Review: Mad Men "Far Away Places"

Non Spoiler Review:

Mad Men throws out a surprisingly experimental episode that traces three different stories—Peggy's troublesome Heinz pitch, Don and Megan's derailed trip to a rural Howard Johnson hotel, and Roger and Jane's unsettling evening with some college types. It takes awhile to sort out exactly what's going on, but it really makes for another tense hour.

The writers had fun teasing the viewer with the nature of time—we got things from a variety of perspectives and finally figure out just what's going on and where it's all coming together halfway through. There's also a welcome appearance from Jane, and Michael's backstory is an eyeopener.

It's still unclear what the ultimate course of the season is going to take, but the characters (like us) this episode are having a hard time figuring their way along. Additional praise to the Howard Johnson set, which really helped set the mood for Don and Megan's story.

Spoilers Now!
Peggy is fretting on her Heinz presentation, while Abe's having trouble managing a relationship with her continued distractions with work. Don and Megan have to miss the presentation, which leaves Peggy on her own. Peggy makes her pitch, but the Heinz exec wants her to stop giving him what he asks and give him what he wants. Stan and Ken struggle to save it, but all he cares about is if Don signed off on it. Peggy gets confrontational and says she thinks he likes it but just likes fighting about it. He isn't impressed with her hard sell so Ken offers to take him to dinner and get him out of the room. Stan is impressed with her suicidal move. Pete comes in afterwards to tell her she's off the business.

Peggy leaves for the day and goes to the movies, sharing a joint with a stranger next to her and ends up giving him a hand job (!). She returns to work, finding Michael's father has paid an unexpected visit. She introduces herself, and Michael quickly ushers him out. Peggy falls asleep on her couch and is woken up by Dawn at night.

Then Peggy answers the phone from a somewhat frantic Don, asking if she's gotten any calls. She tries to tell him the presentation didn't go well, but Don says he has to go. While she and Michael work late, she asks about his family. The man isn't his real father, he explains. His father told him he was born in a concentration camp, which is impossible (he adds), and his mother died there, so he was found in an orphanage. Peggy later phones Abe, asking him to come over to her place. She also relays Michael's story and asks if it could be true. Abe says it's possible.

In the morning, Don comes into work to find Roger wanting him to join him on a trip to a Howard Johnson in the country to review their service. Don isn't in for the whole bachelor style trip Roger has in mind, so suggests he take Megan and Roger can bring Jane. That doesn't fly with Roger.

Roger and Jane's marriage is quite icy these days. They attend a dinner with weighty philosophical talk that bores him, and then the group reveals they're going to take LSD, which Roger hadn't been paying attention to. He just wants to go home, having indulged Jane, but she convinces him to stay. Most of the group take it, including Roger, who then notices he has been given a card that shows his name and address and that he's taken LSD, ending with please help me.

Roger goes and gets a drink and starts tripping (he hears music coming out of the liquor bottle when he takes off the cap). Roger looks in the mirror and sees Don telling him to go sit with his wife because she wants to be alone in the truth with him. The sober professor advises him not to look in mirrors. Eventually he and Jane go home and sit in the bath and Roger thinks he's watching the world series. Jane muses that her psychiatrist, Catherine (from the party) told her she knows their marriage is over and Jane is just waiting for Roger to say it.  She admits she never cheated but she knows he never fell in love. He really did like her in the beginning, he admits as they lay on the floor together.

In the morning, Roger tells her she's beautiful. They both enjoyed the night. He figures he'll just check into a hotel for awhile and she can take her time, but she doesn't know what he's talking about. They're leaving each other, just like she said. She protests she didn't mean any of it. Roger repeats what her psychiatrist said, and Jane remembers what she revealed. She comments that it's going to be very expensive. She doesn't want a kiss goodbye. 

Don tells Megan about the Howard Johnson trip for the weekend and drags her away from the Heinz presentation. On the road, she wonders how Heinz went and feels she abandoned the team, but Don (of course) doesn't feel guilty. They check in, but Don has taken over every aspect of the trip and isn't letting Megan make any decisions (including what to order for dessert). Don attempts to brand the hotel for the campaign, and she gets annoyed that she doesn't get to work but he does. She's confused when she's supposed to be working and when she's his wife. Don insults her mother so he tells her to call his mother, which prompts Don to walk out. He tells her to get in the car, so he drives off without her when she refuses. 

