducing a new brand for women in 18 months and they should get going. He got them a meeting. It's 5 million dollars.

In quick cuts we see three separate conversations: Roger telling Bert he wants to pursue a bigger fish. Ken and Harry lamenting the state of things with their clients and the fact that Ken just left his position and is getting married in October. Pete and Lane talk money and how they'll be running out soon, but Pete is upbeat.

Faye shows Don the research on the female cigarette and he likes it. She mention the Heinz guy was impressed. They shake hands. She says she has dinner plans but to call her tonight.

Glenn is in his football uniform and he and Sally talk about their therapists laying on a patch of grass somewhere. He offers her a cigarette. She declines. Glenn asks if she talks to Betty about him. She said she did but doesn't anymore. He says Betty doesn't like kids. Sally says that's not true. He points out that she says Betty's mean all the time. The conversation lulls. Sally takes off.

On his way out, Don runs into Midge in the lobby. He tells her she looks good. She was just out of a meeting with a magazine, doing the starving artist shuffle. He tells her about the new firm. She says it sounds impressive and asks if he needs any freelance artists. He says maybe in six months. He offers to let her use him as a reference. He tells her, in a roundabout way, that he's divorced and lives in the Village now. She invites him over to meet her husband, whom she didn't marry for love. He declines but takes her up on her desire to get a free ride downtown.

Sally meets with the therapist. She relays a story about Betty and says she doesn't care what the truth is as long as Sally does what she says. They're playing go fish. The therapist says she's proud that Sally has a found a way to control herself when she's angry and that Betty is the way she is because she has stresses, not because Sally is bad or did anything wrong. Sally says she knows. The doctor says they can go down to one meeting a week so Sally can ride her bike and play and be in a ballet recital. She reiterates that she's proud.

Midge lets Don into her place and introduces her husband Terry. Terry offers him a drink. Terry is a playwright. They seem happy to have company as they toast and drink. Terry shows Don a painting. It's a nutty impressionist thing Midge is doing on "afterimages." Terry is trying to sell it to him. Don says he'll think about it. Terry essentially begs him to buy one and says Midge will "do anything" if he does and that they're "not possessive."

He mentions that he knows Midge digs him since he could tell how excited she was when she tracked him down. (So this was no coincidental meeting.) Terry pretends that he's going to go grocery shopping but then has no money. Don gives him ten bucks. Midge is justifiably embarrassed and calls her husband an idiot saying he's going to take the money and go out and put it in his arm. He tells her he now realizes why she tracked him down like James Bond. She says she just wanted him to buy a painting. She seems a little whacked out too.

He asks what it's like, she says it's like drinking 100 bottles of whiskey while someone licks your tits. She says Terry said it would help her take her mind off her work, and it turns out being a junkie is a full-time job. He wonders why she won't stop. She says she knows it's bad for her but it's heroin and she just can't stop. She says she's glad to see him and runs her hand over her his thigh. He pulls out his checkbook and writes a check for $300. For the painting. She asks what she's supposed to do with a check. He pulls out cash and gives her $120. She hands him back the check. She asks if he thinks her work is any good. He says "does it matter?" He takes the painting. She kisses him and he pulls her away. She says it was great to see him and is glad that he hasn't changed. (She sure has).

Betty meets with the therapist and is complaining about Henry. Dr. Edna tells her that she thinks Sally is doing well and wants to reduce her sessions to once a week. Betty says Sally is not better. She seems panicked, like what she's really worried about is not having her own therapist. Dr. Edna recommends a colleague for Betty. Betty wonders why she can't talk to her. Edna points out that she's a child psychiatrist. Betty implicitly asks her to keep Sally on so she can keep seeing her too.

Don is pacing in his office practicing and warming up for Phillip Morris. Peggy enters and they talk strategy. He's really nervous and Peggy bucks him up.

The whole gang is waiting in the front office when the consultant arrives with bad news, Phillip Morris canceled the meeting, they went with another firm. They wanted to see where SCDP will be in six months. Pete freaks. Roger calls the consultant an asshole. They take the meltdown out of reception.

The boys go back in Don's office as the whole office watches. Bert kicks Harry out of the partner meeting. Don says they reek of desperation. Roger says they're going after scraps. They argue. Peggy, Harry, and Ken listen through the wall. Lane went to the bank to get an extension on their loan and says they all need to give up some cash as collateral: 100k from each partner, 50k from Lane and Pete. Pete freaks.

Hanging out again after football practice, Sally is talking about a dream about floating over London with Glenn who offers her the backwash of his Coke. She declines and he says he dreams about flying too. She says it felt more like going to heaven, except she doesn't believe in heaven. He wonders what she thinks happens when they die then, nothing? She doesn't like to think about forever. They chat some more and she takes off.

Pete enters Don's office, and explains Phillip Morris used them to get a sweeter deal with Burnett. Don wonders if that's supposed to make him feel better. Pete says he doesn't have that kind of money to give up. Don says he doesn't either and for Pete to get him in a room with someone.

Pete leaves and Peggy comes in and asks what they're going to do. Don says it's not her problem. She says they should change the name since if they were a dog food that's what they do and Don is always saying "if you don't like what they're saying about you, change the conversation." Don points out that what they're saying is true. She wonders what the plan is then. He says to keep typing while walls fall down because "we're creative, the least important, most important thing there is."

