There's no denying this was an absolutely off-the-wall yet masterful episode of Mad Men. We were allowed a glimpse into Don's youth, which explains a lot about his character, including his penchant for women in kerchiefs. As you can imagine, growing up in a bordello leaves a lasting impression on a young lad, as does being beaten with a wooden spoon. Young Dick Whitman, as he was then known, makes friends with Amee, one of the working girls who wears a kerchief. When he falls ill, she nurses him back to health and teaches him a few things along the way. While this might seem totally unrelated to this week’s plot, it does explain Don’s view of women.  

Let's go onto the heart of the episode—satisfaction—in this case, client satisfaction, or lack thereof.

Ken Cosgrove is busy handling the prized Chevy account. He's pitched seven different creative campaigns in six weeks and the Chevy executives hate each of them. In fact, the only thing Ken has to show for his time in Detroit is a bum foot, and abrasions resulting from a car accident suffered while joy-riding with the inebriated Chevy execs. The partners loosely gathered to discuss next step and  Don is angry that he didn’t make the pitch, as if it's Ken's fault the Chevy folks don't like the creative. 

Side note: Did you find it ironic, if not humorous, when Don was saying he thought the timbre of his voice could sway the execs? Jon Hamm does the voiceovers for the Mercedes Benz spots currently running and there is something to be said for his timbre.  Don tells the creatives they will work the entire weekend to develop fifteen ideas for Chevy.

Cutler calls in his doctor to give the team an energy boost in the form of an injection. The doctor calls it his own mix of vitamins and stimulants, but it was certainly amphetamines. Everyone is clearly "amped" after their shots. The office becomes a chaotic mess with flying exacto knives, and glassy-eyed, erratic staff running about, like boys on the playground. Only Peggy and Ginsberg do not partake and remain level headed. Stan and the others are fast-talking and unproductive. Ken, energized by the magic potion, tap-dances for Don, broken foot and all. Again, I couldn't help but think he's dancing as fast as he can for both client and upper management!

Still broken hearted over his breakup with Sylvia, Don spends a lot of time hanging out in the back hallway of her apartment. She calls him at work pretending to be her husband to freak him out and convince him to just leave her alone. But as we've seen, Don doesn't handle rejection well.

Charged up by his injection, Don frantically tries to find the right words or angle to win her back. In fact, he spends the entire weekend working on his pitch to her, not Chevy. He remembers an old soup ad they created in the late 50s and finally finds it. Sure enough, there is a woman in a kerchief, leaning over as a boy eats oatmeal. The tag line is: "Because you know what he needs." Enter the flashbacks and bingo! Don finally knows what to say to get Sylvia back. He calls in Peggy and Ginsberg who think they’re about to hear a fabulous idea to save Chevy. Instead, Don rambles on about "her" and what he is going to say. Peggy is so irritated and frustrated by everyone who received an injection.

Meanwhile, it’s Don and Megan's weekend with the kids. We get to see blonde Betty, cold as ever. Foolishly, Megan leaves the kids alone as she goes to meet her producer and Don is still at the office. Late that night, Sally hears a noise and finds a woman rummaging around the apartment. She says she raised Don and calls herself "Grandma Ida." The woman knows  just enough to be believable—if you're twelve. But Sally figures out that something isn’t right and finally calls the police. Of course, the woman manages to scare the kids and leaves with jewelry, silver and whatever else she can stuff in her bag. By the time Don returns home exhausted, the police, Meghan, Betty and Henry are all there. Betty, selfish as ever, only thinks about herself and how this will reflect on Henry's gubernatorial campaign. Looking around at all of the accusing faces, Don faints. The next morning, he and Sylvia wind up on the same elevator. After spending the entire weekend creating an eloquent speech to win Sylvia back, he says not a word during the uncomfortable descent.

In the end, Don calls Sally to tell her it’s his fault the back door was unlocked. Sally answers that the woman seemed to know about him, which leads Sally to believe she doesn't know her dad at all.

The best line of the episode was the final one, when Don took himself off the creative side of Chevy. He said he'd just approve the creative but do nothing else on the campaign because "every time we get a car, this place turns into a whorehouse." Interesting choice of words given his upbringing and the way he uses women. But I guess this episode all goes back to client satisfaction—Joan and the Jaguar account; SCDP tap-dancing and jumping through hoops for Chevy.

Has anyone else noticed the choice of books the characters are reading? Last week it was "The Last Picture Show", this week it’s "Rosemary's Baby." You know those are not just randomly chosen. What do you think they signify?

As the merger of SCDP and CGC transitions, I'm reminded of "Yours, Mine and Ours" with each staff member vying for attention, affection and affirmation from the partners. The give and take conversations about which employees would survive the merger reminded me of a divorce; you get the pool table, so I get the piano. There was plenty of give and take in this episode of Mad Men.

Since Don is the man with the plan, let's start with him as he channels his inner Christian Grey. He overhears an argument between Arnold and Sylvia, ending with Arnie leaving or getting tossed out. That depends on how you look at it. Sylvia calls and needs Don; nothing else will do. In the midst of the first day post-merger, Don takes off for a few hours to meet Sylvia at a hotel. He tells her to bring him his shoes. Actually, he says to "crawl on all fours." She places them on his feet and he tells her to undress and return to the bed. He then orders her to remain there until whenever he decides to show up. Don later sends her a package: a beautiful scarlet (as in Scarlet Letter) dress. Sylvia delightedly adorns the dress and anxiously waits for Don. When he arrives, he commands her to take off the dress and get back in bed. She's there for his pleasure. 

Back at the office, Don, Ted and the creative team work on the newly acquired "Ted-Don love child" Fleishman Margarine account. Ted and Peggy meet with the creative teams to "rap about margarine" while Don is M.I.A. Really though, Ted using words like "groovy" and "let's rap" cracked me up. He's too square to be hip. The brainstorming session is a spot-on look at how some of the best ad and marketing ideas are formed. In fact, some of the phrases tossed about eventually do find their way into the ads and commercials in later years. However, having each team member write ten things about margarine seemed a little elementary. I much rather enjoyed the conversation between an inebriated Ted and not-so-drunk Don, likening the margarine brands to the cast of Gilligan's Island. Blue Bonnet is Mary Ann, Ginger is Parkay, etc. The bantering suggests the two reach a middle ground. Naturally, Don wins this particular round of the power struggle, because as Peggy points out, few men can out-drink Don and he shouldn't have gotten Ted drunk the first day. It all evens out when Ted flies himself and Don on his private plane to see the Mohawk airlines client. Don looks frightened and slightly ill as they fly through torrential rains. Ted smugly smiles when Don points out that it doesn’t matter what Don said in the meeting. Ted is the one with the plane. Score one for Ted.

Speaking of keeping track of every little thing, Pete acts like a spoiled brat the entire episode. He clearly feels threatened by the merger and when he is late for the first partner meeting, there is no chair for him. Ever the gentlemen, he stands there whining until Moira, Ted's secretary, offers her seat. Ted then gallantly gives up his own seat for Moira, making Pete look even more child-like. Unfortunately for Pete, his mother has dementia. She disrupts his life by showing up on his doorstep. The tragedy of dementia is there are moments of lucidity interwoven with fragments of past memories. When his mother’s mind is in the present, her comments about Pete, Trudy and their marriage are deadly accurate.

Pete was originally slated to accompany Don and Ted for the Mohawk meeting as it is Pete's account, but because he is dealing with his mother they go without him. The resulting tantrum he throws, yelling at his secretary, pouting and shouting is fun to watch. He is quickly unraveling and will soon need the therapists’ couch in Roger's office.

Peggy clearly has mixed emotions about being back in the SCDP offices. She and Joan are glad to be working together again but she's still a little wary of Don. I thought her description of her and Abe's living arrangement was very telling: "We bought a building together to live in. We bought a building to live in together.” Honey, if you can't define the relationship, do you really want to be in it? Anyway, I'm glad she's back in the mix at the office because she always makes things more interesting.

Joan has a medical emergency so newbie Bob takes her to the hospital and concocts a story so that she is seen quickly. Bob is "last hired, first fired" on the staff cutting board. But Joan points out that since Bob works closely with Ken Cosgrove, who is in Detroit with the Chevy account, he might be one to keep on board. The others agree and Bob is spared. Score for SCDP as they cut one of the account managers from CGC instead.

