When we last left off in May of last year, Bertram Cooper had died and danced off into Heaven. Roger Sterling managed to engineer a McCann Erickson takeover of Sterling Cooper Pryce while averting a firing of Don Draper.
Peggy gives a knockout presentation to Burger Chef and wins the account all while the Apollo 11 astronauts land on the moon. And though it all, it appears Don and Megan’s marriage is over.
So with that, we begin the last seven episodes of one of the greatest series in the history of American television.
Don is helping to cast a model for a fur commercial. We then cut to Don and Roger eating breakfast with three models after an agency event. Roger pays $100 for an $11.65 meal, but Don is wondering if he knows the waitress.
At his apartment, Don gets a call from his secretary and updates him on all of the calls he’s received. With Megan out of the picture, a woman comes over only to spill red wine on the carpet of his bedroom.
Joan and Peggy are telling a client, Topaz, about the L’Eggs panty hose that’s taking over the market and warning them that they’ll fall behind. Ken Cosgrove is back.
Don’s secretary, Meredith doesn’t proposition him. Mathis tries to fix Peggy up on a date, but she declines.
Joan tells Don about Topaz. He suggests they rebrand and be part of a department store chain.
Ken Cosgrove gives his father-in-law, a Dow Chemical exec, a retirement gift. During casting of the fur ad, Don sees Rachel Katz of the Menken department store chain who tells him he missed his flight.
Ken and his wife fight over his career. Meredith scolds Don for being late and he wants to have her call Rachel.
Joan and Peggy meet with three McCann Erickson reps who don’t take them seriously and sexually harass them. Joan is pissed.
Ken meets Roger and a McCann exec and promptly gets fired. Joan is pissed over her treatment.
Meredith informs Don that Rachel had died. So Don had a dream? Meredith still has the hots for Don.
Peggy tells Mathis that she will go to dinner with him and his wife, but he says they have made plans. Peggy tells him to have his brother-in-law to call her.
Don goes back to the diner to see the waitress and they do the freakdance in the alley. He asks to see her again, but she tells him to buzz off.
Don sees Ken Cosgrove who is not all too sad about his firing. Joan refuses to take a call from a McCann Erickson exec and leaves. Ken gives his accounts to Pete Campbell.
Joan tries on some shoes and some outfits. Ted Chaough is back and seems no longer burned out. He uses an old tagline on Don.
Peggy goes on the blind date. After some awkardness, Peggy is flattered by some of the things Mathis told her date.
Don goes to pay his respects at Rachel’s funeral and meets her sister. He finds she died of leukemia and had two kids. He finds that she lived a good life.
Peggy’s date seems to be going well. She proposes to go to Paris because she’s never had a vacation. She can’t find her passport and the date is really going well. Looks like Peggy has found someone.
Meanwhile, Don watches Richard Nixon give a speech. Peggy wakes up with a hangover. Ken walks into a meeting with Roger and Pete and informs them he will be going to Dow Chemical and will be the head of advertising there. Roger and Pete are stunned.
Stan and Mathis walk into Peggy’s office and she finds her passport. Meredith gives Don some research on Menken’s department store.
Don goes back to the diner to see the waitress and they talk about Don having a dream about Rachel.
This was a weird episode, but it’s a bridge to what’s coming up next.
