Mad Men - one episode left

My initial thoughts on the penultimate episode of the season:

I was thrilled that there was no scenes from next week at the end of the episode – very brave of AMC to keep us in the dark, wondering, without even a crumb to chew over – bravo!

Ouch! How are the mighty fallen. Don can be a real jerk, but I felt so bad for him. Betty is furious because he lied about his name and his past, not because he cheated on her a gazillion times. It’s so cold somehow: “I don’t love you anymore because you ruined the fantasy I’ve been living in.” Sheesh. There are so many places they can go in the next season – Don could woo her back (he’s good with a challenge), or he could call on the pretty teacher (Suzanne), or he could get himself a new flavor of the month. Or Weiner and company could do something I never even considered (most likely!). Whichever way they go, I CAN’T WAIT!

My favorite line tonight (though very hard to choose) was Don’s in the last scene with Peggy – she says, “Why are you here?” and he says, “The bars are closed.” I didn’t catch what he said at first, but then I laughed out loud when it sunk in – great to break the darkness and tension with that ultimate Don comment!

One odd thing – I was very surprised that we got no reaction shot of Sally in the second to last scene – the one where Don leaves the house in the morning. Sally is usually the one who “gets” what’s going on with the adults. Hmmm. But I LOVED the shot of Don almost hiding behind the wall, peering at his family – out of reach to him. Heartbreaking and brilliant.

All sorts of wonderful, insightful comments on the Lipp Sisters' blog, Basket of Kisses. And a few speculations that I think are absurd - Betty will be out of the series, Don will commit suicide. Weird how people think.