Don awakens roughly. He's shot from above, so we don't see at first that he's been sleeping in a child's room. On the nightstand is a whiskey bottle. Tough times at the Draper house.

He meets with Connie, who says he has serious business to discuss. He'd learned from McCann Erickson that they were buying Putnam Powell and Lowe, the company that owns Sterling Cooper. Connie says he has to move his properties but that Don will make out well. "You're a prize pig," he assesses. Don turned them down three years earlier. Don feels that Connie is toying with him, kicking him around, knocking him down to size, all the while calling him "son." "It's business," says Don. Connie says he got everything he has on his own, and he's disappointed that Don may not be made of the same stuff. "Some other time we'll try again," says Connie.

At the office Don flashes back to his childhood, when all the farmers sat around discussing the poor price of wheat. Whitman breaks up the cooperative of farmers and tells them they need to go it alone. Like father, like son: Don goes to Bert's office to confront him about the sale. Bert hadn't been aware of the imminent sale, but he's not much bothered. Don's worked up and wants to know why they can't buy Sterling Cooper back from PPL, an idea that Bert derides. His passivity enrages Don: "I want to work," he says. "I want to build something of my own. How do you not understand that?" Bert says he's not sure Don has a stomach for the realities. They'll need accounts, he says, and that means dealing with Roger.

The two break the news to Roger, who's not particularly broken up and doesn't want to entertain the idea of buying back the company. He's also skeptical about Don's motives, since the two have been on the rocks of late. But now Don insists he values his relationship with Roger. Then Bert takes his turn at bat; he tells Roger he's seen men lose their appetite -- they wither away and die. Roger's coming around to their idea...

That night at the Draper house, Betty wants a word with Don. She's made an appointment with a divorce attorney and suggests he do the same. He refuses to accept that she'll break up the family.

The next morning Lane meets with Roger, Bert and Don, who offer their proposal to buy back Sterling Cooper. With some regret, Lane divulges it's worth much more than their offer. He also shares that it's just Sterling Cooper that's going to McCann, not PPL, and admits he didn't want to see the sale; he quite enjoyed working there.

Betty and Henry meet with an attorney, who says she has to prove absence of a spouse, insanity, life imprisonment or infidelity as grounds for divorce. The lawyer implies that she's been unfaithful too, considering she's there with Henry, a notion she denies. The lawyer urges her to go to Reno, where she only has to stay six weeks and can then divorce. They also talk about settlement, and Henry insists that he doesn't want her to take anything from Don. He says he'll take care of her and the kids. He turns to the lawyer and says, "We want to get this done as soon as possible."

Lane calls St. John in London and fills him in on what Sterling Cooper knows. And now it's Lane's turn to learn a little something about business -- PPL has indeed been sold, and St. John implies he'll be OK with McCann because he always proves himself indispensable and (we assume) malleable.

In Sally's room Don has another flashback to his parents' hard times. His father, drunk on moonshine, decides to sell the farm because his wife says they need money. As he goes to saddle up the horse, it's spooked by lightning and kicks him in the head as young Dick looks on.

Don proposes that they go to McCann directly, an idea that Lane shoots down. Suddenly Don realizes that Lane has authority to fire anyone; he suggests Lane fire them all so they can go it alone. Lane is intrigued and negotiates to be a partner if they all leave together. He agrees to send out a Telex that the other three have been sacked. Over the weekend they need to quietly talk to their accounts to bring them to the new agency. "Well, it's official," says Roger. "December 13th, 1963 -- four guys shot their legs off."

Don arranges for the office to be cleared for the weekend. He calls for Pete (who's at home "sick" -- actually, he took the day off to interview with Ogilvy) and Peggy. Don demands that she gather accounts that Sunday. She sees that he's using her and leaves.

At the Campbells' apartment, Pete tries to look sick when Roger and Don come by. Trudy excuses herself ("I'm going to change the sheets") and they all sit down. They know that Pete's been gathering his accounts to take elsewhere. Don acknowledges Pete's been ahead on a lot of things and they need him to keep the new agency looking forward. Pete asks to be a partner and wants his name in the lobby. Don snickers, "There's not going to be a lobby." Pete's in but asks, "What if I come up short?" "It's not an option," says Don. Trudy's absolutely delighted with this turn of events.

After meeting with Pete, Don and Roger have a drink at a bar. In a moment of candor Don reveals that he needs an attorney for a divorce. Roger shakes his head and says, "Henry Francis," a name that doesn't ring a bell to Don. Margaret's friends with his daughter, and it sounds like it's serious, says Roger. He's sorry he told Don, who just sits with this new information.

At home Don confronts Betty about Henry. He pulls her out of bed. "All along you've been building a life raft," he says. "You won't get a nickel," he says. "And I'll take the kids. God knows they'll be better off." Don calls her a *****, and baby Gene wakes up. Betty says she wants him out of the house.

On Saturday Pete encounters Harry in the elevator. It turns out the partners want him to join as head of media. Bert says if he turns them down they'll have to lock him in a closet till morning. So Harry's in too. The men can't figure out where to get all the paperwork, and Roger excuses himself to make a discreet phone call. (Who's taking bets it's to Joan? Think we can we get Sal back too?)

At home, Don calls the family into the living room. Betty tells the kids that Don is moving out but assures them he'll come to visit. Don says it'll just be temporary, while Betty shakes her head. "I'm not going," he says. "I'm living elsewhere." They're trying desperately to be casual about this, but of course the kids take it very hard. "Did you make him leave?" Sally asks her mother. Don assures that he'll be there for him; they can call and he'll answer. Bobby goes to his father and cries and hugs him.

Don goes to Peggy's apartment. He admits he's taken her for granted and been hard on her. He sees her as an extension of himself. He explains that there are people out there that buy things like, people like you and me. "And something happened. Something terrible," he says. "And the way that they saw themselves is gone, and nobody understands that, but you do, and that's very valuable." (Is he referring to the Kennedy assassination here? Or their private tragedies?) He doesn't want to move on alone and asks for her help. If she turns him down, he says he'll spend the rest of his life trying to hire her.

Joan is back! She knows where everything is located, of course. In walk Don and Peggy. The gang's almost all there. The art department is locked and Don kicks in the door, when I thought they'd have to call Sal. Darn!

They work well into the night and have movers cart out the precious cargo. Don asks Joan to find him an apartment.

Before they go, Don and Roger survey the empty office, and Don admits he never saw himself working in a place like that. He goes to lock up and Roger says, "Don't bother."

The next morning Don's secretary comes in and finds his office in disarray. Lane takes a call from London. he's fired for insubordination, losing the company millions of pounds and lack of character. To which Lane says, "Happy Christmas!"

The new agency is in a hotel suite and is called Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. The rest of the office is dismayed that they haven't been taken too (I guess we'll find out in season 4 who'll later be lured over, if any of them).

Trudy brings by lunch...and a cake! There's giddiness and that fun start-up energy in the suite. In privacy Don calls Betty. He tells her he won't fight her, and she thanks him. "I hope you get what you always wanted," he says. "You'll always be their father," she replies. And with that, goodbye.

He comes out to the room and sees his other family, his co-workers, and smiles.

Henry, Betty and Gene are on a plane to Reno while Carla stays at home with Bobby and Sally, awash in the glow of the television.

Don gets out of a cab and enters a Manhattan apartment building, his new home.

(Sigh. That season was way too short.)