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.

The rivalry between old guard Roger and an ascending Pete continues as Peggy hires a new copywriter with a questionable personality but high talent.

Betty has gained weight over the past few months, causing her self-worth to drop and her sex life with Henry to flatline.

Harry and Don make a Saturday night trip to a Rolling Stones concert to meet with their manager Allen Klein.

When Harry leaves with one of the girls to talk with Klein, Don waxes poetic with the other over her love for the band.

Peggy chooses to interview a talented young Jewish man named Michael Ginsberg whose work impresses her.

Pete makes a puffed-up speech to the SCDP employees regarding his success in landing the Mohawk account.

"Tea Leaves" was written by Matthew Weiner and Erin Levy and directed by series star Jon Hamm.

"[3] Jon Hamm and Matthew Weiner both commented that the episode showcases the strong connection between Betty and Don that still exists despite the divorce.

The Reporter also noted that "Mad Men's formula for success comes from its careful duality: it revels in pinpoint accurate details from its 1960s setting, while playing with themes that are timeless.

Make-up tricks and clever camera angles were also used to create the dramatic impression of Betty's weight gain.

[10] Critics were complimentary towards the episode, praising the acting talent of January Jones and the ensemble cast as well as Jon Hamm's debut in the director's chair.

Some, however, were not as impressed by the fat suit techniques used on January Jones to both hide her pregnancy and convey the character's weight gain.

[11] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix said that all of the stories were linked by the threat of replacement and liked the interaction between Roger and Peggy, which he felt was a rare occurrence.

"[13] Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post praised Jon Hamm's direction and his "adherence to the Mad Men style" of "subtlety and economy".

She said that it was not "one of the more profound episodes the show has ever done", but that it was full of "Mad Men-esque meditations on mortality and feeling left behind by changing times.

"[14] Bonnie Stiernberg, writing for Paste Magazine, said that based on this episode and the premiere, season five will be about how "characters must learn to adapt to their changing surroundings or find themselves becoming irrelevant, relics of a bygone era".

She praised the creative solution to January Jones' pregnancy and the new African-American secretary, who she saw as an extension of Don, who was "also hired by the agency as a way to save face".