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Mad Men Season 3 Episodes
Season 3 Episode Guide
13 Episodes 2009 - 2009
Episode 1
Out of Town
Sun, Aug 16, 200960 mins
Don and Betty are back together in marital bliss as they await the birth of their next child. Don is daydreaming about an ominous view of his own birth, which may be a sign about Betty's pregnancy. At Sterling Cooper, financial officer Layne Price from the parent British office and his personal secretary John Hooker have been brought in to do some housecleaning. The British way of doing business is foreign to most of those at Sterling Cooper. One-third of the staff is being let go, including Head of Accounts, Burt Peterson. In Burt's old position, Layne installs Pete, much to his relief and excitement. But his excitement is short lived when he learns he will be sharing the job with Ken. They are told in coded language that one of the two will emerge as the sole person in the position based on performance. Also because of Burt's dismissal, Don and Sal are sent to Baltimore in his place to meet with their London Fog account contacts. While in Baltimore, they, masquerading as "Bill" and "Sam", socialize with their New York to Baltimore flight crew. As the evening ends, Don shows that his personal life has not changed with Betty's pregnancy. Sal also unexpectedly exposes a little of his personal life to Don.
Episode 2
Love Among the Ruins
Sun, Aug 23, 200950 mins
There's trouble in both the Sterling and Hofstadt families. With the Sterlings, Roger's daughter Margaret informs him that she doesn't want his wife, Jane, at her wedding, Margaret being ashamed that her step-mother is the same age as her. With the Hofstadts, Gene's Alzheimer's is getting worse, and his wife Gloria has left him. As such, Betty and her brother William have to make some decisions about what to do with their father. William gets some unsolicited and unwanted advice in this matter. At the office, two accounts are on the minds of the executives. One is for Patio Cola, Pepsi's diet soda. Pepsi wants to go with an Ann-Margret Bye Bye Birdie (1963) feel. Peggy does not agree with this approach. Despite that, Peggy is feeling in an Ann-Margret spirit in her personal life. The other has Don trying to win the business of the town's new planned multi-purpose facility, Madison Square Gardens. Don gets some bad and unexpected news on this front.
Episode 3
My Old Kentucky Home
Sun, Aug 30, 200950 mins
Several members of the creative team - including Smitty, Peggy Olson and Paul Crane - are at work on a Saturday trying to come up with new slogans for their Baccardi campaign. It's rough going however and fresh ideas are rare. Paul contacts an old university friend and they smoke marijuana in his office. Once again Peggy surprises all of them and shows that she is as adventurous as they are. The rest of the staff are at Roger Sterling's lavish party. While the surroundings are sumptuous, a few of the guests are uncomfortable with Roger's singing performance. Betty Draper has an interesting encounter while Jane Sterling gets pie-eyed. Joan Holloway hosts a dinner party for husband Greg's boss and a colleague. She reveals her own hidden musical talents. Betty's father claims that someone stole $5 from his money clip, but no one takes him too seriously.
Episode 4
The Arrangements
Sun, Sep 6, 200960 mins
At the Draper house, Gene is indulging his grandchildren against Don and Betty's wishes. Gene wants to discuss his death arrangements with Betty, which distresses her. And Gene's presence in general is making Don think about his own parents. But these issues with Gene and the Drapers take a major turn. Meanwhile, Peggy decides to move from Brooklyn to Manhattan, being able to do so only if she finds a roommate. She dreads telling her mother about this decision. Her roommate ad in the paper is the brunt of jokes within the office. Joan is an unexpected source of support for Peggy. With work, Pete brings in a new account, that from his college chum, Horace Cook, Jr. - HoHo to his friends. He wants to promote the sport of jai alai, and is willing to pay a large sum for its promotion. Don knows that Horace Cook, Sr. is a close friend of Bertram's and wants to make sure that Cook Sr. is aware of what his son is doing with the family money. With the Patio Cola account, Sal is a last minute replacement to direct the television commercial. The end product has an unexpected response from the client. But Sal uses his work stresses as an excuse to Kitty as to his inattentiveness to her at home.
Episode 5
The Fog
Sun, Sep 13, 200960 mins
Betty goes into labor just as Don arrives home from work. At the hospital, she has a strange dream while in a drug induced semi-consciousness and he spends a night in the waiting room chatting with another expectant father. At the office Lane Pryce is worried about expense account spending and the excessive use of office supplies. Don walks out of the meeting and later tries to get him to focus on the bigger picture. Duck Phillips re-appears and is trying to recruit two of Sterling Coopers finest to join him at his new ad agency. Peggy approaches Don about a raise but in the current cost-cutting climate, doesn't get much encouragement. Pete Campbell, still unhappy about sharing his duties, is dealing with the Admiral TV account. Their sales are down but in looking at the demographics, finds they may have a market that is not reaching its full potential. His idea falls flat with both Admiral and his bosses but Lane Pryce thinks he may be onto something.
