"Mad Men" recap: 10 best moments
"Mad Men" has been on a roll lately. Every episode packs a punch, and last night's was no exception. We learn a lot about some people we haven't known much about, Don helps save Sylvia's son from the war, Sally catches Don in a terrible way, and it may just cause Don to spiral even further than he has already.
1) We begin the night with a semi-sad, yet semi-humorous exchange between Pete Campbell's mother and Peggy. Pete's mother seems to thinks that Peggy is Pete's wife, which is ironic on many levels and drudges up all sorts of old feelings and confusion. Though rather than getting too heavy into lost babies, soured relationships and dark times for Peggy, the moment is kept light when his mom reveals that she is having intimate relations with her male nurse. (Was anyone else reminded of "The Good Wife" here? I couldn't think of anything else.)
2) This awkward exchange ultimately leads to a great moment between Pete and Peggy. While tipsy on whiskey sours, Peggy confesses to Pete that his mother may be (or just thinks) she's have a romantic, sexual relationship with her hired nurse, Manolo. They bond over the unappetizing thought of his mother having sex ("I can't even picture her brushing her teeth," says Pete), and the two laugh heartily like real friends, all but putting their tragic past behind them in that moment. However, their familiarity is unsettling to Ted, who finds them laughing together and can barely conceal his jealousy.
3) We are also finally given a glimpse into the personal life of Ted. I was starting to think that he didn't actually have a family outside of work. And it seems as though they feel the same way. His wife complains that he neglects her and the kids because he works so hard. And she is quite aware of his competitiveness with Don Draper, and his affinity for Peggy.
4) In the theme of friendships being rekindled, Don and Arnold are back together again, drinking scotch and having real conversations. He's one of the few people that Don seems to actually have real conversations with, and it seems as though Don actually cares for this man. So much so, that he sincerely wants to help him with his son Mitchell, who has been classified as 1A after sending back his draft card. And for a moment, it seems as if Don is actually being selfless, he genuinely feels for the guy, and does whatever he can to save his son.
5) Though all of his good intentions flew out the window, when he calls to tell Arnold the good news that he has indeed found a way to keep his son from the war (thanks to Ted), but ends up getting Sylvia instead. And Sylvia is so grateful, that she feels the need to repay him -- in a spare bedroom kind of way...
6) Though her thank you romp goes sour when Sally catches them in the act, and all of their faces tell us just how serious a mistake this was.
7) Don is truly mortified and upset that Sally has caught him cheating. It is clear how upset Don is at the thought of Sally losing respect for him. While his relationships with the women in his life rarely have any meaning, and he treats them like they are disposable, he does have a special bond with his daughter. The agony in Don's face while he's in the elevator going after Sally reveals how truly important she is to him.
8) Don clearly wants to set things right with Sally, but their relationship may be damaged beyond repair. The scene at the dinner table was one of the more painful to watch. Everyone thinks that Don is the hero of the night, Megan is basking in his glory, Arnold says that he owes him one, but Sally knows the truth, and has no problem telling him how she feels: Sally screams at her father, "You make me sick!"
9) While on the topic of painful scenes, there is one more that may have taken the awkward cake of the evening, and that was the exchange between Pete and Bob. We don't know much about Bob, except that he just wants everyone to like him. But I guess, what we do know now, is that he especially wants Pete to like him, and speaking in Sally and her teenage friend's terms, we mean like, like him. Though his timing to make his subtle move on Pete was very questionable. When Bob reveals that his mother's nurse's interests may not lie on the fairer sex, Pete responds by calling gay men "degenerates." Which begs the question: Why Bob would then use that as his opportunity to subtly touch knees? We thought Bob was good at reading people...maybe he knows something we don't?
10) Finally, oranges vs. cranberries. I vote cranberries.
Tell us what you thought of last night's episode? What did we miss?