Don returns to the Howard Johnson but can't find Megan. All he hears is that she was talking to some men in the restaurant and they went to the parking lot together. He finds her sunglasses. He spends the day looking for her but there's no sign, so he calls Peggy asking if anyone called her, and then her mother, but no one has heard from her. Megan never comes back that night, so Don keeps searching.

Don remembers when Megan and Don were driving Sally and her brothers to their new house after vacation, and what a sweet moment it was. Don snaps back to reality and returns home, finding the door bolted. Megan tells him to go away. He's sorry, but she doesn't care, given he abandoned her there. She took the bus home. They get into a fight and fall onto the floor together (mirroring Roger and Jane). Don thought he lost her. He tells her it was a fight and it's over. 

They return to work in the morning, seeming having made peace. Bert calls Don in telling a client left unhappy because he has a little girl running everything. It's time he gets back to work. Don says it's none of his business. Bert tells him this is his business, and Don is done at playing love. Roger pops in and announces it's going to be a beautiful day.

The Verdict:
This experimental episode was a nice change of pace, and kept one guessing as the storylines crossed halfway through. Seeing only one side of each story at a time kept the tension high (Don's frantic phone call). The LSD scene was a new adventure for the show, as well, and was quite funny and disturbing at the same time. Especially with the ominous tone from last week, I keep expecting some tragedy to spring out of left field at any moment.

A shout out to the set design again this week. The Howard Johnson served as the backdrop to a lot of the episode's drama and it really set the tone. The technological generation gap was very evident in Don's frantic struggle to locate Megan via phone booth, which gave it a great sense of isolation.

While Megan might have come off whiny, I found she had some valid points. Don certainly doesn't treat her job with any seriousness at all, and drags her off at the least provocation so he can dote on her and treat her like a child. It's understandable she would rebel against that. But it's very clear he's worried about ruining this relationship. Megan's youth is something he's continually struggling to understand. It's interesting we get treated to yet another physical fight between the two of them, with Don chasing her down like a little girl.

Meanwhile, the LSD trip provides Roger his exit from his loveless marriage, in contrast to Jane, who feels closer to him once it's over (despite having revealed the troublesome information about her psychiatrist). How will his new found freedom affect Roger in the office?

Michael's backstory was an odd bit thrown into the mix, but it certainly added quite a bit to his character (and makes sense why he was so agitated by everyone looking at the crime scene photos a few weeks back). He's certainly struggling with his own past and all the baggage that comes with it. It makes me wonder if Peggy's going to fall for him, given it seems her relationship with Abe has run its course.

Everyone seems to be trying to emulate the old Don, including Peggy, and she's failing miserably, like Pete last week. I'm still wondering what direction her career will take. Will Don return to his old form? Can he even do that now, and if he does resurrect his old self, will it mean sacrificing his relationship with Megan?

Review: The Walking Dead 96

Non Spoiler Review:

Rick deals with the fallout from his kill and gets filled in on the current situation that prompted Ethan to attempt to assassinate Gregory. Meanwhile, Andrea, Glen and Michonne seem to have different perspectives on the Hilltop and its denizens.

Part 4 offers up an explanation of the political situation and the introduction of a new and unknown threat. The last couple of issues have moved along briskly after quite a slow build up, but the storyline offers huge potential. 

Spoilers Now!

The townspeople are horrified Rick killed Ethan. Jesus needs a moment to explain the situation, but Rick won't put down his weapon as Kal and Eduardo rush up. Carson takes Gregory inside and Jesus gets Rick to stand down. He assures him he's not in trouble, but this kind of thing doesn't usually happen here.

Rick wants to know who Negan is, so Jesus explains he's head of a cultlike group called The Saviors, who showed up shortly after the Hilltop went up demanding half of all their supplies in exchange for keeping the area free of the dead. Gregory isn't good at confrontation, so agreed, but the arrangement has continued. Jesus defends Gregory's leadership, though there is no confirmation on the actual numbers of The Saviors.

Carl asks if they kill the bad guys would they share half of their food with them. Rick agrees with that, though he doubts they'd need half. Jesus considers the idea. Rick later walks over to the funeral for Ethan, but gets punched for interfering. Jesus defends him and takes him away, telling the others Ethan deserved to die.

In the morning, Glen is quite impressed with the Hilltop and sees it as full of opportunity. Andrea finds them to be very weak and pathetic. Michonne is terrified of them and sees Gregory as a cult leader.

Gregory is recovering, so asks to talk to Rick. Rick has little to contribute at the moment, aside from fighting, so offers to rid them of the Saviors in exchange for supplies. As a sign of good faith, Gregory stocks them up with supplies to get them through winter.

