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With the end of the season nigh, tons of storylines are getting attention, so forgive me if the recaplet sounds disjointed. Bertram's sister (Alice Cooper, hee) shows up for the board vote in regard to Duck's old company's bid to buy SC, and they talk about selling Roger out. Roger and Bertram butt heads about the potential sale, with Roger for the merger and Bertram against. But with Don absent, the board votes unanimously to sell, and Alice Cooper gets in the bitchiest oh-by-the-way line possible to Roger, which makes her totally rule in my eyes.
Betty catches Sally smoking, and Betty gets tagged with the bad-guy label, as you knew she eventually would. She also hears that Sarah Beth slept with Arthur, but despite her own hand in the matter, instead of sympathizing, Betty harshly tells her that no one made her step out. She then comes clean to Sally about the fact that she and Don are having problems, although she promises that everything will be okay.
Speaking of whom, Peggy becomes the new Don, using the Catholic Church for her inspiration, which is doing lots for her creativity but is also causing her to smoke. But whatever it takes, she fills his shoes beyond mere capability, pitching to a new client in an eerily reminiscent lyrical manner.
Trudy lets Hildy know about her and Pete's adoption prospects, which sets Pete off, and he tells Trudy in no uncertain terms that they're not adopting a child. This prompts Trudy's dad to threaten to take away the Clearasil account, but instead of toeing the line, Pete takes his head off.
Joan's fiancé is having trouble with her proficiency in bed, and when she brings him into SC, he rapes her on the floor of Don's office. Joan, however, manages to smile though her heart, along with everyone else's, is breaking. Peggy asks Roger for Freddy's old office, and Roger accedes, given that he's planning to be out of there before you can say the words "golden parachute." Pete then comes in to see Peggy and sincerely congratulates her while confessing that he might not be around much longer, and also tells Peggy about Don's disappearance and speculates that both he and Don may not be coming back.
But the real story is this: In a flashback, we see Don meet with the real Don Draper's wife, Anna, the one from the auto dealership. He tells her about the identity switch, but the fact that the real Don never even mentioned her to him is enough for her to treat him leniently. In the present, Don comes to see her, and we learn that they're quite good friends, and also that he's donated quite a bit of money to her well-being, having honestly taken the real Don Draper's place. He confesses that he's ruined everything, and admits that he's merely been a spectator to his own life. Back in the past, we see Don positively gush to DD's wife about having met Betty, and it's so endearing that it could almost make you forget about everything he's ever done. Except for talking with Leo from Charmed, which is a sin that's hard to forgive. In the present, Anna reads tarot cards in aid of telling Don that if he'd just stop thinking he's alone, he could be happy. In the end, Don cleanses himself in the ocean, and it is very unclear whether his second identity will continue to exist.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below! First off, I just would like to address something from the recaplet. I originally wrote that Joan's fiancé "borderline raped" her. This was what I would refer to as "a slip of the brain," which happens way more often than I'd like. I tend to write the recaplets as quickly as I can (I'm an old man when it comes to my bedtime) and I don't pay nearly as much attention as I do when I'm doing the full recap. There's obviously no doubt that he full-on raped her, that there was no consent given, and usually if I miss something, it's a relatively minor deal to correct myself in the full recap, but not this time -- it's a highly sensitive subject, for obvious reasons, and I even have a good friend who endured a reasonably similar experience in college, so I'm very sorry that I used language that conveyed disrespect for the gravity of what happened, because that was not my intention at all. I thank the people who wrote me about it, and I really appreciate everyone who gave me the benefit of the doubt. I really mean that.Okay. In the Draper house, we open on Betty calling crisp orders to her children before taking Don's paycheck (for just under $950, FYI) and forging the endorsement. You can't really get too upset with her, though, because as this episode so clearly reminds us, Don's basically been doing the same thing for years. Soon after, Betty's walking through the house when she catches a whiff of something in the air, and before you know it, she's opened the bathroom door and caught Sally with a lit cigarette. She yanks her daughter out of there by the hair and barks, "You could burn the house down." I suppose if she'd caught her drinking red wine, she would have lectured her on the potential of ruining the carpet. Betty tells her she won't be playing with her friends or watching TV anytime soon, and also that she's taking away her Barbie; then when Sally says she's mean, Betty responds, "You betcha!" Sarah Palin would be so proud. She tosses Sally into the closet and shuts the door, and Sally informs her she's telling Don when he gets back. "He left because you're stupid and mean!" This further provokes Betty's ire, but when Sally shows she's on the qui vive by asking why Betty won't let Don come home, the fight goes out of her, and she rests her head against the closet door in frustration before asking if that's what she thinks. Sally points out that his suitcase is there and he's not, and it's sad for Betty that she didn't even have to travel with TWA for them to screw her. Betty opens the door and tells Sally that Don's on a business trip, just like she said, but the cracks in the façade of this lie are clearly starting to show, at least to adult eyes. Sally asks if they can call him on the phone, but Betty deftly plays the hand she's been dealt as she points out that Don would be very upset to learn what Sally was just caught doing. Sally fearfully asks her not to tell, so Betty sends her on her way, saying she's going riding as soon as Carla gets there, "and I want a good report." When Sally's gone, though, Betty looks like she's getting to the end of her rope. There's a lot of that going around, which isn't surprising in the -to-last episode of the season.
