As the live pilot of Supper at Six begins, Elizabeth walks onstage dressed for work—apron, goggles, pencil, test tubes—and surveys a kitschy, patronizing kitchen. On air, she calls the set “revolting,” asks for Walter, and resists being the “average Jane.” After a quick offstage clash, she returns, refusing to play along.

Ignoring cue cards, Elizabeth tells viewers to disregard the fixed “Supper at Six” clock and declares that cooking is serious and time is precious. She clears clutter from the counter and makes a pact to produce something that matters—supper. A harried mother, about to switch off, pauses and keeps watching.

Afterward, in the dressing room, Rosa offers quiet support, but Walter confronts Elizabeth for disregarding the script and endangering the show. She refuses to adopt a chirpy persona and reveals she couldn’t read the cards because her conscience wouldn’t allow it. Walter admits he wrote the script; they clash over tone and purpose.

Calls start pouring in about the shopping list Elizabeth ad-libbed in chemical notation, specifically CH3COOH. Elizabeth clarifies it means vinegar and defends the list as useful. Walter, stressed, gets a note from Phil Lebensmal: make it “sexy” and add a cocktail, or else. Elizabeth coolly diagnoses Walter’s slump as the Afternoon Depression Zone.

With the secretaries gone, Walter and Elizabeth field phones together, repeating “Vinegar” to confused viewers. Walter notes he never got a single call on the clown show—a sign that, despite turmoil, Elizabeth’s unscripted approach has struck a nerve.