Synopsis: Duck Phillips convinces Roger Sterling into forcing Don Draper to hire young talent for the Martinson’s Coffee account he has been trying to grab. Paul Kinsey more than anyone else is troubled with the direction Sterling Cooper is going more so for he was the one to give Roger the list of young creative. Meanwhile, the massive copier Duck had requested also arrives giving Joan Holloway a headache as she struggles to find a place for it. Valentine’s Day arrives, and everyone celebrates it in their own way, but most spent the night watching Jacqueline Kennedy’s tour of the White House.Episode Summary: Don, a 36 year old, high-powered businessman with a high-tension job where smoking two packs of cigarette a day, and drinking five glasses of hard liquor is not unusual is at risk of heart failure. His doctor advises that he take his health seriously. Continue reading...
Betty Draper has just finished her riding lessons, and is chatting with Sarah Beth when they come across Arthur Case. Arthur is a 25-year old man who had just started to learn to ride. Betty appears a bit scandalized at her friend for knowing the young man, but assures her that there’s nothing to be aloof about for Arthur is engaged.
Sterling Cooper has gotten their very first photocopying machine. The secretaries gather around the colossal copier while Joan Holloway worries about where to put it. Meanwhile, the mad men of Sterling Cooper, and Peggy Olson sit and wait at the conference room for Don Draper wondering if their boss will ever turn up, and if they’re allowed to start eating the food prepared for them. The only person glad to learn that Don has not yet arrived is Paul Kinsey for he himself is late. Freddie Rumsen annoyed at not yet having his drink sends Peggy to see if Don is coming. In her absence, the mad men gossip about her. Dale is convinced that Don Draper had gotten her pregnant, this after Peggy lost a lot of weight after going away on leave for a couple of months, and returning with her job still waiting for her. Pete Campbell arrives as the men laugh about the speculation about Peggy’s good fortune, but the young man is quite certain that the young woman had gone to the fat farm.
Peggy Olson inquires of Don Draper’s whereabouts from his new secretary, Lois Sadler. The young woman informs her that Don had called to notify of his coming late to work, and that he had told her that he is going to the movies to see Pinocchio. Having been Don’s former secretary, Peggy is slighted with Lois’ attitude although the new secretary is unaware of what she has done wrong. Peggy lectures Lois about her behavior, and advises that she start imagining Don’s presence whenever she speaks of him.
Don Draper is at a bar having lunch, and asks the man sitting beside him about the book he is reading, Meditations in an Emergency. They chat about how the book speaks of getting things done, but when he asks him if it is any good, the man supposes that it won’t be of any interest to Don.
Roger Sterling calls for Joan Holloway to check on her ass, and also on the status of her new boyfriend for whom she had replaced him. Roger is a little jealous having learned that Joan has found herself quite a catch, a doctor whom she believes is seriously considering for her hand in marriage. Duck Phillips arrives, and Roger Sterling makes no secret of his ogling at Joan’s behind as she walks out the door. The reason for Duck’s visit is to talk about Martinson’s Coffee’s unique problem. Duck believes that those under 25 have replaced coffee for Pepsi. In the course of their conversation it is revealed that the man had really come to criticize Don Draper’s decision of making veteran Freddie Rumsen the lead on the campaign. Roger Sterling speaks in defense of Freddie whom he notes had done a wonderful job with Playtex despite not wearing a bra. Duck Phillips expresses his frustration of not having young people working in the company. He suggests that they bring in young people to work on Martinson’s Coffee for starters. He asks that Roger inform Don of his proposal, but Roger sees right through him and urges Duck to speak directly to the creative director. However, Duck insists that his request is all business for the potential client has been relentless on the requirement, which is why he has come to him to seek help for Don is less likely to dismiss the suggestion if it came from Roger.
Don Draper arrives at the office so late that the ice in the bucket has already melted. His staff still has not touched their lunch. The meeting begins as soon as Don entered the room. Paul Kinsey goes through the copy he wrote for Mohawk Airlines, but all convey one thing, Mohawk is an airline flown by Indians. Don Draper tells them that there has to be advertising for people who does not have a sense of humor. Salvatore Romano presents his artwork that focuses on luxury, service, and safety, and as one would expect Don is not blown away. Don begins to provide his insights on the campaign informing them that Mohawk is about a fantastical people who are taking you some place you have never been, but then goes on about going on a plane to feel alive, and seeing a hint of the stewardess’ thigh would help achieve that. Unfortunately, his direction left his staff perplexed.
Roger Sterling wastes no time to bring up hiring younger people for Martinson’s Coffee, and tells Don that it’s a directive from Bertram Cooper. Don Draper argues that bringing in young talent does not necessarily mean that they will be able to come up with fresh campaigns. However, the idea alone of young people working on a campaign is enough to satisfy their client. Roger Sterling is set on this idea that he already has with him a list of candidates to hire. Don is no fool, and quickly recognizes account’s hand on the new direction they are taking. Roger assures him that the list was from Paul Kinsey who young as he is, is already in trouble of being booted out by even younger creative. Don is not convinced, and is sure that all is Duck Phillips’ idea. Hiring young talent is a fad, and Don argues that the success of their clients is in standing out, and not jumping on the bandwagon. Don Draper believes that young people do not know anything, especially that they are young, to which Roger Sterling tells him to prove that Duck is wrong.
