I find it interesting that Peggy & Ken have a pact that she goes with him if he leaves.

Alan Sepinwall noted that they worked well together as far back as S1 on the radio commercial.

I really liked the development with Ken, and learning more about his wife (Cynthia! In publishing).

Don seemed to have affection/respect for Trudy.

I've seen some reviews saying that Joan rejected Lane - which she did. But it sure looked to me like she was responding to that kiss. She was leaning into it before she broke it off.

I've seen some complaints that say that this season has gotten too on-the-nose with its motifs and parallels and symbols. I'm wondering if the long layoff gave Weiner too much time to weave things together. The last couple episodes have all hit a little hard on their thematic interests.

They've always had episodes like "Maidenform" where they link the parallel storylines, but this one underscored everything with Ken's story about building bridges between worlds (everybody got into a "car wreck" for reaching beyond their assigned role in this episode).

There was also (as Tom and Lorenzo noted) a strong theme of a fear of emasculation in this episode. (They also pointed out that of course Don would know how to spell the last name of the University of Texas sniper.)

That said, I enjoyed this episode more than any other this season.

I wonder if the crisis of this season won't center around Don, but possibly Peggy leaving the firm.

Incidentally, there was a long tradition of writers working in ad agencies including Joseph Heller (Mary Higgins Clark worked at the same agency) and Don Delillo (five years as a copywriter at Ogilvy and Mather on 5th Ave.). William Gaddis (who wrote the influential novel The Recognitions) was a midtown Manhattan executive.

I read one woman's memoir of Manhattan in the 50s and 60s where she said that contrary to Roger's treatment of Ken, many agencies considered it a form of prestige and patronage to let writers work for the company in the morning and on their fiction in the afternoon.

Need to watch Psych!

I wondered about Ken and the writing - it seems like a natural progression to write at home when you're an adman during the day.

I liked Ken and Peggy's alliance too.

And I had extra fun because I watched this week's Fringe just before watching this week's Mad Men. Extra Jared Harriseriffic.

contrary to Roger's treatment of Ken, many agencies considered it a form of prestige and patronage to let writers work for the company in the morning and on their fiction in the afternoon.

Yeah, but Ken isn't in Creative, he's an accounts guy.

Yeah, but Ken isn't in Creative, he's an accounts guy.

True fact. Also, Roger's hostility didn't have much to do with the writing itself it had to do with (a) him also being an unappreciated writer; and (b) he needed somebody lower on the totem pole to bully.

Did you notice all the foreshadowing of violence/suicide/death? References to Pete's gun (linked somewhat to Charles Whitman), Don doodling a noose, and talking about "blowing his brains out" in the suburbs. Following up on the Richard Speck murder spree. I think this season ends in blood.

This is pretty funny. A commenter on AVClub had Ken going on to pitch for Star Trek:

******

Or helps write "The Cage."

Ken: I have this idea. There's this handsome Captain and he's with this blonde woman. She's beautiful and for awhile he's seduced by a pleasant picnic with her. But it's all an illusion see. The aliens are trying to study them to see what images they like and respond to, giving people what they want and causing them to abandon their obligations to their spaceships or whatever. However it's seductive to them too, it's like a drug to them even. They think it's the best thing, but it's killing their society as they live a lie and ultimately they're unhappy. Anyway the Captain can cause the illusion to break by getting angry and eventually it all falls apart when he gets angry with the woman. He gets back to his true self and she's appalled. When that happens she, the beautiful blonde, turns out to be an illusion in a way. She turns out to have been in a wreck and the aliens saved her. Her real self is say fat, unpleasant, etc. Once the illusion is done he can go on with his real life, but he feels bad for her. So the aliens get her some new fantasy guy I guess and he goes off for more adventures."

Roddenberry: All this stuff with illusions and what people want -- you really were in advertizing! Anyway I like some of it, but I want more than picnics. Maybe she should gyrate and be green. Green women signify aliens. Also why would an accident make her fat? Lastly I don't want the Captain to ever really lose his sense of mission.

Ken: I get some of that, but Betty would never gyrate.

Roddenberry: Are we going to call her Betty? Why? Anyway I don't want to be wedded to a name right now.

Me too, but then I always think that. It put a real damper on my roommate's Oscar party back in the day. Joan likes Lane(maybe not as much as he likes her, but she's totes used to that) If there is going to be a death/ murder, it's too bad those Nero Wolfe shows are off the air...their aesthetics match. Of course, if Archie Goodwin got a good look at Joan, I think it would ruin him as Nero's sidekick.

If you need a gif of Pete getting punched in the face over and over, here it is.

I can totally see Archie falling for Joan, and maybe Joan falling for Archie. But Archie has very definite ideas about relations between husbands and wives, so she might insist on dating but no marriage/living together - kind of like a non-rich Lily Rowan.

If you need a gif of Pete getting punched in the face over and over, here it is.

It was funny that right as I declare that I have come around on Pete and kind of love him, here's an episode where I hate him again and then he gets punched in the face! It all works out.

You know, I wasn't sure how I felt about this episode (I kind of didn't like it? But I think that was because I had just come home after seeing Cabin in the Woods so watching people in an ad agency just was not very engaging), but Todd VanDerWerff makes an astute observation:

The thing that I love most about Mad Men is its sense of confidence. Even when the show is doing stuff I don’t really like, it moves with a quiet sense of self-possession. It’s certain that it’s the greatest damn show on television, and there’s nothing you could say that would dissuade it of what it’s doing. Mad Men is one of the most fun shows on TV to write criticism about because you’re totally aware at any given moment that Matt Weiner and his collaborators just don’t give a shit what you think. They’re going to make the show they want to make, and you’re free to think about it as you will. That confidence is both charming and occasionally over-powering.

I would replace "over-powering" with "off-putting," but yeah. He then goes on to shower the episode with praise, as is his wont. The AV Club reviews always help me appreciate the episodes for what they're doing and what I may have missed below the surface.