Spoiler-free first post.
Worst.
Birthday.
Ever.
This was my favorite episode of the entire series. I have to watch the encore presentation right now.
Hands down one of the best eps. Good to see Peggy and Don on a more even footing. Hopefully she understands more about why he’s always kicking her ass.
Jon Hamm’s reaction after he hung up the phone was fantastic. Very impressive scene.
Easily one of the best episodes of the entire series. 
It’s almost like a stage play. Don’s only shown this much emotional intimicy with Anna, Peggy’s never been that intimit. I’m glad this is the last of Mark. I saw zero chemistry between them, and there’s no way they’ll get back together. Not after breaking up, over the phone, with him trapped with her family, on the night he was going to propose (does anyone not think that was part of his plan?).
That poor orchidect, Burt!
Although, I have to say that Roger has a good grasp on what sells in autobiographies…
Great episode and I’m hoping it’s something of a reset for drunk Don. Not an instant light switch style flip but perhaps the beginning of a climb back out of the hole.
I usually don’t like Peggy storylines much but this was a great episode all around with some fantastic acting.
Mrs. Blankenship!!!
That was really lovely. I thought I couldn’t love Peggy more than when she took off her drawers in front of Stan. This was a beautiful episode. Hopefully Anna’s benediction will help Don be ok with things. And hopefully, he’ll understand Peggy a little better. I loved the little hand hold at the last minute.
I wanted to kick the shit out of Peggy’s now-ex-boyfriend for inviting her FAMILY to their romantic “surprise” birthday dinner. She’s better off without him.
Good episode!
Let’s hope that’s the last we have to see of Duck. I do have to say that the depiction of that character has been unflinching. Later-stage alcoholics are repulsive and annoying far, FAR, more than they are sadly pathetic.
Okay after a 2nd viewing I noticed something. The woman at the dinner table with Mark & the Olsens is apparently Peggy’s roommate, not a relative of Mark. She’s gotten a new one since last season. No more Swedish girl. I guess the actress isn’t available anymore. On one of the comentaries for season 3 Weiner specifically mentioned wanting to do more with her & Peggy, but not having time.
Oh, and closed-circuit TV was available in movie theatres in 1965? 
I didn’t know that. How did that even work? What the theatre wired with cable? Was there some kind of special TV reciever/projector?
I suspect that Duck is going out the same way that his dog did.
“Why is there a dog in the Parthenon?”
“That is a roach. Let’s go somewhere darker.”
Even the throwaway lines in this are great.
Great episode. The hand-hold at the end was heartbreaking.
The back story about Peggy seeing her father die makes her devotion to Don make a little bit more sense.
Great episode, with outstanding performances.
Not sure exactly how it worked. It seems that the whole thing was run by a company called SportsVision, which presumably specialized in this sort of thing.
There were apparently 257 locations with a total over over 1 million seats in the United states and Canada. The Brits got the fight on their home televisions, although the BBC had to remain broadcasting much later than usual and people had to stay up until the middle of the night to see it.
Apparently the technology had been around for at least a few years. According to the New York Times, the Liston-Floyd fight in Chicago in 1962 had been viewed by over half a million people in theaters.
On the night of the fight, it was showing in 30 theaters in New York City and the surrounding area, with a total capacity of about 85,000 seats. It was also shown on TV by WHN, which had to interrupt the Mets-Phillies baseball game in order to show the fight.
My information comes from a couple of New York Times articles that i tracked down on the ProQuest Historical Newspapers database. I’ve uploaded the articles, if you’re interested:
Is Peggy meant to be objectively attractive? I, personally, find her to be very plain physically but I’ve heard enough comments both within the show and in discussions outside to wonder if I’m reading it all wrong.
I personally peg her about a 3/10, does that jibe with your assessment?
She’s never flipped my switches but my wife says that she’s “adorable” and I suppose on the show she’s unfairly set against Joan and Don’s Flavor of the Month picks. She’s not a head turner but there’s no reason why she shouldn’t be dating or getting any attention.
She’s "TV ugly. Peggy seems plain because she’s surrounded by women played by gorgeous actresses. In realmlife she’d be one of the more attractive people in any room.
I was surprised to see the Art Director (right? the Art Director is the loutish nudist?) dressed to casually at work. No tie?
Having both Peggy and Don breaking down into tears were nice bookends.
Whoa-boy, Peggy! “It’s not my fault you don’t have any friends or family to go home to.”
Wish Don had landed that punch, though.
If they’re still giving Emmys to individual episodes, this is a shoo-in. Up close to Pine Barrens for best ever.
If they were to remove Don and Peggy (or Jon and Elisabeth) from this show, it would collapse. This episode demonstrates all the redeeming qualities this writing staff still possesses. I have been dismayed at how poor other episodes had been this season. This one atones – in spades.