Roger turns up at what we'll later learn is the Hemisphere Club and apologizes to Ken for being late and maybe Peggy's departure has sharpened Ken's tongue: "I don't mind waiting twenty minutes for an unspecified meeting with my boss. I mean, it's not like your imagination wouldn't run wild." Heh. Roger gives a little chuckle, which I translate as "let's actually put a pin in the question of whether I'm firing you" and wastes no further time in telling Ken that they're going after Ed. Ken neutrally reminds Roger he can't help with that, but Roger tells him that's great -- it's how they want it actually, since of course they don't want Ken to jeopardize his relationship with Cynthia. Aghast at the machinations, Ken asks what Roger thinks will happen when Ed calls him following SCDP's outreach and Roger supposes that Ken could simply not answer the phone. I'm guessing Ken's next story is going to be about a robot boss who painfully learns the value of family. Ken, however, shows that he's learned a thing or two from working alongside the likes of Pete Campbell, as he pointedly acknowledges that Roger's play is very smart, and then moves straight on to disingenuousness as he supposes there's nothing he can do to muck it all up now. Now it's Roger's turn to be caught on his heels as he asks what the hell that means and Ken presses his advantage as he rather silkily tells Roger he'd hate to bring the news up with Cynthia, even by accident. Roger, not all that surprisingly, looks like he's got some genuine admiration for Ken baring his heretofore-unseen fangs, and asks what it's going to take -- some kind of partnership? Much as I would have appreciated it, it's probably best that he didn't start by offering Ken the cash in his pocket. And honestly, although I will be missing certain other characters terribly, I'm kind of glad that this plotline probably means that Ken is going to have more to do on the show. Ken rather nastily says he doesn't want to be a partner as he's seen what's involved, but he wants Roger to promise that if they get Dow, Roger will force Ken on it. "And two other things. Pete doesn't go to the meeting. And Pete doesn't go to any meetings." As much as anything else, now that he's been presented with this plan I think Ken probably wants to protect Ed from what he perceives as the sliminess of SCDP, but him singling out Pete in particular suggests a grudge over Pete tattling to Roger about Ken's science fiction (and Roger probably knows this too), not to mention the fact that his one pristine ally, Peggy, abandoned him. Whatever the reason, it's nice to see Ken play the game on his own terms, especially since it's not like Roger of all people is going to protest this particular Pete-less arrangement. Roger leaves Ken to think about how far down the slope he just slipped...