Anyone think Betty's not as dumb as she looks and is going along with Don's high blood pressure story to guilt-trip him? The scene with the salt at the end there was a thing of beauty.

"Because we love him." Zing!

Normally, I'm so into the world of the show that I buy into the behavior, but this was one of those rare times when my modern-day feminist sensibilities were sitting there going, "Oh, you're not really listening to him, are you?"

Oh, me too. Their whole vibe is so creepy. I think it's because on the surface, she's the one who should be in control of the marriage because she comes from a powerful family, has more money, etc etc. But she's just not that person. She's terrified of being powerful.

(And the polar opposite of Peggy, who comes from no family and no money at all, but craves power and influence and isn't afraid to work for it.)

Oh, oh! Have we not yet talked about Peggy looking Draper in the eye and calling him "Don" yet? Because that was also awesome. As unappealing as Bobbi is, I'm really glad she and Peggy got a chance to talk.

I can't figure out the Don/Bobbi relationship, but I think a lot of it is that Don's not doing the (metaphorical) driving. He doesn't really want to be with her as an individual, but he wants to be with someone, and Bobbi offers him an easy way to cheat without taking any responsibility for it, since she's the one making all the demands and he just does what he says.

Oh, oh! Have we not yet talked about Peggy looking Draper in the eye and calling him "Don" yet? Because that was also awesome. As unappealing as Bobbi is, I'm really glad she and Peggy got a chance to talk.

That rocked. And I thought it was interesting to see Bobbi as a human, in some ways. As the girl who Peggy once was, in a manner of speaking, except one generation removed and seeing the opportunities that Peggy's going to have available to her in a more legitimate fashion than even she did.

And you know, the Bobbi thing I see in a way as a poor substitute for the Rachel affair. They're both powerful women and I think we're seeing more and more that Don's attracted to that (pity he doesn't recognize the subtle power his wife has, just yet-- or maybe he does, but isn't ready to acknowledge it), but Rachel had an integrity that Bobbi utterly lacks and makes it easy for him-- which is one reason Don will never respect her the way he did Rachel.

And OMG, Rachel showing up and married. Another great, subtle moment.

Yes, that was awesome. I thought that might have had something to do with why Don went to Stonybrook (notice that she said 'I' have a house, not 'we' have a house). I thought it was also interesting that Don said "I feel nothing". I wonder if that's why he keeps having these affairs, because he wants to feel something, and he doesn't with Betty anymore.

I think Hec summed it up perfectly-- horrible and fascinating.

That scene where Pete ordered Trudy back was exactly what prompted that description. Because that scene did not play out according to whatever genre conventions I've been trained to expect out of television drama.

Peggy calling him Don was also great. Particularly since after she picked him up, she said specifically, "I don't want you to take it out on me everytime you see me because I remind you of this moment." Which is exactly what he started to do. And yet, she did feel like she owed him something. That was a really well-written episode to capture the complexity of their relationship.

Loved Bobbi becoming more humanized and wanting to give something to Peggy in return. Peggy's line, "Are you still trying to thank me?" reminded me of her talk with Joan: "I just realized, you think you're helping me."

Peggy has such intriguing relationships with her female mentors. They're so few and far between. It'd be interesting to see her dynamic with women like Rachel or Midge.

Betty cutting off Don's salt had a lot of metaphoric resonance.

I don't want you to take it out on me every time you see me because I remind you of this moment

Quote was: "You'll have to believe me that I'll forget this. I don't want you treating me badly because I remind you of it."

Which when I first heard her say it, I thought to myself: hmm, sounds like she is saying that about herself and her treatment of her family, her son, etc. We will see more about this later.

And man did we. In the same episode!

You'll have to believe me that I'll forget this.

Which we now know was a callback to his motivational speech to her in the hospital.

Dear Mad Men Writers, I love you and would like to have your babies. Love, Jess

Dear Mad Men Writers, I love you and would like to have your babies. Love, Jess

Heh. I was just rewatching Pushing Daisies last week with Emmett and am reminded of Chuck's line: "What are you talking about? You love secrets. You want to marry secrets and have half-human, half secret babies."

You love secrets. You want to marry secrets and have half-human, half secret babies

Unsurprisingly, I also love this line.

Huh. The actress that plays Bobbie was Jim Gordon's wife in The Dark Knight.

The new secretary, Jane Siegel, is played by Peyton List. I recognized her but can't place her from her IMDB listings (which include roles on One Tree Hill, Smallville and a bunch of soaps).

That scene where Pete ordered Trudy back was exactly what prompted that description.

And this is one of those things that I was musing on, earlier today-- I never got the sense of Pete being completely convincing in the authoritarian role. It's almost as if he and more peripherally, Trudy, are playacting at what they think their roles should be. Whereas Don is very much comfortable in his skin as an authority figure-- he falls into the role of command very naturally, which is why it's interesting to see his control and power (at least, the veneer of it) gradually slipping away. (i.e. the accident, the salt, just off the top of my head.)

Dear Mad Men Writers, I love you and would like to have your babies. Love, Jess

Lines up behind Jess to have little Mad Men Writer Babies