| The Good News | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Production | |
| Season 4 Episode 03 | |
| Air date | 8 August 2010 |
| Written by | Jonathan Abrahams Matthew Weiner |
| Directed by | Jennifer Getzinger |
| Previous Christmas Comes But Once a Year |
Next The Rejected |
Intro[]
Don takes a trip. Joan has scheduling problems. Don and Lane get to know each other a little better.
Synopsis[]
Joan visits her gynecologist to discuss her fertility. She announces that she and Greg are planning to have children. Alluding to her past abortions, she worries her previous "procedures" may have affected her fertility."Everything looks fine," the doctor assures her.
Joan's attempts to flatter Lane turn sour, The Good News.
Joan attempts to flatter Lane by offering to have Caroline pick up fried chicken for lunch, knowing that it is his favorite. Joan asks Lane for time off in early-January because Greg has hospital duty during the holidays and she wants to use the time before he leaves for Vietnam. Lane refuses. "I understand that all men are dizzy and powerless to refuse you," he says, "but consider me the incorruptible exception." He tells her that the budget cannot support her paid leave and the company needs her to look over the books. "Don't go and cry about it," he adds.
Don returns to Anna, The Good News.
Don arrives in LA and goes off to visit Anna Draper, who has broken her foot. Anna's sister, Patty, and her college-aged daughter Stephanie have been helping with chores. Anna invites Patty and Stephanie to stay for dinner to meet Don, but only Stephanie accepts. "Good. I only wanted her to stay," says Anna. "I know you've got grass," she tells Stephanie.
Anna takes Don and Stephanie to dinner, The Good News.
Back in New York, Greg tells Joan to ignore Lane and take time off in January anyway. Joan protests that they need the money and tries to bring up the subject of Greg's possible deployment to Vietnam. Greg waves away her concerns. "They don't know that will happen", he tells her. "Just keep marking off the days on the calendar while we keep planning for our future," she snaps.
Don, Anna and Stephanie have dinner at a casual restaurant. Stephanie shares stories from college and asks where Don went to school. Don explains he only attended night school at City College. Stephanie declares him a "self-made man". While Stephanie is away from the table, Don tells Anna that Betty found out the truth about his past. "I could tell the minute she saw who I really was, she never wanted to look at me again," he says. "I'm sorry she broke your heart," says Anna. "I had it coming," Don replies.
Stephanie makes a confession to Don, The Good News.
After dropping off Anna back home, Don drives Stephanie home. He flirts with her and attempts to make a pass at her. She confesses that Anna has cancer and that not even Anna knows herself because Patty didn't want her to know. She adds that the doctors said she doesn't have long. "I didn't want you to leave here and not know," says Stephanie.
Don and Anna share a moment, The Good News.
Back at Anna's, Don puts her to bed and sits up all night. In the morning, wearing boxers and T-shirt, Don paints a water stained wall in Anna's living room. She wakes up, relieved to see he him still there. He tells her that he is planning to stay longer. They smoke a joint together. "I know everything about you and I still love you," Anna tells him.
Patty bursts in with groceries, taken aback at the smell of pot and at the sight of Don in his boxers. Don follows Patty to her car and confronts her about Anna's cancer. "What's your plan?" he asks angrily. "Just gonna let her wake up one day in agony and you tell her it's over?"
An enraged Joan confronts Lane, The Good News.
Patty insists that the cancer is very advanced and that Anna should be kept in the dark so she can die in peace. Patty tells Don to go to Acapulco but he insists that Anna is too important to him. She asks him to "please do the decent thing" and leave. "You have no say in the affairs of this family," Patty says. "You're just a man in a room with a checkbook." Don agrees to leave and bids Anna farewell.
At the office, Peggy delivers a bouquet of roses to Joan. When Joan reads the card, she becomes angry and storms into Lane's office. She recites to card to him: "Darling, I've been an ass. Kisses, Lane." Hurling the bouquet at him, she complains that he consistently makes her "feel like a helpless, stupid little girl." Lane explains that his secretary, Sandy, accidentally sent Joan flowers meant for his wife, and vice versa. Joan fires Sandy for the embarrassing error.
Don and Anna hug for the last time, The Good News.
At Anna's, Don prepares to leave. He signs the wall at the bottom "Dick + Anna '64". "You know you can call me if you need anything," he says and they hug each other tightly. On a red-eye flight, the flight attendant wishes Don a happy new year. Don looks sadly at the noisemaker on his tray.
Joan's emotions take over, The Good News.
Up early, Joan has prepared a New Year's breakfast for her husband, who has just gotten off his shift. She says that since they missed the coming of the New Year in New York, they could celebrate the New Year in Hawaii, and she gives him a lei. She cuts herself badly on a knife. Greg stitches her up himself and charms her with his bedside manner."I can't fix anything else," he says, "but I can fix this." Joan cries.
Don comes back to the office and discovers Lane there. Lane explains that he was looking over the agency's book. "Although things are precarious financially, it's been a magnificent year," he says. The 2 men get drunk and decide to go see giant monster movie, "Gamera". They cause disturbances in the theatre/theater by laughing too loudly and yelling in mock-Japanese at the screen.
Don takes Lane out on the town, The Good News.
At dinner, Don asks if Lane likes New York and Lane admits that he loves the city although his wife won't be returning to New York. He asks Don for marital advice, but Don offers to arrange Lane a date with a "lady friend". After dinner, they attend a comedy show. The comedian jokes that Don and Lane are celebrating an anniversary. Don's "lady friend" Candace and her friend, Janine, join them, which causes the comedian to quip, "You aren't queers. You're rich."
Back at Don's, Lane and Janine head into Don's bedroom while Don spends the night with Candace on the couch.
The first Partners meeting of 1965, The Good News.
In the morning, Don makes some coffee and Lane insists on paying for the girl. Don tells him she was 25 dollars and Lane gives him 30 dollars. Lane thanks him for "the welcome distraction".
On Monday, Lane leads a conference with the executive staff of SCDP. "Gentlemen, shall we begin 1965?" asks Joan.
Cast[]
Main Star[]
- Jon Hamm as Don Draper
- Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson
- Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell
- January Jones as Betty Hofstadt (credit only)
- Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway
- Jared Harris as Lane Pryce
- Aaron Staton as Ken Cosgrove (credit only)
- Rich Sommer as Harry Crane
- Kiernan Shipka as Sally Draper (credit only)
- Robert Morse as Bertram Cooper (credit only)
- John Slattery as Roger Sterling
Guest Star[]
- Sam Page as Greg Harris
- Melinda Page Hamilton as Anna Draper
- Susan Leslie as Patty
- Caity Lotz as Stephanie Horton
- Erin Cummings as Candace
- Will Janowitz as Comedian
- Remy Auberjonois as Walter Emerson
- Bayne Gibby as Sandy Schmidt
- Alexa Alemanni as Allison
- Elaine Carroll as Janine
- Gina Torrecilla as Middle-Aged Woman
- Liesl Ehardt as Stewardess
- Brian Whelan as Rudy
Quotes[]
Lane: "I got a big Texas belt buckle...YEE-HAW!"
-- Holding a steak up to his groin at dinner with Don.
Joan Holloway: "Breast or thigh?"
-- Joan, attempting to butter up Lane in "The Good News".