Don disembarks from a bus at San Pedro, pauses to look around in a picturesque manner, and heads on his way.
At SC, Ken, Sal and Peggy are apparently working on a new account, as Ken complains that no one wants a Popsicle in the winter and then bitches that it's too noisy in Peggy's office (you'll remember her officemate is named Xerox) to think. At least he didn't blame his lack of productivity on the newfound gayness around there. Speaking of which, Peggy's still sporting her new hairdo, and it and she counter that they called the meeting, the implication being that it's her right to host. Sal asks where, then, the refreshments are, and Peggy puts on an accommodating smile and pulls out a bottle of something and pours them drinks. Given how she's transforming into Don before our very eyes, I wonder if she's developed a taste for rye. Sal and Peggy fondly recall how their mothers used to break the Popsicles in half when they were kids, and Ken offers that in Vermont, they made their own ice cream. "It was a pain in the ass." But so much more satisfying than, say, making your own haggis. After handing the boys their drinks, Peggy gets eerily distant, just like Don when he's at his most creative, as she opines that you can break Popsicles in half all year round, and the ritual is the thing, just like Communion. She thinks the whole idea is evocative of good Christian behavior. "Let me tell you something -- the Catholic church knows how to sell things." Well, except for youth dances, but I see her point.
Pete checks in with Hildy, who eagerly tells him that he has an appointment with "Spence Chapin" on Thursday. Pete's confused, so Hildy happily clarifies that it's "the adoption agency," and sincerely wishes him good luck. Pete looks around warily before putting on the most fake, uncomfortable, and half-hearted smile you've ever seen. I think looking at it for too long might actually cause your soul to flee your body. Hildy, spectacularly failing to read the room, tells him that giving an abandoned child a home is such a "blessed" thing, and asks if he'd like her to get Trudy on the line. Pete declines that offer before running off to ring Roger for the name of his divorce lawyer.
A sophisticated older woman enters Bertram's office, and from the presence of a waiter and a catered meal, it seems she's expected, so this must be the sister we heard about last episode. Bertram asks "Alice" (as I said in the recaplet, nice one, show) if "Florence" is with her, whom he describes as her "companion," but if it's a close friendship, a Boston marriage, or something more than that is left ambiguous. Too bad Kurt's not in the episode to sniff out the situation. Bertram's chagrined to see that Alice has failed to remove her shoes, but she sniffs, "My stockings cost more than your carpeting." Not being a woman, I have to ask: Is that even possible? Bertram inquires if she's looked over the paperwork, and Alice confesses that she thinks the offer is quite generous. "I always say, it's the smartest thing I ever did, helping you out." One wonders if she phrases it quite as generously when he's not around. Bertram lets us know the terms of the offer -- "twenty-two-fifty per share per year for the ten years" -- and Alice smiles. "To think that Mother thought you were a failure." Does this mean Pete will one day be running his own agency? Alice orders a drink, but it's merely a ploy to get the waiter out of the room so she can safely ask Bertram about the fact that he said on the phone that he was undecided. Not that I expect she's going to waste the vermouth once the guy returns. Bertram confesses that he made a promise (to the elder Sterling, I'm assuming) that he'd take care of Roger, but Alice scoffs and suggests Bertram let Roger have what he's always wanted: "To die in the arms of a twenty-year-old." Between the heart condition and the indubitably vigorous sex, she's surely on to something here. Alice calls Bertram on the real reason for his hesitation -- he doesn't want to retire. "And I hate to say this, Bertram, but you are old. Older than me! I can't even imagine what that must be like." It doesn't actually sound to me like she hates to say it, and Bertram's arch reply of "Charming" agrees with me. She softens a bit, though, as she says he's not well, and besides, it's not like he can't continue to do his job if that's what he wants. However, she makes reference to a place in Montana he apparently had built, fondly recalling how he drove the architect to distraction, and urging him to go visit his cattle. The idea of Bertram singing "Home On The Range" is one that's not going to leave my head any time soon. Bertram replies, "I do love them. But you can't trust the Brits." And this before Mad Cow Disease! By the way, Alice slugs her drink in one shot, which makes me think all's right with the world. "In The Hall Of The Mountain King" kicks up...
