Sepinwall points out that it was structured sort of like a caper movie where Don and Roger were assembling their crew.

it was structured sort of like a caper movie

We noticed the same thing, right down to the low-key incidental music.

Also, how nice was it to see Don and Roger mending their relationship? Love!

Ooh subtle tidbit gleaned at Sepinwall: Trudy got her father to give back the Clearasil account to Pete. That's how he made his allotment.

Trudy and Pete's marriage is this really intriguing, rather odd thing. But I like it, and her character's growth.

God, I was hating Betty when she was sitting there with Henry meeting with the divorce lawyer. She's making a huge fucking mistake. Not necessarily in leaving Don, but in going to Henry. Who won't cheat and will love her, but will in many ways be so much more constraining and limiting to her life.

She's like Jimmy Stewart's wife in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence! Or maybe not, but that analogy just struck me.

Another interesting bit was the whole stealing the office portion of the story.

My friend Frank (Emmett's godfather) left a small law firm where he was one of three partners, and he basically had to do exactly the same thing. In fact, it would've been considered legal malpractice if he didn't sneak into the offices over the weekend and take all his client files.

If I didn't hate Pete so much for being such a bastard, I would dig his marriage with Trudy so much more. He is definitely a better person with her around.

Trudy has really turned out to be pretty interesting.

So that's what the raised eyebrow over Clearasil meant. I'd forgotten that business.

I hope they don't skip too much time. I love the scrappy little brand-new ad agency. Don typing! Peggy not getting coffee! Roger fully awake and involved! Fantastic.

Pete Campbell is one of the most unprecedented characters I've seen on a TV show. He's weasely, and insecure and entitled and he's also (I suspect) borderline Asperger's syndrome. And yet, he's not unsympathetic for all his flaws and fuckery. He's human and complicated.

One of the huge abiding pleasures of this show is how Weiner builds these complex relationships, and this particular episode paid off on so many different histories.

That scene with Don and Peggy was amazing, because you could see it was breaking her heart to think he'd never talk to her again. And Don does love her - but not romantically. I don't know that he'd even identify it as "love." But a mixture of respect and concern and care and intimacy.

Rewatching the episode it was incredible to see all the harsh, harsh things everybody said to each other. But the really interesting part narratively was that everybody responded positively to those truthful moments. Like they were starving for the truth.

Like Bert needed to hear somebody tell him to go back to sleep old man. Or Roger to hear that what he really needed was a challenge - way more than a vacation. His life is already a permanent vacation. It's the work that makes it worthwhile. And he's a really good account man.

Roger tells Don that he doesn't value relationships, and Don takes that to heart. That's exactly how he woos Peggy and Pete - by valuing them. And it's so important to both of them to get Don's validation.

And yet, he's not unsympathetic for all his flaws and fuckery. He's human and complicated.

True of so many of the characters.