Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "Milk and Honey Route"

Three Up

1. Pete Campbell. Pete runs into Duck in the elevator at McCann, and it turns into Duck talking Pete into meeting with an executive from a private jet service. This is actually Duck trying to get Pete into a senior position with the company, which Pete turns down because he's happy at McCann. At least he is until Duck is able to work the company into an offer that matches what Pete would get from McCann. Pete rushes to Trudy with the news, proposing that they all move to Wichita and resume family life, which Trudy accepts.

2. Don Draper. Don is still on his road trip, keeping tabs with the kids and enjoying not being at McCann. His car breaks down somewhere in Oklahoma, and he's stuck there for nearly a week before it can get fixed. He gets in good with some of the locals, enough to get invited to a social for veterans (which is actually a fundraiser, at which he is able to admit that he caused his CO's death). Don later takes a phone book to the face a few times when he's suspected of stealing the fundraiser proceeds (the locals know he has money, and seem to think this is how he gets it). Turns out the thief is the handyman at the motel, and Don gets him to return the money, and gives him a quick lesson on being a con man and the negative aspect of living under a false name. Don gives the kid a ride to the bus station, but then gives the kid his car. The episode ends with Don sitting at the bus stop, huge grin on his face. He's gotten rid the last physical reminder of his New York life and is apparently looking forward to letting Greyhound do the driving.

3. Duck Phillips. Duck gets to eat for the rest of the year! Nice bit of work maneuvering Pete into the new job, maybe not so nice that he's apparently back on the sauce. Probably too much to ask that we'll have one more great drunk Duck scene.

Honorable Mention:  Trudy Campbell. For all the great backbone that Trudy's shown as a divorcee in the suburbs, it turns out that she's spent the last couple of years waiting for Pete to come back and declare his love for her. She's not forgotten what he's done, but she seems amenable to moving on. Which I'm not sure I'm happy about, but it'd be nice to have a happy Trudy back, even if we don't get to see it.

Three Down

1. Betty Francis. HOLY CRAP BETTY HAS TERMINAL CANCER. A fall at school leads to the discovery that she's got lung cancer that's spread to bones and lymph nodes, and could have a year if she submits to various treatments. She's not going to do this, much to Henry's dismay. Betty asks Henry to not tell the kids until she figures out how she wants to do it, so of course he goes and tells Sally. This leads to Sally coming home, ostensibly to talk Betty into treatment, but Betty gives Sally a pretty good explanation about knowing when something is over, and how fighting that is generally not worth the trouble. This is easily the most adult thing we've ever seen Betty do.

Also, between Anna and Betty, Megan should use some of the million that Don gave her to get regular cancer screenings. Being Mrs. Don Draper is apparently carcinogenic.

2. Sally Draper.  Sally is apparently going to be the responsible adult when it comes to Betty's death, as Betty gives Sally postmortem instructions, noting that Henry isn't going to be any use once it happens. So Sally is going to have to deal with helping him through as well. She can't even tell her brothers what's going on, and doesn't have a way to tell Don until he calls again. So she's carrying this on her own, at least for now. And she has to sell her field hockey equipment, what a drag.

3. Henry Francis. When Henry breaks down after telling Sally about Betty, it's the first and best clue that Betty's assessment is correct. He's also in pretty heavy denial, doing research into oncologists and telling Betty that she's always been lucky. He is going to make a horrible widower.

Honorable Mention: Al Bettendorf. The drunk vet burns down his kitchen, and then beats up a stranger who he thinks stole the money raised to fix it. Wonder who he'll beat up next year when they have to have another fundraiser to rebuild whatever he burns down next.