...as Don arrives at his destination, a rather nondescript one-story house on a residential street. He knocks...
...and then we're in a flashback, as he opens the door to his ostensible apartment back when he was a used-car salesman, which is a tiny little hole in the wall. I'm guessing his skills of persuasion were refined over the years. The woman from the flashback five episodes ago is behind him (finally!) and she warns him that she left a letter on her bureau at home, and if she's not back in two days, the police will come after him. Don's puzzled as to why she would have done that, so she clarifies that she doesn't want him to hurt her. Don tries to lie his way out of the predicament, feigning a lack of knowledge of what she's talking about, but that's another skill of his that wasn't nearly as good back then, and she sees right through him, stepping forward and saying she's Don's wife, and she just wants to know what happened to him. "Stop lying. You've been caught. Don't make me do something I don't want to do." A sentiment a certain person in this episode sadly will ignore. Don confesses that the real Don died, and after expressing his condolences, helps Anna (we'll learn that's her name soon enough) into a chair and pours her a drink. He then tells her that Don never told him he had a wife, and Anna looks slightly hurt as she says it's been seven years. Don sits and tells Anna the real Don was killed in combat, and says the Army mistook their identities. "I didn't think I was hurting anyone." He doesn't mention that the Army made that mistake because he switched the dog tags, but I suppose I can't blame him for proceeding gingerly through this conversation. Anna says she can't believe it, and Don anxiously asks what she's going to do to him. Anna still can't grasp that her husband never mentioned her, and Don tries to say he didn't know him long, but the statement obviously sounds weak even to him. He tells her he's making good money, which I can only conclude from looking at the surroundings he's saving just about all of, but off her look, goes on that he realizes he owes her more than that. He offers her Don's Purple Heart and his dog tags, and Anna responds, "He wanted to marry my sister. She looks just like me with two good legs." I think even now Don wouldn't know what to say to that, so this younger version doesn't stand a chance of coming up with a reply. But speaking of her looks, her physical similarity to Betty, particularly the hair, is interesting, no? After getting his real name, she asks what she should do with him, but Don merely sits wide-eyed and awaits judgment...
...and then the song kicks back up as in the present, Anna opens her front door and warmly embraces him. When she invites him in, we see that the music is coming from a young boy plinking away on the piano. When he's done, Don applauds, and then Anna introduces "Teddy" and "Dick." Teddy tells Don the title of the song, and Don replies, "It's scary." Teddy grins and says he knows, but before we have time to wonder whether this kid is meeting his dad for the first time, we learn that Anna is merely his piano teacher, as she sends him on his way with a lollipop. Oh, Anna -- haven't you heard? It's all about Popsicles these days! When Teddy's gone, Anna smiles broadly at Don and notes he's tan, and asks if he's there on vacation. He shows an easy familiarity I'm not sure we've ever seen from him before as he takes a seat to her on the piano bench and tells her he's actually out on business. Of course, that's debatable, but I suppose the fact that he's not outright lying says something about this woman as well. Anna asks if he's just staying the day, and he confesses he didn't even think about it before endearingly asking if he can take a shower and lie down. She tells him he can, of course, and rubs his back affectionately. The fact that he receives it, that he's willing not to dominate this person, is truly noteworthy. Of course, California is known for chilling people out.
Pete arrives home in a right state, and even denies his wife a kiss in favor of telling her that they're not going to the adoption agency, no way, no how. She points out that he's shouting, but he refuses to change his tone, angrily biting off each word: "We are not. Adopting. A child! That's final." She again tries to get him to calm down, but after he starts yelling for real, she responds in kind, shouting that he can't speak to her that way. Pete's response is to take the chicken off the dinner table and hurl it off the balcony, platter and all. Well, his stance on adoption may not make him look like much of a humanitarian, but at least he's feeding the homeless. Trudy yells that he's lost his mind and stomps off, as Pete pours himself a much-needed drink. I wonder how many neighbors of theirs have moved at this point.
The TV's "Million Dollar Movie" this evening is The Day The Earth Stood Still, and oh, God, I forgot about this scene, which is a precursor to the awful upcoming one. Joan and her fiancé Greg are in bed fooling around, and when he mentions that he's tired, she gets on top of him and offers, "Let me do the driving." He can't deal with her sexuality, though, calling her off, and then, like so many stealth assholes, compounds the problem by making it about her: "Where'd you pick that up?" This is apparently not the first such conversation they've had, as she wearily tells him to stop that. "You know there is no before." He continues to be a dick: "I'm sorry that I don't know all the things you want." Joan assures him that he does, but he uses the excuse about being on call again soon to turn away from her. Joan sadly focuses her attention on the TV and wonders how the honeymoon can be over before the wedding has even occurred.
