Peggy is doing market research at a rather miserable looking Burger Shack. Meanwhile, Pete is joining the Mile High Club on a flight to New York City with his real estate agent, Bonnie.

Bonnie and Pete pop in on Don at the office before a big Burger Chef meeting. Pete asks Don to join the meeting, which is totally awkward for Lou and mildly awkward for Peggy. She presents the concept—give the moms permission to have Burger Chef, a tasty treat. She knocks it out of the park while Don beams like a proud papa. Then, Pete wants Don to give the pitch to the client. “Don will give authority, and you will give emotion.” Ted is on speaker phone and says that it’s Peggy’s decision. She backs down and lets Don take the glory and oh my gawd Peggy what is wrong with you?!

Peggy tells Don that she wants him to do the Burger Chef presentation. The disappointment on his face is genuine…right up until she leaves the office, at which point he silently celebrates. But first, he proposes a slightly different concept. Yeah. Don’s back.

Roger’s having a schvitz and runs into an executive from Burger Chef’s former agency, McCann. He heard that Roger was trying to land a tobacco company. Then, Roger possibly gets a job offer. Hmm. I never really thought about Roger’s future, but he really doesn’t have much of one at the agency.

Bob Benson’s back in town! Remember Bob? He wants to see Joan. Unfortunately his, er, *cough* business associate landed himself in jail. Turns out Sterling Cooper Draper Price is losing the Chevy account and the work is being taken in-house, but Buick is going to give Bob a very nice job offer and let the agency bid on another account.

Peggy can’t sleep and what is she wearing? That is the unsexiest bubblegum pink negligee in the world. She knows that what she did was weak and spineless, but there’s no taking it back. The Don is out of the bag, and with one great pitch, he’ll be back on top. The next morning she puffs away on cigarettes she shouldn’t be smoking and calls Stan. It’s a Saturday, and she can’t stop working. She doesn’t like the concept for Burger Chef. “We both know there’s a better idea.”

Oh this is sad. Pete visits his daughter, Tammy, and she has no idea who he is, choosing to hide behind the nanny rather than take the Barbie from the strange man in the plaid jacket. He eventually lures her into a car for a lovely afternoon. But when they return, Trudy still isn’t back. So he comes up with a reason to stick around to lecture Trudy about her loose and immoral ways.

Peggy gets drunk and calls Don and wants to know why he’s undermining her by coming up with another concept. When Don finally ditches her, he watches Megan pick through the closets for her summer clothes. He hopes she’ll stick around, but Megan has become immune to New York’s charms. Don gives up and goes into the office. Peggy knows that Don thinks her idea is shitty because he pitched his own. She demands he “show me how you think,” and Don explains that you can’t tell people what they want because it has to be what you want. And he always starts at the beginning again, in the hopes that he won’t end up in the same place.

After the sun goes down and many, many drinks have been consumed, Peggy has a breakthrough—what if the mother is coming home from work. Don won’t have any of it because it’s too modern. This leads to Deep Thoughts By Peggy Olsen. “What the hell do I know about being a mom? I just turned thirty, Don.” And now she’s one of those women lying about her age. Doing the survey of moms at Burger World just about killed her. Aww. Poor Peggy. She never really wanted to be a groundbreaking, ambitious businesswoman. And then all of that whining and reflection turns into the big idea—what if you could go somewhere, anywhere, and you’re always surrounded by family. Oh no, not Don and Peggy dancing in a darkened office. Nope, I don’t like this one bit. Stop dancing immediately, you’re creeping me out!

Gasp! Bob busts out a ring! Joan tells him to put it away. “You don’t want this. Bob, you shouldn’t be with a woman.” Bob’s moving on to the Buick account, and they expect a certain kind of executive. So Joan can stay in New York and Kevin could have a father, or they could have a mansion in Detroit. But all Joan can hear is that they lost the Chevy account. And she wants love, and “would rather die hoping that happens than make some arrangement.” Goodbye, Bob.

Chevy is officially no longer the agency’s account, and somehow that means Harry Crane is a partner. A vote is taken, and congratulations Harry? Well okay.

Peggy, Don, and Pete go to Burger Chef. Peggy wants to shoot the ad in the “restaurant.” She tosses the idea out there that every table is the family table. Pete balks, but Don has her back. And the three really do look like a very odd, utterly dysfunctional family.

Next week on the mid-season finale, Don either saves the agency, or ruins the agency.

Reprinted from HauteTalk.com

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