Nearly a year after Don and company strike it out on their own, they're occupying a single suite in the new Time-Life building (though they tell the clients they have a second floor). Don is interviewed for Ad Age following a massively successful TV campaign for Glo-Coat. Taken aback by questions about his childhood, he says nothing in the interview, claiming false modesty, and it starts costing them clients. Now he has to clean up the mess while dealing with a hopelessly prudish client that will likely cost them.
Finally, Betty takes the kids to Thanksgiving with Henry's family. When Sally acts out, Betty overreacts. Her treatment of the kids and overall attitude begins to slip from Ice Queen to Evil Matriarch. Meanwhile, Don is advised by his accountant that paying the mortgage and living costs of his house while allowing Henry and Betty to live there rent-free is beginning to damage his finances. Don is reluctant to mention it, as things are cold but civil at the moment, despite Betty doing little things to intentionally piss Don off. Finally Don has enough and demands they start looking for another house, buy him out, or pay rent. Henry actually sides with Don on this, but Betty refuses.
Pete and Peggy are about to lose an account with Sugarberry Ham, and they get two housewives to stage a fight over a ham in a supermarket. The publicity stunt works, but gets out of hand and Peggy has to get Don to bail the housewives out of jail. Don disapproves of the whole thing, but acknowledges that it was a success.
Ultimately, Don gets a second interview, this time for the Wall Street Journal. This time he tells-all. Including the second floor.
This episode contains examples of:
- Abusive Parent: Betty has been strict to Sally before, but crosses a line in this episode.
- Beehive Hairdo: One of the housewives, Pete and Peggy meet with, has a very large version of this hairdo.
- Joan's hairdo is higher but much more elegant and of the moment.
- Fake a Fight: The Sugarberry Ham publicity stunt, in which Peggy and Pete pay two housewives to fight each other over the last remaining ham in a supermarket. It works, but sparks fly when they meet up with the two to pay them off — the housewives start to fight for real, and end up getting arrested. Peggy then has to go to Don for money to bail them out.
- Get Out!: Don orders the reps from Jantzen out of the office when they reject his ad for being too prurient.
- Insistent TerminologyJantzen rep: A bikini is underwear you wear to the beach. This is a two-piece.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Betty and Henry both react angrily to Don's demand that they pay him rent for as long as they continue to live in his and Betty's former house, but after he leaves, Henry admits to Betty that he would do the same thing if he were in Don's position.
- Henry's mother Pauline Francis has a low opinion of Betty and seems to a close-minded conservative to boot (even going so far to criticize divorced couples in front of her divorced son) but she isn't wrong when she asserts that Henry certainly did not marry Betty for her personality or for being a good mom.
- Parent with New Paramour: A subdued example with Henry's daughter Eleanor greeting her father and relatives for Thanksgiving, even bearing gifts for her new step-siblings, but ignoring her new stepmother Betty. She is seen glaring disapprovingly of Betty's behavior towards Sally.
- Shout-Out: While in the writer's lounge, Peggy and Joey do Stan Freberg's "John and Marsha" routine (a spoof of soap operas). The profiler who interviews Don in the opening scene also pens the following witticism; Don himself is impressed.Donald Draper, or Don as he is known (perhaps in an attempt to appear humble), is a handsome cipher. One imagines somewhere in an attic there's a painting of him that's rapidly aging.
- Stealth Insult
- Don gets one from Peggy.Don: You need to think more about the image of this agency.Peggy: Well, no one knows about the ham stunt so the agency's image is right where you left it.
- Don had a pretty good burn to Henry when he interjects in an argument with Betty over them still living in Don's house:Henry: Don, it's temporary.Don: Trust me, Henry, everyone already thinks this is temporary.
- Don gets one from Peggy.
- What Does He See in Her?: Henry to Betty. Of course, his mother knows why.I know what you see in her. And you could've gotten it without marrying her.