Jesus tells Rick he'll be there to help him when he goes after Negan. The crew heads back, and Rick observes there's a reason he's their leader, given the way he sees thing. After the different perspectives offered by Andrea and Michonne, he's seen the future in the Hilltop—a way to rebuild civilization and start living again.

The Verdict:

I'm curious to see how Kirkman takes this storyline with Negan. As I mentioned last issue, there's a danger of treading close to a Governor 2.0 with A Larger World. But all indications so far seem to imply this is more of a cult rather than a gang.

That theme is playing out everywhere—first with Jesus' introduction that seemed to indicate he was coming off as a cult like leader. Getting to the Hilltop, Michonne made the comment that she saw the inhabitants as blind followers too. Who's the real villain here? I imagine when we do get to see Negan he might not be what we suspect. And Jesus has become a far more benign character, and potential ally, than how he was first introduced.

After such a slow build up, Rick and Gregory's agreement was signed and sealed in a matter of a few panels, which leaves Rick to start investigating the Saviors further, I imagine. Rick sees the potential of the Hilltop and it will be interesting to see how the rest of the community reacts to the prospects of someplace else to seek refuge. Will people start to immigrate? And are there additional communities in the surrounding areas yet to be visited? A Larger World definitely has a lot to offer, and a real game-changer for the series.

Review: Game of Thrones "What Is Dead May Never Die"

Non Spoiler Review:

Season two gets a few additional secondary characters as we catch up with the final king in waiting, Renly, along with his new wife and 100,000 man army. As Catelyn attempts to make alliances on behalf of Robb, Balon Greyjoy's scheme becomes clear and forces Theon to make a decision. Tyrion sets in motion a few clever plots that bear fruit. Bran struggles to interpret his dreams. Events on the kingsroad come to a head for Arya and Gendry.

What is Dead May Never Die was probably the strongest of the lot so far this season. Tyrion continues to steal the show, and his scenes with Varys were brilliant and funny. Especially interesting was the dynamic set up between Renly and his new wife. We've now seen all the king contenders, and Renly is the obvious choice for benevolent ruler. But part of the theme of this week (exemplified by a great bit of dialogue between Tyrion and Varys) is where power springs from. Could Renly hold onto power simply from the love of the people?

Spoilers Now!

Craster tosses Jon into the midst of the sleeping Night's Watch, ordering them gone. Mormont tells Jon to wait outside and later gets the explanation that he's killing all the boys. But he realizes Mormont already knows, and is told the Wildings serve crueler gods that demand offerings. Like it or not they need men like Craster to survive. Jon explains he saw something take the child. Mormont suggests they will see it again. They leave at dawn, and he warns him not to lose it again.

In the morning Sam manages to get to see Gilly, and gives her a thimble his mother used for sewing, and the only thing he has of hers left. He tells her to keep it safe until he comes back.

In Winterfell, Hodor goes to retrieve Bran for his lessons. Bran wakes to Summer standing over him and staring at him. He explains the same dream he's having to Luwin, that he's seeing through his wolf's eyes. Nan had told him stories about magical people who could live inside animals, but Luwin suggests they're all gone from the world, and just dreams. Bran protests his dreams are true. Luwin shows him a link of Valyrian steal from the chains he carries that signifies he was schooled in the secret mysteries. Luwin confesses he got no more out of it than a thousand other boys. Perhaps magic once existed, but dragons, giants and forest folk are all gone.

Renly has a new wife, Margaery Tyrell, and is holding a tournament as Catelyn and her entourage arrive. Loras, the Knight of Flowers, yields to the victor, who reveals herself as a woman, Brienne of Tarth. She asks for the honor of a place in his personal guard. Loras is not pleased at that, but Renly agrees.

Catelyn is announced as envoy and greeted warmly by Renly, who presents Margaery. He swears the Lannisters will answer for Ned's murder and will bring her Joffrey's head when he takes King's Landing. Brienne tells her she should kneel, but Renly dismisses her eagerness. Loras is equally disrespectful, suggesting Robb should have come himself. Renly goes off to walk with her among his troops, assuring her the war is just beginning.

It's obvious Renly's soldiers adore him as he treats them with respect. Catelyn suggests the war is a game to him, because winter is coming and his knights are of summer. He has Brienne escort her to her tent to rest.

