- Don gets a visit from the in-laws and his children just as he's about to receive a prestigious award and tries to save the Heinz account. Meanwhile, Peggy and her boyfriend take the next step in their relationship.
- Don is receiving an award from the American Cancer Society for his anti-smoking editorial in the New York Times. He sees the award as a honor regardless of the fact that he has not quit smoking, that the editorial was purely a dig at Lucky Strike for pulling their business, and the people at the Society know none of this information. Roger and Pete plan on being at the awards ceremony to drum up business from the Society's wealthy Board members, who probably now see SCDP in a different league than all the other Madison Avenue agencies. Roger, still on a euphoric high (figuratively) after his LSD trip, turns to an unexpected source for help on this matter. Also attending the awards ceremony will be Megan's parents, Dr. Emile and Mrs. Marie Calvet, who have come to town partly on business, partly to see Megan and partly to meet Don and attend the ceremony. Upon meeting, Don knows that he has to do more than win a prestigious award to impress especially Dr. Calvet. A last minute attendee to the ceremony is Sally, who with Bobby, are unexpectedly staying with Don and Megan while Betty and Henry are out of town and as Henry's mother Pauline has broken her ankle, the latter incident which was Sally's fault but she who does not confess to it. The evening makes Sally feel grown up, especially as Roger treats her as his pseudo-date. Two incidents at the awards ceremony place a damper on the evening for Don and Sally. Meanwhile, the Heinz team are grasping at straws for ideas. A last minute good one comes from an unexpected source, which they have to act on quickly not only because of their imminent next pitch meeting, but also because of some yet as unknown news from Raymond Geiger. This situation brings Don and Megan closer together in all respects. And Peggy is concerned about whatever it is that Abe wants to talk to her about. His question catches her off guard as it does for Mrs. Olson.—Huggo
- Megan's parents, Emile and Marie Calvet, arrive in New York City for a visit. Emile is a socialist of some sort and doesn't approve of their apartment and the obvious show of wealth. They're there at least in part to attend an American Cancer Association dinner where Don will receive an award for the anti-tobacco ad he ran when they lost the Lucky Strike account. Peggy Olson's boyfriend insists that they have dinner and she's worried he's going to break up with her. Joan sets her straight telling her to expect the opposite. He doesn't quite propose but she's excited with his idea. Her mother's reaction isn't quite so positive. As for the Cancer Society dinner, it proves to be revelatory for everyone: Megan is taken to task by her father for giving up her dreams; Megan's mother has a fling with Roger; young Sally sees something she is far too young to have seen; and Don learns there is a price to pay for biting the hand that feeds you.—garykmcd
- "At the Codfish Ball" - April 29, 2012
Megan's parents Emile and Marie have arrived for a visit from Canada. Things are pleasant enough albeit with a little bit of that tension that's always there when the parents are in the house. Things get more complicated when they get a call from the kids.
Sally is on the phone with a now much more grown up Glen. She explains that Betty and Henry are away with the baby. Pauline walks by and trips on the phone cord. (Sally will later tell people Pauline tripped on one of the baby's toys.) She breaks her ankle so the kids end up at Don's and Megan's.
They all make nice at the dinner table and after some prodding from Megan's dad about how much money Don makes -- he's a sniffy intellectual Communist who disapproves of wealth apparently and is trying to get a book published -- and Marie flirts a bunch with Don, Marie goes to bed. Megan goes to check on her and finds her mother asleep in the bed, cigarette still burning.
The next day in the office Megan comes to Don with her first big idea: as she was spooning the spaghetti out for Sally the night before she thought about her mom doing that for her. And then she imagined moms through the years doing it and moms doing it in the future. She realizes this could be a good idea for Heinz: a visual way to show moms and kids throughout the years all the way into the future with the tagline: "Heinz: some things never change." Don loves it and calls in Stan and Ginzo to make it happen. They're mad but smart enough to concede it's a better idea than they've had.
Roger meets with his ex-wife and asks her a favor: he gives her a list of names of bigwigs on the board of the American Cancer Society and asks her to do some recon on them. He and Don will be attending a dinner that weekend at which Don will be receiving an award for the letter he wrote about "quitting tobacco." Roger wants to know everything so he can troll for business. They also exchange some pleasantries about family, Margaret, and him dropping acid. He knows it's a big favor he's asking but he explains he lost everything when he lost Lucky Strike, he seems amenable and it seems like they've come to a good place.