Apparently at the same time, from the fact that the office is darkened, Peggy steals a cigarette out of one of the desks in the main area and lights up. I'm pretty sure Don hasn't smoked in any of the flashbacks we've seen, so if he only started when he came to SC, this seems to be another brick in the road to Peggy becoming Don.
The day, Anna brings Don, who's out on the porch, a beer, and Don jokes about how loose the pants she gave him are. She laughs and says they belonged to "Harold," whom she kicked out, "even though old ladies shouldn't be picky." She needs to hang out with Alice Cooper. Don sincerely says it's beautiful out there, and Anna laughs that it's fitting he likes the porch, as he paid for it. Wow. Between her and Adam, it's a good thing Don's such a higher-up at SC, or he and Betty and the kids would be living in that tiny apartment. Anna tells him she thinks about him sometimes, just to wonder what he's up to, before asking how old his kids are now. As he tells her they're eight and five, his mood darkens, which can happen when people are so gauche as to bring up the subject of you having abandoned your children. Anna tells him if he doesn't want to talk about what happened, he doesn't have to, but she wants him to know he can. "I always felt that we met so that both of our lives could be better. That's just how it is between us." Don confesses that he's ruined everything with his wife and kids, and even mentions Adam, saying he came to find him, and he told him to go away. She tells him she didn't know he had a brother, but given what happened to him it's probably just as well. Don, clearly struggling to figure himself out for once, says he's told Anna things he's never told Betty, and wonders why it has to be that way. Anna's response is wise in its way: "You love her. You don't have to tell her everything. I'm sure there are things about her you don't know." Don certainly doesn't want to go down that road, as jealous as he's proven himself on numerous occasions to be, and when Anna asks if he'd like to call home, he says no. "That would just confuse things." And I'm sure your children feel they have everything figured out at the moment. She asks what he's going to do, and he confesses he doesn't know. "I have been watching my life. It's right there. And I keep scratching at it, trying to get into it. I can't." Don has never looked so sad and vulnerable, and I don't say it enough but Jon Hamm is doing an amazing job here. Anna looks at him kindly and says she's sorry, and the two sit in silence for a moment before we go to commercial.
Bertram's tapping away on an adding machine when Roger comes in crowing about how Putnam, Powell, and Lowe "has offered to put a lot of marmalade on your toast." Bertram instructs him to sit, and I'm disappointed, given how he's occupying himself, that he's not wearing a green eyeshade, because peering over them would add to the "Not so fast, sonny boy" vibe he's giving off here. Bertram informs Roger that he's not thrilled about potentially selling his life's work because Roger has "an increase in overhead," and adds that his late wife was the one the introduced Roger and Mona. Roger tells him to tell her it didn't work out, which is flip at best and really rather nasty at worst, especially given the state of Bertram's health to which Alice alluded earlier. Roger goes on that he knows Bertram thinks he never got his hands dirty, and he's sorry he missed the Depression, but he's busted his ass for twenty years, and by the way, they can still come to work in their offices, "only there will be diamonds on the doorknobs." Roger, people slack off enough around here. They don't need lots of shiny objects distracting them. Bertram frostily says they'll have a meeting of the partners, and Roger gets up to go, but, keeping up the uncharacteristic defensiveness, turns back to tell Bertram that Jane makes him very happy. Bertram doesn't look up: "That's good to know."
Pete is recording some notes to himself about aerospace and advertising when Hildy buzzes and says Trudy's dad is on the phone for him. Pete takes a long moment to brace himself, and then picks up and asks Tom how he is. Tom tells him he doesn't like having to make this call, but they're going to have to put Clearasil up for review. I suppose it makes sense that this would be the consequence of Pete's stance with Trudy, but given that he always seemed pretty straight-up to me, I'm a little surprised that Tom didn't directly address the real issue with Pete before taking this step. Pete didn't expect this either, and immediately goes on the offensive, heatedly asking why he'd do that, as sales have been spectacular. Tom tells him he has ninety days to "turn it around," and Pete, already weary of the oblique nature of the conversation, asks him to say what he means. Tom tells him that a good businessman knows that when his wife's unhappy, his work suffers, and Trudy's happiness should be his first priority. This is exactly the wrong approach to take, though, as we all know that Pete's first love is his work and always will be, and besides that, his respect for parental authority couldn't be lower these days, so he snaps that Tom should pull the Clearasil account immediately if that's how he feels. Now it's Tom's turn to be surprised at the turn of the conversation, and Pete presses on, saying that he was in love with Trudy, but "then you stuck your nose in, put these ideas in her mind, and made her unhappy." Tom loses his temper too, for him at least, and agrees that it's best if they just give notice. Pete hangs up on him, and I hope he doesn't waste any more chickens in the future, because I have the feeling money's going to be tight.
