The extent of Roger's willingness to hide Lucky Strike's defection surprised me, but not as much as Pete covering for Don - that he took Roger and Burt berating him in the meeting like that was pretty amazing.

I kept wondering why Pete was going to the mat for Don. The only thing I can think is that deep down, Pete knows that if the truth about Don came out it would kill the deal anyway. I was glad that Don defended him in the meeting. I wonder if Burt will put two-and-two together.

I am glad Don told Faye and that she was okay with it. For now anyway. Big props to Jon Hamm for the great anxiety attack performance, by the way. Really powerful.

The Pete/Don relationship is wonderfully conflicted and layered and intriguing. Pete was over a barrel, but I was surprised he took the whole failure on his own shoulders.

Straw poll: how many people think Joan didn't have the abortion?

I wonder if Burt will put two-and-two together.

I thought he did.

The Pete/Don relationship is wonderfully conflicted and layered and intriguing. Pete was over a barrel, but I was surprised he took the whole failure on his own shoulders.

I was surprised too.

I'm wondering if Betty not telling her husband about Don's past will hurt him in his political ambitions in the future.

Straw poll: how many people think Joan didn't have the abortion?

I'm completely undecided on that. However, I do think it is interesting that the season has looked at differences between Joan and Peggy, and I wonder if it is going to come up that they were in a very similar situation. I'm also still wondering if either of Joan's two previous abortions were the result of her affair with Roger.

Straw poll: how many people think Joan didn't have the abortion?

I'm undecided as well.

Regarding the abortion I was wondering if there was any significance to Joan lying that she had a daughter that was 14. As in, maybe she would have a 14 year old if she hadn't had one of the previous abortions?

Big props to Jon Hamm for the great anxiety attack performance, by the way. Really powerful.

Seriously good. I could do without hearing him act "vomiting" any more, though. He's way too good at it. Or their sound people are.

Straw poll: how many people think Joan didn't have the abortion?

I totally think she did.

Oh, also? The mother in the doctor's office was Susan May Pratt who you may know from Center Stage and 10 Things I Hate About You, but also starred in Hunger Point with Christina Hendricks [link]

I liked the detail that Joan claimed her daughter was younger -- I took it to mean that she chose that age to make the mother feel a little better.

A fair number of my friends who've had to have abortions could name the "ages" of their children without pausing for calculation. That's one situation I'm glad to have not been in.