Well, this episode was weird, wasn’t it? Not one of my favorites, actually. But let’s discuss anyway.

Silvia is holding fast to her breakup with Don and he is not taking it well. It’s undignified, really, and I hate seeing him this way. Waiting outside her door, chain smoking and sweating. Oh, he’s sick, too.

A lot of the agency is sick and rundown. They’ve been frantically working on creative for Chevy for six weeks, only to have each concept rejected. Poor Ken is stuck entertaining them and is now using a cane. He’s coming apart at the seams. Ted comes unglued when partner Frank dies.

The work load isn’t going to let up (does it ever?) so they bring in a doctor quack who gives them shots. His own mixture of B complex vitamins and stimulants. Do they work?

Um, yes. They work. Well, kind of. Everyone remains high as a kite for the rest of the episode, leading to close to an hour of confusing moments. Don has several flashbacks to an incident where he was very sick as a kid in the whorehouse. His mother wasn’t exactly sympathetic, so another prostitute nursed him back to health. And then some.

Peggy makes out with Greg. Ken tap dances, and no one can seem to come up with a decent idea for Chevy.

The more interesting part of the episode happens outside the agency. Megan lets Sally babysit her brothers while she attends a play. Bobby is bratty, Sally is bored, and Gene eats PB&J. But the place is really livened up when “Grandma Ida” appears. She just walks in the door insisting that she’s Don’s mother. Then she changes it to nanny. Bobby seriously wonders if he’s been black this whole time without realizing it.

Good ole granny cases the joint after a nice chat with Sally over eggs. Clearly a thief, she takes off after Sally calls the po-po. Things were a little scary there for a few minutes. When Don finally comes home from work, three days later, he walks in to find the cops, his neighbor and his angry/upset family waiting in the living room. He gives us as manly a faint as I’ve ever seen.

Let’s hope next week is better.

The day has arrived! The agencies merge. And it’s weird. And I LOVE IT!

There’s all kinds of office shuffling and ego bruising as the two agencies learn to work with each other. The secretaries and Roger all seem extra bitchy. The creatives are crammed into the same space, with the exception of Peggy who gets Harry Crane’s office. Ha ha!

The first brainstorming session is about margarine. The team is pretty stumped on coming up with ideas because they are rusty margarine is disgusting. Don shows up 40 minutes late and pisses off Ted. And Don’s pissed, too. Everyone’s pissed.

Maybe Don shouldn’t have blown off his first day of work to hang out with Sylvia. I don’t know about you, but I hate this affair. More than any other affair in the whole series. Part of it is Sylvia’s housecoats and head scarves. Yuck. She looks like she got lost on the way to Sanford and Son.

Don keeps her trapped in a hotel room pulling some dominant bullshit and eventually she calls off the affair. I’m surprised it ended like this. I thought Megan or Arnold would catch them in a horrible, dramatic scene. Looks like Don gets off easy again.

Poor Joan is sick at work. Clutching her side, barfing into a trashcan, sick. Trusty old Bob Benson puts down his Greek coffee cup for once and takes her to the ER. He elegantly lies to get her to the front of the line and visits her later at home, brings her baby a football. Looks like a budding romance to me. This could finally explain Bob’s presence. Joan swiftly saves Bob’s ass when they fire a ton of people from both agencies.

Pete is afraid of being pushed out of his job, and I must admit, he’s probably not being paranoid for once. When his mother shows up at his apartment, clearly in the early stages of dementia, I can feel his blood pressure rising. He’s got a lot on his plate. All the gin and tonics in the world don’t keep her from starting a fire in Pete’s kitchen.

The best part of the episode was the dynamic between Don and Ted. Their creative and management styles are so different, not to mention their personalities. Don gets Ted sloppy drunk and before he passes out on the floor of his office, he tells Don his Gilligan’s Island theory. How each character represents a segment of the market. Huh. I guess if that’s true I’ll be in the same market as the professor. (Truth: I am Gilligan.)

Just when it looks like Don will win this battle of wills, Ted turns out to be a pilot with his own plane. Don is terrified on their small, stormy flight to see a client and the playing field is now level.

The episode ends with the assassination of Bobby Kennedy.

What troubling times these were.

Well! What an episode. I love when they focus on the agency and the work. Most of you watch the show for the fashion or characters’ intriguing story lines. Not me. I watch for the thrill of the advertising. Who wants to look at Jon Hamm when there’s Heinz Beans on the screen?!