Don's lying on the couch when Anna drops a shopping bag onto his stomach, saying she bought him some clothes. Honey, you're teaching piano for a living, and he's about to have, as Roger would put it, a lifetime's supply of marmalade. Now's not the time to be worried about evening out the charity. She walks out...
...and then we fade to a flashback, with a Christmas tree appearing in the room. Anna comes back out with a big smile and some eggnog for the two of them, and then Don, with a smile more genuine than I remember seeing from him, presents her with a gift-wrapped box. She declines to open it until the morning, so either it's Christmas Eve or she grew up as a British servant, and then he tells her there's something else -- he met a girl. Anna jokes, "Another one," so apparently you can't explain Don's rampant infidelity as a game of catch-up. He smiles broadly as he says the girl is so beautiful and happy, and is an educated model from a good family. Anna's thrilled, and Don tells her she's named Elizabeth -- Betty. He gushes that he wants Anna to meet her, and when Anna laughs that he's "in the lavender haze," he shyly tells her he likes the way Betty laughs, and the way she looks at him. This entire scene could just break your heart, because it seems like Betty and Don really were happy for a time, and that the presentation Don gave in "The Wheel" really did come from a sincere place. Don tells Anna that he wants to ask Betty to marry him, which means he needs Anna to grant him a divorce. Anna smiles and agrees, saying she never thought of that, and Don tells her she should hire a lawyer there, and he'll pay for it, and he's also willing to take care of her forever. Anna says he doesn't have to do that, but he disagrees, thinking that he owes everything to her and the real Don. Anna changes the subject, and says that having a family will be good for Don. She sighs that it will probably be their last Christmas together, and Don asks why. "You could be my cousin!" That's a remake of Secrets And Lies just waiting to happen. Anna takes his hand and tells him it's a chance at a whole new life for him, and he kisses her affectionately on the cheek and thanks her...
...and then he's back in the present. He stirs from his nap and grabs the shopping bag...
...while at SC, the Popsicle guys are asking where Don is. Ken says he's sure they remember Peggy, and she'll be walking them through. They look skeptical, and Ken's reaction is to tell them that Don's sick but has signed off on all of this. If it were anyone but Peggy, she might have thrown a "Thanks for the vote of confidence, jerk" look Ken's way. But she's beyond such insecurities now as she smiles and tells them how when she was little, her mother would break a Twin Pop and give half to her and half to her sister, and they were completely equal in her eyes. "Beloved." She goes on that everyone does this, but they don't realize why, and it has nothing to do with ice cream. "It's a ritual. You take it, break it, share it, and love it." She reveals the artwork, which shows a mother holding a hand with a Popsicle out to each of her two children, and has the tagline she just spoke on the bottom. Peggy says that it shows what a Popsicle is all about, and it's just as good in winter as in summer, and from the freezer as from the truck. "You can still take it, break it, share it, and love it." The guy who's being paid speaking rates says he likes how the mother is handing out the pops, but she reminds him of someone. We can see that she's got Peggy's exact hairdo, and for the first time, Peggy doesn't sound totally relaxed as she too-casually replies, "No, this is original," which Ken follows with a hilariously wary look the guy's way. Hee. The guy tells her that they were looking for a slogan with the word "love" in it, and Peggy smiles like, "Copy machine or no, this is why we have the meetings in my office, bitches."
Betty rings Sarah Beth, who we can see right away is not completely psyched to talk to her, to tell her that she thinks she may need to put Sally in private school and ask her about the one her daughter attends. After a short response, Betty says she hasn't seen Sarah Beth at the stables, but she did read in the paper that Tara and Arthur are getting married the weekend, and she hopes they'll be happy together. It's hard to tell if Betty's just engaging in idle gossip here or if she's doing something more nefarious -- it seems from her tone like the former, but it's hard to forget how deliberately she set Sarah Beth and Arthur up, so I have to go with her playing a rather cruel game here in order to act out her resentment over Don's infidelities. In any case, her words cut Sarah Beth to the bone, and she cracks, telling Betty in a whisper that she can't stop thinking about Arthur, and she thinks Raymond, her husband, knows. She confesses that she made a terrible mistake, and Betty asks why she'd do that. Sarah Beth is startled, and points out that Betty wanted him too, but Betty loftily tells her, "There is a difference between wanting and having." She's right -- like right now, I want a glass of wine. But I will not be having a glass of wine until I take a break and go pour it for myself. Speaking of which, excuse me for a moment. Anyway, Sarah Beth tells Betty that she did everything she could to encourage her, and she's an awful woman. Betty stands up and puts a righteous hand on a faithful hip as she practically yells that no one made Sarah Beth sleep with Arthur. Sarah Beth hangs up, and I hope Betty doesn't actually put Sally in that school, because that would make for some seriously awkward PTA meetings.