All good things must come to an end and Sylvia decides to finally end it with Don. End the affair – not just the hotel room charade, which lasted several days. Sylvia determines it’s time to go home to Arnold. In the end, Don is the one pleading. Once again, someone he cares deeply about walks away from Don, leaving him wondering why and what has he done or hasn’t done to make her not want him. Don returns home to Megan, who truly does love him, and completely tunes her out. We've seen this gray side of Don before, and the fact that he is completely unmoved by the death of Bobby Kennedy the next morning leads me to believe he is in for some darker times indeed.

What did you think of this week’s episode?

This week's episode of Mad Men begins with a potential IPO and ends with a merger, proving once again that you never know what will happen. One thing for certain is that there are many secrets.

To begin with, Bert, Pete and Joan secretly meet with a banker to take SCDP public. They are positively giddy at the thought of becoming millionaires, especially Pete, who imagines winning back Trudy with his new-found wealth. Trudy continues to string him along and make him pay for his past transgressions. Pete goes to the nearby brothel with one of the new guys to celebrate the impending IPO,  and sees his father-in-law trailing a half-clothed prostitute. They lock eyes and mumble hello. Nothing good can come from this encounter.

In other news, Pete, Don and Roger plan to have dinner with the Jaguar client, Herb. Roger tells Pete the meeting is canceled and persuades Don to bring Megan and her visiting mother, Marie, along. The dinner is a delicious disaster. Don is late; Megan and Marie are bored to tears and Marie insults the wife. Thank goodness for subtitles, although even I could pick up the word "idiot" in French. When Don finally arrives, the men get down to business.

Herb has a young guy, Chris, at one of his dealerships who helps write flyers. When Herb brings Chris up, Don thinks Herb is asking about a job for Chris. Don decides he’ll at least go through the pretense of an interview. But no, Herb wants Don to allow Chris to review all of the SCDP ad work on the Jaguar campaign to make sure it's okay. Don's incredulous look is priceless. Things go downhill pretty quickly after that and SCDP ends up quitting the account. The dinner is over before it started. And Roger is a complete no-show.

So what has he been up to? Roger, always ready to work any possible angle, convinces his stewardess girlfriend to keep him posted on the comings and goings of hotshot execs at the airport. While the Jaguar account is running of the road, Roger is working his magic with a top dog at Chevy. Mikey, the Chevy guy, is complaining that he couldn't find a decent NY ad agency for their new concept car so he’s heading back to Detroit. Roger skips the Jaguar dinner, flies to Detroit and returnslater that night with the opportunity to pitch Chevy.

The next morning at the office, Don announces he quit the Jaguar account. Pete flies off the handle (and down the stairs!) and starts yelling at Don in the middle of the office, ranting about taking the company public and how this will ruin everything. Joan herds the team into the conference room while everyone else watches through the glass. Don is caught off guard about the IPO and says Herb should have been dealt with months ago. Joan is furious; if they weren't going to hang on to the account, it made her acts worthless. If she could deal with Herb so could Don. It was awesome to watch Joan in action, seething and sharp-tongued. After she storms out, Roger announces they have the opportunity to pitch Chevy - in three days. As they leave the room, the other employees scurry out of their way like mice. Don rounds up the creative team and is thrilled to discover they’re working on a concept car to compete with the Ford Mustang.

Over at Peggy's shop, Ted and his partners are also working on the Chevy account. Ted is stressed because one of the partners has pancreatic cancer and he's tired of being the nice guy. They let the Alfa Romeo account go and he's second-guessing that decision. Then he kisses Peggy. It must have been some kiss because Peggy couldn't get it out of her mind for the rest of the episode. She pictures Ted when kissing her boyfriend, Abe. She thinks about the kiss and powders her nose before going to Ted's office later. Oh yes, Peggy thought about that kiss a lot. She and Abe purchase a crummy apartment that needs tons of work in a so-so neighborhood, just as Abe wanted. Peggy, now, is not so sure about the decision and is perhaps wondering what could be with Ted.

On to Motor City for the pitch. At the airport, one of the pompous ad guys from a bigger shop comes over to banter with Don and Roger. Word spreads quickly up and down Madison Avenue. It seems like everyone but S and D knows about Vicks pulling their account from SCDP. The head of the Vicks account is none other than Trudy's dad, Pete's father-in-law. He is enraged at Pete for visiting the bordello, never mind that he was there as well. His daughter is a princess and Pete is a no-good low life. So that quickly became another loss for SCDP. Gotta love Roger though, he manages to have the airline lose the competitor's luggage.  

Don and Ted commiserate at the hotel bar. Two little shops competing with two big shops means they'll steal the creative ideas from the little shops and give the business to one of the larger agencies. They present their pitches to each other and they are quite similar. Don, who probably is still annoyed with the others for wanting to take SCDP public without telling him first, suggest the two shops merge and go in as a larger shop. Ted is intrigued, especially since one of his partners is dying, and what Don is saying makes sense. The next morning Roger, Don, Ted and Harry Hamlin's character go in to make the pitch. I love Harry Hamlin and his line, "Just so we’re clear, unless this works I'm against it," made me laugh. Such a typical boss-like thing to say. Well it works. They get the Chevy business and come back to NYC to merge.

Peggy is the first to find out when she is called into Ted's office, hoping to be kissed again and instead seeing Don there.  She has all kinds of unanswered and unasked questions but they assure her everything will be fine. I couldn't tell if Don was more excited about landing the account, merging or shutting the others out of a major decision for SCDP.  I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure it will be anything but an easy ride. So do you think the concept car is the Camaro or the Chevelle?

Leave it to Mad Men to insert a historical moment like the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. to establish time period and provide an emotional backdrop. And what an emotional episode, “The Flood” was. All of the NYC agencies gather for the Ad Club of New York awards and both Peggy and Megan are part of the team nominated for the Heinz Bean campaign. Ironically, neither of them still works for SCDP nor is Heinz Beans still a client.

That's how quickly things change in the advertising world. As Paul Newman gives his politically infused speech—celebs pontificated their beliefs at awards back then too—news breaks out of the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination. Amid much dismay, disbelieve and distress, the program goes on as planned, but everything changes thereafter.

Riots break out around the U.S., including in NYC and Washington D.C. In case you didn't catch it, Sylvia and Dr. Rosen are in D.C. for a conference. Don is borderline frantic hoping to hear that his mistress is safe. The next day, no one expects the African American secretaries to work. Peggy's heartfelt conversation and hug showed she really does understand and value her secretary. On the other hand, the stiff hug Joan gives Dawn is almost unbearable to watch because it seemed so contrived.

Speaking of changes, who knew that Pete had a heart? Pete goes ballistic when Harry whines about his clients expecting make-goods because the breaking news interrupted network programming. I honestly thought I'd never agree with Pete on anything but his accusation of Harry being selfishly worried about his commission seemed spot on. I thought it was going to be another fight fest. Thankfully Bert steps in and forces them to shake hands and apologize. However, those were the most pathetic “apologies” ever.

Pete, feeling bad about the assassination and Dr. King’s family, reaches out to Trudy to make sure she and Tammy are OK. Trudy is still unwilling to welcome Pete home. So there Pete is, in his dark, dreary bachelor pad in a one-sided conversation with the delivery guy. A tragedy like this puts everything into perspective and Pete once again realizes the serious mistakes he’s made.

Betty, looking very Joan Crawford with her dark hair, is in full-blown mommy dearest mode. She chastises Bobby for picking at the uneven wallpaper in his room. As if the wallpaper itself isn’t enough to give him nightmares, the uneven edges just beg to be ripped. Betty is at her best when she's raking Don over the coals, this time for forgetting to pick up the kids for his weekend. Don heads through the rioting neighborhoods to bring the kids safely to the city. While the children are away, Betty and Henry have a heart-to-heart about his political aspirations, where Henry decides to run for state senator. Betty is thrilled, until he mentions he can't wait for everyone to meet her. You can see it in her eyes; the distress of having to wear something other than a robe. Glad to see she's still vain. I'm hoping Betty will return to her blonde roots soon and January Jones will dump the fat suit.

Back at the Draper penthouse, Megan decides to take Sally and Gene to a MLK memorial in Central Park while Don and Bobby hang back. Bobby is grounded from TV and since Don doesn't know how to spend time with his son they go see "Planet of the Apes." Like father like son, they watch the movie.

Bobby's comment to the porter, "We come to the movies when we're sad" triggers an unexpected emotion from Don. In a tortured monologue with Megan by his side, he confesses he’s faked loving his son since his birth. It was Bobby's comment to a stranger that makes Don feel love for his son. He truly didn't know what to do with this emotion. This was Emmy-worthy acting by Jon Hamm.

