Mad Men 3x04

The Mad Advertising Men on Madison Avenue at Sterling Cooper are listening to a pitch for this (Basque) sport called jai alai ... they’re all doing their best to hide their disbelieve and pretend they’ll sell it to the world! Don Draper smells trouble a mile away, but nobody cares because the client got all the money they need. This “fatted calf” (as Pete calls him) is the son of a close acquaintance of Bertram Cooper, and Don fears “this idiot’s father” won’t be too happy about all the extravagant promotion the guy’s demanding. Fortunately, when called to a meeting, the father doesn’t mind if his son is wasting money on some “Polish handball,” as long as it’s with Sterling Cooper and not some other agency. Salvatore Romano gets a shot at directing the commercial for Pepsi’s Patio Diet Cola. He’s so nervous, his wife Kitty wonders what’s wrong. They talk about his work and he performs the choreography for her... How incredibly endearing! But how painfully awkward that she must realize that her husband is gay! Sal later delivers exactly what Patio clients asked for, frame by frame, but somehow they don’t like it, even if they can’t explain why, it just doesn’t feel right to them... What a bummer, his hopes are crushed! Don encourages him, though, that he’s now a commercial director: he’ll have a bright career ahead.

Up in Connecticut, Grandpa Gene is teaching Sally how to drive: I reckon she’s only six years old! He’s clearly picking favorites over Bobby (although he also enjoys showing his grandson his war paraphernalia). He hopes she won’t grow up to be like her mom, but more like his first wife. Then, when he promised to pick her up at school to take her to ballet, he doesn’t show up. Later a police officer drives up to the Draper residence, informing Betty that her father has passed away. Oh, no! Poor Sally, still in pink tutu, is shattered... That night her grief turns into hysteria, driving the wedge even deeper between her and Bets... On her part, Peggy Olsen is finally thinking about moving to Manhattan: she’s been commuting two hours a day to work! At the office they tease her about her stodgy roommate ad. It’s Joan who gives her sound advice how to post a more carefree, adventurous one. Soon enough she’s attracted a potential roomie called Karen (the actress Carla Gallo, who played Daisy in Californication). When Peggy brings up the courage to tell her mother she’ll be moving to Manhattan, her mom starts yapping about her broken heart and warns Peggy she’ll get raped in the City! Goodness, mothers!