- While Lane needs some help closing with a potential new client, Peter begins to crack under the pressure of both his home life and work life.
- Lane is trying to break ties with his homeland. That doesn't stop Rebecca from making friends for her and Lane with the Bakers, compatriots from England. Lane does however feel that he can take advantage of this friendship with Edwin Baker by bringing his company's business, Jaguar, into SCDP, as Jaguar is trying to enter the US market. Despite being the sole Brit in the office and thus the logical choice in his own mind to deal with a fellow Brit, Lane has no experience in account management. The process of Lane learning how to become an account manager and him being the reason SCDP gets Jaguar's almost seemingly surefire account makes Lane evaluate his professional life. Meanwhile, Pete is feeling restless in his marriage, one result from which is eying a high school senior in his driver's education class. Life at work is different as he feels he is gaining more power in the office. A small measure of that office power is being able to convince a reluctant Don and Megan to attend a small dinner party at his and Trudy's suburban home. Pete's issues and Lane's issues come to a meeting point, the resulting incident which excites those who are witness to it. Meanwhile, Ken is continuing his writing, which he is getting published under a pseudonym. Ken wants to keep this part of his life a secret from those at SCDP, which may be difficult to do as he confesses to Peggy, who sees him with a possible publisher, and as Cynthia is more than happy to divulge her husband's success at any opportunity. This writing may become a problem for Ken in his life at SCDP.—Huggo
- It's the summer of 1966 and Lane Pryce is pleased as punch when a fellow ex-pat Brit, Edwin Baker, tells him that his employer, Jaguar, is moving into the US market and they need an ad agency. The other partners are equally impressed though Pete Campbell plays it down, much to Lane's annoyance. Lane, with no experience, also decides that he want to lead this account and although Roger Sterling gives him a few tips, his dinner with Baker doesn't provide the results he'd hoped for. Pete, Roger and Don take Baker out for dinner and when the the Brit expresses an interest in having a bit of fun afterward, they all end up in a bordello. It all goes bad for the agency and to fisticuffs the next day at the office. Pete Campbell seems to be at a crossroads in his life, unhappy in his marriage and at work. At a dinner party, Ken Cosgrove's wife Cynthia tells everyone about his secret career writing science fiction ad fantasy stories for magazines. Roger has some definite advice for him.—garykmcd
- Lane strikes up an interesting friendship. Pete entertains guests.—AMC Publicity
- Mad Men "Signal 30" - April 16, 2012
First up is Lane who is convinced by his wife to hang out with some new British pals to watch England play the 1966 World Cup Final. Although he is reluctant at first he ends up having a swell time getting his U.K. on and he lands some new business with his new pal Edwin, the head of Jaguar.
When he brings this news to the partners they are skeptical he can close the deal and Roger gives him some pointers. Lane tries to put the pointers into action at dinner with Edwin but doesn't make much progress. So Don, Pete, and Roger step in to really wine and dine him. It turns out that Edwin thought Lane was a little prissy and really wanted to have some "fun." So the boys take him to a high end brothel. Everyone but Don partakes in the lovely ladies. When the madame asks why he doesn't appear interested in her product he says he was raised in a whorehouse so he's not so down with the ladies of the night. She then asks him his opinion of the place and whether she should get a TV. He says it's a classy joint and puts the kibosh on the television.
On the way home, Pete feels like Don is silently judging him and is surpised and upset by this especially given Don's own adulterous past. Don points out that Pete has everything and shouldn't throw it away. Pete basically admits he's miserable.
The trip to the whorehouse has consequences, however, when Edwin's wife discovers his indiscretion-- thanks to telltale chewing gum found in his pubic hair-- and calls Lane's wife in an uproar. Lane goes into the partner meeting livid. The other men basically giggle and Pete says they did what they had to do and that he sees Lane's position as useless. Lane calls Pete a "grimy pimp" and challenges him to a fight. Roger knows it's wrong but he's excited to see it. Don pulls the drapes on the conference room and the men duke it out with Lane the resounding winner by a knockdown.
Pete demoralized and bloody trudges out. Lane emboldened and embarrassed by his victory is visited by Joan whom he promptly kisses. She stands, opens the door, and continues the conversation, graciously pretending as if nothing happened. Lane laments his perceived uselessness but Joan pumps him up.
(She and Peggy had also giddily listened at the door during the fight.)
In other news Ken Cosgrove is apparently courting publishers for a collection of his stories. Peggy spies him out with an older gentleman and is worried he's interviewing with other firms. He comes to her confides that the man was from Farrrar Strauss and that he has been writing sci-fi stories under the nom de plume "Ben Hargrove." He says he would tell her if he was casting about for a new job and that their pact is still intact: if he gets a job, he will take her with him. He asks her to keep it under her hat.
It turns out that it's not Peggy's hat he has to worry about. Trudy and Pete throw a dinner party -- which Don desperately tries to wriggle out of -- and during the course of the meal Ken's wife Cynthia lets it slip that Ken has been writing. He explains one story about a robot who sabotages a bridge he's building to kill humans in order to exercise some control over his masters. The other dinners are surprised and impressed in turn. Trudy asks Megan about getting into advertising and she explains that although she did try to be an actress the ad agency was a good way to pay the bills. And when she saw the work that Peggy and Don did she was hooked.
Pete has been having trouble with a leaking faucet and he thought he fixed it. But after dinner the faucet explodes. Don jumps into action, doffing his shirt, grabbing tools and fixing the valves much to the fantastical delight of the women. (Later, Don makes Megan pull the car over to get it on and she admits she's only doing it because she was so turned on by Don's manly fixing of the faucet.)
The next week Ken is called into Roger's office and told in no uncertain terms to knock off his moonlighting as a writer. Ken realizes Pete must've ratted him out so when Peggy tells him Lane beat the crap out of him he laughs and says he's surprised that he beat him to it. And even though Ken was told to stop writing, instead we see him bed later that night starting a new story about "the man with the miniature orchestra" inspired by Pete's fancy new hi-fi. He has changed his pen name to "Dave Algonquin."
In Pete's other storyline, he has started taking driving classes at the local high school. There he meets a teenage beauty meet named Jenny Gunther. He hits on her unabashedly and she seems game to take a Sunday ride with him to the Bronx Botanical Gardens, which it turns out his family helped fund. But before he can get her in the car, a hot young jock from her chemistry class joins the driving class and takes her attention away. By the end of class he's already getting to third base with young Jenny, much to Pete's dismay.
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