Well now. I can't imagine many people were disappointed with how this one went. While last week was about disaster, this week was about break ups, new beginnings, and trying to change what appears unchangeable. The satisfaction Don feels at starting off anew juxtaposed with the end of his marriage.

-Of course Don finds out about McCann buying PPL from Hilton. And while the new agency would seem like an opportunity to get more of Hilton's business, that doesn't appear in the cards. We'll see next year.

-Speaking of next year, what's your guess on how long down the road the season starts? I bet Sterling Cooper Draper Price will have moved into an office and is more of a viable business. That would mean that we see nothing for the Draper divorce, though.

-Speaking of the Draper divorce, what will Betty's role be next year? I've voiced displeasure with her character before, but I can't imagine her being completely jettisoned the way Sal was.

-Speaking of Sal, interesting that they threw a bone to all the people who miss him with the momentary trouble of the art department being locked. How many of you thought that'd be his ticket back until Don kicked that door down? Or maybe he really is done on the show. One way to come back could be working for McCann, now that they don't have Lucky Strike. Kenny and his Haircut and Kinsey will also need to pop up from time to time.

-With Pete and Peggy ostensibly re-energized is that it for Duck? I'm still curious what Peggy sees in him, but her track record with guys is pretty awful, so I suppose she just has bad taste.
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This is one of those episodes with which I don't know what to do. Since I didn't write about every episode last year, I can't really remember if this next statement is true: This season seems very inconsistent. Phenomenal episodes followed by good episodes followed by OK episodes. And I saw this thought on another site last week, but have been thinking it myself. This season has been outside the office more and it's not a good thing. More Sterling-Cooper please!

-Obviously the big moment in this episode is Betty finding Don's secret box. Luckily for him, she seemed to be too distracted by his fake divorce to question Dick Whitman's stuff too closely. I loved when Don called the house the morning of the party and didn't realize Betty was mad at him... She was raring for a fight and then sort of backed down.

-The teacher is crazy and this is not going to end well. She's saying all the right things now, about how she doesn't care about his family. You'll see. So who called and hung up if not the teacher and not Henry Francis (though I guess Betty called him to let us know he's not done on the show yet)? I bet it was the teacher.

-"Do you feel bad about what you do?" "Nobody feels as good about what they do as you do." Teach didn't mean the question to be anything more than about advertising, unfortunately, but Don still dodged it.

-Last week we had a "Betty" episode, which aren't that awesome, but if they start focusing episodes on the teacher, I'll be upset. Taking her brother for a ride was weird. I don't know if they were telling us that not everyone could be like Don and just make a change in his life ("I'm addlicted."). The second time this season Don has given all his money to someone younger than him he had just met (though the first was involuntary). The little brother had Don described perfectly when he used the phrase "his plans were interrupted." If people would just stop screwing with Don's plans.

-"I swore to myself that I would do this right once." Don was thinking his brother, Adam, when he said that. Otherwise, I don't think we know yet what he was talking about.

-Another big reveal is that Sterling-Cooper is for sale, much to the delight of Price's wife, who has not taken to the US. No clue what this means for next year. Bert Cooper's a funny character, "Who told you I was vain?"

-"I hate when that happens." Kinsey and Peggy were surprised that Don had opened up to them about losing good ideas. That expression of fallibility was humane and somewhat out of character. These quick moments, when a throw away line and shrug of the shoulders, reveal more about Don than some half episodes. It's why we watch, amirite?

Apologies for skimping this week, was out on Sunday night and had to rush this to get some normal amount of sleep.

This starts about 7 minutes before the plane crash of Oceanic Air Flight 815 and is really well done. I can't imagine the time that went into putting this together, but I admire it and can relate. Good stuff starts at 6:55. Enjoy!

(By the way, I end up writing about Lost a lot here. I don't love love LOVE the show, and don't think it's in the class of MadMenTheWireDeadwood30Rock. It's maybe closer to TheSopranosBreakingBad. That said, the creative stuff that comes from the fans of Lost really is impressive.)



