AMC's Mad Men Season 3, Episode 7
Seven Twenty Three
“Having me in your life is going to change things,” Conrad Hilton said to Don Draper, and old Connie had no idea how right he was. After briefly giving Don a hard time, Hilton offered him the chance to work on his New York hotels, and the entire agency was thrilled, including Don — until he found out that he would have to sign a contract to stay on the account.
Sterling, Cooper and Pryce offered Don a lucrative three-year deal. “If someone handed me that contract I’d be filled with glee,” Pryce said. However, Don’s already less-than-gleeful demeanor took a turn for the worse when he was forced to commit himself to Sterling Cooper, leading to conflicts both at work and at home.
Don’s Decisions
Don sought solace by chatting up Sally’s teacher, but when she accused him of hitting on her like all the other dads, he bristled and denied that he was doing any such thing. After Roger made a covert call to Betty about the contract and she snitched on him, she and Don had a nasty spat — she accused him of not telling her anything and he accused her of being self-centered — and he disappeared into the night.
After picking up a young couple bound for a draft-dodging wedding, Don popped some pills and took them to a motel, where he was berated by a vision of his father before the pair knocked him out and robbed him. Left with a conspicuous injury on his face, Don returned to the agency to tell everyone he had been in a “fender bender” and to find Bert Cooper waiting in his office.
When Pete told Cooper that Don is not who he says he is, Cooper’s response was “Who cares?” However, he finally made use of that information to coerce Don into signing the contract: “Would you say I know something about you Don? … Who’s really signing this contract anyway?” Defeated, Don signed with the added stipulation that he wanted no further contact with Roger Sterling.
Citizen Betty
When Betty wasn’t busy fighting with her husband, she was redecorating her living room and getting involved with the Junior Women’s League and the group’s efforts to save a local reservoir. The latter activity gave her an excuse to contact Henry Francis, the adviser to Gov. Rockefeller who displayed an interest in her at Roger’s garden party.
Although they ostensibly met to discuss the reservoir, each of them seemed more interested in flirting with the other than anything else. In fact, Betty was so enchanted with her companion that she literally swooned and bought an unsightly antique fainting couch on his advice — much to the chagrin of her decorator.
Duck’s Call
When Peggy made the mistake of asking about the Hilton account, Don blew up at her in a particularly vicious tirade that left her near tears. Perhaps he would have been gentler if he had known that she had a Hermes scarf from Duck in her office. Although Pete warned her to stay away from him, Peggy agreed to meet Duck at a hotel and return the gift.
After the Don’s rant, Duck’s assertion that Peggy’s talents are not appreciated at Sterling Cooper must have really hit home. When she restated her commitment to her employer, Duck decided to try seducing her instead — and he succeeded. She returned to work the next day wearing the same clothes she was wearing the day before, and viewers were left to wonder how this personal development would affect her career.
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