Especially that little sh*t Joey, the freelancer that's been heckling Joan lately. It reaches a boiling point when the new vending machine starts eating dimes. Joey and Stan try to tip it over, and Joan comes out to read them the riot act. Joey mouths off, and Joan, as usual, tries to take care of business. Unfortunately, she gets more than she bargained for, when, behind closed doors, Joey calls her out on her whole "sexy" act: "You walk around here trying to get raped, I ain't off the bus."

Um, WHOA, there, young man. That is SO FAR OUT OF LINE, considering that Greg did exactly that to his future wife at the Sterling Cooper offices just two seasons ago. Kid's a jackass. But what can you expect? He’s an in-demand freelancer with wannabe Hollywood weirdo types like Harry blowing smoke up his ass about how great he is. Did it strike anyone else besides me and Joey himself how fucking strange that whole scene was? Geez.

Naturally, as Joan is dressing him down, Stan takes down his own pants and moons Joey through the window that separates Joan's office from the creative department. So, comic relief, sandwiching the rape jokes. Nice. I guess.

The issue escalates, of course, and pornographic cartoons starring Joan start cropping up, much to Peggy's chagrin. Peggy charges into Don's office, but Don laments that if he steps in, Peggy will be regarded as little more than a tattletale (and unfortunately, he's right about that). So he says, "You want respect? Fire him." Like Don even cares. He's got more important shit to do these days, like go to the Y for a swim, tune everybody out during meetings to stare intensely at their glasses of Canadian Club (which he's sworn off, temporarily) and write in his diary. His Hello Kitty diary. That he stole from Sally.

All kidding aside, Don is suddenly acutely aware of his drinking. And I feel terrible, because the whole time he's coming to terms with his whiskey usage, I'm guzzling sangria and shouting at the TV, "No, Don! Don’t dooooooooo it!” Oh, well, it can’t be helped.

Later, Don takes sometimes-girlfriend Bethany to this swank restaurant downtown. She's pressing him for more from their relationship; he's marveling at how different they are; I'm thinking, “Holy shit, she looks JUST like Betty. And that's when Henry and Betty make the scene. And although Betty gets shitty about seeing Don out with someone else, it's the beginning of a change in the ex-spouses’ relationship. Betty gets into a spat with Henry that night, because he feels that Betty still allows Don too much room in her new life. After some soul-searching (by which I mean chain smoking, pouting until 10AM on a Tuesday in bed and chatting endlessly with Francine), Betty realizes that she has everything, and Don has nothing to lose.

Meanwhile, Don hashes it all out over dinner with Dr. Faye, who has finally agreed, after much bargaining, to see him. She offers him some sage advice, and makes me hope the two of them get together after all. I feel like she's the Joan to his Roger, ya know? Keeps him in line.

So, after much squabbling over the upcoming birthday party for baby Gene, Don shows up, hoping to see his youngest son. And surprisingly, Betty welcomes him into the home, telling Henry, “We have everything,” something Francine told her the night before, as a caution.

Back at the office, Peggy's firing of Joey is the new hot gossip among the guys who swear they're too manly to gossip. And now she's created a rift between herself and Joan, who feels like she already handled the situation, thankyouverymuch, and now it looks like Joan's a “useless secretary” and Peggy is a “humorless bitch.” And as harsh as that is to hear, in 1960s advertising, that's exactly how it plays out. The men all think Peggy had the pull to fire Joey because she's sleeping with Don and Joan has the power because, well, look at her. Trouble is brewing at SCDP for these kick-ass ladies. But let's hope that veteran hellcat Mrs. Blankenship recovers quickly from her cataract surgery and helps right the ship. I love that feisty old broad.

Miz J blogs at Ask Miz J.