Everytime Weiner writes an ep solo, I'm reminded of how much he loves to torture these characters! Obviously Don puking in the bathroom while Peggy watches, and Duck almost taking a shit on Roger's office, but also the look of sheer terror on Pete's face when Trudy and Peggy come out of the bathroom together!!!

I freaking love bottle eps.

Is she making a pointed comment about Peggy not being married, or are they that much older than she?

I took it as the former.

Leverage: Wasn't last night's episode originally intended to air in December with the final three? It would have made more sense, I think. I worry about loss of momentum with these long hiatuses. Guess TMT doesn't. I'm relieved that we've already gotten the 4th season.

Loved the ep. A knockdown drag-out between Peggy and Don, where she gave as good as she got. Then the slow rapprochement in various restaurants. "Why is there a dog in the Parthenon?" Don telling her how his dad died was a huge step in their friendship, I thought. Totally riveting.

Mrs. Blankenship slept with Roger!!!

Mrs. Blankenship slept with Roger!!!

Bert has no balls!

Nice little Inside "The Suitcase" bit at AMC.

Some boffo acting out of both principal players -- especially the crying. 8 times out of 10 a crying scene threatens to throw me out of the experience, because it looks 'theatrical', but these looked earned.

Oh, yeah, the acting was incredible.

Concur, they both were spectacular.

Jess called it a bottle episode and I'd agree. But it was also an old fashioned two-hander.

I don't think Don has bottomed out yet. I want to see him bounce back but I don't think that'll happen for a few more episodes yet.

On the AVCLub review and comments a few people noted that one of the great things about the first fight between Don and Peggy is that they're both right.

I'm reminded of some scenes on Buffy where they were arguing about killing Angel (S2 then) where the tension between Xander and Giles was just boiling hot as they made their arguments. But they were both right.

Anyway, I would love to see Peggy fill some of Anna's role in Don's life. I think she already does and that's what this episode was about.

I'm sort of reminded of the Mary Tyler Moore show where the work friendships were so deep and complex and evolved over time.

On the AVCLub review and comments a few people noted that one of the great things about the first fight between Don and Peggy is that they're both right.

Oh yeah. But he was more right. I guess that means I'm The Man now, huh? But really, just because she's more successful than most people in her position doesn't mean she's not still a kid with a lot to learn about work. "You never say thank you!"/"That's what the money is for!" was brilliant.

But he was more right.

Yeah, though it's hard to hear since he has been purposefully hard on Peggy. And he's making her stay late on her birthday because he doesn't want to be alone facing Anna's death.

But I also like that her "less rightness" in the episode is so in character and also points to her strengths. She wants and feels like she deserves recognition. She has a sense of her own value and won't be deterred by the increasingly stupid frat boy antics around her.