I’m still shuddering over poor Lane and his unspeakable monster of a father. Anyone who doesn’t ‘get it’ should look into the tell-all book written by Gary Crosby about his father, dear old Bing Crosby. Evil. Vile.
I missed a bit of last night’s show and was wondering if anyone could briefly tell me what was going on with Roger and Lucky Strike? That scene in a restaurant near the end where they were arguing - What happened there? Is LS pulling out?
Yes, they are. The corporate board is consolidating their ad business (with BBDO as I remember) and Lucky Strike is still around 70% of SCDP’s billings. It will kill the agency.
Pete doesn’t need to know all the details, but he caught on almost immediately that Don was a deserter. His government contacts gave him enough information about Draper and Whitman for him to figure that out on his own. Intact, in Season 1 when he went running to Cooper, one of the things he said to himwas that Don was “probably” a deserter.
Really liked this ep. Good plot development, well-directed, well-acted. I also don’t like the actress who plays Faye. There’s something about her looks that I can’t put my finger on. She sort of looks like a female Grinch, but with better skin and a much nicer ass. Don’s panic attack was very well done.
Does anyone else get a feeling that maybe Joan didn’t have the abortion? The scene between her and the young girl’s mother in the waiting room, in addition to what Joan said to Roger about how they avoided a “tragedy,” was a little ambiguous. Perhaps Joan will have the baby and try to pass it off as her husband’s.
I’m not so sure that knowledge would kill the agency- when it came to light with Pete, he and Don stormed into Bert’s office and Pete dropped the bomb, and Cooper’s reaction was pretty much “yeah, OK. So what.”
Am I misremembering?
Also, how many more times this season will we see someone (Don, in particular) puking?
How long has Lane been seeing the Playboy bunny waitress? I forget her name. When he went back the next day they exchanged “I love yous”.
As torqued off as Pete must have been to let a $4M account go, and fall on the sword for Don, no doubt he’s banking that one and will use it to his advantage at some point. That’s going to be a good episode.
But if the news about Don Draper did come to light, Dick Whitman would most likely go to prison. So if nothing else, that would kill the agency.
I think “unspeakable monster” is a bit strong. Lane was acting immaturely, so his father knocked him down. It was certainly inappropriate for a number of reasons, no least of which that Lane is too old to be treated like that, but “unspeakable monster” is a bit of an overreaction.
Pete & Betty were the most sympathetic and likeable of the regulars in this episode.
That means we’re all going to die, aren’t we?
His father is a sadist, but at the same time Lane was behaving like an absolute idiot deliberately waving his girlfriend in front of his father and behaving like a giddy schoolgirl with his crush. It was weird because I normally think of Lane as the adult and he really was kind of childlike in this episode.
I can’t quite agree. Pete got to see Trudy in her baby doll pajamas. 
Don’s remiss in not chatting with a lawyer to find out exactly what charges are involved and what he can do to get out from under them. Twelve years after the fact (Well, I guess the fake identity is ongoing, bit the desertion is not), he may be in a lot less trouble than he thinks.
That’s what I think. She said he’d been gone 7 weeks, and she was “really late”, so the time shouldn’t be that big of a deal to fib about (unless the baby is born with a head of grey hair [in which case I hope it’s a boy]).
Yeah. He had to know how his father would react. It’s disappointing that Lane caved. I wonder if he met his “chocolate bunny” for dinner, or if he stood her up.
I haven’t thought of Lane as “dashing”, but I suppose his manners and his accent make him stand out from the crowd.
Roger should have told the board that Lucky Strike was done – get everyone busy finding new accounts instead of trying to save the company by himself.
And I also wonder if Joan went through with the abortion. I think she did. She’s gotta be worried about Greg, and won’t want to raise a child alone.
Pete told Don that according to his friend (Russ?) at the Dept of Defense, Draper was not flagged and if they killed the account then it would end there.
I wonder what Don would have done if he had filled out the security request himself. Filled it out as Dick Whitman? Changed enough stuff to make himself pass as Draper?
She basically told Roger she had it. Why would she lie at that point when she’s not going to be able to hide it?
Yeah, notice that Cooper didn’t tell the government, the newspapers, or their clients. A prosecution and its attendant publicity would kill the agency.
“Unspeakable monster” is hyperbole but “certainly inappropriate” goes too far in the other direction. An adult man who hits someone for any reason (other than self defense), regardless of whether his behaviour might be immature or idiotic is somewhere on the scale between “asshole” and “Hitler.”
Lane’s behaviour was bizarre, however. Who takes his father to the freaking Playboy Club?
Those had to be the most unflattering pajamas I’ve ever seen. She looked like a Hostess Sno Ball with a human head.
Now I can’t remember whether he said “flagged” or “not flagged.” When I watched it, I thought he said “You’ve been flagged, but if we withdraw, they’ll drop it.”
My guess is that first he would avoid filling it out altogether and remind Cooper why he couldn’t. If he did end up filling it out, he would at least give himself a plausible birth date, which I think was one of the red flags he was worried about.
That is absolutely the* last *time I take an Ambien at the beginning of Mad Men. I know I was awake for all of it, but I don’t remember a thing after Don started talking to Pete outside his office.
Crap!
Alternatively, she might simply have been flattering an older, well-to-do guy. Lane wouldn’t wish to think she was only interested in him for his money.
As always, one’s mileage may vary. I’ve never been one of those who thought Trudy was worthy of Praxiteles, but at the sight of her thus attired, I sat up and thought, “Yeah, I’d make her so pregnant.”
I promise I’m not that crude in real life.
Then again, she did just see Miss Blankenship drop dead at her desk with no one but a vague niece somewhere…it might not be her preference, but if she really wants a child, this might be her best shot. And if anyone could manage, it would be Joan.
I don’t think Roger would have much to say about it. She’d just tell him “I changed my mind” and that would be that.
Lots of pigeons coming back to roost in this episode, that’s for sure!