Again, this emotionally charged episode found Peggy and Abe, mostly Peggy, searching for an apartment to buy. Peggy finds one on the Upper East Side and Abe is extremely non-committal. He reminds her it’s her money to spend. He goes on to say,  he "always imagined them raising their children around other types of people." That’s all Peggy needs to hear. She finally realizes all of her dreams are within reach: a great career and a great guy who wants to be with her for the long haul. She looks pleased as punch as he pounded out the story of his career.

Because it's Mad Men, there's always something disturbing, right? This episode it's Rogers’ creepy insurance contact. He tries to communicate by not talking, which is never effective. His idea for an ad includes a Molotov cocktail. In today's world, can you imagine anything so preposterous? Actually, it was pretty ridiculous in the 60s as well. His words, "This is an opportunity. The heavens are telling us to change" are prophetic but he's still too far out there for the likes of SCDP.

So what's next?

“Cheat or be cheated” should have been the title of this delicious episode of Mad Men. It seemed like every character, except for Dawn, was secretly out to make themselves look better or at the very least, make the other guy look worse.

A secret meeting between Don, Pete and the Heinz Ketchup guy, Timmy, sets the tone of the episode. Don is clearly uncomfortable with creating a pitch as he had promised their Heinz Beans client, Ray, that SCDP would not pursue the Ketchup account. However, Don, Pete and Stan decide to move forward with an exploratory mission dubbed “Project K.” They are the only ones on this assignment so naturally, the other creatives are curious about the secret project. Nothing in an office setting draws attention more than blocked windows, whispers and one-on-one meetings.

Meanwhile, Harry Crane and Ken Cosgrove discuss the Dow Chemical account. As you’ll recall, Ken’s father-in-law is the Dow contact. He is disturbed with the bad press the company is getting because of the war. So Harry comes up with a great idea for a TV variety show to be sponsored by Dow, called “Broadway Joe on Broadway,” featuring Joe Namath and 15 of his friends. The client loves the idea. This is a much-needed $150,000 win for Harry and SCDP. Harry is buoyed by this success and storms into a partners meeting later that day, demanding he be named a partner as well. Harry looks right at Joan and says something to the effect of, at least his business is transacted in the daylight. He sounded like a bratty kid at the playground demanding his turn on the swings. As you can imagine, no one appreciated this reminder. Bert and Roger give Harry a commission check for $23,500 and send him on his way. He won’t be made a partner anytime soon.

Joan receives a visit from Kate, a high school friend, who is a sales director for Mary Kay and in town for a job interview. Kate is clearly jealous of Joan’s success and I have the feeling these two have been “frenemies” for a long time. Everything is a competition for Kate: jewelry, jobs, even meeting men later at the bar. The next morning Kate confides she only came to New York because she is envious of Joan’s success. Joan tells Kate she still feels treated like a secretary. Later at the office, Joan gives Dawn the keys to the timecards and the supply room. Dawn, who covered for a co-worker by punching the other girls’ time card previously, is shocked and honored by the new responsibility.  

On the set of “To Have and To Hold,” actress Megan finds out she will be filming a love scene with one of the main characters. She is reluctant to tell Don, so the lead actress invites her and Don to dinner with her and husband/show-writer, Mel. Honest Megan can’t keep anything from Don for very long and tells him about the love scene. Typically, Don is not thrilled. At dinner, the other couple invites Don and Megan back to their house for late-night shenanigans. The Drapers decline.

Finally, the day of the secret pitch to Timmy (“Ketchup”) arrives. The SCDP team has a clean presentation and the tagline “Pass the Heinz” speaks for itself. Don tells Timmy that “Heinz is ketchup” so there’s no need for a picture of the bottle. As Don, Pete and Stan leave the room they see Ted and Peggy waiting for their turn to pitch Heinz. Stan is seething as he realizes Peggy shared their conversation and that’s why they are there.

Don eavesdrops on the presentation and hears Peggy steal his line, “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.” Peggy’s campaign wasn’t extraordinary and in the end, the only winner is Timmy. He gives the ketchup business to JWT. Even worse news is on the way for SCDP. Ray, the Heinz Beans client, finds out about the secret meeting and promptly fires SCDP.

Don, who is already in a foul mood, then heads over to the set of the soap opera just in time to watch Megan film the love scene. It’s only a kiss but he is still mad about it. Don’t you think that’s rich coming from the man who is having a real life love affair of his own with his neighbors’ wife?

Anyway, after Don gives Megan a hard time, he shows up on Sylvia’s doorstep and falls in her arms in the exact same position across the bed as Megan’s love scene. Double-standard Don has an obscure sense of loyalty. He wanted to be loyal to Ray, but was swayed by the prestige of landing the ketchup account. He wants Megan to be loyal to him but doesn’t feel the need to be loyal to her. At least he can be content knowing Sylvia is keeping him in her prayers. Ah the irony of it all!

What did you think of this week’s episode?

What a fitting title "The Collaborators" is for this episode of Mad Men as every character collaborates with someone on some level.  

Let's start with the extremely insensitive Pete. He and a neighbor’s wife have a tryst in his NYC apartment. She is fonder of Pete than he of her and suggests several secret signals to let him know she is thinking about him. He clearly wants none of it. Later that evening when she shows up beaten and bloody at the Campbell home, Pete knows he is busted. He tries to rush her off to a hotel and callously offers to call a cab for her. He’s less than thrilled when Trudy drives her. Women talk and sure enough by the time she returns home, Trudy knows all about the affair. Trudy goes on to prove that she is no shrinking violet. She reads Pete the riot act and throws him out of the house the next morning. Pete can't win at the office either as he and Don don't see eye-to-eye on the Jaguar account.

Unforgettable Herb, the local Jaguar dealership owner who played a key role in SCDP landing the coveted Jaguar account, still thinks he's all that. He makes a pathetic come-on to Joan, saying "I know deep down there's a part of you that's happy to see me." Her quip, "And I know there's a part of you, you haven't seen in years," was one of my favorite lines of the show.

At SCDP, Herb tries to throw his weight around to alter the Jaguar buy from national to more locally-focused. Herb pitches Don and Pete an idea for radio spots, touting his dealership over the national campaign, even though everyone (including Herb) has already signed off on national. Naturally, the men at SCDP will increase the campaign for more money. But that’s not what’s going on here. It would just be a shifting of dollars.

Don is masterful in the meeting with Herb and the British gentlemen representing Jaguar. Herb tries to push the idea of a local focus as that of SCDP. Pete is jovial as he's onboard with Herb's idea. Then Don begins his pitch as only he can. His tone, demeanor and smooth presentation make it sound like going local is the best thing for the client – a witty and effective use of reverse psychology. Anyone can afford a Jaguar. The guy driving a truck should just go down the road and get a new Jag. He says it so earnestly you almost believe he wants this campaign switched. Everyone at that table, with the exception of the two individuals that matter, knows what he is doing and is powerless to stop it. Naturally, Don and the Brits won and the campaign remains national as intended.

Later in the episode, the Heinz folks "Beans" and "Ketchup," make a “non-visit” to SCDP. Ketchup is curious about the increase in sales of beans since that division signed on with SCDP. The Ketchup division’s upstart is happy with his current agency, DDB, but wants to see what Don and his team can develop. As soon as "Ketchup" leaves the room, their client "Beans" stresses that this meeting did not happen. He emphatically insists SCDP forget this meeting as he doesn’t want the Ketchup division to be even more successful than it already is. So Don tells them to back off from Heinz Ketchup even though, "Ketchup is the Coca-Cola of condiments."

Stan relays this humorous story to Peggy on one of their late-night calls. Peggy then tells Ted about it because she thinks it's funny. Surprise! The next morning Ted insists she go after the Heinz Ketchup account since they're shopping around for a new creative agency. I must admit, I was very excited about all of the advertising discussions this episode. I have no doubt there are still some closed door dealings and client loyalty issues going on today.

Speaking of Peggy, she's still navigating her way through the good ol' boys way of doing business. There aren't many women creative directors and she's uncertain how to manage her mostly male team. She doesn't want to seem too bossy or shrew or motherly. Her little pep talk doesn’t incite any excitement among the team because it seems flat and false. The team in turn plays a practical joke on her to not-so-subtly highlight her overly-critical tendencies.

Viewers were also treated to some flashbacks into Don's earlier life this episode. Since his formative years were spent living in a brothel, it's little wonder why he treats women the way he does. To offer Sylvia money (whose husband is a surgeon) is very insulting. Even more disappointing was that she happily took it. Their relationship is interesting and though Sylvia may not realize it yet, she has the upper hand. The restaurant scene between those two was ripe with subtext and undertones. Sylvia later expresses a fear, saying they can't fall in love. But I'm afraid it's too late for Don. Sylvia is his drug of choice and lucky for him she's only a floor away.

