Mad Men 1.12: Fraud

Don interviews Henry "Duck" Phillips to be the new head of Accounts. Meanwhile, the guys plan an election party and gossip about Duck. He had some scandal at his old place - they think they must be getting him cheap.

Pete tries again to get Don to consider him for the job. Don cuts him down in a hostile tone and leaves. The office party begins with rum and creme de menthe. Peggy leaves early.

Pete also goes home early. He looks through the package of things that Adam Whitman had sent to Don before hanging himself. Trudy is upset, knowing that he's snooping through something that's not his.

At the party, Ken finds Paul's play in his desk drawer. The coworkers act it out, with Joan and Sal as the stars.

Nixon takes Ohio.

Harry and one of the secretaries (Hildy? let's just say it's Hildy) kiss. At first they seem mortified. But apparently not mortified enough not to stop fooling around.

Joan and Paul talk about old times. Evidently, when they dated, Joan was unhappy that Paul blabbed something about her. She tells him she didn't like his play. They dance. Other people are passed out on the floor.

Harry and Hildy wake up. His glasses are broken. Hildy assures him that what they did didn't mean anything.

Next morning, the office is a wreck and the TV is broken. Peggy is angry because her blouse and three dollars are missing from her locker. She reports the theft.

The outcome of the election is still unclear and there are many allegations of fraud. Cooper somehow blames it on Sinatra. The recount is taking too long.

Pete shows up all full of himself with the Adam Whitman Memorial Package and a half-baked blackmail plan. He confronts Don and tells him he knows that the Army records show that Dick Whitman died in Korea, and Don Draper, then age 43, disappeared. Don looks at the package and has a flashback.

Dick is in Korea. He volunteered to serve. There were supposed to be a bunch of people at this location he's been sent to, but it's just him and a guy named Don Draper. He's supposed to dig something (he got plenty of practice as a kid, he's always digging things in the childhood flashbacks). The real Draper says he's near the end of his tour.

Don goes to Rachel's. He wants her to go away with him. She is disgusted and calls him a coward. He goes back to the office.

Peggy is crying - the janitor and the elevator guys were fired because of the stuff that was stolen from her locker, even though they weren't around during the party. She's upset because people hate her, and innocent people get fired, while rotten people can do whatever they want to and it's not fair. She follows the rules! don gives her a drink and tells her to finish it. Then he sends her out.

Don tells Pete that he has no character; that he's still going to hire Duck; that Pete has no plan; that Cooper won't be impressed with Pete's information. Pete disagrees, so Don goes straight to Cooper's office. Pete follows him in confused panic.

"I'm hiring Duck," Don tells Cooper after removing his shoes. Pete blurts out the "shocking" truth of Don's secret identity. His words fall flat. Cooper cries, "Who cares? The country was built by men who did worse." He says there's more profit in forgetting, and Pete should put his energy into getting accounts

Privately, Cooper gives Don permission to either fire Pete, or keep him around and watch him.

Dick is still digging. There's shooting and an explosion. Don Draper is killed. Dick swaps their tags. In the hospital, he's told that he needs to take Dick Whitman home. For getting a concussion, the new Don Draper gets a Purple Heart and a release into the Reserves.

He stays on the train and watches his old family receive the coffin. Little Adam sees him through the window of the train. Don turns away quickly. A lady on the train buys him a drink and tells him to forget about the boy in the box.

When Don gets home, Nixon is conceding on TV.