Yes, I'm glad they've done away with the "what say you, co-worker?" bits. I'm still not loving the back-and-forth style, but getting rid of the conversational questions helps.

Francine's job was the perfect thing for Betty to react to, especially considering how similar their lives used to be. They used to sit in the kitchen and talk about how "grateful" they were for "all this." Betty's still holding that line ("aren't the children our reward?"), but Francine has moved on.

*tears up*
Incidentally, I had a golden retriever named Darcy.

It was the first ep, you're right. And I second the TLo recommendation - I'm liking them more this year than the AVC's reviews, honestly.

That was a shocker. Lou? Really?

I really want Peggy to go work for Wells Rich Greene. Mary Wells was all about creative and from what I've read, it seems like she supported women in the industry. I don't know if the show would actually depict a still-living person, though.

Chauncey was rescued?? Or is this the fiction we tell ourselves to give Chauncey a good life?

I think Peggy has Lane's office - there was an emphasized shot last week that showed her dry-cleaning hanging on the same door that Lane did.

FRANCINE! I was so happy to see her again, even if she wasn't smoking and saying bitchy things in the Draper kitchen. Also, Francine having a part-time job that she clearly likes is a great development.

I really like how Jack is costumed, actually. He looks just like so many men I see on the Metro in winter.

Bacon and eggs, my go-to lazy dinner.

There was a fellow who wrote to the paper monthly, ranting about the "domestic violence industry" (the local women's shelter, apparently) that helped women invent physical evidence so the courts can keep fathers from their children. I have no idea why they published those letters but every month, there they were.

Half the commenters on Gawker are hoping that they'll get hired as writers. So they all compete with each other to write the bestest, most snarkiest comments. They're insufferable.

U R A QT. Have a fun summer, C U next year!

I like to think they'd have had Megan Hilty on, had Bunheads lasted.

The whispering sequence makes me want to die of embarrassment. "Lady in Red" got a lot of play on our local soft-rock station when I was a kid and I remember being so embarrassed during the whispering part in the minivan with my mom.

I don't love this review format. It's nice when the review has a unifying theme, rather than two people cherry-picking bits along the way. It probably works for other shows, but it seems strange for Mad Men. For me, anyway.

So, so perfect. That two-second conversation says everything.

He most certainly was a teen star. I had a fold-out Tiger Beat poster of him when I was twelve.

The demon bat episode was pretty great, right in their sweet spot. I also enjoyed the alligator-catching legend, Paul.