Peggy & Don
It's very intriguing to see Peggy becoming so Don-like. I think she is surprising herself as much, or more, than she is surprising anyone else. Her transformation is very much along the line of the Dick Whitman / Don Draper evolution. Dick was a shy, insecure man before he took on the DD mantle, but…

Yeah, that line stuck with me too! Very Don and Rachel.

She might cry when Roger's marriage is over too.

Wow, nice connection to Don's previous pants pissing. Didn't think of that. Makes perfect sense he'd be sympathetic.

Oh, on a purely visual basis, I agree totally. Meltdown Betty looks way hot. Her hair almost looks modern, which is somewhat jarring on this show, but in a way I am very okay with.

Thank you, Poland. You truly are one of America's most steadfast allies.

Some great moments
I love the developments with Peggy, Pete and the secretary.

I generally agree, but the Betty thread is starting to make me feel icky inside. Something needs to happen there, or it's going to feel too much like real-life depression - endlessly ongoing without much interruption.

dubya tee eff
Also, why the hell is this episode called "Escape from Dragon House" - did I miss something?

"They both have a stake in it"
Wokka wokka wokka, Scott! A pun worthy of vampire wit. Except, I wonder if they appreciate stake humor?

Shields himself has said that in the 90s gigs, they didn't have the proper technology to perform the full sound they wanted or achieved on album.

My Bloody Karaoke Machine
I saw them at ATP and I am here to tell you that only Kevin Shields and the drummer were actually playing live music. Everyone else was playing air guitar, on top of pre-recorded music loops with all of the keyboards and additional drone guitars.

I thought he was going to play a Decemberists song.

Oh yes, I definitely get the "Sooky" / "sucky" / "suckee" association. I'm just saying it's an odd name for a girl from Louisiana. But supposedly, it's a nickname for Susan or Susannah, which aren't so odd for a girl from Louisiana.

"Sookie"
Does that name annoy the holy hell out of anyone else? I'm amused by "Bill" the vampire's name, but Sookie makes me cringe every time.

Rev, perhaps you're thinking of Thurston's own label, Ecstatic Peace? They've been consistently putting out excellent indie/psych/noise/experimental records for a few years now. They also put out Thurston's last record, the excellent "Trees Outside the Academy."

Sunburned Secretary
Can't believe nobody's mentioned this yet. Don's secretary comes back to the office looking like a lobster after a day at the beach. Absolutely ridiculous looking.

Chauncey: This never happened. It will shock you how much this never happened.

Warm… and Manditory
I haven't been this unexcited for a film since Coupon: The Movie!

Previously, on Mad Men
I always find it very helpful to see the previously shown scenes at the front of every episode with this show, moreso than with other shows.