5G

Hi Laurel here...This episode we start to learn a little more about Don Draper's past.  We don't know all of the details yet but a young man shows up at Don's office (Adam Whitman).  I don't know if you guys remember but a few episodes ago some guy runs into Don on the train and greets him as Dick?  Dick Whitman?  Anyway, Don leaves a meeting to go out to the lobby and meet him.  In front the receptionist this guy says "it really is you..Dick it's me, your brother.  I know I've grown up but it's me".  Clearly Don either has been, or looks like this person Dick Whitman.  Don rushes him out of the office, promising to meet him at a diner after the meeting.

At their meeting it is clear that Don does recognizes this person from his past but doesn't want anything to do with him.  This Adam tells him he just wants to be part of his life (I thought you were dead but here you are!), and Don tels him that's just not going to happen.  After this he receives an old photo in his office mail of him with Adam.  Don calls him and asks to come see him.  He brings along $5000 in cash and asks Adam to leave him alone, leave town, and start a new life someplace else.  He also lies to Betty about the money...she brings up buying a vacation house someplace and he tells her she has to wait until next year because their money situation is not as good as it seems.  Little does she know it's because he just gave somebody 5 grand!

Anyway long story short it becomes clear this episode than Don is trying to hide something from his past, something that he hasn't even been honest with Betty about.  And he REALLY wants to keep it in the past.

Mark here...Laurel and I talked quite a bit about this episode.  I mean, clearly this guy from Don's passed had idolized him and thought he was dead.  Now on meeting him he thinks that Don will be psyched to see him and is crushed when Don has the opposite reaction. On Don's side it shows he definitely has a mysterious past, but its also unsettling that he is so willing to dismiss this kid from his past.  I say kid because its obvious this guy was a young kid when Don knew him and that they were close.  Don burns the picture of the two of them and is determined to block out the past.

There's a subplot involving Peggy discovering that Don is having an affair and being forced to cover for him when Betty shows up at the office with the kids for a family portrait.  She goes to Joan for advice and Joan gives a seemingly bitchy description of what to do.  However on closer inspection, Joan is sort of taking Peggy under her wing and giving her a reasonable description of the men in the office and not to expect too much of them.  Basically, play the game...