Mistress and wife meet in the laundry room and Megan has an emotional breakdown. The two ladies have a heart-to-heart conversation as Megan shares she recently had a miscarriage. She is upset and feels guilty because she wasn't sure she wanted the baby and hadn't even told Don. She finally tells Don and he of course wants what she wants. I'm sure what she really wants is for him to be faithful. Don is a playboy and being faithful isn’t in his nature. So yes, we had collaborations of all sorts this episode.

In the world at large, the Vietnam War is definitely heating up. Did you notice any time there was a TV or radio in the background the news was about the war? It'll also be interesting to watch how that major event is woven into the storyline. 

Until next week!

Only Don Draper would choose "Dante's Inferno" as a beach-read while in paradise. The book’s opening line – "In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost" – sums up Don and the entire cast in this episode of Mad Men. The episode was all over the place and bear with me as this recap may be as well.

We begin the episode around Christmas with Don and Megan on a work junket at the Royal Hawaiian hotel. Blue drinks on white sand, a luau, leis; who could ask for anything more? Yet Don still seems a little morose as he heads to the hotel bar in the wee hours of the morning. He meets Pfc. Dinkins, a drunken soldier on leave and about to be married, who notices their matching army-issued Zippos and strikes up a conversation. Pfc. Dinkins persuades Don to give the bride at the wedding away as she has no family in Hawaii. Don reluctantly agrees after the young soldier says in a pay-it-forward style, "One day I'll be the man who can't sleep and talks to strangers." Did anyone else notice we were almost 10 minutes into the show before Don spoke his first line and it was in conversation with a total stranger?

Meanwhile, back in New York, the offices of SCDP are decked out in garland, snowflakes and Christmas decor that just looks sad and tired. There is false cheeriness about. It's the week between Christmas and New Year’s and it’s very busy. Specifically, the new team is working on creative for Dow Chemical and Don also has to create an ad for the Royal Hawaiian. 

On to Roger, who is seeing a shrink. Time will tell how helpful that will be. Roger’s beloved mother has died and the funeral scene is both funny and not. His mother's friends dote on him, his ex-wife shows  up with her new husband, an upstart from the agency sends oodles of unwanted food Roger, and a drunken Don throws up in the corner of the deceased's opulent home. Distressed Roger throws everyone out, while classic Roger makes a move on ex-wife, Mona, who wisely pushes him off. The next day, Roger walks in the office and finds a shoe shine kit left to him. He learns that his shoe shiner died and because Roger was the only person asking about him, the kit was brought to him. Alone in his office, holding the shoe brush, Roger bursts into tears. Now, Roger didn't even cry when his mother died. I have to believe the overwhelming grief stems from more than just this death, but rather his personal regrets.

Needless to say, all of this gloom impacts the SCDP creative team. The ad they create for Royal Hawaiian includes a suit coat, tie and shoes on the beach with foot prints leading into the water. The tag line reads "Leave it All Behind." The client is underwhelmed and quite put off by the implied suicidal messaging. "Where's our hotel? Where's Diamond head?" he asks. Don's reply: "Anyone can do that. This is thought-provoking advertising." Yes, thoughts of death. Don honestly seemed surprised by the negative reaction. It appears death is going to be a predominant theme this season.

Peggy is now at her new shop in crisis mode. The ad she and her team created for KOSS headphones includes a play on Shakespeare with the tag line "Lend Me Your Ears". Clever, but like today's campaigns, sometimes current events can transform your ad  from incredible to insensitive. In this case, there was a comment from a comedian about American GI's in Vietnam cutting off the enemy’s ears and making necklaces of them. A more recent example is the controversial Tibetan Groupon Super Bowl ad from a few years ago.  Understandably, the client is up in arms, as is Peggy's manager. But Peggy keeps her cool for the most part. She does seem a trifle power-hungry and bossy though.

On a different note, I was struck by how times have changed when Peggy was unable to reach the top boss Ted. Today he'd be reachable via cell phone, texting or email no matter where he was. At any rate, on NYE she and her team work to resolve the issue at hand. Ted comes into the office to see who could possibly be working on NYE. He slightly chastises Peggy for keeping the team when she has developed a brilliant solution. There’s a big difference in Ted and Don as managers, in that Ted had no problem complimenting Peggy. Clearly, the move from SCDP has been beneficial to her.

Betty is another lost soul. She can't relate to Sally at all anymore; although most of that is due to Sally's teenage angst. I still don't know who Sandy is but she seems to represent Betty's youth. She's a 15-year-old girl, staying at the Francis house and set to go to Juilliard to study violin. However, she wasn't accepted to the school after all. She and Betty have quite the conversation where she tells Betty she would rather go live in "the Village" in an abandoned house with others who are just doing their thing. I also liked her line to Betty, "Why don't you just be the way you are," when Betty mentions watching her weight.

It seems Sandy just wants to be herself so she runs away to the Village. Betty searches for Sandy in a decrepit, rat-infested shamble and finds several guys, making goulash and living in filth. She hangs around long enough to discover Sandy had been there. She sold her violin for $10 to one of the guys who has some choice words for up-tight "Blondie." Betty returns to her established home and acts like nothing happened. She continues to provoke Henry, this time by initiating a rather disturbing conversation. There's bound to be trouble ahead for these two.

Speaking of trouble and love, Don is back to his old tricks. A while back, Don, Megan, Dr. Rosen and his wife are coming in from separate evenings out when the doorman has a heart attack. The doctor saves his life and the two couples become friends. Don invites the doctor into SCDP and is very curious about what it's like to have the power to save a life. Don tells him that he hopes Rosen conducts the first heart transplant in the States. New Year’s Eve finds those four and others celebrating at the Draper’s penthouse. There's a snowstorm raging outside when Dr. Rosen gets a call and must go into the hospital. He and Don go to storage to locate a pair of skis so Rosen can get into work. While the good doctor is off saving lives, Don sneaks into bed with Mrs. Rosen.

Yes, as Dante says, the forest is dark and in this case, the straight forward path Don had been on is lost. There's no turning back and more doors to open.

If you missed the first-part of my Season 6 preview of Mad Men covering the ladies, click here. This time around I’ll discuss the men.

If you watched "Mad Men" last season you’ll probably agree with me that the gentlemen certainly provided some quality viewing. Let's start with one of my favorites: Roger Sterling.

Oh Roger, Roger. From tripping on LSD, to leaving Jane, to standing naked at the window—what are you going to do next? At least Roger doesn't pretend to be something he's not; although he was desperate to keep up with the young hot shots this past season, I'm hoping he'll finally wise up and pair up with "Red" this year; although I wouldn't be surprised if he went back to Mona.

Pete, well he is something isn't he? As I said in an earlier post, he's no Don Draper. He had his affair, secured some accounts and wormed his way to the big boy’s table as a partner. His character is becoming a little more sinister especially since he's the one who designed the grand idea to garner the Jaguar account using Joan. Even though the other men, Don and Roger, have divorced their spouses, I doubt Pete will go that route. He and Trudie are too high-brow. Honestly, I don’t have any predictions for him other than he'll continue to be pompous and self-serving. Maybe he'll try to track down his baby that Peggy gave up for adoption.

Lane Pryce certainly tried his best to be everything to everyone last season, didn't he? He struggled to be a salesman and secure the Jaguar account. He cooked the books and got burned when Don discovered the discrepancy. Were you stunned when he hung himself in the office? Poor Lane, there can be no predictions for him.

This brings us to Don Draper. Don is clearly enjoying his marriage with Megan as well as working with her. In fact, he was so hands-off at work initially, the company seemed to falter. He went from the guy with everything (again) to the guy with a few big losses (again) in his life. Guilty over Lane's suicide; mixed feelings over Peggy leaving for greener pastures; and faced with a young wife looking to make a name for herself. All of these events don’t sit well with Don. I cannot wait for April 7.

What are your predictions? Will we start off in a new decade?

I hope so because the appetizers and cocktails for my kick-off party are better suited to the 70s than the 60s. Let's look for some avocado appliances, bell bottoms, mini-midi, maxi skirts and color TV ad plans.

(image source)

Award season is over. The NCAA March Madness tourney is approaching, but I only watch the games with a selfish interest and my brackets in hand. April 7 is the date circled on my calendar as it's the premiere of Mad Men. You might remember my Monday Mad Men Wrap-Up posts from last year. I’m thrilled to be back in action, sharing my views on "Mad Men," TV’s best advertising drama.

My friends and I are already talking about what happened last season and making our predictions for the upcoming season. We are rarely on target with our predictions since Matthew Weiner does such an amazing job with twisting plots and story lines.