Via James

Lots to talk about tonight with several seemingly major plot points. Let's get right to it:

-While Don has been courting Conrad Hilton, (Eddie Harris in Major League, by the way), Betty has been doing her own thing with Henry Francis. Getting caught by Carla and throwing a fundraiser as a useless cover. Betty sniped at the Governor's woman sent to the fundraiser, then threw the money from the fundraiser. In the end, she decided she didn't want to debase herself on a desk, ffice sofa, or random hotel room. Hard to tell if this one is over.

-As far as what we've seen on the show, Hilton might be the first thing Don's gone after and not gotten. Yet. Since we met him, Connie's been flirting with Don, begging him to tell him what to do. ("How do we know to do it, Don? How do we know to do something.") And now he's pulled back. I'm not certain what made him so mad, since... couldn't they just come up with a slide for the moon?

-I want what I want when I want it. Roger said that earlier in the year, so when Betty said it tonight, I figured it was something. And lo, it's a movie from 1908.

-The teacher went to Bowdoin (Actually, she didn't. Women weren't allowed at Bowdoin until 1970. Must have been a boyfriend's shirt. Thanks commenter.), Betty is left-handed, Peggy died her hair, and Pete doesn't smoke. The last, I hadn't noticed. What are they trying to say there?

-Ahh, Sal. If you had Lee Garner, Jr in the pool to figure out which known character would come on to Sal, well, you win. I didn't see it coming until he started nit picking the commercial. So he's gone, then? Sort of surprising the way the show is jettisoning some pretty big characters (Sal and Joan), while giving less and less screen time to those that are still there (Peggy and Roger, and Kinsey to an extent). Is it Betty that's taking up the time, or extra Don?

So this was the culmination of what Don saw in Baltimore? All the people who thought Don was 'cool' were proven wrong by his 'you people' remark, but maybe it'll come back around somehow. If you missed it, Don wasn't mad that Sal was gay, just that he didn't do what he needed to keep Lee 'Lucky Strike' Garner, Jr happy. Though, it should be said that sex means something different to Don than to... most everyone else on the show. Hard to say why Sal was calling his wife from the cruisy park. Going on a bender? Prepping for Lee? Showing that he did have some experience? Somewhat connected to Sal getting fired, I thought Betty was going to fire Carla to avoid having to deal with getting caught.

-We got another, "What do you want me to say?" when Don went to see the teacher. His dalliances, by the way, keep ratcheting up the danger (this one only 2 miles from home) as if along with the chance at another life, Don is also feeding on the risk. First a stranger in the village, then a client, then his daughter's former teacher.

-Finally, tonight's episode had Don about as unlikable as we've seen for most of the episode. What'd you think?

This was another of those episodes where there a lot of scenes where not much happened, and yet...there WERE a lot of scenes. This is the type of episode that people who don't like Mad Men talk about when they say, "I watched a couple episodes, but nothing happened so I stopped." Not necessarily in relation to the above, but this was also clearly an episode about Betty. All of the stories, except Pete's obviously, revolved around her or advanced her character in some way.

-The 'August Episode'. Or maybe one of them. Things seem to happen in August on Mad Men. Don got kicked out last season in August, right?
-Pete in dungarees, eating cereal, watching cartoons was great. What a little boy.
-I liked the response by the councilman to Henry Francis' letter from the Governor. "Really?"
-"Of the whole store?" "Of the Republic of Dresses!" Indeed. Oh, Joanie, how's it going? I couldn't tell if she was mortified to be seen working at all, or to be seen working at the department store. Probably yes. Hard to say what's planned for her character, though I don't think she's been written off the show.
-"You think that because of the way I'm dressed I'm shallow?" I liked when Don sat at the table next to Betty's and pretended to pick her up. Totally burned the Italians. Also, who knew Betty spoke Italian? That was a lot of kissing when they got back to the room. Thanks for the show! And then jumping into the shower! Yipe. She's a wildcat.
-Pete's neighbor coming over to warn him off his nanny... there was no judgment, he just didn't want Pete messing up everything with the nanny his wife liked. Pete really is a child.
-I can't decide if Don needs to take Betty on more business trips or less. It's almost as if she can handle the boringness if she's not reminded of it. And nothing reminds her of it more than coming home from Rome.
-Can't get myself to care about Sally. She's a symbol for something. Probably Betty.
-It wouldn't be responsible to go an entire recap without mentioning Betty getting kissed by Henry Francis. She seems over it and I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see him again, or maybe she'll have an affair with him. Who knows?

