I think Henry thinks he wants to marry her, but they've had what - 4 conversations? Maybe a grand total of 90 minutes together?

OTOH, she and Don have 3 kids together and I doubt he knows her any better than Henry does, so maybe it's a toss-up.

(Do you guys think that Don is feeling - maybe not in a way that he could articulate - that Betty doesn't love him because of who Dick Whitman is and not because of everything else in their marriage?)

Yes, absolutely.

I'm not sure that it's because of who Dick Whitman *is*, but I definitely think he thinks it's because of his hiding his past.

I think he believes Betty doesn't love Dick Whitman. I don't think it's occured to him that she also doesn't love Don Draper.

Jessica - that is exactly what I meant.

I'm with Jessica. As fucked up as Don is and his terrible behavior, I really felt sorry for him. He probably is thinking that she seemed into him in Rome, so it has to be Dick.

Yeah, that's part of what's so painful about it. When you think about the carrot that got taken away from Don (London) and how Betty'd responded when he mentioned it to her, Rome makes it really clear about what kind of life she really wants. Modeling could have given that to her. And for a while it seemed like Don could. Maybe now she thinks that Henry can.

But I feel like Henry is, for Betty, a conduit. He's a way to see her out of her marriage to Don. I don't think that Betty necessarily has a long term plan for Henry. I think he's a means to an end with her, just like pretty damn much everything else.

Betty, for Don, is part and parcel of his whole identity, though. Those closing scenes were just heartbreaking because it's clear how lost he will be without her and without the kids. All his affairs are just him reaching out and touching other ways of life, things that aren't his. It interests him, because it's different from him. But Betty is his image of himself. Betty is part of the fiction that Dick created to make himself Don.

Mad Men: Don, with the scheming! Joan! Pete leaving with the rifle! That was... fun! (except for the divorcey bits, obviously). It was odd seeing so much action take place in one episode. How long 'til the next season?

WOW.

WOW.

THAT WAS SO AWESOME.

My favourite scene was probably the one between Don and Peggy at her apartment. Don's always seen himself in Peggy, and I liked seeing him acknowledge that, and move beyond that. He was manipulating her, too, of course -- "I'll spend the rest of my life trying to hire you" -- but she saw that, and she saw that he was being as genuine as he could be and found herself moved by it. And the other layers underneath, Don trying to salvage his relationship with the other main woman in his life, coming from the wreckage of his marriage, and Peggy, trying so hard to ascertain her independence, yet still desperate for Don's approval. Maaaan.

I might have done a fist-pump and yelled YES! when I realized Roger was going to call in Joan. That was SO satisfying.

I thought we were going to have harrowing despair and lives in ruin (well, we got some of that) but this ended on a lot more hopeful note than I was expecting.

I can only repeat what Jess said.

WOW.

WOW.

I can haz new episode next week??