Episode two and the Season of Change continues. Even though he didn’t get along with him pre-dementia, Don takes a bullet for Betty in episode two, inviting father Gene to stay in the Draper household. I’m sure he doesn’t actually want Gene living there and pouring his beloved booze down the sink during Prohibition flashbacks. But Don wants to change, he wants to be the good, faithful husband. He needs to be more than ever, with Betty’s fuse becoming increasingly shorter. When the Drapers are awakened in the night to Gene stressing “the heat is on” and dumping the booze, Betty sighs and returns upstairs. It looks like Don might be playing nurse to Gene more than Betty.

At Sterling Cooper, Kinsey and Campbell are trying to reel in Madison Square Garden as a client, who are intending to tear down Penn Station. Campbell summons his old blue blood charm for this meeting, which I really like watching. A lot of people hate on Campbell, but I think he’s got more in common with Don than people like to think. He’s damn good at acting when it’s required. Things seem to be going alright until Kinsey opens his fat, pompous mouth and preaches how sacrilegious it would be to tear down Penn – comparing the act to the Romans demolishing their own antiquities. Kinsey, ya blew it. For some reason, he’s not reprimanded for such a brazen outburst towards a potential client. Don and a distracted Roger are sent to lunch with MSG to try and salvage the account, and Don works his magical powers of fantasy as usual:

“I was in California. Everything’s new there, the people are filled with hope. New York is a city in decay. With Madison Square Garden, it’s a city on the hill again.”

Needless to say, it’s persuasive and MSG is won back. But the tides of change come in again and snatch MSG in the form of Pryce, who blows it in his own way; he forgot to check with London, who doesn’t want the MSG account because the turnover won’t be fruitful for a few years. Don bluntly asks him why London bought SC in the first place. Pryce uncertainly replies, “I don’t know.”

We made up for last week’s lack of Peggy time with some impressive plays by SC’s most unassuming tramp. Cosgrove and Peggy are working on the new Patio diet cola account – an actual off-shoot of Pepsi in 1963, until becoming Diet Pepsi in 1964. Peggy doesn’t understand why Pepsi wants to replicate the Ann-Margret’s energetically creepy opening of Bye Bye Birdie. Because it’s awesome, Peggy, you damn prude. Later that night, Peggy does her own rendition of the Birdie song using a comb-mic. Then the next night, she picks up a messy eater in a bar (using Joan’s best zinger – “It’s so crowded in here, I feel like I’m on a subway!”) and goes back to his place for some heavy petting. She leaves, only stating ambiguously that she works on Madison Ave. Will she see this sap again? I hope so. I kinda liked him, even for an adult male who is “still growing” and doesn’t keep condoms in his apartment.

It looks like were’ going to see the mother of all ’60s social changes this season, with Roger’s daughter’s wedding scheduled for the day after JFK’s assassination: November 23, 1963. It’s going to change everything.

- Oh Mars