Tea Leaves (Mad Men)

"**Tea Leaves**"
"Tea Leaves"
Mad Men episode
	January Jones as Betty Francis eating a sundae in the final scene of 'Tea Leaves." The writers wrote around Jones's real-life pregnancy by including a weight gain for the character.
Episode no.	Season 5; Episode 3
Directed by	Jon Hamm
Written by	Erin Levy; Matthew Weiner
Featured music	"Sixteen Going on Seventeen" by Charmian Carr and Dan Truhitte
Original air date	April 1, 2012
Running time	48 minutes
Guest appearances
	Ben Feldman as Michael Ginsberg; Hayley McFarland as Bonnie; Mason Vale Cotton as Bobby Draper; John Sloman as Raymond Geiger; Stephen Mendel as Morris Ginsberg; Teyonah Parris as Dawn Chambers; Pamela Dunlap as Pauline Francis; Adria Tennor as Joyce Darling; Robin Pearson Rose as Alice Geiger; Ken Barnett as Dr. Horton; Sophia Bairley as Jo;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "A Little Kiss"	Next →; "Mystery Date"
	Mad Men season 5
	List of episodes

"Tea Leaves" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and overall the 55th episode of the series. It was written by series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner and writer Erin Levy, and directed by series leading man Jon Hamm. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on April 1, 2012.

The episode takes place on and around Independence Day 1966 and re-introduces the Betty Francis character into the narrative. Betty finds herself in a state of depression and experiences a health scare following an unsettling weight gain. Don and Harry collide with Baby Boomers while trying to meet with The Rolling Stones for a client. The rivalry between old guard Roger and an ascending Pete continues as Peggy hires a new copywriter with a questionable personality but high talent.

Ratings for the episode fell from the season premiere, but were still stronger than the fourth season average. "Tea Leaves" received 2.9 million overall viewers and a 1.0 in the coveted 18-49 demographic. The episode received enthusiastic response from television critics. The main theme of the episode was seen by many television writers as the growing generation gap, and the increasing irrelevance of the main characters in culture and business as a result.

^ Mitchell, John (April 2, 2012). "Betty's Weight Gain Has 'Mad Men' Fans, Critics Divided". MTV. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2012.

[music_source-1] Mitchell, John (April 2, 2012). "Betty's Weight Gain Has 'Mad Men' Fans, Critics Divided". MTV. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2012.

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