Mad Men: Signal 30

Do you people realize that Mad Men is consistently amazing?  It is tough for me to decide which is a better show:  Mad Men or Breaking Bad.  I could probably make an argument for both.  For those of you not watching either show, well you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Please, someone buy me Don's jacket

This week's episode had a pretty simple premise:  dinner party at Pete's house in the suburbs and a night on the town with a new client.  This should be one of those episodes where you go "oh, this is boring, nothing really happened."  Instead, we get fantastic insight into the relationships of the different characters.  So cool.

-Pete and Don:  Campbell continues to look up to and want Don's approval.  He basically says so when Don actually shows up at the dinner.  There was a certain amount of jealousy when Don took off his shirt and fixed the sink.  Also, did I hallucinate, or did Pete say "Dick, I'll get the toolbox"? 

-Don and Megan:  Don does not want to go to this party.  He tells Megan to call Trudie and let her know they cannot make it.  Megan is not Betty.  She tells Don that if he wants to cancel, he has to call himself.  Betty would have said "Yes, Don" and then been miserable about it.  Good for Megan.  The best part was Don actually calling Trudie and she pretty much cuts him off and says that his excuses will not work. 

Last week we saw that Don fears that he will slip up and cheat on Megan (also, he fears that he could snap and murder someone).  This week, he really does want to please his wife.  Also, he passes up a chance to cheat on her.  At the whorehouse he passes on the girls and continues to drink.  The madam even offers him a discreet gentleman (which got a chuckle out of Don, which she asks if he has ever gotten that before).

-Trudie and Pete:  They seem like such a happy couple.  Hell, even Don seemed jealous of them with their beautiful child.  Yet, all Pete ever does is bitch about her.  All he does is yearn for some high school girl at the driver's education class (also, does any show on TV have more finger-banging scenes than this one?), then at the whorehouse he has sex and does it in the creepy Pete way.  Did anyone else think that Pete might rough the girl up a bit and end with Don having to help smooth things over?

On the drive home, Pete has a hissy fit about Don judging him.  Don drops a knowledge bomb on him, by letting him know that yes he used to cheat on his wife all the time, but maybe if he put in the work and cherished what he had, it would have worked.  He does not tell Pete to stop being an idiot, but the implication was there.

-Pete and Lane:  The new business comes from Lane's friend, who works for Jaguar.  Lane wants to handle the account himself, but is not really an account man.  He goes to Roger who gives him some pointers.  Needless to say, he fails and has to call in the big guns.  Roger, Pete, and Don take the guy out, who does not want a nice dinner, but instead wants to party.  They take him to the whorehouse.

Apparently, the dude is a moron and gets caught by his wife.  The wife found chewing gum in his pubic hair, hahahhahahahahahaha!  Yes, that is the reaction by everyone at the partner's meeting.  Lane is furious and feels that it was their fault, until they mention that it was the guy's idea.  Lane scoffs at this, but then Pete says "he didn't want to go with you because he thinks you're a homo."  Lane then challenges Pete to a fight.

They get into a boxing match in the room and Pete loses.  We all knew this day would come, someone would smack Pete around.  I figured it would be Roger (he challenged him a few episodes ago), or maybe even Don back in the first season.  Hell, I even suspected Peggy at some point.  Two things happen from this.

First thing is that Lane and Joan have a moment.  They are such a good friendship pair, but then Lane makes the mistake of kissing her.  It was awkward for everyone.  Luckily, Joan saves the moment, by opening the door and pretending like nothing happened.

Then, Pete and Don share an elevator ride.  Pete breaks down and cries about his life.  Don should probably just strangle him and put him out of his misery.  As soon as Pete realizes that he is not Don Draper and he is never going to be Don Draper, the sooner that he will be a happy individual.