Somebody on the Onion A.V. board just pointed out that Cooper's sister is named Alice. Alice Cooper.

I really liked this episode despite the abundant anviling (tarot card reading and a baptismal renewal in the ocean?). The characters were all revealed in such interesting ways. There are so many huge decisions to be dealt with in the finale.

Specifically, the assumption that Peggy was pretty much expected to sleep with Don

It's easy to forget that she made a play for him when they first met. An early indicator that she wasn't just the church mouse she appeared to be.

It's easy to forget that she made a play for him when they first met.

She did, but the way she did it and how nervous she seemed when she did it made me think that it was more Joan's prompting that made Peggy make the play. She didn't make the play until after the switchboard operators and Joan talked about Don's other girl losing her job and also after her dressing down. I think it was more motivated by "I'd better do what Joan told me to do and make myself available to this man or else I'm going to get fired." than it was desire and attraction.

I think it was more motivated by "I'd better do what Joan told me to do and make myself available to this man or else I'm going to get fired." than it was desire and attraction.

Except then she goes and sleeps with Pete right away. So I think she's actually out of her rigid, Catholic home and eager to explore her freedom and sexuality. She didn't really know what she was going to do with those choices, but sleeping with Don would've been an adventure.

Any guesses on what will happen next week? I'm willing to be surprised by the story, but I think I'm most curious to see whether Joan will go ahead and marry or break it off.

I have no idea what Don's going to do, but that's part of his nature.

Except then she goes and sleeps with Pete right away.

That I think was more about desire and all you point out than her hitting on Don was. I certainly don't think she's a church mouse through and through, but I am interested to see the battle within her that takes her from frightened and not altogether confident and trying to sleep with the boss to confident enough to ask Roger for the empty office and joke with Pete about sleeping with Don.

I'd like to see Joan confide in Roger and Roger going over to the hospital and giving Dr Assmunch the watfor.

I'd like to see Joan confide in Roger and Roger going over to the hospital and giving Dr Assmunch the watfor.

Yeah and I wanted Tony Soprano to beat Melfi's rapist to a pulp. But it didn't happen.

I don't think we'll be doled out that satisfaction in this show.

Well, even if that was likely to be Roger's reaction - would heart-attacky Roger really beat up young surgeon asshat?

Wouldn't he be more likely to have a heart attack?

Luckily asshat is a thoracic surgeon.

I still want to see that!(But we didn't because Melfi objected. Do you think Joan would feel the same, you meta San Francisco motherfucker?) Well, I hope Joan gets some kind of payback in any case. I do get where you're going with the expectations deferred or denied, though. ETA: I think having a man fight for her would get Joan hot. I don't think she'd be thinking about the lawlessness of society like Dr.M. ETA2: Unless she doesn't want to cut through the denial.

Unless she doesn't want to cut through the denial.

This is the key, I think. That's why I'm curious about whether she'll go through with the wedding.

Because while it was a rape, and while she did feel completely violated I'm pretty sure that Joan doesn't consider it a rape. Legally back then it was considered impossible for a husband to rape his wife. And I think she's already extended that mindset to her fiance.

But I also think that all of the events of Joan's arc this season will serve to radicalize her later on. But not this year.

Going back to the Jet Set episode, I wanted to mention these connections:

The Civil Rights protests are happening in Oxford, Mississippi.

Faulkner is from Oxford, MS.

In the movie Breathless (set in the same era), Jean Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg lie around in bad after sex and talk about Faulkner.

Also, Jane references Through the Lookin Glass and (a) Don passes out at the Palm Beach house in a ref to multiple "was it a dream" fantasies, and (b) he's presented as the mirror image of the logo with that last shot.

Back when Joan was breaking off her affair with Roger, didn't she say something about her goal always having been marriage and he couldn't give her that so she needed to move on? Couple that with her ticking off Dr. Fiance's virtues to Peggy, she's not calling off the wedding, however much I want her to.

Heh. Alice Cooper is the best baby sitter ever. That's just charming.