Meanwhile, Peggy and Abe also seem like they've come to a good place. But then he calls to make a dinner date and Peggy gets nervous. She goes to Joan and explains tat she thinks this means Abe is going to break up with her. Joan thinks it's the opposite and that he's going to propose saying men don't work that hard to break up they just ignore you until you insist on a declaration of hate. Peggy hadn't thought of that and is now excited. She meets him and instead of asking for her hand, he asks for her key. He proposes they move in together. She is a little disappointed but covers it up and says yes.
Later they invite her mother over to break the news and she is not pleased and says she wishes Peggy had just lied about it instead. Peggy wonders if her mother wants her to be alone. Her mother says if she gets lonely she can get a cat and that Abe will simply use her until he's ready to have a family with someone else.
Don is out to dinner with Raymond, the Heinz guy, his wife Alice, Megan, Ken and his wife Cynthia. Things seems slightly askew. And then in the ladies room Alice basically tells Megan that Heinz is dropping SCDP and she's really sorry and she hopes that she and Megan can still be friends. Megan returns to the table and whispers to Don they're about to get fired. She gets an inspiration and sets him up to deliver the pitch right then and there and makes it seem like his idea. Don hits it out of the park, with Megan setting him up perfectly. Raymond clearly loves it as does his wife. He says he wants to think about it but basically everyone teams up and forces him into saying he loves it and signing on to the campaign. In the cab ride home Don and Megan are superhot for each other, so much so they head back to the office to get it on since her parents and his kids are at their house. .
Peggy comes in the next day and gets coffee. Joan breaks the Heinz news and also notices no rings on Peggy's fingers so understands if she doesn't feel like celebrating Heinz. Peggy says she's actually really happy about her decision, explaining it to Joan. Joan says "good for you" and that it sounds like he wants to be with her no matter what and that it's romantic. She congratulates Peggy.
Peggy herself congratulates Megan and says it's a big deal. She says she should be jealous of Megan but she looks at her and feels like she's experiencing her first time again and it's a good day for her too and that this is as good as this job gets so Megan should savor it. Megan says she will. Peggy is perplexed by Megan's muted reaction.
The next morning Megan, Marie and Sally arrive home with lots of shopping bags. It turns out that Sally wants to come to his awards ceremony and she got a dress for the occasion. Marie notes that every daughter wants to see her father a success. Emile reacts angrily to this screaming in French that Marie won't be happy until he's dead. They storm off and bicker in French leaving Don, Sally, and Bobby confused but Megan in complete understanding.
Don pulls her aside is all, "what's up??" Megan says her dad went to his publisher, it went poorly, and then he called his grad student Claudette to cry about it and Marie came home while he was on the phone. Don doesn't get it at first. And then Megan points out that her father should be crying to her mother not to his, um, grad student. Megan says not to worry about the evening since they always fight and then recover.
Roger arrives to go to the American Cancer Society dinner with the rest of the gang. Sally is wearing her new dress and looks adorable, though Don makes her remove her eye make-up and knee-high boots before going. Marie helps Roger tie his tie and flirts with him.
They head off to the dinner and Pete begins introducing Don and everyone around including to Ken's father-in-law who is the head of Dow Corning. Roger charmingly narrates the whole affair to Sally and says she's his date and when he gets business cards she will need to put them in her purse for him. Pete sits by Emile and charms him with his ad man ways.
Don gets his award and he and Roger do some more mingling.
Roger and Marie meet up at the bar and flirt and talk about having everything they want.
Sally heads off to find the ladies room.
Megan and her dad sit at the table and chat. She says she's glad her dad came. He chastises her for giving up her own single-minded dreams to settle for the wealth of her husband. She says he just hates that she loves Don. He says he hates that she gave up her own dreams and that her love made her give up. Megan asks him to please not talk about it tonight. He agrees and stops.
Sally goes out a set of doors and they turn out to be the wrong ones, because she gets an eyeful of Marie performing fellatio on Roger.
Don is chatting with Ken's father-in-law. He basically tells Don he should get out of the ad business. Don is confused as to why since it seems everyone on the American Cancer Society board loves him and wants to meet and chat with him. Yup, Ed Baxter says they all love him but none of them will ever work with him after the tobacco letter: "How could they trust you after the way you bit the hand?" he asks reasonably. Don looks aghast. They order another drink.
Marie comes back to table and joins Megan and Emile. Then Don returns. And finally Sally. They all look dazed.
Later that night Sally calls Glen. He asks how the city is? She replies: "dirty."
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