Dug how this episode showed how these characters have come from the first season. Especially since Lane used to admire and like Peter for much of the last two seasons! Don and Pete's conversation also showed how much their dynamic has changed. Don never lost his temper and seemed legitimately disappointed in Peter and his decisions.
I thought this episode did a good job of....if not humanizing, then certainly explaining Pete's whole deal. He's getting older and that's terrifying to him! He lost a fight to a man atleast 15 years his senior! You get the sense he truly resents his daughter. The fact that Don is the closest thing Pete has to a friend at SCDP speaks volumes.
Ken being mildly successful sci fi writer is a cool touch and I think it really grounds this show in a sense of reality. You know there had to be a ton of guys like him doing that. Roger telling him to knock it off was sad, talk about sour grapes.
This whole season was amazing. I love that each season of the show was like one very long movie with very little flab. I honestly can't get mad at the totally insane bit at Schaffer's place because it was so absurdly funny.
Lily Tomlin was great? She was so great. She deserves an emmy. Don Johnson as Kenny's dad is a beautifully weird character.
"What you know about money, girl?"
#grimcreepahs
Thoughts:
*Don's dream sequence really worked for me. The fact that we, the viewer, are unsure of exactly how much of it actually happened sells it. It wasn't subtle, but it was very satisfying
*This was a GREAT episode, mainly because all the pieces really came together thematically. I love how most of the episode is about fear and what the different characters are afraid of: Don of lapsing back into infidelity, Megan of Don cheating, Peggy of losing her identity, Sterling of his fading status in the firm, Sally of death and the scary things out there in the real world, etc etc.
*Speaking of, this episode was CREEPY. The overall "predatory men" vibe. The murders. Peggy in the office late at night. Don's dream murder. Sally's step-grandma with the butcher knife. Even Sally hiding under the couch. Kind of a big departure from Mad Men's usual thing but in a very good way. Experimental.
*Sterling continues to literally throw money at his problems. I don't see the season ending well for this guy.
I like how, after 4 seasons of not really interacting, Sterling and Peggy are getting these strange little scenes together.
*Joan kicking Dr. Rape out on her own terms is a more genuine and honest resolution to that plotline than killing him off at war would be, glad they went with this.
*New copywriter is shaping up to be a fascinating addition to the cast. The way he reacts to stuff, like Don threatening to fire him, is fascinating. Excited to see what they do with him.
*Peggy's gay(?) photographer friend is an asshole. And also David Mamet's daughter, apparently.
That's what I'm leaning toward. At the very least, his home life is clearly hell for him. I dig his whole gradual shift in douchebaggery. As Badideajeans points out, he's got alot of clout under his belt now AND a young kid and a wife. Power changes people, look at Don Draper when he was selling suits compared to now.
Her dynamic with Don compared to when he was married to Betty is intriguing because you get the sense they're kinda on equal footing. How many times would Don come down hard on Betty and forbid her to do something? I have a hard time seeing Don doing that in this relationship.
But anyway I agree, I think you're not really supposed to know exactly what to make of her at this point.
Cersei getting called out on her shit after a whole season of getting away with fucking EVERYTHING was a definite highlight, as was Tyrion's sick, sick burns on her and Joffrey. Love how everyone BUT Joffrey at this point knows he isn't actually Robert's son.
Are we all on the same page re: Peggy's "that fucking guy" boyfriend is the worst? Even in an episode where he largely did nothing wrong (aside from being unnecessarily rude to that sailor), he is worse than 3 Petes.
Seems like something they've been ramping up since then, yeah. I kinda expect to hear that his home life's all screwed up, given all those weird remarks about his wife.
Gonna have to disagree with Gabe here. Any of the minor weirdness doesn't really matter to me in an episode that promises a season where the main characters are confronted by race in a big way. I didn't see any kind of jarring awkward dialogue, Slattery's scenes were especially fun in the episode.
Loved the weird ass Carnival of Souls music as Sally wakes up.
Gabe's probably the only person upset that Betty didn't show up.
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