But let's recap and ponder what could be in store for our friends at SCDP. This week I’ll tackle the ladies and next week, I’ll dish on the men.

If you'll recall, last season was dark. Have you ever worked so hard on a campaign that you thought, "This'll be the death of me?" Welcome to the world of Sterling, Cooper, Draper & Pryce.

First on the list is Joan. Joan lived through the death of her marriage. She divorced her doctor husband, who preferred to return to war rather than stay home with her and the new baby. We all know that Roger is the baby’s true father and maybe that will come to light this season. Joan also prostituted her way into partnership at SCDP, thus securing the much coveted Jaguar account. As uncomfortable as that episode was, it did show Joan’s sense of business acumen. She negotiated the deal with the partners for full partnership and a percentage of earnings in exchange for one repulsive evening. There is no pretty way to spin that entire mess, but it proves that Joan will continue to be a force to reckon with this season. She'll most likely want Roger to marry her now that they're both single again; although I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Betty was fighting the battle of the bulge last season. I hear January Jones is back to her svelte self so I'm sure we'll see a lot more (or less) of her this year. Thank goodness because I like that terribly flawed character. Her jealousy of Megan was palpable in every scene they shared. Again, the stark contrasts between Don and Megan’s swanky, light penthouse and the dark, gothic Francis home exemplified the differences between the two couples.

The beautiful Megan was just making a name for herself in the copywriting department at SCDP when she convinced Don to let her follow her dream and take acting lessons. She's pretty, sexy and seemingly sweet, but not a very good actress. In fact, the only acting role she landed was in a commercial arranged by Don for one of his clients. Don acted faithfully to Megan this past season, but time will tell who the more skilled actor is in this marriage.

Peggy left SCDP! That was one of the big shockers of last season. She negotiated her worth and jumped ship to be one of the head honchos at a competitive agency. It will be interesting to see how she and Don come up against each other in campaign pitches. Peggy also transformed herself from the mousey novice to a "That Girl" single-working woman. The way she manipulated Roger while doing some of his work was masterful. I can't wait to watch her character continue to evolve.

That’s it for now. Next week, I’ll share my recaps and predictions for the men of the show!

"Out with the old, in with the new." 

"New year, new you."

We hear these clichés often this time of year. I have been trying to come up with a saying to summarize what’s ahead for media planning in 2013 and, quite frankly, am stumped. The best I can think of is this: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

I think media planning in 2013 will consist of innovations and opportunities mixed with the everyday challenges we’re all accustomed to. Needless to say, it’s going to be an interesting ride. Here are some recommendations:

1. In 2013, media planners must focus on the best way to embrace and use the latest and greatest "big thing," namely online videos, mobile messaging and content marketing. Those will be the game changers of the year. Media planners and marketers that can execute on those three will be primed for success.
2. Media planners must work with the rest of the advertising department along with team members in marketing, PR and communications to determine who will be responsible for each of the three buckets listed above. Accountability and execution are key.
3. Media planners must develop metrics to track results and improve. Metrics should guide you as you revise and update your plans.

Even though the year will undoubtedly be filled with challenges, I recommend that you not overlook the basics. Here are three important considerations to keep in mind:

1. Focus on your audience. You could have the best campaign in the world, but if you're not getting the message to the right demographic and targeted consumer your client will not be happy.
2. Keep in mind the current picture of the consumer you need to reach and create your plan according to his/her media consumption habits. Want to reach seniors? Don't underestimate the number of seniors utilizing their laptops, tablets and cell phones. Integration is the key because these same seniors still rely on their printed newspaper, radio and tvs for news and information. Want to reach males ages 18-35? You might want to consider in-game messaging in the plan. 
3. Don’t overlook the power of the message. Creative content is necessary to get and keep attention in this era of efficiency. 

In short, while you can’t forget about digital components, audience, message and channel will continue to be the essentials of media planning. Sounds like everything old is new again.

One of my most favorite days of the year is quickly approaching: Black Friday! Yes, it's consumerism at its best, or maybe worst, but I love it.

For years, I’ve been one of those people at 3 a.m., dragging my sister or friend with our coffees in hand and running shoes on, ready to power shop for 7 hours. What’s amazing to me is how the entire experience has evolved in just the past few years.

As a purist, I’m highly disappointed many retailers have opted to open their doors at midnight on Thanksgiving. Don't they realize that we shoppers like to have a little libation with our turkey and need to rest before we exercise our spending arm?

Mobile Devices

What has really changed the Black Friday experience is the role of mobile devices. In the old days (aka four years ago), we used cell phones to call each other from aisle to aisle or to let each other know when you’re heading to the checkout line. Now, our tablets and phones serve as shopping partners–proudly displaying what a competitive store is offering and giving us more negotiating power with salespeople. In fact, this year many retailers are price matching so if you're out and about, be armed and prepared. Take your tablet, your cell phone and your GPS so you can find the deal, call your partner and get a better price all at the same time.

Preparation

There are numerous websites that now leak the Black Friday ads weeks in advance. One of my favorite sites sends me an email me every time an update is made so I’m already plotting my course of action. In fact, this week alone I've gotten as many as three updates in a single day. There are also incredible online-only deals breaking now.  Naturally, the day before Thanksgiving the newspaper is still a favorite read of mine–always crammed full of ads. Unfortunately, no matter how much pre-planning I do, I usually re-think my plan several times before I trudge out in the pre-dawn hours.

The Company

Perhaps my favorite part of the entire Black Friday experience is the people you meet in line. Everyone is happy and there is a sense of camaraderie unlike anything I've experienced elsewhere. In fact, one year, a Good Samaritan with a truck gave me a ride home at 5 a.m. because I couldn't fit a TV in my car. Of course, as I was driving with this stranger in the dark and down a country road I kept telling myself, "He's a Black Friday shopper. He's not going to hurt you. He has more stuff to buy. He’s not going to hurt you. He has to get back to Wal-Mart before sun-up." Ah, the people you meet.

So if you're a Black Friday rookie, here are my five tips:

1. Do your research ahead of time. Check websites that leak deals, but be prepared to change your plans at a moment’s notice.
2. Arm yourself with your cell phone, tablet and GPS. You may need all of them.
3. Be prepared to bargain with salespeople and know what prices their competitor is offering.
4. Grab some coffee and a friend.
5. Enjoy the night. It’s only once a year.

As for me, I've got several lists going already, my GPS charging and ad scans bookmarked, so I'm ready to hit the ground running.

Good luck and happy shopping.

SPOILER ALERT: this post discusses AMC's "Mad Men," season 5, episode 13.

This season finale should have been titled "At Any Pryce." It seems many of the characters have gotten their heart's desire, but at what price? 

We already know Joan got her partnership and the price she paid. Roger is a free man. He's free of marriage, most responsibility, and the constraints of his clothing—thanks to his mind-altering use of LSD. Peggy has her new job, and she appears to be doing quite well; although she appears lonely. No friendly bantering at the office, no sign of her boyfriend/roommate at home. She was genuinely happy to run into Don at the movie theater—both were alone. Success at the cost of friendship seems very empty to me.

In a sick twist, after a brief meeting on the morning train while with her husband, Beth calls Pete at work for a rendezvous. They meet at the hotel and she tells him about her impending shock therapy treatment. She may not remember him, so wants to have one more tryst. Naturally, Pete goes to visit her in the hospital the next day and is quite shocked she does not know him. The confessional scene in the hospital was depressing (yet insightful) for Pete. He gets into an altercation with Beth's husband and get's kicked off the train on the way home. By the time he finally arrives, bruised and battered, Trudy agrees that he does need an apartment in the city. Lucky Pete finally gets his bachelor pad in the city—too little, too late.

Perhaps Megan connects so well with Sally because her mother, Marie, is just as unfeeling as Betty. She doesn't even try to console Megan, who isn't able to land an acting job and is quite miserable. I was surprised to see this ruthless side of Megan when she not only asked Don to help her get a part in a client commercial, but neglected to help her friend as promised. In the end, Megan gets the part, will likely lose her friend, and has, more or less, given up her independence since she couldn't get an acting gig without hubby coming to the rescue. As Marie said, "she has an artist's temperament with none of the art." She's such a supportive mom.

All this pain of grief and guilt manifests itself in the form of a toothache for Don. He sees visions of his dead brother everywhere, and can barely concentrate on the tasks at hand. He tries to assuage his feelings about Lane's death by delivering a check for $50,000 (interesting amount) to Lane's wife. She accepts the check, but wants to be clear that he's the only one who feels better about the money. The British don't wallow.