Don Draper sits at a lobby of a hotel people watching. His gorgeous wife walks down the stairs, and makes her way to him to give him a kiss. Husband and wife are having drinks at the lounge of a fancy hotel to celebrate Valentine’s Day when Betty recognizes an old roommate of hers way back when she was still modeling. Juanita Carson who is with a much older gentleman refers to her as Betty Hofstadt unaware that she is now married with children. Naïve, Betty does not recognize that her friend who claims to be working as a decorator is actually not with a lover, but actually with a client. Don and Betty skip dinner, and go straight to the hotel room. Surprisingly as they are making love, Don Draper fails to complete the task. Betty tells her husband that it is all right, and slightly insulted begins to make excuses. With the moment over, they instead order room service, and spend the night watching Jackie Kennedy giving a tour of the White House on television.
Pete Campbell comes home to his wife with a box of chocolates, and a lecture to his wife about being careful at putting notes in his bag lest other people see it. Meanwhile, Trudy Campbell is in tears having informed his husband that a friend of theirs is having a baby. Knowing that she cannot bear children, seeing all the pregnant women upsets her so. Pete Campbell assures her that the pregnant woman she saw on the street that day does not have what she has, but Trudy believes that their friend does for she is married to Pete Campbell’s colleague, Harry Crane who will be getting quite a pleasant surprise that night when he learns of the news.
Salvatore Romano is also at home with his wife watching Jackie Kennedy eating the dessert his wife has prepared, but is more concerned that John F. Kennedy has not made an appearance. Joan Holloway is making out with her boyfriend, but is more interested with Jackie Kennedy’s television program.
It seems that everyone watched Jackie Kennedy’s tour of the White House that Valentine’s Day night, except for Betty Draper or so she claims. Betty is full of white lies as she tells Francine Hanson about the roommate she bumped into at the lounge of Savoy. Seeing that Francine is naïve like she was, she makes it sound as if she knew immediately that her old friend is now a call girl.
Paul Kinsey calls his fellow mad men to their bafflement to a meeting at the round table instead of the conference room. Soon they learn the real reason for the gathering, it is for Paul to confirm that Sterling Cooper is set on hiring young talent, one he just established after seeing two young men enter Don Draper’s office. His colleagues were not surprised having already heard of Duck Phillips’ plan, but were shocked that Don Draper had agreed to it. Don Draper begins the interview by breezing through the portfolio of the Smitty and Kurt who work in tandem. As he already knew, the kids have no idea that they are young, and believe themselves to be experienced.
Meanwhile, Joan continues to struggle with finding the place to put the copier. The sight of Lois whom she pulls aside to speak about her crying in the break room that she explicitly forbade interrupts her conversation with the men from the copier company. Lois informs Joan that the incident with Peggy was the reason for her being upset to which she advises that Lois correct her problem with her. Later, Joan Holloway finds a place for the copier in Peggy Olson’s office, just one of her passive aggressive ways of getting back at Peggy for scolding one of her girls.
Duck Phillips chances upon Don Draper speaking with the young creative he had just interviewed, and could not be more pleased. Smitty and Kurt leave with a fair warning of keeping their meeting a secret to which Don and Duck agree. Soon it is revealed the reason for Don’s accord with Duck’s requests namely the copier, and the hiring of young talent. Don Draper does not want to give Duck Phillips any chance to make excuses to justify his failure for bringing in the Martinson’s Coffee account.
Creative and account are having a meeting at Pete Campbell’s office to discuss the Clearasil account when a worked up Paul Kinsey barges in to announce the arrival of yet another team of young creative. Paul who does not seem to realize until now that Sterling Cooper will be going through everyone in the list he provided fails to recognize that he had signed his own death warrant having given Roger Sterling that list. Peggy is confused at the men’s disgust at hiring young talent for she herself is only twenty-two, but the men do not see her as such. Ken Cosgrove arrives to uplift their moods volunteering Pete Campbell to foot the bill to celebrate Harry Crane getting his wife pregnant.
Despite the stranger’s presumption of Don not liking the book Meditations in an Emergency
, Don begins to read it stopping only when Sal and Peggy present their revised artwork and copy to him completely ignoring that Dale cannot make it to the meeting. Don could not care less about the new creative, but then is struck with an idea. He highlights the young girl in the drawing, and tells his staff to focus on that. Gone is the concept of selling stewardess’ in mini skirts for it has been replaced by sentiment. Don Draper teaches Peggy Olson that a person feeling something is the product, and that is what sells. On the spot, Peggy comes up with the new copy, “What did you bring me, Daddy?”Don Draper is in the elevator when two men from another company hops in, and begins scandalously discussing a woman in their office making the lady who had just joined them uncomfortable. Don Draper tells one of the men still wearing his hat to take it off, and when he did not comply, Don takes the hat off himself.
Betty Draper is on her way to fetch Sally from ballet when her car overheats. A car with an elderly husband and wife passes by, but they know nothing about fixing cars so she just asks them to have the gasoline station send in a tow truck. Don arrives, and Betty is still not yet home. The mechanic arrives with his tow truck, and assesses that the car needs a new fan belt that costs $9. Betty looks in her purse only finds $3 and change. Not wanting her husband to find out about their new car overheating, Betty flirts her way to getting the mechanic to accept her $3, and she is pleased with herself especially when the man grabbed her hand.
Don is with his son watching television when Betty arrives with their daughter. She makes no mention of the car overheating. Don finishes reading Meditations in an Emergency, and writes a message on the title page that the book had made him think of someone. He sends the book in the mail.
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