Theon wants to know why Yara didn't reveal who she was when he arrived, but she counters that she wanted to see who he was first, and she got a good idea of that. Balon arrives to reveal his plans—while Robb is fighting the Lannisters in the south, the north is ripe for the taking. Winterfell may remain defiant for awhile but the rest will be theirs. He orders Yara to take 30 ships to attack one of the northern cities, while Theon will take one ship, the Sea Bitch, to raid fishing villages. Theon suggests it's wiser to wait and pledge fealty to Robb, and they'll get Casterly Rock in return. Balon repeats they are iron born, not subjects or slaves, and they take what is theirs.

Theon replies Balon gave him away at the behest of Robert Baratheon, his last boy, and now he's cursed him because he comes home. Balon storms out. Yara warns him to make his choice as their ships sale with or without him.

Shae is getting tired of staying inside. Tyrion suggests she might be brought into the castle kitchens and pose as a scullion, a kitchen wench. He warns her Cersei can never know about her. But Varys has a suggestion where she could prove useful.

Sansa shares dinner with Cersei and her other children, Myrcella and Tommen. Myrcella asks when the marriage will be, so Cersei explains after the war. Cersei presses Sansa to answer her daughter's questions. Tommen asks if Joffrey will kill Robb. Cersei muses he might, and even if he does Sansa will do her duty. But Tommen doesn't seem to be as bloodthirsty as his older brother.

In her quarters, Sansa is visited by Shae, her new handmaiden. Sansa gets uppity when Shae wants instructions of what to do. Given Shae's foreign, Sansa tells her in this city she doesn't have time to explain to her how to do her job. Shae asks if she wants her to leave, but Sansa orders her to just brush her hair.

Tyrion chats up Pycelle and asks if he can trust him. Perilous times require new alliances that must be sealed with matrimony, and the queen mustn't know, so Pycelle agrees to silence. Tyrion reveals he's brokering an alliance with House Martell for Princess Myrcella to wed its youngest son. 

He then meets with Varys and explains he plans to marry Myrcella off to Theon Greyjoy. Varys is less than impressed, given Balon loathes the Starks, but assures him he won't tell the queen.

He tells Baelish he wants to marry Myrcella to Robin Arryn of the Vale. Though she tried to kill him, he doesn't hold a grudge, and needs Baelish to broker the agreement. Tyrion offers him Harrenhal as an incentive, but Baelish suggests it's cursed. He'll be lord of the Riverlands and can tear it down if he wishes, Tyrion replies. He served the Lannisters well in the succession. However, the queen mustn't know.

Loras and Renly share some time together, but Loras is humiliated Brienne was made a member of the king's guard. He tells her there's another Tyrell that requires his attention—the reason he got his father's army. And his bride is still a virgin two weeks after their wedding night.

Renly downs a lot of wine and his wife is brought to him. Renly can't get aroused so she asks if her brother should come in and help, or she could turn over and pretend she's him. Renly is horrified but she tells him there's no need to play games. He should save his lies for court. Their enemies want to tear them apart so the best way to avert that is to get her pregnant. She'll let him decide however he needs to do it, as he's a king.

Cersei is furious with Tyrion for selling off her daughter to Dorne, given the Martells loathe them. She warns him he won't get away with it. He counters she can't stop it, and if the city falls Myrcella could be raped anyway.

Baelish next confronts Tyrion that he made him look like a fool by offering Myrcella to Martell. Tyrion explains he now wants Baelish to help in Jaime's release, by sending him to see his beloved Cat. Bronn returns with news he has found Pycelle and raids his quarters. Tyrion confronts him that he told the queen, so Pycelle tries to implicate Varys to no avail. Pycelle explains he always served House Lannister since the days of Arryn. Lord Arryn knew so Pycelle let him die. Tyrion is disgusted and orders Pycelle thrown in one of the black cells.

Theon prepares a letter to Robb warning him of the invasion, but then burns it. In the morning he's reconsecrated in his faith to the drowned god and is welcomed back into the fold by his sister and father.

Varys later chats with Tyrion that their mutual friend is doing well in Sansa's service. He compliments Tyrion for a well-played move with Pycelle. Tyrion doesn't mean to follow Ned Stark to the grave. Varys offers up a riddle about a king, a priest and a rich man, with a sell sword paid to kill two of them. Who lives, who dies? They debate the answer. Who truly killed Ned? Power resides where men believe it resides, Varys says. A very small man can cast a very large shadow.

Yoren sits with Arya late at night as she can't sleep. She asks how he sleeps having seen so many horrible things. She closes her eyes and still sees her father dying. He reveals when he was young he saw his brother killed on their doorstep. He can't picture his brother's face anymore, but he can still vividly see his murderer. One day he came back into town and Yoren killed him, and his horse got him to the Wall.