Finally, Don goes to have the tooth extracted. Perhaps now the visions of his dead brother will cease and he can let go of the guilt over both hangings. Or does that rotten tooth represent something else, something deeper that is abscessing within?

For all appearances, the company is doing well. Money is rolling in and they're expanding their office space to another floor. Once again windows and wide open spaces are prevalent in this episode. In fact, Pete mentions that with the new office space, his view will be the same as Don's. Although that may be the case, I highly doubt they see the same things.

Interesting ending—what will next season bring?

SPOILER ALERT: this post discusses AMC's "Mad Men," season 5, episode 12.

How thoughtful of Lane Pryce's wife to go out and buy him a brand new, sporty, money-green Jaguar to celebrate his recent successes. She wrote a check for the purchase. Isn't that how Lane's financial woes started, by writing—or, rather, by forging a check? Lane's troubles finally got a hold of him.

Cooper chastises Don for giving Lane a bonus when the partners had voted against bonuses for themselves. Naturally, Don knows nothing about this since he didn't give Lane a bonus, but tells Bert he'll handle it. The confrontational scene between Lane and Don was heart-wrenching. Lane was practically begging for his life during the brief conversation; he'll lose his visa, what will he tell his wife and son, it was just to be a 13-day loan, and so on. We watched him go through the five stages of grief right then and there: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and, finally, acceptance. Don was coolly professional in asking for Lane's resignation. After all, Lane did embezzle from SCDP and did forge Don's signature, both serious crimes. Don's final words, "I've started over many times, this is the worst part," offered little comfort.

Lane goes home in a drunken stupor to find his wife all dolled up and ready to go out to dinner. She then surprises him with the shiny new car. He promptly turns and gets physically sick. He spends the weekend getting papers in order and finding excuses to not drive the Jaguar. Don spent the weekend with paperwork as well, having little time to spend with Sally who came to visit for the weekend.

Yes, Sally is becoming quite the mini-Betty, having manipulated her way out of the Francis family ski trip and into the city with Megan and Don for the weekend. Sally's phone conversation with Glen was reminiscent of numerous Betty/Don phone conversations, ending with the woman getting her way.

Glen made the 2 1/2 hour trek Monday morning to spend time with Sally in the city. The two of them headed over to the museum across the park and had an adult conversation about their friendship. Suddenly, Sally wasn't feeling well and fled. She ended up at home with her mom and was clearly distressed as she revealed the reason she came home by herself. Betty's phone call to Megan, explaining that Sally "became a woman today" and just wanted her mom was a score for Betty, who is probably keeping a tally. Creepy Glen ended up spending the afternoon at the penthouse with Megan while waiting for the 7pm train back to school.

Late Friday afternoon, Don and Roger decide to go for the Dow Chemical account—why waste time with smaller accounts—they need to land someone big. Ken Cosgrove, whose father-in-law is a head honcho at Dow, says he'll not get involved but wants to be brought back in if they land it. He made it clear he doesn't want Pete involved at all. During the meeting Don gets all fired up about happiness and contentment. Don and Roger return to an almost empty office after their Monday morning meeting.

A depressed, desperate Lane did attempt to spend some time in the Jaguar, but couldn't get the engine to turn over. Poor Lane, can't get anything right—not even suicide. He headed into the office in the wee hours of Sunday night and typed out his resignation later. The next morning all of the SCDP accounting books were on his secretary’s desk and his office was locked. No one knew what was up, but they all felt something was wrong as they couldn't get into Lane's office. Pete climbed on the chair and looked through the high glass walls into Lane's office and turned with dread.

Do you recall in my wrap-up of episode 4, "Signal 30," I referenced a noose Don had doodled? In a twist of irony and foreshadowing, it appears the noose was for Lane. Don was shaken to his core with the news of the hanging and insisted they can't leave Lane that way until the coroner arrived. He was adamant. Perhaps it hit too close to home as his brother died the same way, over similar monetary issues. He alone knew what propelled Lane to kill himself and it's yet another secret he'll have to live with.

There's only one remaining episode this season, and still many loose ends to get tied up.

SPOILER ALERT: this post discusses AMC's "Mad Men," season 5, episode 11.

This week’s episode is best summed up in one word: “manipulation.” Pete Campbell proved he is the master manipulator and as slimy as a snake.  

The show begins with Don, Ginsberg, Stan and a group of freelance copywriters trying to get “the line” for the Jaguar pitch. They are toying with the idea the sporty Jaguar is like a mistress: sexy, fun, ready for anything. They just can’t get the right message pulled together. It’s evident this is a big pitch and it’s all hands on deck (well, all man hands on deck that is).

Peggy is not involved in this particular campaign. She is busy salvaging the men’s cologne campaign and does so seamlessly over speaker phone. Naturally, her achievement is under-appreciated and she’s feeling left out of the good ol’ boys’ camaraderie of the Jaguar campaign. This is especially evident on her face as she longingly watched the guys feast on a lobster lunch while working on Jaguar. 

Pete, Ken and the head of the Jaguar dealerships, Herb, are enjoying a lunch of their own. Herb reminds them he is one-third of the deciding vote for Jaguar. He suggests he could be persuaded in exchange for one night with the lovely redhead Joan. Ken is indignant, says she’s married and he knows other redheads. Herb understands that it’s “just business and if it happens it happens.” He shrugs it off but the message is clear. No Joan = no vote for SCDP. Pete, being the slime-ball he is, indicates this may be a possibility and leaves Herb hopeful for a rendezvous.

The next morning, Pete slithers into Joan’s office with a dilemma. SCDP is on the cusp of losing Jaguar and he needs her help. It’s “business at a very high level,” he explains. More like a very low level if you ask me. He lays it all out for her. Herb wants to spend the night with Joan in exchange for his vote. This could be very big for SCDP and, if she says no, could she please explain to the partners they are losing Jaguar. She is horrified at the thought and told him to get out. Pete is both snake and charmer. He put the idea in her head SCDP would pay handsomely for this business transaction. She accused him of prostituting her and said they couldn’t afford her.

Off Pete slinks to a meeting with the partners and presents the outlandish proposal to them. Of course, he spins it so the others believe Joan is up for it and the price is $50,000. This amount is very familiar to Lane, who looked ill. Don wanted no part of it and walked out. If they win Jaguar they’re winning it by the creativity of the ad, not because of any other reason. The other partners, thinking Joan was on-board with it, acquiesced.

Lane approaches Joan about the idea. She’s extremely annoyed she was being discussed by the partners and distressed they seemed to think this is an okay way to conduct business. He suggested she ask for full partnership in the firm and 5% of the annual profits for the rest of her life as opposed to the $50,000 he knows the firm cannot give her. 

Don storms back into the conference room where the team is working and tells them to drop the mistress idea—it must hit a little too close to home. They come up with the line, “Jaguar. Finally something beautiful you can truly own.” Cheers, nods, and smiles abound as they get to work on the ads. The pitch is the next morning.  

In one of the most touching scenes of the episode, Don stops at Joan’s apartment and tells her she doesn’t have to do this. He told her he had no part of it and they’ll win this with creative.  Neither he, nor the viewers, knows he’s too late.  The seduction scene with Herb and Joan would have been funny if it wasn’t so sad. He was cliché from head to toe; complete with smoking jacket/robe, expensive trinket, champagne, and stilted conversation. 

At some point, Peggy had lunch with ex-coworker Freddy Rumsfeld, who tells her if she’s not happy at SCDP she should leave. He arranges a meeting with a competing ad agency executive and one of Don’s biggest enemies, who offers her a job on the spot. He’s willing to pay her more than she asked just to lure her away from SCDP and Don. 

Just as Peggy was about to meet with Don, SCDP got the call they wanted from Jaguar. They won the account. When they called the partners together and Joan entered the room, everyone knew where at least one vote came from. Don was clearly distressed. So much so that he didn’t even join the champagne celebration. He sees Peggy and they decide to meet in his office.

Peggy’s resignation speech was clearly something rehearsed and not easy for her to utter. Don thought it was a ploy for attention or a raise. Peggy kept calmly stating it was time for her to move on. This was a difficult scene to watch, especially when he kissed her hand and held on to it. I’m sure he feels like he’s losing control and if there’s anything that defines Don it’s control. With only two episodes of the season remaining, I can’t help wondering what’s next.

By the way, did you notice the luxury vehicle commercials? With the attention they received this episode, Jaguar certainly didn’t need to pay for advertising, but I saw spots for Mercedes Benz, Acura, Lexus and Lincoln. 

Clever ad placement, I’d say.