Episode 6
Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency
Sun, Sep 20, 200960 mins
A lot is happening at Sterling Cooper in the lead up to Independence Day. The office will be closed on July 3rd, and the staff are looking forward to the holiday. July 2nd will be Joan's last day before she settles into being a housewife as Greg is primed to be promoted to Chief Resident of Surgery. But plans change when Sterling Cooper's British parent company representatives are coming for "an inspection". This essentially means that the office will now be open on July 3rd. Ken is buoyed by this news as he has just brought in another lucrative account, John Deere tractor. Bertram and Roger believe the visit really is to provide an official evaluation and promotion for Don, with who the Brits were impressed ever since the takeover meeting when Don overthrew Duck Phillips. They think he will get a creative executive position, splitting his time between New York and London. To make the visit smoother, Bertram wants Don and Roger to reconcile their differences. But when the Director and Chair arrive with young dynamic Guy Mackendrick in tow, it is Guy who delivers the unexpected news to the masses. It ends up being an eventful day for Guy in the office. It also ends up being an eventful time later that day for Don as he meets with an old acquaintance. At the Harris household, there is also an unexpected turn of events. And at the Draper household, Sally has been totally ignoring baby Gene. Betty's attempt to get Sally to bond with her new baby brother fails. Don eventually learns what is troubling Sally.
Episode 7
Seven Twenty Three
Sun, Sep 27, 200960 mins
Don's acquaintance, Connie, better known to the rest of the world as Conrad Hilton, stops by the office on an unexpected visit. As a start, he wants to transfer the advertising business of his New York hotels to Sterling Cooper. Don is reluctant to specify the nature of Connie's visit to the staff, who are all abuzz about Don even knowing the powerful Hilton, let alone the possibility of working on a campaign for Hilton Hotels. On the pretense of the new Hilton account, Bertram, Roger and Lane discuss an administrative issue with Don. Betty gets caught in the middle of the battle between Don and the partners. Don himself gets caught up in two other unusual incidents, the first with Sally's teacher Miss Farrell, and the second with a couple he picks up who are hitchhiking to Niagara Falls. Both incidents make him ponder his future. At the office, Pete has definitely made up his mind not to accept Duck's offer for a position at Gray Advertising, especially with the possibility of the Hilton campaign. Although she also has verbally stated she has made the same decision, Peggy is having second thoughts about going to Gray. Much will depend on what Don will offer her (he not knowing about Gray) and what Duck will. The latter offers her something she probably wasn't expecting. Betty has much on her plate. In addition to redecorating the living room, she is back at work volunteering with the Junior League. They need some political help in advancing their latest cause. Although a few people in the league know him including Betty, she, as the "adorable" one in the group, is tasked with contacting Henry Francis in the Governor's office. Their meeting continues the sexual tension they experienced when they first met.
Episode 8
Souvenir
Sun, Oct 4, 200960 mins
It's the summer vacation season, and many New Yorkers are out of town, including Trudy. Pete, alone at home, is feeling a little restless. His restlessness is cured when he meets Gudrun, an au pair who is working for his neighbors. Pete decides to assist a teary eyed Gudrun with a problem she is having. In doing so, Pete runs into an old colleague, which is slightly embarrassing for both. In doing this favor for Gudrun, Pete expects more than just a little gratitude in return, which causes some problems. Upon Trudy's return, Pete makes an unexpected request from her. At the Drapers, Betty is buoyed by the help that Henry Francis has provided in at least delaying the reservoir project. Henry admits that he helped for one specific reason. Don, who is also taking time off from work, is unexpectedly called by Connie to make a two day site visit to one of his hotels in Rome. Although a work trip, Betty, on Don's invitation, accompanies him on this trip. The two end up having more than just a little fun while in Rome. Arriving home, Betty realizes that her life in Terrytown is not perfect. She also needs to have a heart to heart mother-daughter talk with Sally, sparked by an incident while Betty and Don were away but which encompasses many of the feelings Sally has been experiencing since Grandpa Gene's death.
Episode 9
Wee Small Hours
Sun, Oct 11, 200960 mins
Connie is constantly calling Don, even in the middle of the night. But the carrot of the entire Hilton account is enough for Don to endure these intrusions on his personal life. Don may ultimately have a black mark with Connie when he does not literally follow through with a thought Connie provides to him. Sal is working on a commercial for Lucky Strike. But an incident with the client, Lee Garner, Jr., may jeopardize not only his position on the account but his position at Sterling Cooper. Sal takes out his frustrations by resorting to his primal urges. At the Draper house, Don and Betty are both preoccupied with their infatuations, Don's with Sally's former teacher Suzanne Farrell, and Betty's with Henry Francis. Both go to extreme measures to progress those infatuations.