Anyway, Megan’s mommy is in town, making rude comments about anything and everything in her secret language no one can understand. Oh, that’s French? Whatever. Megan’s mom is a huge bitch and I love her. When Megan confesses that her marriage is rocky, she tells her daughter to dress sexier. This outfit she wears to dinner does the trick:

While the dress was a success, the dinner was not. They were joined by Herb and his stupid wife. When Herb suggests that Don run his work by some kid who writes flyers for Herb, Don fires him as a client. Bye-bye, Jaguar. Later, Megan’s mom talks about Herb and wife and says, “She’s the apple that goes in the pig’s mouth.” I laugh gleefully and will use that phrase from now on.

Roger has been dating a stewardess who gives him access to the upscale airport flight clubs. This is how he’s getting business these days, by casually stalking corporate bigwigs waiting for their flights. He successfully lands SCDP a chance at the new Chevrolet car. Good thing, because Pete and Joan almost kill Don for firing Jaguar. Joan’s mad because she went above and beyond to win that account. Pete’s mad because it jeopardizes the company’s chance to go public. And his chance to get back together with Trudy.

Another blow is dealt to Pete’s ego and to the agency when he runs into his father in law at a brothel. Um, awkward! The father in law yanks his Dow Chemical business faster than you can swallow your Vicks Cough Drops. He runs and complains to Trudy and oddly enough, she wasn’t thrilled to find out both her husband and father hang out with hookers. Weird. So she kicks him out forever.

Peggy and Abe bought an apartment in what must be the Little Juarez section of New York. Seriously, it’s heinous. Abe wanted to live among the “real” people and now they have junkies pooping on their steps. Is that real enough for ya, Abe? God. Why hasn’t Peggy left this guy yet?! It’s not like she doesn’t have other options. Her boss Ted gets swept up in her talent and ambition and lays one on her at work.

She finds herself thinking about Ted and flirting with him. Ted, meanwhile, finds himself flirting with Don Draper in Detroit. Okay, not flirting per se, but flirting with the idea of merging pitches. When they are both in line for the Chevy pitch, they realize it’ll just be a battle of the big agencies to win the business, while their smaller agencies will provide the creative ideas that get stolen. So they decide to band together and stay up all night working on a new pitch. They also share their own pitches to each other at the bar and I have a major ad geek out moment. I FREAKING LOVE THIS SHOW!

They win the business and break the news of the merger to Peggy. They ask her to compose a press release announcing the news, and they are letting her name the new agency. What?! If that happened today they’d name it something terrible like Synergy. I hope she names it something like Pig’s Mouth Apple Creative. We hear her voiceover as she types up the release and it’s an awesome ending. YEAH!

Don and Peggy find themselves in a room together for the New York Ad Club Awards. While Megan runs over to chat with Peggy, Don avoids her. She’s officially an adversary now and her talents intimidate him. I predict that they will be friends once again at some point. The Peggy/Don relationship is the purest thing about this show.

Paul Newman steps onstage to introduce the program, but not before stating he supports McCarthy. His speech is quickly interrupted by the news of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. That sets the tone for the whole episode. What a sad, sad time.

There are discussions and hugs with all the black secretaries in the ad agencies. They seem taken aback by the sudden affection and my heart is warmed by the genuine concern these characters feel. Pete, especially, is devastated and practically kills Harry Crane when he suggests that this will be a financial loss for the agency. It’s good to see a kind, human side of Pete again.

Megan is so sad and troubled by the news and takes Don’s kids to a vigil in the park. Bobby, who is being a real pain in the ass these days feins a stomach ache. Don takes him to the movies to see Planet of the Apes. Bobby tells the usher that “everyone likes to go to the movies when they’re sad” and I start to feel bad for Bobby. Sure, he started peeling the wallpaper in his bedroom like a total brat, but he’s being raised by dysfunctional, broken parents. Poor kid. His stepfather is about to run for state senate, so life is about to get harder in the Francis household.

Peggy is looking to buy an apartment on the Upper East Side, but Abe talks her into a poorer area. He pictures them raising their kids in a more humble location. Peggy goes all googly-eyed when he mentions kids, so she’ll move into a slum in a heartbeat. Ugh. I am so over Abe. Break up already!

