My Old Kentucky Home

Lore & Background

The episode introduces two figures who matter later in the series: Conrad "Connie" Hilton, a hotel owner who becomes a Sterling Cooper client and a father figure to Don, and Henry Francis, a Republican political adviser to Nelson Rockefeller. It drew 1.608 million viewers, more than the third episode of the previous season. The A.V. Club's Keith Phipps graded it A−, and Alan Sepinwall praised its atmosphere and character work. Matthew Weiner later described the controversy in the writers' room over Roger's blackface scene; a content warning was added to the episode on streaming platforms in 2020.

Reader's Guide

Pete Campbell and Ken Cosgrove tell Peggy Olson, Paul Kinsey and Smitty to spend the weekend coming up with new ideas for the Bacardi rum account. Kinsey gets marijuana for himself and Smitty, and Peggy surprises them by smoking too; while the men waste the time, Peggy finds inspiration and sees how good her personal and professional position has become.

Joan and her husband Greg host a dinner for Greg's boss, the chief of surgery, and two other doctors with their wives. The guests let slip that Greg recently lost a patient, which puts his promotion in doubt; Greg changes the subject by having Joan play the accordion and sing, and she charms the room while plainly troubled by what she has heard.

Roger and Jane Sterling hold a Derby party at a country club, where Roger sings "My Old Kentucky Home" to Jane in blackface while Don and Pete look on uncomfortably. Don slips away to an empty bar and meets a man named Connie, and the two swap stories about their humble beginnings. Betty is approached by Henry Francis, an aide to Governor Rockefeller, who asks to touch her pregnant stomach. After a drunken Jane upsets Betty and Roger confronts Don, Don goes looking for Betty and the two embrace.