Peggy returns to her office, in which a serviceman has just finished up with the machine. Speaking the language of the over-invested, he tells her to inform all her "little friends" that it's a delicate instrument. "If you want it to work, you have to treat it with respect." If only more bosses applied that philosophy to people. For her part, Peggy looks like she wants to treat the guy like a Popsicle.
Cut to her sitting outside Roger's office when he emerges. He so does not want to make time for her, but she plows through her nervousness and tells him she brought in the Popsicle account, by herself, and she needs her own office -- Freddy's, as it happens, has been vacant for some time, and she'd like it. Roger seems to appreciate both her pluck and her getting to the point, and grants her request immediately, taking her aback. He says that "you young women" are aggressive these days, and Peggy hopes she wasn't impolite. Roger: "No! It was cute. There are thirty men out there who didn't have the balls to ask me." I'd laugh, except here come Joan and Greg, so the fun is officially over. Ugh. Introductions are made, and Peggy quickly heads off to take the measurements of her new space as Roger tells them about his dinner reservations. Greg offers that they have plans as well, but when Roger hears where they're going, he tells Joan he thought she hated French food. Joan, just a little too quickly, says there's a new chef, and the look on Greg's face suggests the familiarity between the two isn't lost on him. Roger heads out, and Joan leads Greg over so she can get her purse, but he asks her to fix him a drink. She isn't sure about that, but he says he's seen movies, and that's what ad guys do all day. "Pretend like I'm your boss. Donald Draper." Joan accedes to his request, and heads to Don's bar as Greg follows her in and closes the door. He heads over and puts his arms around her, but when she turns, he notes that Roger knows an awful lot about her. Joan gives nothing away, merely saying she's been working there for nine years, and asks him to stop with the advances, as it isn't her office. From here, things happen very quickly, and it's hard to know how much detail to give because it's obviously extremely upsetting, but here goes: Greg thrusts her roughly against the bar, and then takes her by the forearms and pushes her to the floor. She firmly tells him this isn't fun, but he breathes, "This is what you want, right?" She tells him "stop" and "Greg, no!", and the authority we're used to seeing from her has now been replaced by genuine fear, but he continues, managing to keep her pinned as he undoes enough clothing to achieve his goal, and then, in some ways most horrible of all, he puts a hand on her face and shoves it to the side so he doesn't have to see it. She stares uncomprehendingly, like she's in a nightmare from which she can't awake, and it's just awful to watch...
...and we cross-fade to later, as Greg is waiting outside Don's office when Joan emerges. He says he doesn't want to miss their reservation, and she defeatedly replies, "No. Of course not." This is where the outrage gives way to sadness, because Joan, who knows everything about the office and the men therein, who never met a situation she couldn't handle, is going to go home with him and pretend like nothing's wrong because she doesn't know what else to do. I mean, this is going to be the father of her child (if she's actually pregnant -- there hasn't been any indication other than the mention of "cravings" and her lying down in the office that one time, and even though I could see her not wanting to announce it to the office yet, I'm starting to wonder). I really wish she would tell Roger, though -- then Greg would have something to feel insecure about. They walk out, but she leaves the flowers she came in with on the desk.
The day, it's time for the big vote, and when Alice arrives, Bertram calls the meeting to order. After his opening proclamation, Alice asks where Don is, and Roger replies, "Do you want me to go get a picture of him so you can stare at it?" I can only speak for myself, but would you mind? Bertram says Don's twelve percent couldn't affect the proceedings anyway, but Alice says she'd still like to know what he thinks. "He's very savvy." Bertram finally asks where Don is, anyway, so Roger confesses that Don's taking some time off because of marital troubles, before snapping at the minutes-taker, "Don't write that down." Heh. Roger adds that Don stands to make over half a million dollars, which puts the merger price north of four million dollars in 1962, so you can hardly blame Roger when his suggestion is that they get the hell on with it.
Don's walking with a bag of groceries when he hears an engine revving up the street. Intrigued, he approaches, and sees a kid sitting behind the wheel of a car with the hood open as Brian Krause, Leo from Charmed, works on the engine. He already seems more useful than he was on the entire run of that show. Don admires how he's souped up the "'34 Sedan," and says he used to sell that make, used. This isn't the only car Leo, or "Kess" as he introduces himself, has being worked on here, and Don wonders if he might be able to help him out in a sales capacity. They're not sure if that's for them, but when he tells Kess's friend "Walt" that he'd love to see him race, they seem psyched for him to come. He takes his leave, but not before admiringly running a hand over one of the cars. If he made good money as a greenhorn, I bet he'd be able to put half of Southern California in one of his cars now.
