Mothers, Hookers and Cars

Pete, Bert and Joan are in a clandestine meeting with a banker who’s crunching the numbers for SCDP’s IPO.   The banker thinks that SCDP is worth about $9 a share but Bert would like to see the number closer to $12.  Either way, this is some really big money for a company in 1968 – taking inflation into consideration for 2013, that would mean somewhere in the range of $60 to $80 per share.  Pete tells Joan that her piece of the company would make her a millionaire.  The three are sworn to secrecy, hoping to keep the information to themselves until the public offering is a reality.  They’re also worried about how Don will react to the plan.

Roger isn’t at the meeting because he’s in bed with a sweet young thing by the name of Daisy.  Her romp with Roger isn’t just another fling for the senior partner, though.  Daisy is a stewardess who works in the first class lounge for an airline, something that becomes more important as the story plays out.  As she’s getting ready for work, Roger manages to get her back into bed by telling her that it’s Mothers Day and his mother just died.   Oh yes he did.

Pete’s back at home, and is climbing into bed with Trudie.  He’d like to rekindle a little something under the covers, maybe as his idea of a Mothers Day gift to his wife, but Trudy’s doing her very best to adhere to the no-touchy, no-feely rule.  When Pete throws a tantrum, asking her if their marriage is going to be maintained in every aspect but the one that matters, Trudy asks him if he means their daughter.   She makes a dramatic exit from the bedroom as Pete tells her that she has no idea what big things are coming his way.

Megan Draper’s mother, Marie (Julia Ormond), is visiting and she’s her usual, wonderful self – full of French irony, sarcasm and judgment.   Dr. Arnie stops by in his bathrobe, looking for a gift that his son can give to his mother for Mothers Day.  Marie flirts with him and then warns Don about keeping an eye on the handsome, talented doctor and Megan.  Later, after a shopping trip, Marie and Megan are in an elevator where two women ask for Megan’s autograph, having recognized her from her soap opera role.  Marie isn’t impressed or proud.

Peggy and Abe have apparently bought a brownstone and moved into an apartment that offers all that diversity Abe wanted in a place.  That means that Peggy has to step over poop, presumably from their junkie tenant, walk past some scary kids on the front stoop and listen to loud music emanating from other apartments.  She’s not as thrilled as Abe, but he’s trying to fix the fixer-upper, despite his lack of handyman skills.   The partners at Peggy’s agency, CGC, are holding a meeting and the talk is all about cars.   They’ve resigned from Alfa Romeo and would like a shot at Chevrolet.  Frank doesn’t care one way or another.  He’s tired of it all and tells Ted that he has pancreatic cancer, but he’s afraid that the news will ruin the company financially.  Ted steps up and tells him not to worry about anything but his health.  The agency will survive somehow.   It makes you wonder how that news would have been received if he was a partner at SCDP – what would Don do?  Lane Pryce would know.

Roger’s stewardess friend calls him to tell him that there’s an auto executive stuck  at the airport – she’s been recruited by Roger to keep an eye out for him.  Roger makes it to the airport in record time and tells Daisy to see to it that he’s on the same flight as Mike, the auto exec.

Pete is at the office railing about his being uninvited from the dinner with Herb the Jaguar dealer that evening.  The dinner was planned as a get together with wives and dates to make it less business-like and more social.   As they’re getting dressed, Megan and Marie have a mother-daughter talk about marriage.  Marie can see that Megan isn’t happy and that Don may have a wandering eye.  She tells her daughter “Don’t dress like his wife. The only thought he should have at his meal is how fast he can get between your legs.”   Whoa – pretty good advice but who has a mother like that?   Must be some French thing.

Megan, Don, and Marie show up for dinner and Marie’s date, Roger is missing.  We know that he’s on his way to Detroit but he never bothered to tell Marie.  Herb and his wife Peaches are there, too and Peaches gives Marie every opportunity to takes swipes at her while speaking French.  As the care dealer’s wife drones on and on about puppies, Marie issues her observations of the woman to Megan, saying at one point “she’s the apple that goes in the pig’s mouth.”   The ladies leave the table to powder their noses, and Herb and Don are left to talk man stuff.   Herb starts to tell Don about some kid who works at the dealership and all of the genius ideas the kid has for ad campaigns.  He wants Don to submit some of his own ideas so that the dealership employee can go over them and perhaps tweak the.  Don hands Herb a business card with the name of the new account executive, at another agency, who’ll be handling the account in the future.   The ladies return and Don’s ready to go, happy that he’s finally ridded SCDP of the deplorable man.  Marie’s advice did work, after all, and Don ravishes his wife as soon as their door is closed.

