By Couch Baron
A deceptively shattering episode, more felt than understood, that sends some characters into the arms of change while causing others to revert to old habits. Before everything goes to hell, Pryce tells Pete that, on his own authority, he's giving Ken the sweet promotion to SVP of Account Services based on superior interpersonal skills. The lowlier title promotion to Head of Account Management doesn't mollify Pete, and his first instinct is to call Duck, but Trudy convinces him to wait and see how things shake out. Speaking of Duck, Peggy's still seeing him, to the bemusement of her roommate. Betty and Don seem to be doing okay in light of last week, but Don's pissed at Pryce for still not having hired a replacement for Sal. Also, Margaret's wedding is imminent, but she's unhappy about the way Jane has been trying to be all buddy-buddy with her and still resentful of her existence, and is generally bummed about marriage and pissed off at the world. She calls Roger and tells him once again she doesn't want Jane at the wedding, but Mona and Roger conspire to keep her under control. Roger then chews Jane out for being so familiar with Margaret, so everything's looking like Happy Fun Times for the nuptials.
But the real shock is that the JFK assassination happens in this episode rather than in the finale, which thankfully gives the show a little time to explore the characters' reactions before the end of the season. While Betty sobs with Carla, and Pete and Trudy are indignant that everyone's not as devastated as they, Don, after doing so well at acting like a human being last week, doesn't seem to have any emotions attached to the tragedy and is unable really to relate to those who do. Amazingly, the wedding still takes place, but while Don convinces Betty to go, Pete talks Trudy out of it, and later, she tells him she sees things differently now -- he should take his clients and leave SC. Pete and Trudy are not by a long shot the only ones to stay home to grieve, so the affair's an expected disaster on both the attendance and service fronts, but Margaret seems to be relieved at how decidedly not perfect it is and also able to put things in perspective in light of the tragedy, and all seems forgiven between father and daughter when they share the first dance. Roger, however, is moved by all the emotional upheaval of the last day to call Joan, and between the tension with Jane and the fact that Greg may be gone soon it seems like there's potential for a Season Four reunion between those two.
Betty's watching when Lee Harvey Oswald is murdered on live TV, and this causes her to freak out at Don, as he assured her at the wedding that everything was going to be okay, and now she apparently thinks that was representative of the empty lies he's been telling her for years. This moves her to see Francis, who was at the wedding, and, with his own perspective no doubt colored by the preceding events, he tells her while she doesn't need to answer immediately, he wants to marry her. Betty then goes home and tells Don she's so angry with him and wants to yell, but there's no point -- she doesn't love him anymore. He's not trying to hear that, thinking she's too distraught over JFK to be thinking clearly, but when he's alone, he looks smaller than we've ever seen him. He goes to work on Monday and finds only Peggy, his kindred spirit in many ways, but declines to join even her in viewing the state funeral. He instead goes to drink in his office, and now it seems that the worst-case scenario from the events of last week will come to pass, and he's truly alone, just as it seems he thought he'd always end up. And you'll pardon me if I now go watch a Glee rerun to get myself back into emotional balance.
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