- Betty tries to meet with Henry Francis again, while Don steps up his pursuit of his daughter's former teacher. At the office, Don disappoints Conrad Hilton and is forced by a client to fire Salvatore over an unwelcome advance.
- Connie is constantly calling Don, even in the middle of the night. But the carrot of the entire Hilton account is enough for Don to endure these intrusions on his personal life. Don may ultimately have a black mark with Connie when he does not literally follow through with a thought Connie provides to him. Sal is working on a commercial for Lucky Strike. But an incident with the client, Lee Garner, Jr., may jeopardize not only his position on the account but his position at Sterling Cooper. Sal takes out his frustrations by resorting to his primal urges. At the Draper house, Don and Betty are both preoccupied with their infatuations, Don's with Sally's former teacher Suzanne Farrell, and Betty's with Henry Francis. Both go to extreme measures to progress those infatuations.—Huggo
- Betty Draper continues her flirtation with Henry Francis after he suddenly drops in to see her. She ends up hosting a fund-raiser but things don't quite go as she had hoped. Don keeps receiving late night phone calls from Connie Hilton about the ad campaign for his hotels. He's feeling stressed and while he comes up with a brilliant approach, Hilton is less than pleased. Don also decides to pursue his daughter's former schoolteacher. Sal is still directing commercials for the Agency's ad clients but runs into a problem when the owner of one of their biggest accounts makes a pass at him. After Sal rebuffs him, the client demands that he be fired. With two clients having walked out in a huff, Roger Sterling blows up at Don.—garykmcd; correction by mcl-40435
- "Mad Men" - "Wee Small Hours" - Oct. 11, 2009
Betty dreams that someone, it's unclear who, is touching her on the fainting couch, undressing her. And then the phone rings and the baby starts crying and she awakes. It turns out that Hilton has been calling in the middle of the night. This time he tells Don about wanting hotels all over the world so peope can see "America, everywhere you look." He says he's worried about his international business and wants Don to earn it. Betty tends to the baby while he's on the phone. Since he's already up he decides to go in and notices Sally's old teacher out for a very early morning jog. He stops and offers her a ride. Even though she says running is the point, she takes it. They listen to a snippet of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech on news. She says she's going to read it to kids on the first day of school. He asks who she is, whether she's dumb or pure? At her street he tries to ask her out for coffee but she passes, retreating to an apartment she rents over someone's garage.
Don's secretary bustles around his office and then is startled when he calls to her from the couch where he's been sleeping after working on the Hilton stuff. It's raining and Hilton's office called. At the Draper house the kids have breakfast while Betty reads the newspaper noting a headline that Rockefeller's chances at the presidential nomination don't look good. She mentions that she didnt get any sleep and Carla tells her to nap. Instead, she writes a note to Henry that says "Does anybody read this?
Peggy and the two new guys show Don copy for Hilton. He doesn't like the art or the tag line, even though he came up with it. he says to the German dude,"now that I can finally understand you Im less impressed with what you have to say." He grumps at them that he needs more ideas to reject and that he cant do it all by himself. He sends them off saying to bring ideas as they have them. Sal is directing a commercial for Lucky Strikes and the client Lee Garner Jr is taking a real interest, wondering why the actor is staring off camera instead of into it. Sal says it will make people uncomfortable. Garner says to try it. Sal says okay and tries it his way.
The next morning, Don is once again up early and he drives by the same stretch of road looking for the teacher. The kids come home from the first day of school with Sally whining about wanting a new pencil case. Betty notices a letter and opens it. It's from Henry who writes "you asked if anyone reads my mail, not anymore" and he includes his home address.
Sal and Garner are looking at rough cuts of the Lucky Strike ad and he notes that Garner seems to have a real interest in movies. Garner says he does but he can't pursue it while his dad is still alive and wanting him to run Lucky Strike. After the editor leaves, Garner reaches around Sal at the editing bay and puts a move on him. Sal stands up, backs off, and says he's married. Garner says he is too. Sal says there's been a misunderstanding. Garner smirks at this and says "I know what I know." Disappointed he says "I got it, you're at work, that's too bad." As Garner leaves, Sal throws film canisters against wall in frustration.
At night Betty watches TV and over the kids' bedtime routine as she composes a note in her head to Henry. She wonders where he is and what he's doing. She notes that she can't believe that they've only met three times. She falls asleep with a glass of wine. Don comes in and takes it from her.
Kinsey and Harry watch TV and eat dinner in the office. Lee Garner calls Harry, trashed, and says he wants Sal fired. Harry says that's not in his authority. Lee says he has to and to keep it between them. Kinsey asks what's up and after a little protest he tells him. He adds that he's not going to panic and do something stupid like he usually does.
