I don't mind when they leave us with random scenes that seem to dangle-- like that one short scene flashback to Don as a car salesman and that woman busting him for not really being Don Draper. That's one of those things that's quite liable to pop up in a really unexpected fashion, much like the scene itself was unexpected.

If this ep was indeed setting us up for stuff down the line (which I don't doubt, because it's what they do), they were far clumsier about it than I've become accustomed to with this series.

And maybe I was just tired, but Pete and Peggy's conversation seemed really bizarre and again, like the only point of it was for Peggy to say, "It's hard for everyone, Pete." I'll have to go back and rewatch.

I think that point of that scene was to show us that Peggy wasn't into Pete anymore, that she had matured. She was wearing a very adult outfit (down to hat and gloves), and Pete was very maudlin and needy. Last year, she would have comforted him, and they would have ended up in bed. Now, she just says that everyone has it hard (with the implied "get over it")

She was wearing a very adult outfit (down to hat and gloves)

I LOVED her dress.

This felt like an interim episode to me.

She was wearing a very adult outfit (down to hat and gloves)

She looked very Jackie-- the pillbox hat, esp. looked wonderful on her.

That was the first time I thought, "damn she looks good." And I agree that that scene was about showing that she's over him.

I thought it was interesting, because as recently as last episode, I'd thought, she still hasn't stopped dressing like a child. But I suppose that sort of thing takes time, and I'm glad to see her coming into her own. She's won Don over, but she still doesn't have the respect of her coworkers. But I hope they're starting to see that they need to pay attention to what she's doing.

I agree about this being a set-up episode. Then I had a startling thought about what we might be being set up for... Is Pete going to adopt Peggy's baby, his own son?

I did like the party scene. Every one in that room having their own private reaction to Harry's situation. Everyone in their own worlds.

And the last bit of cinematography, the sun washing across Don's face in the airplane. Lovely and contemplative.

She's won Don over, but she still doesn't have the respect of her coworkers.

There was a scene where Duck deferred to her recently, and coupled with Don snarling at the fratboys to read her material - you get the sense of Peggy's rise in the firm.

coupled with Don snarling at the fratboys to read her material

That's a perfect description of that moment.

Then I had a startling thought about what we might be being set up for... Is Pete going to adopt Peggy's baby, his own son?

I thought about that, but I wonder, too, what kind of arrangement Peggy and her sister have WRT that same issue. Has her sister adopted the boy or did they do some hanky-panky with the birth certificate to make it seem like he's the sister's son? (I can not, for the life of me, think what her name is supposed to be. I keep thinking of her as the housekeeper in Wonderfalls.) It will be interesting to keep an eye out on that. We don't have that many episodes left, do we, to wrap it all up? I really wish they'd do a 22 episode season with this one. I feel like they have to gloss over to much in order to account for all the time between episodes. Although, that seems to be what Weiner likes.

She's won Don over, but she still doesn't have the respect of her coworkers.

I think that Don respects her skills, but doesn't respect her. In the meeting, Don continually referred to Peggy as "her" and "she", not by name. I don't know why I noticed that, but it seemed to make her like more of an object, not a member of the team.