Madison Square Garden is planning on a new location, the current site of Penn Station. This would require demolishing Penn Station, but doing so is unpopular. Paul Kinsey is especially critical, which is why Don keeps him off the task of making this act of destruction palatable to the general public, and convinces the MSG brass not to let Kinsey deter them from hiring Sterling Cooper—only to hear from Lane that London has decided to take SC out of the running for the project.
Meanwhile, Pepsi has put the agency in charge of creating a television ad for the diet drink Patio. The ad they want mimics the opening scene from the film version of Bye Bye Birdie, which Peggy has serious doubts about. She's voted down anyway. Noticing a pattern?
Finally, Betty's brother is in town. It turns out their father Gene's girlfriend/possible second wife left him and, not wanting him to be alone in his condition, William wants to put him in a home. When Don gets word of this he takes William aside and gets him to leave Gene with him and Betty.
This series contains examples of:
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Dawson Casting: Discussed Trope. Peggy voices her concern at Ann-Margret being a 25 year old woman acting like she's 14. In fairness to Ann-Margret, she was actually 22 in 1963, but Peggy's point still stands. - Elder Abuse: Betty fears that William and Judy will do this to her father; the interactions already show William being insensitive and disrespectful towards his old man.
- Foreshadowing The wedding date is set for November, 23, 1963. The day after JFK was shot.
- Hypocritical Humor: Harry Crane, hearing Peggy's objections to the Bye Bye Birdie premise for the commercial, yells "You're not fat anymore". He's pretty chunky compared to the more petite woman.
- Male Gaze: The men are really into Ann-Margret's Bye Bye Birdie number.
- Malicious Misnaming: In a meeting with Roger discussing the wedding and daughter Margaret not wanting Jane at the wedding, Roger's ex-wife Mona refers to Roger's new wife Jane as "June".
- The Movie Buff: Don. Peggy can't believe he hasn't really watched Bye Bye Birdie.
- You watch everything.
- Innocently Insensitive: Peggy doesn't find Harry's comment "You're not fat anymore" comforting.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Discussed Trope: The flier which reads "Rape on 34th Street." The polemic tone invokes hostility on the part of the people who want Madison Square Garden.
- Skewed Priorities: After the disastrous meeting with Madison Square Garden, Pete calls out Paul for not being concerned about a power plant on East River but outwardly criticizing efforts to demolish Penn Station.
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This Is Your Premise on Diet Cola: Peggy is doubtful that a commercial operating on the Male Gaze would really appeal to women. - Weight Woe: Peggy is still dealing with some body image issues leftover from the 1st season, Betty is dieting even though she's pregnant, and Don tries to alleviate Peggy's doubts about the commercial "making women feel fat".
