Mad Men Episode 1.05 5G

Drunk and giggling, Betty and Don -- carrying a horseshoe-topped trophy -- arrive home from an award ceremony. As Betty playfully congratulates her husband on the "Newkie," he remains modest. The next morning, Don wakes up, severely hung over, and arrives late to the office. According to Peggy, Pete had given up waiting on him and said the award, which was mentioned in Advertising Age, had gone to his head. In the same breath, Peggy congratulates Ken.

Ken wrote a short story, "Tapping a Maple on a Cold Vermont Morning," that was published in the acclaimed Atlantic Monthly. Pete and Paul are stunned by the news, especially when Ken reveals that he's also written two novels, one about a roughneck on an oil rig who has to move to Manhattan and the other on a widow forced to keep the family farm. "Those don't even sound stupid," says Paul, who -- along with Pete and Harry -- are not at all pleased with his good news.

The group meets to discuss the Liberty Capitol Savings account. The bank wants to draw people back in, and the men brainstorm how.

Later, Peggy intercoms into Don's office that he has a phone call from Bix Beederbecka. Confused, Don picks up to hear Midge's voice on the other end. Peggy clicks onto the line accidentally, but before she hangs up, she hears the highlight of the conversation: "Pull my hair and ravish me and leave me for dead," Midge says. Within moments, Don leaves the office for "lunch."

That evening, Pete has Trudy read his own short story. He sees it as Norman Mailer-caliber, but she finds it a bit too modern: "I just think it's odd that the bear is talking," she says. He implores that she ask Charlie Fiddich, a mover and shaker in the publishing world, to get the piece in print. Trudy -- who had broken off an engagement with Charlie, who was also her first -- was noticeably hesitant. With some negotiation, Pete persuades her to agree.

The next morning, the Sterling-Cooper ad team files into the conference room for the traffic meeting, in which they go through the client lineup and discuss outstanding campaigns and costs. Before they begin, Roger compliments Ken for his creative talents outside the office. Then, Joan goes down the list of clients, including Maytag, Rio de Janeiro and Lucky Strike. Peggy interrupts and hands Don a piece of paper. "His name is Adam Whitman," she says. "He's in reception."

Don, crumpling the paper in his hand and closing his eyes, excuses himself from the meeting. He approaches the lobby, where a 25-year-old redheaded blue-collar man waits. "I know I'm grown up, but Dick, it's me, your little brother," Adam says, pulling out the latest issue of Advertising Age. Until now, Adam thought his big brother had died in the army.

Don agrees to talk to him, so they go to a nearby diner, Deelite. Adam is now a janitor at the Empire State Building. Don asks about Adam's mom, careful to state that she wasn't his mother as well. Adam confides that she died of stomach cancer, and Don says, "Good." Soon, Don can't take much more. He gets up to leave and tells Adam to forget everything and never come around again.

Meanwhile, Betty has arrived -- children in tow -- to Don's office for a scheduled family portrait. Peggy, assuming that Don is spending his afternoon with another woman, panics about how to explain his absence to Betty. She seeks advice from Joan, who finagles the gossip in moments. "I'm not going to tell anyone, but you shouldn't have told me," Joan says, confiding that hiding such extramarital behavior is part of the job.

Peggy and Betty small talk until Don arrives. Without hesitation, he apologizes for running late from the printer. With that, Peggy apologizes profusely.

Meanwhile Trudy is visiting Charlie Fiddich's office to see if he'll publish Pete's short story. While Charlie professes to have "enjoyed it as much as anyone can enjoy that sort of thing" he's far more interested in Trudy than the story. He wastes no time propositioning her and has no scruples about her marital status, confiding, "I can keep a secret." Beleaguered by his advance, Trudy turns him down.

The next day, Betty complains with her friend Francine about the proofs. Sally looks too fat, and Don's office just isn't as friendly as she'd like.

After a successful meeting with Liberty Capitol Savings, in which they all agree on a campaign to offer men "Executive Accounts" that are separate and private from those of their family, Don returns to his office. As he sorts through his mail, he notices an envelope addressed to Donild Draper. Inside is a photograph of Don, 20, in his uniform next to a 9-year-old Adam. On hotel stationary is Adam's address and room number.

After a long day, Pete arrives back at his apartment, where Trudy has prepared a pot roast. She's got good news: Charlie offered to publish his story in Boy's Life Magazine. Pete is far from thankful. Trudy admits, "I could have gotten you in The New Yorker if I wanted to, I just don't know why you'd put me in that position."

At another dinner table in the suburbs, Don and Betty discuss plans to use her parents' Cape May house for the summer. Don's distracted and retreats to the study where he burns the photograph and calls Adam. Before he heads back to the city, he opens a desk drawer and fills a briefcase with its contents.

When Don arrives at the Times Square hotel room, Adam exclaims how happy he is to see him. Soon, Don opens the briefcase, which is filled with stacks of $10 and $20 bills. He offers Adam $5,000 to leave New York and never see him again. "That's not what I wanted, that's not right," Adam says through tears. Still, they hug and Don leaves.

Back at home, Betty inquires about buying a summer house of their own instead. "Cape May will be fine" Don says. "We're not that flush right now."