Mad Men: Mrs. Blankenship Drops Dead
Tonight on Mad Men, Sally came unglued, Roger and Joan got mugged, Peggy got political and Mrs. Blankenship met her end. Things are afoot at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
Tonight's episode was a slightly sprawling affair, giving key scenes to multiple characters and keeping the storylines of nearly all the major characters moving forward. It's the kind of episode that makes you aware of all the balls that the show has in the air and how much will happen as the season comes to a close in just a handful of episodes.
On the way to the probable fate that's most likely awaiting him, Greg is called up and sent to Vietnam. Inspired by that, and the near-death experience of a gunpoint mugging, Joan and Roger find themselves with each other, making the same mistake they've made for years.
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Peggy's been contending all season with her place in the world of SCPD, whether it is within the office hierarchy, as we saw, for example, last week when she canned Joey, or within the landscape of the 1960's, as her experiences with Joyce and Abe have shown. Tonight, Joyce and Abe were back but Peggy didn't just listen to their spiels. She's unable to just listen to Abe rant about his political convictions and later rebuffs his (literary) apology. But, she can't quite bring herself to be completely on board with the ethos and ethics of an industry that truly doesn't care about the ills of the companies they work for.
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Then there's Sally. This episode was her biggest rebellion yet, running away from her mom to join her dad in the city, doing her best impression of an adult. She makes french toast, accidentally using rum instead of syrup. She and her dad "do something" - visit the Natural History Museum. She even sits like a perfect middle aged woman when it all comes crashing down, and Don hands her back over to her mother. The anger and resentment in Sally is so strong; it really makes you fear for what lies ahead for her. Even worse, she seems completely aware that there isn't a way out.
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And, of course, this was the end for Mrs. Blankenship. "She was an astronaut," says Cooper.
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Bon voyage, Ida.