SPOILER ALERT: this post discusses AMC's "Mad Men," season 5, episode 10.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Lane Pryce is a financially desperate man. His across-the-pond antics have cost him $8,000—which he needs to wire within two days. Where will he find that kind of money? It certainly helps to be the Money Man at SCDP. He manages to get a $50,000 line of credit from one of their creditors, and what seems to be the answer to his prayers is actually the start of his hell.

His grand scheme is to present this $50,000 as an accounting surplus and suggests SCDP provide Christmas bonuses to the partners and staff. Roger, Bert, Don, and Pete were all delighted with this idea and Pete suggested they wait until the Christmas party to let the employees know. Lane wants to push the bonuses through right then and there to improve morale. Pete, naturally, has his own agenda since he is trying to bring Jaguar back into the fold, and argues the fact the company is going to pitch Jaguar is morale-boost enough. Lane is clearly frustrated and anxious, but as the other partners side with Pete he has no choice but to agree. Later that evening he crept back into the offices and forged Don's signature on a check to himself so he can make his payment to the Brits. He's a nervous wreck about the entire fiasco but even more so when a major client, Mohawk Airlines, pulls all of their advertising due to a mechanic's strike.

Speaking of airplanes, what an intense scene in the front lobby when Joan was served with divorce papers. The poor receptionist had no idea what fury would be unleashed until a model airplane came crashing down on her desk. "SURPRISE! There's an airplane here to see you," yelled Joan, who was furious the girl had called her out to the lobby. Joan is a woman used to being called to the lobby for flower deliveries—not divorce papers. Dashing Don Draper to the rescue. He practially scooped her out of the office in an attempt to calm her down.

Don and Joan head off to the Jaguar dealership so he can get a feel for the performance of the vehicle. Of course, this is all homework for the upcoming pitch but the two of them clearly enjoyed negotiating the test drive, minus the car salesman. Off they went in the sporty little bright red two-seater to a bar in midtown. The scene between Don and Joan was one of the best of the season. She acknowledged he was the only man in the company who never sent her flowers or even tried to approach her. Don admits he was afraid of Joan when he first started. The exchange between the two of them about divorce, love, and being a single mom was pretty powerful and one could easily see the couple they could become. The exchange between Megan and Don upon his return home in a drunken stupor was just as powerful.

Megan is so unlike Betty in this situation. When she threw her plate of food against the wall and yelled at him to sit down at the table there was no doubt about who was in control. This could have been the wake-up call Don needed, because he was back to business the next day.

Upon realizing there would be less money coming into the firm with the Mohawk strike, the partners decide to forgo their individual bonuses but agree to provide the year-end bonus to the staff. Lane looked like he was going to get sick on the spot, his panic was so palpable.

Upon announcing to the employees they would receive a bonus, Don reminded them there was much work to do over the next six weeks preparing for the Jaguar pitch. He rolled up his sleeves, told them weekend work was expected, and not to plan on seeing their families over the upcoming holidays. They clapped louder for that proclamation than they did for the bonuses. Yep, Don is back and ready to work.

Speaking of back, ex-employee Paul Kinsey is a Hare Krishna? Well, kind of a Krishna since he isn't really that into it, hasn't had a lot of visions, and wrote a script for Star Trek. The script isn't great but he wants Harry to try to get it to NBC for review. Harry is torn because he doesn't want to hurt Paul's feelings, but doesn't really like the fact that Paul is deep into the Hare Krishna scene. Paul's girlfriend tried to use her body to convince Harry to tell Paul the truth about how awful his script is. Paul is, after all, the best recruiter and she cares more about the cult than him. Despite the shaved head and robes, Paul still wants to be a productive member of society. He accepts Harry's gift of $500 to head to California and try to make it as a writer, leaving the Hare Krishnas and the girl behind.

The team at SCDP is waltzing into 1967 with high expectations and deep secrets.

Chicago Magazine Day is an annual event where publishers, media planners and buyers get together for a luncheon, a presentation, and the magazine grab.

Today's event was no different, and the mag grab is one of the highlights of the day. There are current magazines from Field and Stream and People to InStyle and ESPN, with at least 100 other titles available. Loving media like we do, we grab as many magazines as we can. And, of course, check out the shoes of our fellow attendees.

My colleague, Ginny Ewing, and I were excited to hear the keynote speaker, Tracey Scheppach, EVP/Innovations Director/Vivaki/Starcom MediaVest Group Exchange. She had some terrific slides to go with her thought-provoking presentation.

Besides her opening comment about purchasing a new pair of shoes for today, here are my takeaways:

Digital Warming is the Digitization of Content.

Think of melting glaciers and global warming. Tracey cited some examples of business/market leaders that failed to develop with the times. What was once solid is now liquid (digital). Photos were once solid, now they're digital and liquid. Kodak was once the industry leader, synonmous with photography, now it is bankrupt.

Similarily, music was once a solid commodity, now it is digital. Tower Records is no longer around, but iTunes, Spotify and the like are making music available in a variety of new ways. We are tasked with "finding new business models that fit the new normal."

Tablet Media is Game On

Tracey encouraged the publishers to take advantage of new platforms such as tablets. In fact, it's a necessity.

She also stressed the importance of giving the consumer what they want, and they want free. Therefore, advertising is going to play an increasingly critical role moving forward and it shouldn't be static. Consumers expect more interaction with their tablets and the brands they love.

Tracey closed by paraphrasing Charles Dickens: "it is the best of times." It is an exciting, sometimes scary, always evolving business—and SRDS is here to help you navigate the options. Our Tablet Media Library continues to grow and we are adding new digital media opportunities to SRDS weekly. 

We're all in this wild ride together, so hang on, keep moving forward and looking ahead.

Has the magazine business gone totally liquid? Here I am with a stack of new print magazines, but which do you prefer? Are you reading your favorite magazine on your tablet or do you prefer the print edition? How do they differ for your clients?

SPOILER ALERT: this post discusses AMC's "Mad Men," season 5, episode 9.

I've been wondering what Betty has been up to lately, and it looks like she's trying to make some changes in her life. The obvious change is attacking her weight issue by attending Weight Watcher's meetings and sticking to her diet. Some things, though, she'll never change: like her mean streak.

You could almost feel the jealousy radiating off her when she walked into Don and Megan's gorgeous, light, mod apartment. The contrast to her mausoleum of a house was striking and stifling. While the children were doing their homework in the dark kitchen, Betty noticed a love note Don had written to Megan on the reverse page of a drawing by Bobby. She snidely indicated to Sally, who was working on a family tree, that she needed to included branches for Henry, Megan and Anna—Don's first wife. Naturally, Sally had no idea her daddy had been married before. Betty told her to ask Megan all about it, since she and Sally are such good friends. The seed had been planted, and Betty smugly waited for Sally to do her dirty work.

Sally couldn't wait to bring it up to Megan and, like the mini-Betty she is becoming, made sure the verbal darts hit their mark. The snowball effect of Megan telling Don, Don wanting to confront Betty,  then Megan making Don realize that is just what Betty wants was brilliantly written and acted.

In the end, Sally outwitted and managed to get the best of her mother. Watching Sally manipulate her mother was simultaneously satisfying and disturbing.

Back at the office, Don is busy with his own manipulations. Copywriting newbie, Ginsberg, is on the fast-track to success. He's clever, sharp, and annoying—but talented. They're doing a pitch for Snowball soft drinks. Ginsberg created a series of ads with snowballs slapped against the faces of authorities (policemen, teachers, etc.). Don developed an ad around the "snowball's chance in hell" concept, featuring the devil. At presentation time, Don left Ginsberg's ad in the cab and presented only his idea to the client. The client loved it, bought, and all was good. Ginsberg was not too happy and confronted Don, who really couldn't care less what Ginsberg thinks and flat out told him so. Don has been so removed from the day-to-day creativity he wanted a success of his own. He got it.

Roger is up to his old tricks. Roger used Jane and Ginsberg to try and outfox Peter in landing a new account. Roger is still his schmoozing self and does, as Jane pointed out, always get his way.  Enlisting Ginsberg for assitance ruffled Peggy's feathers, who in turn secretly enjoyed the fact that Don showed only his idea to Snowball.

It was an episode of one-ups, power struggles, and self-importance—so much so, that at Thanksgiving dinner Betty said she was thankful "I have everything I want and no one has anything better."

Yeah, Betty, keep telling yourself that and soon you might even start to believe it.

SPOILER ALERT: this post discusses AMC's "Mad Men," season 5, episode 8.

Megan gets to follow her dreams, Pete causes a nightmare, and Don appears to be running on auto-pilot.