Episode 10
The Color Blue
Sun, Oct 18, 200960 mins
The 40th anniversary party for Sterling Cooper is approaching, but not many seem to be excited about it. Bertram, who does not feel the need to reminisce, is not planning to attend. And Roger doesn't want to see more praise stowed upon Don, which is supposed to happen at the party. But the Brits at head office want the party to be a success, if only to carry out their clandestine plan. With others in the office, Paul is feeling threatened by Peggy, who he sees as Don's favorite. Paul however comes up with what he believes is a brilliant idea for a campaign, if only he can remember what that idea is. And Lane is feeling pressured by his wife Rebecca, who hates living in New York. At the Draper household, Betty is keeping her distance from Henry Francis, but Don is continuing his affair with Suzanne Farrell. Being the private person that he is, he wants no one to know about it, even Suzanne's epileptic brother Danny, who she wants Don to know. But Betty stumbles across something Don left in his pocket, which may end up exposing more to her than he wants.
Episode 11
The Gypsy and the Hobo
Sun, Oct 25, 200960 mins
Two women from Roger's past reenter his life. The first is Annabelle Mathis, a former lover from twenty years earlier. Her business, Caldicott Farms, specializes in horse meat for dog food. She is looking to advertising firms to help save her business, the industry which has received bad publicity because of the movie The Misfits (1961). Annabelle may not be able to separate her professional and personal relationship with Roger. The second is Joan, who calls him to help her look for a well paying job in light of Greg's professional situation. Joan knows that she can't get her old job back, but wants something more lucrative than being just a secretary or a sales clerk. At home, Joan is feeling frustrated with Greg's lack of focus on what he will do with his professional life. Ultimately, Greg makes an extreme decision. At the Draper household, the kids are looking forward to Halloween, while their parents have more pressing matters. Betty takes the children back to Philadelphia so that she can deal with Gene's house and what she and William will do with it. While there, Betty takes the opportunity to speak to the Hofstadt family lawyer for advice on what to do with the information she found about Don's true identity as Dick Whitman. Betty makes decisions based on this advice. With Betty away, Don and Suzanne talk about taking a trip together. A crisis strikes Don which makes him forget about some important things he has left waiting in his car.
Episode 12
The Grown-Ups
Sun, Nov 1, 200960 mins
It's November 21, 1963, and no one seems to be particularly happy. The heating/cooling system at Sterling Cooper isn't working properly, so people are either freezing to death or sweltering in the heat. That is nothing compared to the news Pete receives: Ken has been made sole Vice-President of Accounts. This news makes Pete contemplate his future. Don is upset that no one has been hired to replace Sal, and it doesn't look like Lane is in any hurry to do so. Margaret Sterling's wedding is in two days and she is still upset that her step-mother, Jane, is planning on attending. Jane, on the other hand, is angry that Roger dotes on his daughter more than he pays attention to her. The unlikely allies in the Sterling family feud are Roger and Mona. But none of these unfortunate goings-on compare to the news the world hears the following day: that President John F. Kennedy has been assassinated. This news places a pall over the world, and makes people reconsider attending the Sterling wedding. Those few that do attend are still preoccupied with the assassination. But Betty is equally as preoccupied with Don's identity as Dick Whitman, and with Henry Francis, who is also a wedding reception attendee. Henry ends up making an unexpected proposition to Betty.
Episode 13
Shut the Door. Have a Seat
Sun, Nov 8, 200960 mins
Don's life is falling apart around him. He learns from Connie about the sale of Sterling Cooper and, because of it, the loss of the Hilton account. As Don passes the news to Roger and Bertram, the three decide to plot strategy for what each wants in their professional future. Among their options are to go to the new company (which for Bertram will probably mean the end of his professional life), or the preferred option which is to buy back Sterling Cooper from Putnam, Powell and Lowe. What is not an option is to quit since they are all under contract, which would prevent them from working in advertising altogether. With the assistance of an unexpected person however, they come up with another option. The success of this option depends on the assistance of many, who may or may not decide to help, and some quick action before the rest of the world figures out what's going on. Because this maneuver feels like starting over, Don reminisces about a big change in his life when he was a young boy. At home, Betty has asked Don for a divorce, which Don does not want to grant. With the advice of a divorce lawyer, Betty has figured out a way that will make it difficult for Don not to grant her wish. His home life may more difficult to rectify than his professional life.