"We need to fell happy about honey!" I love the sycophants and love imagining Don Draper's face watching either this, or watching Pete and Kinsey act like this.

Jaw dropping. My mouth was open for the entire scene. I expected Lois to drive the tractor out a window, but I didn't think they'd show it. So in actuality when she drove over someone's foot... Wow. It's too bad the show isn't set in Boston, because then we'd have the perfect Boston Massacre joke set up.

-As Don noted, the British are coming on the day celebrating America's independence, why would they do that on purpose? Seems unnecessarily antagonistic.

-The meeting between Bert, Roger, and Don had 2 funny lines, "Ever since you swung around your privates with Duck in the board room", and Bert talking about the British studying Don's "particular American genius". Then Bert made Roger and Don go get haircuts. Think their quarrel is over?

-I was surprised how pleased Don seemed with the idea of getting a promotion, because it makes him seem more human than he's been the last 2 seasons. The Don of the first season was dispassionate about his career trajectory. Since the purchase, he's seemed to give a crap, which is weird.

-That was nice of Betty to give Don a can of Budweiser, but we were lead to believe last year that the women would only keep Heineken in the house, the other beer stayed in the shed.

-I don't know if I care about Joan or her husband not having brains in his fingers. Though I did just find out Dr. Harris is played by the cousin of a friend.

-Don's disappointment during the reorganization meeting was palpable, and shows more of the same career concern that's new this season. I'm not sure what his doodle of stars in a box is supposed to mean, but I bet there's a theory for it.

- I wish I had a talking Bert Cooper doll so I could ask questions and hear things like "It's about letting things go, so you can get what you want," and, "We took their money, so we have to do what they say."

-You sort of knew the guy Don made an Old Fashioned for at the country club a couple episodes ago was going to pop again, but I doubt any of you thought it was Conrad Hilton. I like Hilton asking for advice, Don balking (even giving us a 'What do you want me to do?', which is like the 'What do you want me to say?' we get so often), and Hilton saying flat out, "I want you to give me one for free." Then Don's starving snake analogy was weird and not as slick as you'd expect. Think we'll see Hilton on the show again, or is he just an analogy for opportunity?

-Sterling's line about McKedrick's foot slays, "Believe me, somewhere in this business, this has happened before."

-Was it just me, or did Don and Joan almost make out when saying goodbye? Is she still on the show?

Wow, this poster by Olly Moss celebrating the last season of Lost is exceptional... Reminds me a little of his Die Hard poster, which is also phenomenal.

As mentioned last week, Everything Don Draper Said (Season 1) follows up on Everything Tracy Jordan Said Seasons 1, 2, and 3. This season is only around 7500 words (as opposed to Season 1's 10K words), but you're still gonna lose a morning if you try to read it all at once. Stay tuned, more coming soon from your favorite television characters. In any case, this fall is going to feature some fun Everything They Said projects... Without further adieu.