A trumpet sounds, and Yoren wakes up his men, telling them to get armed. He sends Gendry and Arya out of sight and orders them north if things go wrong. One of the boys finds Gendry's horned helmet and takes it.

The men pour out of the keep as Lannister's men demand the bastard. Yoren refuses to comply and is killed. Gendry rushes out as everyone engages the men. The men in the cage call for Arya to free them, so she does. Arya is knocked down by one of the soldiers who take her sword. The survivors are ordered rounded up and taken to Harrenhal. The blond boy who took the helmet lies wounded. He needs to be carried, so the soldier kills him. They demand Gendry or they start taking eyes. Arya tells them they already have Gendry, and shows them the helmet lying next to the blond boy.

The Verdict:
After all the talk of Renly and his vast army, he finally gets reintroduced this week with new wife Margaery. He certainly appears to be the most obvious choice for king given his easy treatment of his subjects. But Varys' riddle raises the question of whether being loved can keep him in power (especially with Catelyn's added warning about his army in winter).

He has the ideal marriage with Margaery (who sees her chance to be a queen). But he doesn't seem to be doing anything with his power or army at the moment. While Catelyn continues to come across as a bitch, she raises a valid point that only the northerners seem to care that winter is going to come and the war will be raging in much different conditions.

What is the significance of Harrenhal? It's come up a couple of times this week, with the implication it's cursed. Now Gendry and Arya will be heading in that direction, and Baelish has been offered it as remuneration for his loyalty.

I really want to believe that Theon has some secret plan to warn Robb of the impending invasion, but it doesn't look good, as he seems to have chosen his loyalties. I'm holding out hope that it might all be a grand scheme to do right by the Starks.

Once again, Tyrion steals the show, and his banter with Varys really provided the laughs this week. His set up of his niece was hilarious (including Vary's eye rolling at the notion of Theon Greyjoy). But the two of them have formed a great relationship, including Shae's installation in Sansa's orbit that is sure to provide information, as well.

Myrcella Baratheon jumps to the forefront after being in the far background all season. Is her role going to expand? It's easy to forget the lone Lannister daughter in Joffrey's shadow. And she and her younger brother don't seem to share their mother's utter hatred of the Starks. With Sansa now under the watch of Shae, the palace intrigue continues to be one of my favorite bits.

Review: Mad Men "Signal 30"

Non Spoiler Review:

Two weeks after the serial killer murders, Pete is taking drivers education. He and Trudy are hosting an intimate dinner completely centered on Don attending. Ken has a secret. Lane manages to bring in a prospect for SCDP, but struggles with closing the deal himself, versus letting the more seasoned veterans in the office take it over.

Signal 30 was an interesting episode that set an ominous tone right from the start. I was fully expecting a shocking event—a death—and that anticipation hung over the entire hour. Did it happen? There was definitely quite a moment in the final act that still has me wondering at the fate of a couple of characters.

Once again, Lane and Joan are show stealers when they get on screen together. I really enjoyed their camaraderie. The party scene was also quite interesting in how Don dealt with socializing. A lot of great moments this week.

Spoilers Now!

It's August, and Pete is taking driver's ed at a local high school (complete with scary crash films, from which the name of the episode is derived), but is enjoying eyeing up the cheerleader sitting in front of him. He's finding prolonged time at home is driving him crazy, prompting him to fix the leaky tap. He finally chats up the cheerleader who muses about the recent Texas university shooting (the killer's name just happens to be Charles Whitman), and how her parents might not let her go to college because of it. Pete suggests they should go visit some botanical gardens in the Bronx his family helped build. However, later on a new handsome male student arrives (who is actually nicknamed Handsome), and she immediately turns her attention to him.

Lane's wife wants to associate with other English ex patriots in the city, but Lane would prefer to just stay home with her. But they do go to a pub and watch Britain win the World Cup, where he meets new friend Edward and his wife. At SCDP, Joan is back and heading the partners meeting. Lane announces that he's managed to strike up a relationship with Edward at Jaguar, who are shopping for a new agency. 

Pete immediately tries to rain on Lane's parade by sarcastically warning him they'll need to hire so many more people to handle that account, but Lane counters this is a $3 million one, so he has no problem with that. The partners suggest he's best to handle the dinner and they can bring them in later if he wishes. Roger offers some tips on how to get through the meeting—not to drink much and let him talk, allowing Edward to connect with him. However, Lane tries the tricks but can't seem to hit the right notes to establish a rapport.