Although Bertram hesitates, the board members vote unanimously to sell, and Bertram says their lawyer will prepare a counteroffer before officially adjourning the meeting. Sterling and Cooper shake hands, and then Roger looks at Alice as he snarks, "Look who just got richer." Alice tells him it's good for him too -- he's got children to think of. Roger corrects her that he's just got the one, but Alice, obviously referring to Jane, counters, "Really!" HA HA HA! That is my favorite single word of the entire season. Everyone leaves, and we pulls back to make Bertram appear smaller and smaller. I don't always catch the subtle meaning imparted by the camerawork, but this one isn't exactly hard to figure.
Peggy's carrying her things into her new office as she says hello to Joan, who responds rather listlessly, and she's even wearing a drab green dress in contrast to the bright red or blue she usually favors. Poor thing. Peggy asks if she's heard from Don, and upon receiving a negative, asks if Joan thinks it's odd. Joan recovers a tiny bit of herself: "I don't think about it at all." Peggy starts to head into her office, but Joan calls after her and offers congratulations. Peggy thanks her, and gushes about how good-looking Greg is. Joan in turn thanks her, and makes excuses for him to try to make sense of the whole thing: "He's specializing in thoracic surgery. It's very difficult. And he volunteers at Harlem Hospital Center, stitching up Negro children." Peggy says he's a keeper, and asks when the wedding is, but Joan's spared from having to answer when Harry and Ken appear with Paul in tow, who made it back from Mississippi alive but girlfriendless, as Sheila dropped him three days into the trip. Aw. Paul's a douche, but that still seems a little harsh. Paul and Harry are then aghast to learn that Peggy now has her own office. Paul: "Why don't you just put on Draper's pants while you're at it?" The things you say in jest, Paul. Peggy shrugs off their impotent whining with her usual equanimity, and then Ken asks if anyone's heard from Don. Joan: "Yes, he called. He wants you to get back to work." Nice. Girl's still got it, even if her heart is broken. Ken calls in to Peggy that he'd get a new couch if he were her, and she calls from inside, "Thank you!" Hee. Paul sticks around a bit longer so he can be the poutiest of them all, and then Peggy comes back out and asks Joan if she knows who to talk to about getting her name put on the door. It's adorable to see her so excited about this, but it's tempered by Joan's brave face, as she says she'll have it taken care of, and then answers Peggy's question from earlier: "Christmas. I'm getting married at Christmas." It's interesting that it was Christmas when Don told Anna about his intention to marry Betty; I'd take this as a bad sign for Joan's marriage to Greg if it weren't for, you know, the other thing. Peggy tells her that's wonderful, and then heads back into her new space as Joan contemplates her future.
Betty hears Sally returning from school, and has her come join her. She steels herself and says she knows she hasn't been completely fair to Sally, and offers to give her something she wants. She hands Sally a large box, and when Sally opens it, she's thrilled to find riding boots, and she hugs Betty as she thanks her profusely before asking if they can go out now. Betty buys a little time by talking about homework, but she follows through with her plan, which is to use the boots as a transition, saying that now that Sally's becoming a big girl, she's going to tell her something -- she and Don are having a "disagreement," and he went away. Sally doesn't look entirely surprised, but asks where Don is, and Betty confesses that she knows neither that nor when he's coming back. She goes on that she knows it's hard to understand, but promises everything will be okay. As Joyce Summers once said in another parenting-related context, little shaky on the dismount there. Betty and Sally smile at each other, but the tender moment is ruined when Betty suddenly notices she's bled onto the couch. She sends Sally into the kitchen, which surprises me, because since they're on the subject I thought she'd take the opportunity to talk about one more thing big girls have to know.
