PASSAGES

Mad Men Recap! Taking Leave Of Senses & Places

DURING THIS WEEK'S EPISODE, I had the boozy company of a dear old friend who is not familiar with our favorite show. It was a drunken "stop, pause, rewind, explain" kind of experience. Let's rewind again.

Big changes are going down with Peggy. She's decided to move to Manhattan, away from her sister and mother. Her mom is unusually cruel about her decision, telling Peggy, "You'll get raped, you know." Oh, yeah, of course. Rape springs eternal.

Peggy posts an ad at Sterling Cooper looking for a roommate. That's mistake number one, Joan tells her later. Ken and Harry take it upon themselves to make the obligatory prank call at work. When they tell the secretary, pretending to be a potential roomie, tell Peggy: "…about the bathroom…I'll need some help with that," even I couldn't help but laugh, and I'm Peggy's biggest fan. I was happy that Joan helped her rewrite the ad, and find a real roomie who looks like real fun.

"I do have a couple of rules, though," she tells Peggy. "No sailors." My visiting friend started booing and hurling margarita salt at the screen. So we had to stop while she cooled off. "Have I become bitchy?" she asks me. "Um…well, working as a warden in a Navy prison in Germany *has* changed your attitude a smidge," I tell her. "But just a smidge." I refill her drink and switch back to the show.

Apparently, one of SC's clients, Horace Cook, Sr., has a son who is flush with trust fund money, and he wants to spend it building up an obscure sport called jai alai.

"It's going to be bigger than baseball," he tells them. I don't have a crystal ball, but I *am* from the future, and I can tell you that ain't gonna happen.

Of course, this kid is one of Pete's college buddies, and Pete pats himself on the back for bringing in a payday, but Don thinks they should run it past Mr. Cook first.

Even Mr. Cook seems skeptical about the whole thing, and is clearly regretting giving his son any money at all. "I've seen his plan -- it's gibberish." I wish rich people today had shame. Paris Hilton would never have had the level of fame that she has now if she were living in 1963. I guess some things really were better back then.

Meanwhile, when the director drops out of the ill-conceived Bye-Bye Birdie ripoff ad for Patio, Don puts Sal in charge. This is a big opportunity for Sal, and he's so excited that he's doing the mental jazz hands! right now. At home, though, things are not so exciting. His wife tries to get some action, and he just…doesn't seem interested. She presses to try and find out why, and he reveals that he hasn't been himself lately (no, not since that night with the bellhop at the hotel). He explains about the big opportunity and how this would open doors for him, since no one wants illustrations anymore. He then does the Bye-Bye Birdie number for her, and from the look on her face as he dances, she has figured out what's really wrong.