Minneapolis
So Keith, should I abandon hope for a Minneapolis appearance, or is there an outside chance?

Pete + Peggy
Man, I've forgotten the chemistry these two have. This is a little incestuous (or should I say MacKenzie Phillipsish?), but Pete and Peggy had this great sibling rivalry thing going this episode. What was the line she had to Pete? Something like "I don't appreciate you barging in to my office and…

Seeing as Paris Hilton won't be born for another two decades, I really doubt that's going to happen, Yummsh.

I like that Burt Cooper has gotten more screen time this season. I can only hope we get a flashback at some point showing Cooper & Don's early relationship. He (Cooper) is really a fascinating character that we haven't spent much time with. The first two seasons he's simply been a punchline.

The thing about it is, Don would never have done that to Pete or Kinsey, like hatin suggests. He's able to be so frank with Peggy because they're so close, which is also why she's able to say hello to him the next morning and have their relationship continue (virtually) unaffected. Just like she's able to call him…

Yeah, the Aggro Crag was the one where you had to hit all the actuators while dodging avalanches and snow to reach the top of the mountain.

I agree with the earlier commenter. If Lois doesn't get fired after cutting off the CEO's foot, I'd like to know how you can get fired. Does she need to piss her pants, too?

How do you think AMC convinced John Deere to allow them to use their product on air to mangle someone's foot? Do you think Deere payed for that placement?

Ed. note
Noel, you might want to bump this on the TV Club header on the frontpage. I didn't notice your review was posted until just now.

The gore.
I can handle gore in other contexts. Tropic Thunder, Tarantino flicks, etc. But in the context of Mad Men, such a slow-moving, methodic show, I really found the lawnmower/foot scene disturbing. The gallows humor after was well-earned, but I was right there with Harry when he got pale in the face seeing the…

Although now that I think about it, Harlan County USA does have that interaction where the company man threatens the director with a gun sitting next to him, and the cameras film her talking about what happens. Does that disqualify it form verite?

More depth
Your scope was pretty narrow on this one, Rabin. There are a lot more accessible documentaries and documentarians you could mention beyond Wiseman, Pennebaker and Maysles. What about "Harlan County USA," "The War Room," or "Moon Over Broadway?" Some more contemporary choices would've ben nice to hear about.…

Follow in the path of Rabin's book tour…
…and come to Minneapolis. It's on a little farther than Madison.

Peggy/Don
I'd really missed the Peggy/Don dynamic. This is the second disagreement they've had this season, which makes me worried that they're heading toward a rift, which would be sad for one of the show's most engaging pairs. C'mon, Don. Give her the raise! Take it out of Harry or Cosgrove's fat paychecks.

Gene's suicide
Did anyone else get the feeling Gene was going to kill himself? It seemed like he recognized his dependence on others, the burden he was placing on the Drapers, so he was showing Betty his will before he went to off himself. When the cop came up I was sure he was going to say he'd shot himself.

This would have been a lot cooler if it didn't conjure up images of a local tragedy that occurred in the Twin Cities area. Everytime I watched the trailer all I could think about was how they obviously stole the idea from this real-life event: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…

Mad Men Talent Show
I loved the episode, but I couldn't get beyond the fact that the cast must've been rehearsing for some of those scenes for weeks. Joan's accordion/singing. The Charleston. The quick Old-Fashioned fix. The a cappella singing. Weiner is cutting the cast any breaks this season.

bnl
"War on Drugs" by Barenaked Ladies is another key addition to this list. Their recent albums have shown diminishing returns, but this one stands out…very powerful.

Do you have a link to the news story on this, Noel? I found the video, but i want to read more background.

It was quite the evening. The drinks and food were Mad Men themed (think shrimp cocktail and old fashioned), they had cigars to buy and brandy tasting and the dj was spinning jazz music. Of course, they also screened the premiere, which was really fun to watch in a room full of people.