In the most light-hearted storyline, Michael Ginsberg’s father sets him up on a blind date. Without telling him. Surprise! She’s in the apartment and Michael has no time to shave or get ready. He takes her to a diner, orders soup and confesses his virginity. Then he asks the lady how much she makes. In short, the most awkward date ever. They end the night early when the MLK news comes out, and Michael’s father is pissed. He says you need a partner during times of crisis and recalls Noah’s Ark and the animals getting the boat with their partners. “You! You’ll be getting on the ark with your father!”

The episode ends with a drunk and depressed Don admitting he doesn’t love his kids. Ouch.

I believe we have finally found our groove this season. Mad Men was fantastic last night. Let’s get into it.

Don is gunning for the Heinz Ketchup account. It was to be done in secret so that Heinz Sauces & Beans doesn’t find out. They create a shady little office that locks with a key and the windows are lined with foil. Stan is on the account and happily smokes pot while he works on “Project K.” The meetings are held in Pete’s apartment and then a hotel room. After pitching their work, they walk out to discover Peggy’s agency ready to pitch as well. The awkward encounter was awesome. No one does awkward as well as this show.

Peggy pitches exactly like she watched Don do for years. Looks like she might be surpassing her mentor. Then Sauces & Beans finds out and kicks SCDP to the curb. Ouch. This might be enough to put them all off ketchup and beans forever. Good thing they didn’t piss of any mustard or pickle people, as they are the superior condiments.  Stan gives Peggy the finger on the way out. I guess they won’t be having any more late night conversations on the phone.

Joan’s friend Kate is in town to interview at Avon. After giving Joan’s mom a Mary Kay makeover and discussing Joan’s successful career, they hit the town. I’m not sure what the hell kind of place they are in that has a phone on every table and no alcohol. Seriously. Can someone leave me a note in the comments and explain this to me? Anyway, they go to a psychedelic make-out bar and wake up crazy hungover. Fun storyline.

We get to know Don’s secretary Dawn a little better. We learn that she’s single and looking, she works long hours for Don, and her best friend is getting married. She keeps her head down at work and like everyone, fears for losing her job. (Psst! It’s still like this at ad agencies.) When Harry’s secretary, Scarlett, asks Dawn to punch her time card when she leaves so she can sneak out to a party, Dawn obliges. She doesn’t feel she can say no.

Joan catches Scarlett’s five-hour time theft and fires her on the spot. When Harry finds out he loses his shit on Joan and un-fires Scarlett. In the process, he storms into a partner meeting and demands to be made a partner. Um, that’s never gonna happen, Harry. They give him a check for $23k and he balks. Looks like Harry might jump ship soon.

Megan’s soap opera character is given a better storyline with a love affair. Her character is a maid, and I don’t know why, but I think that’s hilarious. She breaks the news to Don that she’ll be kissing an actor on screen and it seems like Don will be cool. But then he shows up for the filming of the scene and acts like a giant jerk. Hypocrite much? He’s still loving it up with neighbor Sylvia. She leaves a penny under the doormat when her husband isn’t home to tip him off. I am so grossed out by this affair. The only thing that would be worse would be Don and Megan taking up her coworkers offer to swing.

The demure early 60s are definitely behind us, folks. We are in yucky 1968.

Hello, friends. Mad Men kicked off at the Campbell’s house and everyone was flirting with everyone. Pete lures their lovely neighbor, Brenda, to his city apartment under the pretense of tickets to see Hair and the affair commences. (If there’s a God of Mad Men, please let Megan join the cast of Hair.) Turns out Brenda’s a bit of a clingy psycho. Her husband finds out and drops her off a bloody mess at Pete’s door. In my favorite Trudy moment ever, she yells at Pete. She knows all about his philandering and thought giving him the city apartment would be the most discreet way of handling it. But now she’s just mad and said they are OVER. “If you so much as open your fly to urinate, I will destroy you!”

Don seems completely immersed in his affair with his neighbor, Sylvia. Frankly, their living in the same building makes me nervous. I mean, this can’t end well.

It’s hard to watch Megan unknowingly confide in Sylvia about her marriage troubles and recent miscarriage. She’s guilty for feeling relieved. Her soap opera career is fulfilling enough for the time-being. I, for one, miss Megan’s cat eye liner from last season.

