G. Gordon Liddy has a soliloquy talking about who writes history. Soldiers carrying the banners of kings. He's correlating all great things to Nixon, and that doesn't include women, queers, and a whole host of others.

January 1972: Five months before the break-in

Martha Mitchell is on To Tell the Truth. A naked young woman, really young, is watching the show in John Dean's hotel room.

Once she realizes who he works for, she rattles off a lot of names. It's her job to network. She's a hooker.

John Dean is racing through the streets in his Porche, and he speeds past a bum shitting in the street.

There are protestors everywhere, and when he's dissed by a couple of girls in a nearby car, he jams his foot on the gas and skips the light.

John Mitchell is angry, complaining to Jeb Magruder that Martha made a $52 phone call as he was adamant no interviews leading up to the election. John Dean waits in the wings.

Mitchell has no idea what the hell is going on when Dean begins selling himself. Magruder fills in Mitchell -- Dean thinks he's being housecleaned.

Not so much. They want to set up an espionage unit to gather info on the dems. Or, an intelligence gathering unit. Dean isn't thrilled on the idea and turns down the offer after Mitchell uses swollen wet vaginas in his speech. But then Dean learns that it was Nixon who asked for him specifically to charm the snake.

Dean then suggests G. Gordon Liddy. He's a mensa type. Dean would be happy to get Gordon filled in and show him the ropes.

Martha calls, so Mitchell shoves everyone out of the room and begins screaming into the phone.

Martha is with Winnie McLendon, trying to get her to accept a martini. Winnie isn't interested. But when Martha talks trust, Winnie places an order.

Martha has 76% name recognition with US households.

Winnie is with the Ladies' Home Journal, and she's trying to hold a serious interview. She thinks Martha isn't treating it as such.

Martha charms Winnie just in time for Mitchell to come home swearing about her interviews. He knows she's trying to steal the spotlight from Pat Nixon. Pat chose a conflicting date for an event, and it annoyed Martha. Mitchell is angry, and Martha offers to blow him to make things better. He sends security out of the room, and Martha straddles him.

Dean and Liddy present Operation Gemstone to Mitchell and Magruder. When Liddy reveals the first step to be Operation Quartz, Magruder points out that quartz is a mineral.

Liddy is a freakin' nut job. He first wants to kidnap democrats, and then he wants to film democratic officials on a boat with hookers. Eyerolls abound, but somehow, they let him continue.

Liddy explodes after the presentation, and Dean is stuck listening to his tirade.

He's a tiny man who needs an impressive amount of ass kissing to feel good. All Dean can get out is that he liked the font Liddy used in the presentation before he suggests they never talk about it again.

The Mitchells are preparing for a night out on the town. They're quite frisky together. She's irate to discover that Pat seated them in the back where they can't see anything.

The Ray Coniff Singers are the entertainment, and the singers have a sign and a message. Let's stop the killing and stop the war. One of the girls is dragged off of the stage with a look at Martha along the way.

Dean is meeting a woman named Maureen aka Mo for drinks. They've met through a dating service. He does Three Stooges Mo for her, and it's awkward.

There are stories and laughter, and they seem to be getting along swimmingly. She reveals that he doesn't make the best first impression and she thought he'd be a huge piece of shit.

Her dates are research. She wants to write romantic novels. She likes DC because people go there to make a difference in the world.

She wonders how awful it must be for him to work for Nixon. They have dramatically opposing viewpoints. He insults her about finding a guy with enough bread to pick up the check.

The Mitchells talk about the past, reliving sweet memories. Martha suggests jumping on a flight and leaving it all behind for a while, but he poo poos the idea. Nixon needs him and will fall apart without him.

Martha calls Winnie when the night is over. She really wants Winnie to catch onto what she's saying without being overt. Winnie takes the Henry Kissinger bait.

Liddy has a portrait of Hitler on his wall. His son calls him "father" and has had a nightmare. Liddy says everyone laughed at him today because he made an oopsie. Mrs. Liddy tells Raymond to build friendships with those who make fun of him with a ships metaphor.

Dean asks his secretary to track down Mo before learning that Liddy is already in Mitchell's office. Dean wonders if they should be casually discussing illegal activity in his office.

Mitchell invites Dean to the fundraiser next weekend, including a date that's nice on they eyes. So, he stalks the escalator at the airport to find Mo. She wonders where his ticket is and calls him a psychopath for calling the FAA to get her flight schedule.

It's a pilot trick that has never seemed quite so pathetic as it does now. She's looking for a man, not a boy. She laughs when he says he wants to take her to a republican fundraiser. She perks up at Martha Mitchell, who she considers completely insane. She loves her.

Liddy sneaks up on Magruder, sticking his finger in his ass, so to speak. Liddy is talking cash, and Magruder informs him that he holds the purse strings, not Liddy.

Liddy is a total freak, saying Magruder has never tasted his own blood. Magruder doesn't appreciate his tone, and Liddy grabs him by the throat and tosses him up against the world. NOW he tastes his blood. Magruder leaves, and Liddy kicks the shit out of the snack area as James McCord wanders in They talk CIA and FBI.

Dean gathers Mo for the fundraiser.

She says hello to people with afterthoughts like "you have blood on your hands." They walk right over to Martha, and Mo gets tonguetied.

Now, Mo seems impressed with Dean, especially since Martha said they make a striking couple.

Mo wanders off through the room talking to people, interjecting herself into conversations, the first with Bob Haldeman. Dean thanks him for the recommendention to Mitchell, when he discovers that wasn't true aas Haldeman says to learn to spot a snake in the grass.

Mitchell is angry with Martha again.

Dean finds their daughter, Marty, hiding in the coat closet. She offers him a cigarette.

Martha and Mitchell fight like cats and dogs. Marty remember when they were happy. She hates parties.

After the dust settles on their fight, all that's left are biting words. Mitchell finishes by telling Martha nobody likeds her. They just hang around because they like the show.

James McCord goes out for a smoke, and Martha begins speaking. Mo and Dean reminded her of her and Mitchell when they were just beginning. James read her Ladies Home Journal interview, and he believes she's one of the last remaing honest people in DC. She thanks him.

At breakfast, Mitchell asks Martha to fetch the sugar. Annoyed, she gets up only to find plane tickets and a bottle of elderberry wine in the cupboard. They're for California, but he thought the trip would give her a chance to try out her new swimsuits. She doesn't think they're appropriate for a public beach, and he says maybe they can find someplace more secluded.

Mo tells Dean that whatever they're making him do, he has a choice and can choose a different direction. After typing up his resignation letter, he discovers that Mitchell is out of the office for the day. On his desk is a message that Nixon is very pleased with John Dean, and he'd like to meet him.

Dean pulls back the letter and leaves.

There's a host of men in a van. Liddy takes them to a bridge, showing them their destiny. Watergate.

In bed, Martha spots some of the plan on Mitchell's bedside table.

Dean tries his hand at Liddy's candle trick. He doesn't have the stamina for it.