The penultimate episode of Mad Men offered the build-up we’ve needed for season 6’s finale. What were your thoughts? Read a recap and watch a preview of next week’s episode.
Don wakes up in a bed that’s not his own- could it be that he’s sleeping where Sally normally sleeps, given that he’s wracked with guilt after Sally saw her father cheating with Sylvia? Sally refuses to visit Don in Manhattan, and Don’s nursing his sickness with a bottle of vodka.
When Megan and Don go out to see an oh-so-romantic showing of Rosemary’s Baby, they run into Ted and Peggy in the theater. Ted and Peggy play it off like they had just seen the film to settle an argument, but Megan knows it’s something juicier than that.
Ken Cosgrove, on his never-ending quest to nab Chevy, goes hunting with some of their boys and ends up in harm’s way once again, this time in the form of a shot to the eye. Chevy is taking a toll on Ken, who’s seen sporting an eye patch and also expecting a baby soon, so Pete offers to take his place handling the account. This means, however, that Pete must work with Bob Benson, who made a sly pass at Pete last week with a subtle knee-touch. Pete’s insists that he wants his own team, but the execs all agree that Bob is the best man for the job.
Ted has secured the Ocean Spray account, but Harry has been working to grab Sunkist, a competitor, and succeeds. Sunkist is offering big money, so the higher-ups at SC&Partners want to bail on Ocean Spray, to Ted’s disapproval.
Sally is off to an interview for a prestigious boarding school, most likely after seeing her father committing adultery and having lived through a burglary. Betty is more excited than maybe she should be. Is she living through Sally, wanting to give her the opportunities Betty had herself?
Sally’s initiation to boarding school includes booze, boys, and fistfights. Probably not what Betty was expecting out of the overnight. Sally seems to be in with the cool girls, though.
Pete and Bob are both trying to oust each other. They’re playing dirty now, turning to sabotage and leveraging the other’s weaknesses. For Pete, his mother, and for Bob, his zesty ambition. Pete tries to uncover Bob’s past in the hopes of blackmail, but can only come up with one thing- a truce. The two will work together, but with tangible tension.
Ted and Peggy have obvious chemistry in this episode, and it shows when they collaborate for a commercial for St. Joseph’s hospital. There’s a little bump in the road, though; the budget for the commercial is higher than anticipated. Ted and Peggy don’t want to see the commercial slip from SC&P’s hands.
Don does his best to convince the client to pay more for the spot, but at what expense? He tells the St. Joseph’s execs that it was Gleason’s last idea, which convinces them to pay more. But, it doesn’t give Peggy the credit she deserves, and simultaneously digs up Frank Gleason’s death.
Betty, in a way, initiates Sally into adulthood by offering her a cigarette. She figured Don had given Sally alcohol before, but Sally protests, saying, “My father has never given me anything.” A powerful last statement leading up to next week’s finale.