- Don returns to work, but quickly falls off the wagon after learning that he's been assigned to Peggy. Meanwhile, Roger and his ex-wife go to a commune to rescue their daughter, who has abandoned her child.
- In a chance meeting with George Payton, Pete not only learns some news about his father-in-law, but also that a new national account in the form of fast food chain Burger Chef might be up for grabs, which would be a major coup for Sterling Cooper. The strategizing about what to do about Burger Chef takes into account the fact that Don is back at work, albeit in a much diminished capacity, as among the many stipulations are that he refrain from drinking at work except with clients, and that he report to Lou. Regardless, Lou, feeling threatened by Don's return, spends an on-going $5,000 per year of the company's money solely to get the issue of Don off his desk. Peggy is ultimately assigned head of the Burger Chef team, about which she is honored until she begins to realize that the assignment had some ulterior motives. Despite being back in the office, Don feels isolated, especially as he has no partner to which he feels he can turn, as Roger, his one ally, is temporarily away, and as Jim focuses on his pet project, that being the installation of the new mainframe computer Harry has long requested. That installation has longer ranging effects in the office than just its intended job. Don finds out where he fits in the current company pecking order when he takes what he believes is decisive action regarding an aspect of the computer company itself. Don ends up getting a clearer perspective of the current situation from someone who feels he has been there before. Roger's current absence is because he, Mona and Brooks have to figure out what to do about Margaret, who has left Brooks and their son Ellery to go live on a hippie commune upstate.—Huggo
- Don is back at work but has little to do and its clear none of the senior people in the firm, other than Roger, wants him there. In California, Pete Campbell gets a crack at getting the Burger Chef account, a 1000 restaurant fast food chain. Some of the partners want Peggy to lead the campaign and Lou appoints Don to be a member of her team. He resents it and gets drunk but Fred Rumsen has a few choice words for him. Roger's daughter has left her husband and run off to live in a commune in upstate New York. He and his ex-wife Mona travel there but it's Roger who proves to be the most reasonable parent, at least initially.—garykmcd
- "Mad Men" - "The Monolith" - May 4, 2014
Pete and Bonnie are discussing vacation options: Catalina, Palm Springs, and Yosemite. She notices a man is staring at her. Pete recognizes him as someone named George Payton who used to work for Vick's. He informs Pete his father-in-law had a heart attack but is fine now. George works for Burger Chef now and they exchange cards. Bonnie says she loves watching him work and calls him skillful but Pete brushes it off.
Don heads to the office. Everyone seems to be gone. There's even a phone hanging off the hook. He looks around. Everyone is gathered upstairs getting briefed on the building of a space for the new computer which is going where the creative lounge was, much to the distgruntlement of Peggy, Stan, Ginsburg et. al. Peggy complains to the others that Lou didn't fight for their space because he doesn't understand being creative. Lou says they'll use the computer more than they did the lounge and Peggy worries he overheard her.
Roger wonders why Don's late. He said he wasn't and there was no memo about the computer presentation. Roger says the computer is make Harry seem important. Roger offers him a drink. Don reminds him of the stipulations of his contract. Roger thinks maybe later, off campus.
The creatives grouse about getting ousted as they pack up the lounge. Ginsburg ropes Don into helping him lift a couch but Stan points out it won't fit in their office. Exasperated, Don tells them their on their own. Don sees the partners meeting in a press conference and goes into his office. He drops a smoke and finds an old New York Mets pennant that must've belonged to Lane.
Pete and Ted in L.A. have a conference call with Lou, Jim, and Roger back in New York about Burger Chef. Jim says since it's a national account they're calling Ted home. Ted punts and says they should put Peggy on it since it's about homemaking and women. Pete asks if Don is on the list of options. Lou is diplomatic about both, not making waves in front of anyone.
But as the meeting wraps up he says as an aside to Jim that he thinks Don is going to implode. Jim says he might but Lou might also get some good work out of him.