Ken is meeting with someone when he runs into Peggy at a diner and kind of gives her a brush off without an introduction, which she calls him to task for later. He admits it was personal—the man might be interested in publishing some of his short science fiction stories. His pen name will be Ben Hargrove.

Pete and Trudy are having a dinner party, and it's essential Don come, so Trudy manages to get Megan to agree, with the suggestion Don already accepted. He tries to get out of it but she'll hear none of it. Ken and Cynthia are also coming.

The evening isn't all that bad, as it turns out, and talk turns to Ken's side hobby writing science fiction, which Cynthia chats up to the rest. They want him to talk about some of his stuff, so Cynthia does a poor job explaining the story of The Punishment of X4—about a robot who causes the death of everyone—the robot had no power to make decisions, Ken explains. 

When the women take the dishes the tap explodes in the kitchen. Don takes over and fixes it to their delight, as Pete struggles to get the toolbox open. At the end of the night Megan drives Don home. Drunk Don gets her to pull over so they can fool around.

Given Lane's failure to bond with Edward, Pete wants to step in, with him, Don and Roger taking him for dinner. Edward is open to having more fun than a boring dinner. He intends to give them the business, but just wants to ensure he can have fun with them (something Lane may not share). Roger invites them to a party, which is just a brothel. As Edward and Roger get lucky, Don is playing it cool. Pete goes off with his own girl, but can't seem to get turned on by her until she calls him her king. The madam is thinking Don is a cop. He admits he grew up in a similar place so she joins him and they chat the rest of the evening.

Edward is happy with his night out and is dropped off. Pete and Don share a cab. Pete thinks Don was behaving like a nun and suggests Don might be looking down on him for cheating on Trudy. Defensive, Pete warns him to wait until his honeymoon is over. Don counters that had he had Megan to start with he never would have looked elsewhere. Pete gets home to the country and has a shower.

Rogers calls Ken in to ask about his writing (thanks to Pete) and warns him his attentions are divided. His job should satisfy his every need and tells him to stop. Ken says he will.

Lane gets a call from his wife, then storms into the partners meeting and sends Joan out. Edwards' wife called Lane's and informed her about his activities (given she found some incriminating evidence). He doesn't believe Edward wanted that. Pete says he was doing his job. Lane is furious and says it's his account. Pete retorts that their need for him disappeared the day he fired them from Sterling Cooper. Lane has enough of the insults and challenges  him to a fight. As the others watch, Pete rises to the challenge and the two box. Lane knocks him down after they spar a bit, and lets him know that's his last piece of advice. 

Joan and Peggy eavesdropped on the goings on in the board room, and afterwards Joan goes in to see Lane with some ice. He asks her what he truly does there, and she assures him he's essential. But she can do it all, he counters. She tells him he's different than them and that's a good way to be. She fixes his hair and he kisses her. A little shocked, she gets up, but just opens the door, then goes back and sits down. He admits he continues to humiliate himself and apologizes.

As gossip spreads through the office Ken tells Peggy that Pete told Roger about his writing. He's done with it. Peggy is sorry to hear that. A bruised Pete leaves, but has to share the elevator with Don. Pete tells him he has nothing now. Ken continues to write. Pete sits in the class watching his favorite girl make out with Handsome.

The Verdict:

From the opening crash film, I was fully expecting a drunk driving accident connected to Pete and Trudy's party. When Don and Megan pulled off the road to fool around, I was certain the moment they moved their head we'd see headlights (or a train) in the rear view mirror. So it was quite a good fake out. That then left me wondering about Pete, and the sudden mention of his rifle that he keeps at the office. Given his humiliation, was he going to off himself? Might he still?

All that aside, it was a great twist and the real prize of the episode—Lane's knockout punch—made all the more fun given it came out of left field. Follow that up with more classy Joan. I loved it. The new Don also continues to impress by maintaining his fidelity with Megan. Is it a complete change? Or is he still in danger of slipping up?

Roger even started out rather likeable by offering Lane what appeared to be sage advice, but then he showed his bruised ego by deciding to rob Ken of the same dreams he's lost as a failed author. Nice to see Ken ignored it.

Both Roger and Pete are struggling to hold onto their influence. Both do so by bringing down those around them. Pete sees his power coming at the expense of everyone else, but at the same time he wants to become Don, only to find his idol is now a different person and doesn't offer his approval. Pete's suffered some serious humiliation now, so it will be interesting to see the direction his character takes this season.