Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "The Quality of Mercy"

Three Up

1. Sally Draper. Turns out that part of Sally's processing of catching Don with Sylvia Rosen is that she now wants to go to boarding school, apparently an extension of her blowing off weekends in the city. Betty takes her to an interview and overnight at Miss Porter's School, where Sally is saddled with two students who demand smokes or booze to ensure they say good things about Sally. She has neither, but is able to call in Glenn Bishop and a friend of his, and they bring booze and weed. There's a bump in the road when Glenn's pal Rollo tries to move in on Sally, but she gets Glenn to intercede, which he does buy beating Rollo about the head and torso (which makes Sally very happy, not sure if it's because she likes Glenn or likes that she can manipulate him). In any case, it turns out that Sally's in if she wants, and in the end Betty even lets Sally try a cigarette, which leads Sally to note that Don has never given her anything. So even with the win, there's still a pretty big hole there.

2. Pete Campbell. Pete finally gets his shot at Chevy, taking over for Ken after his latest injury at the hands of the GM guys in Detroit. Problem is that he's saddled with Bob Benson, but Pete has a stroke of genius: he calls Duck to see if he can find a spot for Bob at another firm (and with good timing, as Pete's mom is still seeing Manolo). Duck passes on some interesting info on Bob, which Pete (using his experience with Don as a guide) uses to keep Bob around, but out of Pete's business (so to speak). He also gets Manolo out of the picture. He's still Pete at times, but it's a good week for him, relatively.

3. Betty Francis. Her phone call to Don about Sally shows some of the flirty aftermath of Don and Betty's hook up, which is a nice softening of Betty's usual bitchiness. She's very good with the woman at Miss Porter's School, and when she learns that Sally is in is reasonably proud (though she wants more details from Sally). Betty is surprised when Sally says Don has never given her anything, but I think there's some part of her that's happy to hear that Sally's giving attitude in equal amounts.

Honorable Mention: Ken Cosgrove. Odd to be considered a winner when you've been shot in the face, but getting out of traveling to Detroit while staying on the account in New York makes this an overall win (especially if Ken gets to keep that eye that's under the patch).

Three Down

1. Ted Chaough. Ted's interest in Peggy is obvious to pretty much everyone, as she can do no wrong when pitching ideas. They also take in Rosemary's Baby together, though an awkward encounter with Don and Megan (who are at the same theater) leads to an even more awkward explanation of why Ted and Peggy are at the movie (they claim it's for an ad, which is true enough for cover). When Ted plans to spend three times the approved budget on a TV ad (putting the firm's money on the line, as he's not yet run the extra cost by the client), Don gets involved by making a (not particularly) oblique reference to Ted and Peggy when trying to explain the extra money. When Don comes up with a different reason, it spares Ted (and gets him more money), but in the end Ted is furious with Don for outing him and Peggy. Oh, and Ted also gets to yell at Don when it turns out the firm is going to go with Sunkist, forcing them to drop Ocean Spray (Harry Crane is involved, but the money is also too good to pass up).

2. Don Draper. Don's been guilt drinking, and actually agrees to stay home when Megan notes his deplorable condition. That's when he hears from Harry about Sunkist, which Don tells Harry to cancel, but changes his mind when he begins to see how Ted is around Peggy. This winds up being Don's main issue for the episode, cock-blocking Ted by bringing in Sunkist and ratting Ted out about the over-budget TV ad. In the end he tells Ted off and says he's not thinking clearly, but it's clear that Don's actions are not coming solely from concern for the firm. As bad as Ted takes it Peggy takes it worse, as she sees it as Don's continuing war with Ted and his continued meddling with Peggy. If you want to be charitable, you could argue that Don is doing this to keep Ted from making the same mistakes Don has made, but I don't think Don would act like that. In the end, Don winds up curled up on his office couch, probably reflecting on how screwed up things are for him at home and at work.

3. Bob Benson. Bob gets assigned to Pete as part of his Chevy team, and while Pete tells him to keep his distance it looks like Bob will do the Bob thing. Or at least he would if Duck hadn't discovered that Bob's story - education, work, family - is all crap. The best that Duck can tell is that Bob is from West Virgina, was a manservant to a wheel at Brown Brothers Harriman, and has managed to get work only at places dumb enough to not ask many questions (hello, SC&P!). But Bob gets to stay on after Pete confronts him, and even with conditions it's a better deal than getting turfed out.  It's a setback in Bob's plan to do whatever it is he's planning to do.

Honorable Mention: Megan Draper. Remember when Betty said the worst way to get Don is to show that you love him? Megan tries very hard to get Don healthy and interested, but by the end of the episode Don is sitting in the dark living room, drinking and watching TV, rather than come to bed with Megan. She's getting closer to prove Betty right with every passing week.