Mona and Brooks show up to inform Roger that Margaret has gone off the grid, run away to a hippie commune in Kingston. Mona thinks Roger should go get her. Roger thinks this is emasculating to Brooks and he should go get her. Brooks is grateful. After he leaves Mona says Margaret's off her rocker and implies it's Roger's fault. He wonders how. Mona says Margaret is a perverse child who only thinks of herself. Roger says it will be fine.
Don smokes and reads the paper as people talk loudly outside his office over the construction noise. He goes out and Harry introduces to him Lloyd, the head of LeaseTech, the company putting in the IBM computer. He notes its funny they sell IBM's product and also compete with them on installations. Don gives him a hard time about replacing people with machines. Lloyd apologizes he encroached on his space and talks about how these machines can be a metaphor for whatever's on people's minds and says people fear computers because they offer infinite quantities of information and man's life is finite. But Lloyd thinks we should embrace them because man made them and mastered the infinite in that way.
Peggy comes out, annoyed. She goes to see Lou. He looks out his window and says he likes to think of himself as a leader which means doling out discipline and tempering it with encouragement so he gives her a raise of 100 dollars more a week. She says she appreciates it very much and he says with it comes a mission and that means Burger Chef. She is to carve out time for whoever she wants on her team and also, Don. She wonders if he's told Don. He tells her "You're in charge sweetheart."
Peggy has Don and John Mathis come to her. She tells him she has good news and hopes he sees it that way. She tells them about Burger Chef and that they have to win the presentation and she wanted them both on her team. Don looks annoyed. She says she wants 25 tags apiece from each of them by Monday. John is very excited to be asked to do this. Don asks what the strategy is. She says Lou likes to start with tags and "sneak up on the strategy." She seems both nervous and happy about how it went.
Don goes back to his office annoyed and throws his typewriter at the window and storms out.
On Monday, an annoyed Don returns after what he tells Meredith was a "lonely' weekend. Roger comes in and checks with Meredith that he's in on time. Roger heads to his office, and gets a message from Mona read to him by Caroline: "Hey genius Brooks is in jail in Kingston."
Peggy waits for Don in her office, he's late. Don tells John to tell Peggy he can't make meeting. Peggy tells John she's moving the meeting to the end of the day and asks for 25 more tags since now they have the research. She glares at the wall separating her office from Don's.
Mona and Roger drive to Kingston with a plan to get Margaret and spring Brooks on the way back. At first Mona blames herself for spoiling Margaret. They both think that Brooks wasn't perhaps the best choice although he seemed good enough at the time. She worries Margaret's a drug addict but figures it's more likely another man. Roger says he hasn't seen Margaret because last time she was cruel and serene. Mona agrees she's been acting strange and a little philosophical.
Don, reading "Portnoy's Complaint," is interrupted by Lloyd the computer man, who needs a light. Lloyd says he has a question and Don admits he's not doing anything. Lloyd asks if advertising works. Don says it does on some people and it helps to have a good product. The guy talks up his own business. Don asks how what's he's selling is unique. The guy explains that he used to work for IBM. Now he works installing the computers. IBM upgrades every few years with the shiniest new version but Lloyd knows the computers can last longer than that and some clients don't always need the new version so his leases are longer than IBM's and save people money. But now other people have gotten into the same business so he has competition. Don says those other places don't have Lloyd and they don't advertise. Lloyd is charmed but just then Harry arrives to take Lloyd to lunch.
Don looks for Roger, who is gone for the day. So he goes to see Bert and pitches pitching Leasetech as a client and talks about its exponential growth. Bert clucks at him for trying to cultivate new business which violates his agreement. Don tells him he'll happily give it to someone else but they should lock it up. Bert says Don has a fundamental misunderstanding of what's going on here and he clearly thought that he was going to be some kind of white knight but the company is doing fine without him. Don gets angry and asks "So you want me to be a janitor?" He wonders why he's there. Bert throws the question back at him. Don says he started this agency. Bert notes he did so with a dead man who's office Don now inhabits. Don storms out, steals a bottle of vodka from Roger's office and pours it in his coke can in his office and proceeds to get lit.
