AMC's Mad Men Season 7 Episode 2 Review

Don, who had been previously living in his own filth, has made en effort to curb his drinking.  The emptiness of his life is filled with the sound of stale television to cover up the silence.  He puts on a suit and tie just for a five minute meeting with Dawn.

The day is Valentines day and Peggy completely forgets, but why should she remember?  Her only romance outside of the office was a journalist that she accidentally stabbed in their apartment when she thought he was an intruder. In the ambulance ride after the incident, The beau broke up with her after saying she was the enemy and she is what is wrong with the world.

Imagine Peggy's surprise when a dozen, long-stemmed roses are waiting for her at her secretary's, Shirley's, desk.  Stan cracks a joke, "I didn't believe your cat has the money."  With some awkwardness from Shirley, Peggy decides that Ted was the sender and she leaves a message for him saying she's not interested.  Unfortunately for Peggy, the roses were for Shirley and not her.  

Peggy eventually gets tired of looking at the roses and drops them off with Shirley who accepts them with a smile.  But when Ted calls from California, Peggy flips out and demands Shirley tell Ted's secretary that Peggy is busy and will not take Ted's call.  Peggy then demands to throw away Shirley's flowers be thrown away, which is finally when Shirley confesses that the flowers were from her fiance.

When Pete signs on another automotive account, the partners see differently on how to manage it.  With technical difficulties on the phone with the California office, Roger is wholly annoyed and leaves the conference.  Joan is about to stand to go after Roger, but Bert holds her back and says for her not to go after him.

This move by Bert makes me wonder if he's known all along about Joan and Roger's love affair and wonder about his insight.  A logical, insightful, and passionate man, has Bert held his tongue this entire time or does he think Roger's temper tantrum is simply a temper tantrum?

A mother of a student at Sally's boarding school died and it leaves the other girls planning an escape after the funeral for some shopping before they have to head back.  She forgets her purse at a shop and goes to SC&P with the hope of running into her father, but Don isn't there for obvious reasons but Sally and Don end up spending the night together while he drives her back to school.  They bond and before she leaves him, she tells him that she loves him.

Lou has a temper tantrum of his own after Sally's appearance in the office.  He calls Dawn and Joan into his office and asks for Dawn to be placed elsewhere.  When Dawn is placed at reception, Bert asks Joan to have her placed elsewhere because "People can see her from the elevator."  Joan, frustrated and exhausted, gets a surprise visit from Jim who tells her there's an office for an account position upstairs.  The question is who will take the Head of Personnel position?

Dawn, of course, and Dawn couldn't be happier.

Pete continues the tantrum theme after Roger hangs up on him about the new auto account.  He says to Ted that he doesn't know what he's working towards, that he feels like he's in limbo in California.  Ted tries to tell Pete why he chose to be in California, but Pete is too wrapped up in his own conspiracies that he demands that the two of them are no longer on speaking terms.

Typical Pete.

The ringing theme throughout all of this season is, "If you don't like what they're saying, change the conversation."  Don has changed the conversation with Sally this episode and Meghan last episode, but now he has to change everyone else's.

AMC Mad Men airs Sunday nights at 10/9c.