The show opens with Pete and his train buddy discussing insurance and infidelity. Pete, naturally, appears mildly disgusted by the other guy having an apartment and a 24-year-old girlfriend in the city. Pete is just so above everyone and everything.

Later that evening, Pete arrives at the train station to find his friend's beautiful wife waiting for her husband. She has locked her keys in the car and Pete, ever the gentlemen, offers her a ride home. During the car ride she realizes her husband is not coming home and is probably staying in their (his) apartment. She (Yes, it really was little Rory Gilmore!) sounds depressed as she walks into the house, so Pete follows to make sure she's safe. Pete, with the stars and moon in his eyes, can't keep his hands to himself and indulges in a little infidelity himself.

She tells him it can never happen again, to leave, and thanks him for the ride home. Pete is not easily rebuffed. Despite her insistence he cannot call or see her again, he boldly shows up at the house with her husband the next evening, under the guise of purchasing an insurance plan. He desperately tells her to meet him at a fancy hotel in the city the next afternoon. I was thrilled when she didn't show. Pete, of course, had a hissy fit because it's not fair the women always get to decide these things. Poor Petey, just wait until the women's liberation movement. This guy is getting closer to the edge, and when he blows it's going to be ugly.

Meanwhile, Megan has done a disappearing act of her own. She tells Don she has to work late and tells Peggy she has to meet Don for dinner. It's as if she's a teenager sneaking off to do something she knows she shouldn't—and, like most teenagers, gets caught in the lie. Don calls the office looking for Megan. Peggy thinks she's with Don and the hilarious verbal exchange was made even funnier when Peggy pretended to be Pizza House the third time Don called.

Where was the lovely Megan? At an audition for an acting gig. She finally owns up to it when faced with Peggy the next morning. Megan wants to follow her dream to be an actress. Peggy couldn't believe what she was hearing and pretty much told Megan she had better make up her mind and let Don know.

Smart gal that she is, Megan wakes Don up in the middle of the night to talk to him about her desire to give acting a try. He can't believe what he's hearing. Agencies all over NY would love to have her on their team, why would she want to throw all of that away? She pleads her case and the kinder, gentler Don tells her she should do what she wants. He clearly is puzzled. Advertising is his life, Megan is his wife, and he absolutely loved that he could have both at the same time. He mistakenly thought his dream was their dream. Speaking of dreaming, it's a good thing he wasn't daydreaming when he was about to step onto the elevator, or next week we'd be watching a funeral.

Don and SCDP aren't the only ones losing when Megan quits. The clients are disappointed as well. Megan has a fresh approach to all she touches. The Cool Whip dessert banter in the office between Megan and Don was delightful. The Cool Whip dessert banter in front of the client between Peggy and Don was disastrous. The shouting match between Peggy and Don about who's fault it was that Megan quit was uncomfortable and just a little parental.

Speaking of clients, Don was faced with the challenge to come up with music for an upcoming TV spot. The client wanted "something like the Beatles."  Don, used to advertising jingles, wondered when music became so important. Megan reminded him it was always important and pointed out times change. Her line "No one can keep up. It's always changing" reminds me of what I hear our SRDS client say about digital and  mobile advertising.  It is always changing and we are always reinventing to keep up with the changes. Chaos and fun indeed!

SPOILER ALERT: this post discusses AMC's "Mad Men," season 5, episode 7.

"Dirty" was the word Sally used in describing New York City to creepy Glen in the final scene of last night's show, and dirty is how I felt watching the numerous dysfunctional family exchanges.

Megan's French Canadian parents, Emile and Marie, came to visit and to attend the American Cancer Society Ball, where Don was honored for his letter lashing out against Lucky Strike. Of course, nothing is ever easy in a family visit. He and Megan have daddy-daughter issues, Megan and Marie have mommy-daughter issues, and Marie and Emile have hubby-wife issues. It was a French fiasco complete with a mistress, a sexually repressed mom, and a daughter trying to keep it all together. There's no pleasing her parents no matter what she does, but sweet Megan keeps trying to please everyone.

Megan did come up with the game-changer for the Heinz Beans account: "Heinz Beans, Some Things Never Change." She thought of the idea and helped Don present it to Mr. and Mrs. Client over dinner. Megan had discovered SCDP was about to be fired from the account so she found a way to get the pitch in before Don lost his cool. Don picked up the ball, and together they verbally painted the picture of mom and son through the ages and into the future eating Heinz beans. The clients loved it and the account was saved. It's all in the timing.

Peggy thought she was getting dumped, then thought she was getting engaged, and finally ended up moving in with her beau, Abe. Being the good girl that she is, she invited her mother over to share the good news. Mom was not happy. She took her celebratory cake, gave Peggy the complex version of the giving-the-milk-for-free speech and stormed off.

Sally was excited to attend the American Cancer Society dinner with her Dad, Megan and her parents, and Roger. She looked adorable in her mini-skirt and go-go boots, but Daddy Don nixed the boots and the makeup. Roger, proving he could be a gentlemen, offered himself as her date for the evening. He was attentive and polite, but he's still Roger. He honed in on the flirtatious Marie and she ate it up. Poor Sally witnessed this very adult act and was clearly and understandably shocked. (I think even I covered my eyes and gasped.)

Meanwhile, the SCDP top guns were working the ACS ball to make connections with board members who could send advertising business their way. The schmooze was on and Pete, Don, and Ken were doing their best. Don, the star of the evening, was his usual confident self until someone told him that all the hot-shots in the room would give him awards all day long but not their business. Seems even though they like his work they don't trust him after he turned on Lucky Strike—biting the hand that feeds and all that. Truly a sobering moment for Don.

My favorite shot was of them sitting at the table near the end of the evening, each looking more miserable than the next. Megan, because her father thinks she sold herself out by not following her dreams. Sally, because she just saw Roger and Marie in a compromising position. Emile, becaues no publisher wants his book on socialism. Marie, because she is jealous of all that her daughter has. Don, because he found out he's something of a pariah in the minds of influential people with ad dollars to spend.

Speaking of dirty and dysfunctional, what's up with creepy Glen wearing only a parka and his undies while on the phone with Sally during the last scene? This season is full of shockers and surprises and I can't wait to see what's up next.

SPOILER ALERT: this post discusses AMC's "Mad Men," season 5, episode 6.

Mind-altering flashbacks and a little trip - it must be 1966.  In a Mad Men first, we got to see the same day through the eyes of three different characters: Don, Roger, and Peggy. 

Peggy was doing her best, initially, to maintain her team spirit when Don pulled Megan away right before a client presentation. Peggy did a fine job in the presentation and the client, the Heinz Beans honcho, was buying into it. Until the end. He still wasn't convinced it was the right concept. Peggy told Mr. Beans she had given him exactly what he wanted. "Stop writing down what I ask for and start thinking about what I want," was the clients response.

Classic! How many of you are presented with that similar challenge?

In a move typical of Don, she got right up in the client's face and challenged him. Unfortunately, only Don can make that work and she was pulled off the account.  Off she went to the movies for the afternoon and soon found a handy companion in the seat next to her. Upon her return to the office she walked into a confrontation with Ginsberg and his father. Ginsberg later revealed he was born in a concentration camp and was adopted when he was five. Knowing this about him really affected Peggy, perhaps she was thinking about the baby she put up for adoption. 

Roger and Jane dropping LSD certainly was a trip. He was a good sport about the entire experience, since it was clearly something Jane wanted to try. She just didn't want to go alone on this little adventure. Even though each of them had their individual experience they reached an essential truth about their marriage - it's over. Of course, Jane couldn't remember that particular discussion the next morning. Surprisingly, Roger did and was delighted to remind her. Yes, it will be expensive for Roger, but he's looney-toons over his pending freedom.

Don dragged Megan away prior to the Heinz meeting for an impromptu overnight at a Howard Johnson's for client research.  Don seems to be unaware that Megan enjoys her job and wants a career. She is not content to be a trophy wife or even "Mrs. Draper" at the office.

She wanted pie; he ordered her orange sherbert which she neither wanted nor liked. I loved watching her shovel the orange sherbert in her mouth and his look of horror as she did. In a huff, he drove off and left her standing in the parking lot. This spunky lady was gone when he returned. Good for Megan. He slowly crumbled during the seven long hours waiting for her to come back. Driving back home, he remembered when they first fell in love and drove home from Disneyland. By the time he got home she had locked him out and wanted nothing to do with him. 

Of course, they made-up and went back to work as happy-sappy as ever. Bert Cooper is clearly not happy with the recent client confrontations and told Don to snap out of it and get back to work.

Seems that, lately, everyone has shades of Don Draper but Don himself.