Roger and Mona arrive at the commune where they are calling Margaret Marigold. The hippie says she doesn't want any trouble. Margaret comes out dressed in hippie garb. She says she just wants to welcome them. Mona is wearing a mink. She calls off her hippie friends. She wants to show them around before they start railing against something they don't understand. She says things have never been better between her and Brooks and she misses Ellery, but he can't be happy if she's not. Mona says these people are lost and on drugs and have VD. Margaret says she doesn't pray to society's standards anymore. Mona says she knows it's hard being a young mother. Margaret, somewhat acidly accuses Mona of being a bad mother and coping by locking herself in the bathroom with a pint of gin. This makes Mona angry and she now wants to leave. She tells Roger Margaret was brainwashed but had no brain to wash. Roger wants to at least give it a try on Margaret's terms. Mona says there is a four year old crying himself to sleep in Manhattan and she leaves. Roger calls out to Marigold and takes her up on her offer of a tour.
Don gets himself drunk and lies on the couch. He makes a call. He's kind of goofy. Asked if he's in the bag he says he's in the office. He offers to take the person on the phone to the Mets game.
Roger peels potatoes with Margaret and two hippies, one named Clyde who is getting high. They are extolling the virtues of their democratic society saying if they can't all agree on something they do something else. Roger gets high and says now he sees why they're eating so early. Clyde says they don't have electricity. But they do have a truck. If it gets cold they light a fire. Roger notices a hot young woman Clyde notes there are other ways to keep warm. Roger contemplates that.
Freddy arrives. Don is nearly fall down drunk. Freddy is disappointed and tries to steer Don out. But first he goes up to Lloyd and basically calls him the devil. They shuffle past Peggy's office and tell her they're going to the ballgame.
Joan walking behind them congratulates Peggy on her raise. She comes in and they have a drink and she grouses that they didn't want to give her Burger Chef they wanted to give her Don. They toast to cowardice. She complains that Don owes her work and he's going to the ballgame and there's nothing she can do. Joan wonders if she's told Lou since there were rules set for Don. They wonder if he is breaking them. Peggy worries they thought they would drop Don in her lap hoping one of the would fail. Joan say the consolation is that they probably didn't think about it at all before they did it.
Roger and Marigold bed down and look at the stars through the barn ceiling. They talk about going to the moon. She remembers him reading "From the Earth to the Moon" to her as a girl. He says itmust've been her mother. She says she's really happy here. He says he knows. He kisses her forehead goodnight. She smiles. They contemplate the stars.
Freddie gets Don home. Don passes out.
In the middle of the night Margaret goes off with some dude. Roger sighs.
Don sleeps on his couch. Freddie sets down some coffee. It's the next morning. Don asks how Freddie got in and if the Mets won. Freddie wonders why Don is squandering his second chance. Don say it wasn't real and tells him about the humiliation of having to work for Peggy. Freddie wonders if Don would rather be in his situation bouncing from place to place? Don says he wants his job back. Freddie wonders how that will happen at the bottom of a bottle. Don doesn't want to hear the AA stuff. Freddie tells him he has to do the work and get his act together.
The next morning Roger tells Marigold the dream is over and its time to come home and care for her son. He tries to literally drag her off saying he doesn't care what she wants. He hoists her up and they both fall in the mud. He asks how she could just leave her song. She asks how it felt when he did it to her by going off to work and calling his secretary to pick out a birthday present for her. She says Ellery will be fine. Roger walks away muddied and sad.
Don goes back to work ready to do the work. the computer has arrived.
Peggy regards the computer. She goes to see Don. He tells her he'll have her tags by lunch. He proceeds to type.
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