Don still cant sleep. The phone rings and it's Conrad looking to get a drink at 11:30 p.m. Don acquiesces and upon arrival is presented with some booze from the Prohibition era. Hilton espouses some of his hopes and dreams saying "its my purpose in life to bring America to the world whether they like it or not" as a "force of good." He thinks America is good because we believe in God, unlike the Communists. He admits hes lonesome beause he works so hard. He doesnt want politics in his ad campaign but goodness and confidence. Sometimes, he says, he feels like King Midas and he calls Don his angel and says he's like a son. Even more than his real sons because Don didnt have what they had and he understands where Hilton is coming from. Don thanks him sincerely and looks genuinely touched.
Betty is doing the laundry when the doorbell rings. It's Henry who says he knows he shouldn't be there but wanted to see her. Betty is nervous. The back door slams and they drop each other's hands. Carla enters and Betty introduces Henry who says he thinks the house would be an excellent venue for a fundraiser. After they both depart, Carla clearly has her suspicions.
Harry, Roger, Peggy, Pete, and Sal are nervously setting up to show the Lucky Strike commercial. Lee walks in and takes one look at Sal and walks out. Roger is confused. Pete runs after him. Harry explains. Sterling freaks out, disbelieving that Harry chose to do nothing, and fires Sal. He then tells Harry to use his dying breath to tell Don to fix it.
Harry and Sal go to Don and he also freaks out saying Lucky Strike is a huge client who could put out their lights. After Harry leaves Sal says he wants to lay low and let it blow over. Don asks what happened. Sal hedges and hems until Don asks two more times. He tells the truth that he told him he was married and embarrassed and he left. He swears on his mother's life nothing happened. Don isn't so sure about that. Sal wonders if he just should've gone along with it and if so what if it was a woman? "You people," Don says with disgust. Sal insists "I didnt do anything but turn him down, he's a bully." Don tells him that Sal himself knows this is the way it has to be. They shake hand and Don tells Sal he'll do fine. Sal is bereft.
Later that night as the kids finish dinner Don enters and Betty asks after his day. He says it was not good. With Carla right there she mentions the man from the governors office and the fundraiser. Don says he doesnt care as long as he doesn't have to go. Carla sees through it and Betty knows she knows.
Sal is packing up his office. As one of his assistants leaves for the day, Sal breaks down.
Betty calls Henry's office to keep up the pretense of the fundraiser in front of Don. He's amused and complies. Don presents his campaign to Hilton which is designed to lure the American traveler abroad, to offer the thrill of international travel but the comforts of home. Each panel says something like, "how do you say X in a foreign language? Hilton." Hilton likes it, a lot, calling it clever yet friendly. He wonders why there's nothing about the moon in the campaign. Don lightheartedly says since that's not an actual destination yet, they didn't include it. Hilton gets angry and says when he wants the moon, Don should give it to him. He asks for privacy with Don. When everyone leaves he lays the disappointed dad bit on him. Don defends saying how great the campaign is. Hilton wonders if Don just wants him to say yes to everything he does. He tells Don that he did not give what he wanted. Don grumps. He asks what Don wants from him, love? He gets up and says "your work is good, but when I say I want the moon, I expect the moon." At Betty's fundraiser the ladies talk about Rockefeller, Kennedy and how the new president will deal with the South, which they all agree is backwards. A woman named Elsa Kittredge, an advisor to the governor, shows up to speak. Betty doesn't even try to hide her disappointment as she introduces her to the group.
The next day she takes the lock box filled with donations and drives it up to his office .She's still pouting and she throws the box at him after his secretary leaves. She wants to know why he didnt' come. He said he wanted her to come to him, in fact, felt she had to since she's the one who's married. She softens and he kisses her. He locks the door and turns back to her. She then says no, not on the desk or couch. He suggests getting a room and she calls it tawdry and apologizes since she started all of this. He says he doesnt know what she wants, she shakes her head as if to say she doesn't either and leaves.
Roger goes to see Don, mad that he's got his face so deep in Hiltons lap and that two major clients have left unhappy this week. Roger says Don's in over his head.
At the Draper house, Cala listens to the MLK speech about the funeral service for the little girls killed in Birmingham. When Betty enters she changes the station. Betty, after being apprised of what Carla was listening too, asks Carla if she needs a day off. She demures. Betty says she hates to say it but all this recent activity made her wonder about civil rights, she says "maybe its not supposed to happen right now." Carla doesn't care for this. Don comes in. Sal calls Kitty from a gay rest stop saying he's working late and not to wait up.
It's early morning again. Don, fully dressed, comes to the bed and sits on it. Bettys already asleep. He wakes her gently saying Hilton just called and he's going in. She says she didn't hear the phone.
Instead of work he goes and knocks on the teacher'sdoor. After the niceties she asks what she can do for him. He says he wanted to talk. She's skeptical. He points out that she's flirted with him for months and to not tell him she hasn't thought of him while running that sretch of highway. She says she knows exactly how badly this will end is unsure Don has "done this" before "this way." Ie. cheated so close to home with someone his wife knows. He says he wants her and he doesn't care and asks if that doesnt mean anything to someone like her?
They kiss and [make love] and he actually falls asleep spooning her.
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