One month later, KCTV producer Walter Pine—overworked, anxious, and under pressure to fill an empty afternoon slot—keeps thinking about Elizabeth Zott, the forthright mother who recently confronted him about school lunch problems. With advertisers and his boss pressing him, he searches for a fresh idea.

At Hastings, Elizabeth reads the new Science Journal and realizes Donatti has published her research as his own, with Boryweitz listed as a contributor. Boryweitz admits Donatti photocopied her files the day she returned. Enraged, Elizabeth confronts Donatti, who basks in investor praise, and she resigns on the spot—handing over her key, ID, and lab coat.

Back home, Harriet reports calls, including multiple from Walter Pine. Elizabeth and Madeline discuss school; Mad’s teacher, Mrs. Mudford, disapproves of Mad’s advanced reading and probing questions. A prior conference cited Mad’s request for Norman Mailer; a new note shouts “Vladimir Nabokov.” The lunch issue with Amanda Pine is said to be resolved, though Mad hints Amanda’s lunches are unusual.

At dinner, Mad asks if they are poor, echoing a classmate’s taunt. Elizabeth, worried about money, recalls the boxes she retrieved with Miss Frask: Calvin’s “Rowing” folder shows he accepted Hastings’s lowest offer, drawn by Commons, California, and proximity to rowing. In a “Wakely” folder, letters with a Harvard divinity student debate faith and science; Wakely praises Commons’s weather and rowing. A final letter reveals Calvin typed, “I HATE MY FATHER. I HOPE HE’S DEAD,” puzzling Elizabeth.

Walter calls: he proposes a new afternoon cooking show to replace failed programming, pitching Elizabeth as host. Elizabeth insists she is a scientist; he counters that cooking and science align. The offered pay and a six-month pilot starting within a month tempt her despite her dislike of the idea. With bills looming, she silently weighs the opportunity—Supper at Six.