Remember when a sleaze at Jaguar gave SCDP their business in exchange for a night with Joan? Well, Sleazy Herb is back. He wants the agency to pull focus from the national ad campaign and instead shift messaging to regional sales support. Like radio spots. He wants the agency to pitch this idea to the higher ups at Jaguar. Don gives an intentionally terrible pitch so the campaign will remain as intended. I loved watching him sink that meeting.

In other agency news, there’s a departmental war at Heinz. No one respects the beans guy and the ketchup guy is an arrogant tool. “Beans” had forbidden they work on business for “Ketchup,” but Ketchup is maybe interested in switching agencies. Maybe. When Peggy gets wind, she blabs to her (awesome) boss and they are going to go for the ketchup. All of this makes me think, I could really go for a hotdog right now. Also, everyone hates Peggy at work. Except her (awesome) boss, who I love. I hope to see Kevin Rahm with a larger role this season.

We are treated to a couple flashbacks to Don’s childhood and they are devastating. I’m sure we’ll be treated to more scenes as he is a little boy living in a whorehouse with his pregnant mother. No wonder he’s so messed up.

I’ll leave you with one question to ponder. What’s the deal with Bob Benson?

The two hour Mad Men premiere did not disappoint, although I thought it was pretty weird. But I go through this every season. The first episode back is a little stiff and takes some getting used to. That’s what she said.

Don and Megan are enjoying fabulous Hawaii. Megan, especially seems to be having a great time, while Don is contentedly dark and broody with a glorious suntan. Don met a fellow drunk military guy at the bar and ends up giving away his bride the next day. My heart melts. They enjoy luaus, smoke some pot, and soak up the sunshine before heading back to NYC. Oh, and it’s Christmas. Okay.

Don and Megan have become friendly with their neighbors and also their doorman, who died for a moment but was revived. Not sure why this was given so much attention, but I can dig it. Don is especially close with a doctor and gives him a camera from his client stash. Aw, Don has a friend. It’s nice to see. Megan is making her career as an actress work, too. She’s a regular on a TV show and is tickled about being recognized by fans. Don is…less enthusiastic.

Back at work, Don resumes his normal crankiness. Everyone’s hair is noticeably longer and there are lots of sideburns. Mr. Betty comments that only Don looks the same. So true.

Even Roger is rocking the ‘burns. Can I confess something? I think Roger might be my favorite character. He is a lovable rogue who takes nothing seriously. He’s seeing a therapist now. Or more likely, an analyst. Even though Roger can be an insensitive boob, he has those moments where you see how big his heart is. When he learns of his mother’s passing, he consoles his distraught secretary and keeps it together. But the passing of his shoe shine man is what makes him break down completely, in the episode’s best moment.

Second-best moment? The memorial Roger throws for his mom. It’s full of spunky old ladies lavishing attention and praise on Roger. His usual sense of humor carries them through the grief and when Don drunkenly throws up on the floor, it’s practically a party.

Peggy goes through some major work drama with a client, showcasing her clear talent for her work. But as a boss, she really sucks. Looks like she learned more from Don than anyone realized. I look forward to seeing how her new boss helps mold her. I’d be okay with it if they dated. Still not loving Abe.

So, if everything isn’t weird enough, the Francis house seems totally crazy to me. Sally’s friend Sandy seems to almost live there. She’s mean to Betty, but Betty can’t get enough of this girl’s approval. When she runs away, Betty spends the whole day in an abandoned building in a bad neighborhood in New York hoping to see her. I can’t verify that anyone is smoking crack there, but yeah, it’s a crackhouse. Betty teaches the boys who live there how to make goulash, even though they make fun of her and one is particularly mean. And off-hand comment about her “bottled” hair sends her running to the salon. She comes home looking like this:

I. Can’t. Even. Believe. This. I think I’m back to liking Betty again. Like, full-on.

Megan and Don throw a small New Year’s Eve gathering in their apartment. They serve fondue and watch a slideshow of their Hawaii pictures. Oh, how very 70′s. It’s a charming night and I almost don’t recognize Linda Cardellini. She’s gone from Freaks and Geeks to Totally Chic. Love her! Apparently Don does, too, as he is having an affair with her.

