We join Elizabeth closer to 1957 when things are about to shift in her life.

Elizabeth and Mad are a tight-knit duo, but as Mad works on her family tree project for school, she feels at a crossroads. Mad points out that she doesn't know much about her father, and though Elizabeth disagrees, she does her best to fill in the gaps.

At dinner that night, it's revealed that Harriet, Charlie, and their children are regular guests at the Zott household. Harriet finds a letter from a lab on Elizabeth's counter and reads it aloud, revealing Elizabeth can provide references and continue her research with backing.

Elizabeth heads to Hastings to get a reference from Dr. Donatti, but he no longer works there. Instead, she finds Alan Horowitz to be the head of Hastings. He declines to offer her a reference and instead, asks if she would come back to continue her research there. Elizabeth declines.

At school, Mad is disengaged. She's too advanced for her classes, and her teacher calls Elizabeth in for a meeting to suggest a private school instead. Elizabeth brings Mad home with her friend, Amanda, as she considers.

When Walter, Amanda's TV producer father, comes to pick her up, he marvels at Elizabeth's togetherness. He offers to give her a show again, letting her know that she would be the sole creator. Elizabeth considers, understanding her expenses are about to go up if she sends Mad to private school.

Elizabeth decides to go ahead with the show, and we're swept into a whirlwind of TV production. She meets everyone in the studio, marveling at how much more respect she's getting from the crew. When Elizabeth sees the picture-perfect pink kitchen the studio has designed for her, she's disgusted by how fake it is. Walter does his best to keep her calm and excited.

Elizabeth heads home to study, sharing with Harriet on the phone that she's developed a system of watching shows and notating specific gestures or facial expressions the hosts make. Harriet believes Elizabeth is overthinking and tries to get her to come to a barbecue the following day.

As she puts Mad to bed, Elizabeth tells her that she'll be starting to work at the TV station, so their time together will seem a bit different. Mad doesn't seem excited about Elizabeth's TV career or the potential of her going to private school.

During Elizabeth's first dress rehearsal, she finds the costume and dialogue challenging. As she tries to work out her system for the show, Walter's boss calls him in and doubts what they're doing. He wants to change the show entirely and plans to do so with or without Elizabeth's permission.

Mad gets home from school and finds herself alone. She has a schedule from Elizabeth, laying out the next several hours of her afternoon, but she decides to go through Calvin's locked-off study instead of following the schedule. Harriet and Linda come over, calling Mad away from the study after she's scattered some of Calvin's things and put a few of his school demerits in her pocket.

Harriet and Linda take Mad to their church choir practice, where she meets their reverend, who helps her figure out that Calvin went to a school called St. Luke's.

After her dress rehearsal, Walter and Elizabeth talk through the notes they've both made about the show. Walter explains that Phil, the station executive, didn't like the show. Elizabeth pushes back, and Walter agrees, suggesting Elizabeth make the show more her own.

Mad expresses more doubt about switching schools, but Elizabeth tries to reassure her it'll be good for her. The following day, Elizabeth discovers that the show is premiering immediately instead of in two weeks. Supper At Six, Elizabeth's new series, goes live, and she directly goes against the grain. A focus group audience of primarily men watch the show and give their thoughts afterward. While the women can hardly speak, they enjoy Elizabeth's refreshing take on the work it takes to provide a family meal, while the men find the series insufferable.

At another church choir practice, the reverend gives Mad a list of several St. Luke schools and tells her she must continue to look up the rest.

At the studio, Elizabeth is being reprimanded by Phil when it becomes clear that the series was a massive success as the phone lines are ringing off the hook. As Elizabeth's success rises, her relationship with Mad takes a hit. Her daughter feels as though she's not getting the same level of attention from her mother, and one night, after a taping, she tells Elizabeth she's missing everything.

To remedy the situation, Elizabeth takes Mad out for dinner at a diner. Over pancakes, they begin to chat but are continually interrupted by an excited waitress. Mad shuts down, and Elizabeth understands she needs to make a few changes if things are to continue for her with Supper At Six.