Episode 1
"Yeah, I eat a lot of apples."
"What's the number?"
"Dead, both."
"My dad was 41, 42, he died in an accident. My mother died in childbirth. She was 22, I think."
"Everything? Depends on the day."
"3."
"5."
"Yes."
"What do you mean?"
"How do you feel?"
"Nope, no, I've been good."
"How is it?"
"Makes you feel better about sitting in a bar at lunch. Makes you feel like you're getting something done."
"Is it good?"
"Any calls?"
"Of course."
"What do we have?"
"I can almost picture it."
"So it's about an airline that's flown by Indians. Maybe a plane with some arrows stuck in the cargo door? That's funny. That's what gets people attention now, right? There has to be advertising for people who don't have a sense of humor."
"What else you got?"
"Stop writing for other writers."
"What's outside that window?"
"I get on a plane, I don't care where I'm going, I just want to see the city disappearing behind me."
"That Indian, that's not about the majestic beauty of the Mohawk nation. It's about adventure. Could be a pirate. Could be a knight in shining armor. Could be a conquistador getting off a boat. It's about a fantastical people who are taking you someplace you've never been. Blah, blah, blah, blah."
"You want to get on a plane to feel alive. You want to get on a place to see just the hint of a woman's thigh because her skirt is just this much too short."
"So I guess I'm helping both of us."
"For what purpose?"
"Well, young campaigns don't necessarily come from young people."
"So what am I supposed to do, dangle a Pepsi out the window and see if I can hook a stroller?"
"This sounds like accounts to me."
"You want younger people than that?"
"Tell Duck, clients don't understand. Their success is related to standing out, not fitting in. It's a fad. Paint them a picture, uh, something like one wants to be the needle in the haystack, not a haystack."
"You're talking as if they're some fresh version of us. They're not. Young people don't know anything, especially that they're young."
"I know."
"Don't worry, we will be out of here before the singer starts."
"I don't think we have, Bets, Don Draper."
"Pleasure."
"I do."
"I don't think it's permanent."
"She's a party girl, Bets."
"Really."
"How stupid do you think I am?"
"How does room service sound?"
"Wow."
"Hold on."
"Hello, yes, this is Mr. Draper in room 804. Yes, can you send up some vishiswas and a BLT on white toast…"
"Scratch that, 2 shrimp cocktails."
"So, I have a lot of thoughts. How old are you?"
"Right, you're experienced, I got it. Are you married?"
"So, again, you both did everything together and yet you get paid more?"
"But, you contribute words?"
"I'm gonna ask you a question that was always asked of me when I was on job interviews."
"Have you ever been fired?"
"Book's good. By the way it has Julian Koenig's fingerprints all over it."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Smith."
"That must happen all the time. You two share an office?"
"Of course not."
"Good. So now that I've given you your babies and Xerox machine, should I throw in a couple of elephants? I don’t want there to be any excuses when you can't bring in Martinson's Coffee."
"Send them in."
"Where are we?"
"Are you gonna underline the 'you'? For half the people it will be 'where are you going'?"
"Where the hell is Dale?"
"I don't know, sure, it's fine. It's obvious, I'm uninvolved."
"What about that?"
"No, she's right. Just because it has sentiment doesn't make it sentimental. We're talking about businessmen."
"Says who? Just so you know, the people who talk that way think that monkeys can do this. And they take all this monkey crap and just stick it in a briefcase completely aware that their success depends on something more than their shoeshine. You are the product. You feeling something. That's what sells. Not them. Not sex. They can't do what we do. And they hate us for it."
"Is that a question?"
"You can put that in your book."
"Take your hat off."
"Hey, Carla. Hey, BD."
"I am tired. Where's Mrs. Draper."
"Want a ride to the station?"
"Goodnight."
"Here, give it to me."
"I'm here, too."
"Hi. Bobby conked out, where were you?"
"Well, I was here."
"I did."
"Come on, show me what you learned in ballet."
""Now I am quietly waiting for the catastrophe of my personality to seem beautiful again. And interesting and modern. The country is gray and brown and white and trees. Snows and skies of laughter always diminishing. Less funny, not just darker, not just gray. It may be the coldest day of the year, what does he think of that? I mean, what do I? And if I do, perhaps I am myself again.""
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You think it's going to end and it just keeps going on and on and on and on and on and on.



Via Title Case.