Shiiiiit. So they went there. Don’s back to his old tricks, and even worse, sleeping with the wife of his only friend. I know this will make for more interesting storytelling, but I am very, very disappointed. I enjoyed seeing Don so happy last season and this regression will take him back to a dark place. What a way to end the episode. I feel like I was punched in the face.

What did you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

At last!! The wait is behind us. The sixth season of Mad Men resumes in a mere few hours and I, for one, can’t wait. Even though it means I am up late every Sunday writing. I live for this stuff!

So here’s a quick refresher on what happened last season. Don and Megan are happily married and live in a fabulous Manhattan apartment. Despite her obvious talent for both copywriting and charming the clients, she quits the agency to make a go of acting. The auditions and rejection are wearing on her and Don’s sympathies are wearing thin. I must say, most people I know had a hard time accepting Megan as a character. I disagree. I simply adore her.

Betty Draper is cranky, miserable, and fat. Now that January Jones isn’t a brand new mom, I’m hoping to see more of Betty this season. I miss her supreme bitchery.

Peggy was more confident than ever at work. She had increased responsibility, writing for many big accounts, running client meetings, and showing lots of authority. You go, Peggy! At the end of the season she left the agency to work somewhere else. Also, she disappointed her mother yet again to move in with her boyfriend. You know what? I hope they break up. Not feeling the boyfriend.

Pete also had increased responsibility at work, bringing in more accounts than Roger, and bitching about it quite frequently. He was punched in the face, not once, but twice in the season. Hilarious. We see him have a brief affair with his train buddy’s wife and get way too wrapped up in it. When she received electroshock therapy for depression, it erased any memory of Pete. So he’ll have to find a new lady to be his mistress. Poor Trudy.

Roger Sterling ended up leaving his lovely young wife. This dog is meant to be single. He also developed a fondness for LSD. I look forward to seeing how his character evolves. Roger is one of my favorites.

Speaking of leaving their spouses, Joan kicked her husband to the curb. Good riddance. Her meddling mother moved in with her to help take care of the baby. There’s no doubt that she’ll find a new husband whenever she wants one. She expressed no interest in being with Roger, although maybe we’ll see that change. One of the most scandalous moments of the season was when a Jaguar executive propositioned the agency for a night with Joan. In exchange for her prostitution, she’s given 5% of the agency and votes with the partners. And Sterling Cooper Draper Price land their first car account.

The Jaguar account was fostered by Lane Pryce. His financial problems sent him spinning in every direction to bring in some extra cash. When Don caught him embezzling money from the agency he was forced to fire him, although no one else knew. The partners found his resignation letter in his office next to Lane’s body hanging from the ceiling. Yes, poor Lane committed suicide.

That’s it for the major players. Some other stuff happened. Sally got her period. Paul Kinsey became a hare krishna. The agency hired a fantastic new copywriter, Michael Ginsberg. Cocktails were drank, cigarettes were smoked, etc. So where will we pick up? Who knows. Sterling Cooper Draper Price will have new offices. And hopefully some interesting new characters, too. I can’t wait.

Cory Monteith is headed back to Gleehab:

Also rehab-bound is Lindsay Lohan. Eventually. When she stops hanging out with Charlie Sheen, cavorting around Brazil, and stealing everything she can get her hands on. Sigh. This is a totally different version of the girl who starred in Mean Girls. Lindsay, sober up. Also, I WANT MY PINK SHIRT BACK!

Game of Thrones started again. Who’s watching? I am so in love with this show.

Have you seen the new Robin Thicke video? I was going to blog about it weeks ago, because I found it so weird, yet fashionable. Then I forgot. But now that it’s been banned from YouTube (for being too sexy) I figured I’d better mention it. You can still watch it here, so take a gander and let me know what you think.

I thought it was a April Fool’s prank, but this very good news turned out to be real. Disney Pixar is putting out a sequel to Finding Nemo starring Ellen Degeneres’s upbeat fish character, Dory. We’ll have to wait until 2015, so till then we’ll just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming.

Reality fans can stay tuned to Bravo, as they have almost 20 new reality shows in the works. That’s in addition to the reality shows you already know and love. Or hate. You’ll see some familiar faces like Candy Burruss and Phaedra Parks in spin-offs, as well as plenty of new “talent.” I’m looking forward to seeing how that donkey booty helps rich people sort out their rich people problems. Yup, that’s real.

And that’s the dirt!

What will we do when The Office ends in a couple months?