Don's fixing a chair as Anna gets him to agree reluctantly to let her do a tarot reading on him. While he waits, he goes over to her bookshelf and pulls out Meditations In An Emergency, which is of course the book he sent at the beginning of the season, so that's another question answered. He asks if she read it, and she says she did in fact, and it reminded her of New York, and also made her worry about him. She says his cards definitely show that he's in a strange place, and points to the "Judgment" card, which she says represents resurrection. Okay, at what point do I just start calling him "Dick"? He looks out the window and says he can smell the ocean, and then Anna points to the "The World" card, saying it's the key to Don's reading -- it signifies that he's part of the world. "Air, water -- every living thing is connected to you." He asks what that means, and she smiles: "The only thing keeping you from being happy is the belief that you are alone." I think I see him more clearly now. Earlier in the season, I said I thought his somewhat sociopathic tendencies were rooted in the fact that he didn't really believe he existed. But now it seems like his problems stemmed from the fact that he knew the particular identity he had appropriated, Don Draper, didn't really exist. Don Draper, by definition, had to be alone -- as Joan said earlier, "There is no before." But it seems to me that the point of the episode is that there is a before, no matter how much you try to say there isn't, and now I think what she's telling him is that to be happy, to believe in his own existence again, he has to go back to being Dick Whitman. Anyway, I'm sure that made a lot more sense in my head than it does on the page, so let's move on to where Don asks what happens if he really is alone. She says he can change, and he gruffly (and laughably) says that people never do. She declines to address that, instead continuing to smile as she says she thinks the World card stands for wisdom. "As you live, you learn things." Don considers that, and they look at each other in silence before we cut to the window again...
...which leads to a cross-fade into Peggy standing in front of her new office window. There's a knock on the door, and Pete comes in, affably noting that she's celebrating as he sees the drink in her hand. Unlike the other boys, he seems genuinely happy for her, although when he learns she's getting a secretary, he opines, "She's in for it." I don't think he's completely wrong. He asks how the hell she swung the whole deal, and Peggy replies, "I'm sleeping with Don! It's really working out." Heh. Pete laughs, as if that's not his deepest desire, and then soberly tells her that Clearasil is almost surely pulling out. Peggy wonders why, and disagrees with Pete's assessment that he's not doing his job, although he's of course referring to his marriage. Pete, only mildly bitterly, says that Don will dance on his grave if he ever comes back, and Peggy takes the opportunity to ask if something happened in Los Angeles. Pete tells Peggy about Don's mysterious disappearance, and says he almost called the police. Peggy wonders why he didn't, but Pete says in the end, it didn't exactly surprise him, as he knows some things about his past. Peggy of course doesn't want to engage in that kind of gossip when it comes to Don, so Pete settles for opining that he may not be coming back. "He's done it before." Peggy's response: "Whatever Don does or doesn't do, I am sure it's with good reason." Their positions made plain, Pete says he should probably go home, and congratulates Peggy once more before taking off. Peggy sits and sips her drink, wondering if she really is the new Don...
...especially now that Don is engaging in a baptism of sorts, walking into the ocean as if to wash the last vestiges of Don Draper off himself. George Jones's "Cup Of Loneliness" fittingly kicks up (I see Christian pilgrims so redeemed from sin/Called out of darkness a new life to begin), and I can't believe there is just one episode left in this amazing, wonderful season. See you for the finale!
John Ramos is a writer and producer living in Los Angeles. You can reach him at couchbaron@gmail.com.
Peggy's playing with the big boys now, but how easy did women really have it back in the Mad Men era? Our vloggers discuss.
...which leads to a cross-fade into Peggy standing in front of her new office window. There's a knock on the door, and Pete comes in, affably noting that she's celebrating as he sees the drink in her hand. Unlike the other boys, he seems genuinely happy for her, although when he learns she's getting a secretary, he opines, "She's in for it." I don't think he's completely wrong. He asks how the hell she swung the whole deal, and Peggy replies, "I'm sleeping with Don! It's really working out." Heh. Pete laughs, as if that's not his deepest desire, and then soberly tells her that Clearasil is almost surely pulling out. Peggy wonders why, and disagrees with Pete's assessment that he's not doing his job, although he's of course referring to his marriage. Pete, only mildly bitterly, says that Don will dance on his grave if he ever comes back, and Peggy takes the opportunity to ask if something happened in Los Angeles. Pete tells Peggy about Don's mysterious disappearance, and says he almost called the police. Peggy wonders why he didn't, but Pete says in the end, it didn't exactly surprise him, as he knows some things about his past. Peggy of course doesn't want to engage in that kind of gossip when it comes to Don, so Pete settles for opining that he may not be coming back. "He's done it before." Peggy's response: "Whatever Don does or doesn't do, I am sure it's with good reason." Their positions made plain, Pete says he should probably go home, and congratulates Peggy once more before taking off. Peggy sits and sips her drink, wondering if she really is the new Don...
...especially now that Don is engaging in a baptism of sorts, walking into the ocean as if to wash the last vestiges of Don Draper off himself. George Jones's "Cup Of Loneliness" fittingly kicks up (I see Christian pilgrims so redeemed from sin/Called out of darkness a new life to begin), and I can't believe there is just one episode left in this amazing, wonderful season. See you for the finale!
John Ramos is a writer and producer living in Los Angeles. You can reach him at couchbaron@gmail.com.
Peggy's playing with the big boys now, but how easy did women really have it back in the Mad Men era? Our vloggers discuss.