Mad about the Men: He Gives Good Go-Around

"I want to take you into that bedroom, lock the door, take your clothes off with my teeth, throw you on the bed and give you a go-around like you've never had" - Duck Phillips to Peggy Olson

And I thought last week's lawn mower episode was great. But last night's Mad Men was even better with the surprising hook-up of Duck and Peggy. Writers Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton and Matthew Weiner did a terrific job of setting up a mystery at the beginning of the show with a couple in bed and a man lying face down on the floor. At first I thought that they were all in the same room after some sort of party--or orgy--and I didn't recognize that it was Peggy in the bed (the woman kind of looked like Sally's teacher, Miss Farrell). But once Don got up from the floor, I realized that he and the teach weren't the couple in bed. However, I believe it's only a matter of time before they do hit the sheets because there's an obvious spark between them. And I'm also looking forward to seeing where Betty's relationship with Henry Francis (the flirtatious fella she met at Roger and Jane's party) goes. Finally, I'm so happy that the talented Mark Moses is back on the show as Duck, whom I never would've expected to be such a smooth talker. But I bet he does give good "go-around".



Now let's take a look at what else happened on Mad Men this week:

Don Draper: Don's relationship with Conrad Hilton is interesting, but it is kind of weird having him interact with an actual person instead of a fictional character. I am pleased that Mr. Draper has returned to his former bad boy ways since he's been much too good so far this season. Drinking and driving and picking up hitchhikers--this is the Don I enjoy watching. I'm not a big fan of the guy's hallucinations of his father, but I liked his scenes with Peggy and Cooper (did we know before that Cooper was aware of Don's real identity? I don't think so. UPDATE 9/30/09: Pete told Cooper about Don's real identity at the end of the first season. Thanks, Dean, for reminding me).

Betty Draper: It was the best Betty episode of the season. Thank God she's had the damn baby and her annoying father is dead--I know, I'm so mean, but I like my Betty looking fabulous and not worrying about anything--or anyone--except her own personal happiness. And I can't blame her for wanting to spend time with Mr. Francis (played by the handsome Christopher Stanley), who gets me all hot and bothered, too. I also love that she bought the fainting couch that they saw together in the antiques shop. However, Betty is still a mother with a short fuse as she was less than pleased with her son hanging up on Henry. I haven't been a fan of Betty's drab storyline this season, so I'm hoping this episode marks a new--and much more fun--beginning for her character.

Peggy Olson: Yet another fabulous Peggy episode as she got a good go-around from Duck. But talk about your strange bedfellows--I would never have expected these two to hit it off, so it will be interesting to see how their relationship progresses. I did feel sorry for the girl when Don so rudely snapped at her that "there's not one thing that you've done here that I couldn't live without." Poor Peggy doesn't deserve to be treated so badly.

Joan Holloway Harris: Joan was missing in action this week, but hopefully she'll be back soon.

Roger Sterling: His shaky truce with Don didn't last long as Don was majorly pissed off that he tried to get Betty to persuade him to sign his contract--which he eventually did.

Pete Campbell and Sal Romano: Pete didn't have much to do except salivate over the Hilton account and get on Peggy's case about accepting an expensive scarf from Duck. As for Sal, I miss him. He needs to be featured again soon.

With two brilliant episodes in a row, Mad Men seems to be on a creative roll after a bumpy start to its season. I assumed that the show would get back on track once Betty had her baby, and it has. With only six episodes remaining before its season finale on November 8, I can feel the dramatic tension increasing--especially between Don and Betty, who seemed fairly happy together early on this season. My gut instinct is that the Drapers will not end up this way.

Two final questions before I go: Does cheddar cheese taste good with apple pie (as Henry ordered it in the bakery)? And don't you think they should bring back cocktails at work? I'm not recommending that everyone get plastered--just one little drink around three in the afternoon to take the edge off the day. Just an idea.