Pete, who grew up in Manhattan and never needed to drive, attends drivers' education classes at a high school, where he notices an attractive younger woman. Peggy runs into Ken Cosgrove having a meeting at a diner with a man he seems reluctant to introduce her to. Ken later confides in Peggy that he was secretly meeting with a publisher who is interested in publishing a book of Ken's short stories.
Pete and Trudy have been trying to get Don and Megan to dinner ever since they moved into their new house in Cos Cob, and finally manage to trick them into coming over along with Ken and Cynthia Cosgrove. During this party, Cynthia brings up Ken's writing career – Don is supportive, but Pete denigrates it. Soon after, a leaky tap bursts and Pete struggles to deal with it while Don has no trouble fixing it.
While celebrating England's World Cup victory, Lane meets fellow Englishman Edwin Baker, who represents Jaguar Cars. After an unsuccessful business meeting between the two, Pete suggests that Accounts takes over – Roger and Pete then take Edwin out for dinner, with Don in tow. It goes well, but afterwards they go to a brothel where Edwin, Roger and Pete cheat on their wives, leaving Don at the bar. On the way home, a drunk Pete criticizes Don as hypocritical for judging his adultery when Roger does the same and Don was legendary for it. Don says he didn't know Pete was miserable. Pete replies sarcastically that he has everything, and Don warns him not to throw it away.
Roger, having learned of Ken's writing career, tells him to stop as it might affect his actual job. His attempt to create a bond between them as "unappreciated authors" doesn't work.
In a partners meeting, Lane reveals that Edwin's wife has found out about her husband's adultery, resulting in SCDP losing the account. Lane blames Pete, to which Pete responds by questioning Lane's role in the firm. In response, Lane challenges Pete to a fight; both exchange blows until Lane floors Pete. Humiliated, Pete retreats to his office; later, he blurts out to Don that he has nothing. Joan tries to comfort Lane, but he misinterprets her affection as romantic and kisses her. She forgives him, telling him that everyone in the office has wanted to do what he’s just done to Pete.
Ken, who suspects Pete of informing Roger about his writing, is pleased when Peggy tells him about the fight; he's later shown writing about a character who seems to be based on Pete. Back in the drivers' ed class, Pete watches on as a younger man effortlessly seduces the girl he’d had his eye on.
This episode contains examples of:
- Ambiguous Situation: Whether Pete informed Roger that Ken's been writing short stories on the side.
- Call-Back: Pete's gun, which he's had since Season One
, gets a mention. Trudy won't let him have it in the house. - Fight Scene: One of the very few on the show has Lane and Pete going at it in the middle of the conference room at the episode's climax. Lane wins by knocking Pete to the ground.
- Foreshadowing: Don draws a noose while bored at a partners' meeting.
- Funny Background Event: When Lane and Pete square up, Don can be seen rushing to close the blinds. Rather than stop the fight, his priority is to make sure that no-one below the level of partner can see it.
- Gilligan Cut: Rebecca Pryce tries to persuade her reluctant husband to come with her to an expat bar to watch the World Cup Final. Lane, who doesn't like football, agrees to go, but warns Rebecca that he won't enjoy it. Cut to ... an overjoyed Lane in the bar, drunkenly singing "God Save the Queen" along with several other expat Englishmen as their country wins the World Cup.
- Hidden Depths: Ken's skills as a writer. Since the last time it was brought up, Ken has written over 20 stories. Though he's hesitant to talk about one at dinner, Don - another creative - is the only one to ask him about his character's motivation.
- Humiliation Conga: The entire episode for Pete. He gets upstaged by Ken and Don in his own home, gets sidelined from the girl in his driver's ed class by a more handsome student, and gets beaten up by Lane in front of the rest of the firm's partners.
- Hypocrite: Pete calls Don out on seemingly disapproving of Pete's sleeping with a prostitute, pointing out that Don cheated on Betty numerous times.
- Internal Reveal: Other members of the office learn that Ken's an accomplished short story writer and have varying views on it. Peggy and Don — both creative types — are impressed and supportive, while Pete and Roger denigrate it.
- I Want to Be a Real Man: Pete, whose masculinity is called into question several times — he can't drive, he can't fix things in his house, he has to watch as someone else chats up the girl he had his eye on and he gets beaten up by a colleague in front of other colleagues. No wonder he's almost in tears by the end of the episode.
- Kick the Dog:
- If Pete did tell Roger that Ken's still writing on the side, it's definitely out of petty jealousy and not out of concerns of Ken's productivity.
- Roger demands Ken to stop writing on the side in order to keep his job. There's been no indication that Ken's writing has been interfering with his work at all, and he's in fact been quite prolific while still being productive at work.
- Mistaken for Gay:
- Don, of all people. The brothel madame initially assumes that this is the reason for his lack of interest in her establishment's attractions. She quickly realises that he really is just waiting for his friends.
- According to Pete, Edwin didn't ask Lane about a brothel because he thought Lane was "a homo".
- Pass the Popcorn: Roger, as Lane and Pete square up:Roger: I know cooler heads should prevail, but am I the only one who really wants to see this?
- Rage Breaking Point: Lane, after Pete dismisses his complaints of how the Jaguar account was handled, questions his importance to SCDP and casts aspersions on his sexuality.
- Sanity Ball: Bert, for once, holds this, being clearly aghast that the company has lost Jaguar while Don, Roger, and Pete are laughing their asses off about the circumstances under which it happened, and then futilely trying to plead for calm when this leads to a fistfight between Lane and Pete.
- Soccer-Hating Americans: None of the American characters care about the outcome of a certain international sports tournament.Lane: It may interest you to know that England has won the World Cup.Roger: Cup of what?
- Son of a Whore: Don, who tells the brothel madame that he was raised in such an establishment.Don: Although back then, we called it a whore-house.
- Title Drop: A subtle one; although it is not verbally mentioned, "Signal 30" is the name of the real-life educational video that Pete watches in drivers' ed. It's named after the police radio code for a fatal road traffic accident.
- Voiceover Letter: At the end, we hear the start of Ken's latest story — the main character of which is based on Pete.