Pete comes home and Trudy asks about the bank calling about a loan application. She asks what it's about. He says it's not important. She thinks he's surprising her with a house. He points out what the real problem is. She is livid and says when you bet big and lose you don't double down. He says he's a partner and he needs to put the money in to keep his stake. She forbids him to give anything more to the company. He says she can't forbid him. She says he better not ask her dad for the money.

Don comes home and see Midge's painting. He contemplates putting it out in the hallway and instead puts it on the couch and stares at it. He flips through his journal and rips out the pages he already wrote on.

He writes "why I'm quitting tobacco" on the top of a clean page. He proceeds to write a manifesto about Lucky Strike leaving them being a relief since good work didn't matter for them since people couldn't stop themselves from buying it and he's glad to no longer promote a product that never improves, causes illness, and makes people unhappy. He points out there was money in it, a lot of money, in fact his entire business depended on it.

The voice over continues and we realize that Don is writing a full page ad that he is taking out in the New York Times.

The next morning as he swims all of New York reads the ad.

The voice over continues as we see people reading it with Don saying here was his chance to be someone who could sleep at night. He announces SCDP will no longer take tobacco accounts and gives a list of agencies that do it well. He says he's certain that the companies best work is ahead of them and signs it with his name.

Everyone is reading it. Everywhere: Henry, Roger, Pete, the folks in office, folks in the elevator.

Don arrives. Only Megan seems impressed. She says there are a LOT of messages, including one from Emerson Foote. (Looks like someone changed the conversation.)

Don meets with Roger, Pete, Lane and Bert. Pete is freaking, calling it suicide. They're all hopping mad. Lane says no one asked Don to euthanize the company. Pete points out that the clients will now be worried that SCDP could turn on them at a moment's notice. Don says he's not going to explain what he did, it's an ad for this agency, and if they can't understand it they shouldn't be in this business. Bert is mad Don didn't put all their names on it. Don says he did what he thought was best for the company. Pete says Don did what he thought was best for him. Roger is just glad that he's now off the hook for sinking the company.

Ted Shaw calls posing as Robert Kennedy and gives Don a hard time.

Bert calls Don cynical and craven and knew it was a bad idea to make him a partner. He then says he quits since they've created a monster. They all leave except Lane, who asks for Don's collateral contribution by close of business. Don says the ad might just work. Lane points out that he just moved his family back from London.

Megan enters and says she loved the letter and that Don stands for something. Don says that wasn't what it was about. She knows that but she loves that he did it anyway.

The rest of the gang stews in the creative conference room worrying about getting fired and how they're getting millions of calls, serious and prank. Ken points out no one is talking about Lucky Strike anymore. Peggy says that was the whole idea. Bert comes in and says it's been a pleasure working with them all and he wishes them the best of luck.

Don calls Peggy in. He asks who she can live without. She says Danny. Lane sent over a memo with suggestions, with a lot of names on it: including all of the tobacco people. He just wanted to give her notice before the hammer fell on the others. He says she hasn't said anything about the letter. She says she thought he didn't go in for those kinds of shenanigans with a sly smile. He returns it.

Betty is driving home and sees Sally meeting up with Glen in their spot. She catches up to them. Glen runs off. Betty yells after him to stay away from Sally.

Back at the house Betty says they're not going back for her bike. Betty says that boy is bad. Sally says he isn't, that they're just friends and that they don't "do anything." Betty says she knows him better than Sally does. Sally says she doesn't know him at all. Betty sends her to her room.

Faye stops by Don's office with her stuff in a box. Her company is resigning it's work with SCDP since it's other clients might want to work with tobacco. Don says that he is managing to get through the day because he has a bodyguard and indicates Megan, standing behind him. He apologizes and says he didn't think about the impact on her when he wrote the letter. She says she knows. They kiss. She says he's going to make it through this day, meet her for dinner, and talk about anything but work because they can meet openly now. They kiss again. They pick a place and she pointedly says to have his "girl" make reservations.

Faye says goodbye to Peggy on the way out and Peggy is sad to see her go and invited her out for a drink. She says she really respects Faye especially since she does her job so well, gets respect from men, and doesn't have to play games. Faye is amused this is what Peggy sees. Faye, in a roundabout way, declines the drink invitation by offering her hand and saying "I'm sure we'll work together again."

Henry comes home to the family at the dinner table. He's early and offers to eat with '"this crowd." Betty notes she had a bad day and that the neighborhood is being taken over by low caliber people. She says it's time to move. Henry is thrilled and wants to move to Rye. Sally stalks away from the table. Betty says she'll get over it. Sally lays on her bed and cries holding the braided lanyard that Glen left on her bed after he and his friends vandalized her house..

Don sits in a meeting with the partners as they go over firings, severance, and keeping an eye on office supplies as the heads roll. Roger says the American Cancer Society called and wants to do an anti-smoking campaign. Pete is not excited about public service. Someone notes that it's prestigious. Lane points out that they can't eat prestige. Ken points out that there's bigwigs on the board so it could lead somewhere. They're all still grousing.

Ken and Pete decide to stay in the conference room to avoid watching the firings. Pete tells Lane he doesn't have the collateral money. But Lane tells him not to worry since Don paid Pete's share. As he walks out of the conference room he sees Don down the hall and Pete raises his glass to him.

People begin to get fired and leave in tears as Peggy and Stan watch from the creative conference room. Don fires Danny and then calls in another. He sees the people crying in the hall.