Bert Cooper’s been busy and can’t wait to tell Pete that he got the banker to agree to $11 for  SCDP’s shares.   Pete decides to celebrate by taking ass-kisser in chief, Bob Benson – just what does this guy do –  with him to a house of prostitution.  While Bob waits outside, Pete gets what he didn’t from Trudy and steps out into the hallway.  There he runs into his father-in-law who is also indulging in some pay and play of his own with, as Pete says “the biggest, blackest prostitute you’ve ever seen.”  Now Pete’s in a panic, and stops by Ken Cosgrove’s office in the morning for some advice on how to handle it.  Ken says that it’s mutually destructive situation.  There’s no way Pete’s father-in-law can say anything to his daughter because he was caught in the same uncompromising situation.  Oh, dear, sweet, ever-optimistic, Ken –  if only wishing made it so.  Pete’s father-in-law yanks his account from SCDP, to punish Pete and demonstrate his own hypocrisy.

It’s obviously pile poop on Pete day at SCDP and the final pile is delivered by way of a phone call from Jaguar.   He tears down the hall, looking for Don and starts down the stairs to rip Don to shreds.  First, though, Peter falls down the stairs, giving us the best scene with the little weasel since Lane Pryce punched him and broke his nose.   It doesn’t do much to cool him down, and he lights into Don about how the agency’s chances for a fortune-making IPO just went down in flames.  As the entire staff of SCDP gathers, Joan takes them both into the boardroom to iron things out.   Don, at first, is stunned that he’s just finding out about the public offering, but recovers enough to tell everyone how they have a meeting with the Chevy executives. So, in Don’s world, it’s great news.  He got rid of the lecherous Herb, and can turn it around with Chevy.   Joan doesn’t see the sunny side of this, though.  When Don asks her if she fells 300 pounds lighter she says that no, she doesn’t.  Joan tells him that the “we” he likes to throw around really means “me”, and that what he did with Herb made everything she endured worth nothing.  Before leaving the room she says to Don “if I could deal with him, you could deal with him.”  Why yes, yes he could, but he’s Don Draper, golden boy, and all’s well that ends well.

The competing execs from SCDP and CGC are preparing their presentations for Chevrolet’s new car.  They don’t even know what it looks like, but Stan has some good ideas, and Don is happy.  Peggy is working on her ad and stops by Ted’s office, only to find him sitting on the floor trying to watch “Hazel” on TV.  Ted’s overwhelmed with the news of Frank’s illness as well as the project they have ahead of them.  Peggy stays to talk when Ted kisses her.  He pulls away before she does and apologizes, but Peggy goes home to Abe and fantasizes about Ted while kissing her boyfriend.   Oh no, Peggy – no more Don behaviors.

The agencies meet up at the airport where a third competitor, Dancer, is also waiting for their flight.   One of Dancer’s execs takes a few jabs at Roger and Don, noting that they don’t have a cough drop, a cheap shot regarding the Vick’s account they lost thanks to Pete and his father-in-law.   Roger just laughs and says that Daisy will make sure that their luggage gets lost.

In Detroit, Don can’t sleep, again and goes to the hotel bar, again.  Ted walks in, sees Don and says “Damnit.”  The two start to talk and decide that the only way they have a chance at this account is to join forces.  Chevy wants great ideas from a big agency and a merger is the answer.   Jim Cutler, after hearing the idea, says “I want to make this clear.  Unless it works, I’m against it.”   It works, and the two agencies are now one.  Peggy arrives at work to see Don sitting in Ted’s office.  They tell her to write the press release and that she can choose a name for the new company.  “Make it sound like the company you want to work for, ” says Don, throwing her a bone to show her just how much he values her.

Pete has met with his father-in-law and it didn’t go well.  Dear old dad tells Pete that Trudy is a princess and that Pete doesn’t treat her like one.  Pete waits for Trudy in their kitchen and tells her that her daddy had sex with a “200 pound Negro prostitute”.  She throws her poop-covered husband out of the house.

Empress