Wakin' up like Don Draper, flabbynsick 
Mad Men: Season 7 (Part 1) 'The Beginning' - April 13th
Shirley is lookin' ready in that dress and those boots 
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Roaden Polynice
Superstar
It really was a great episode. I had to sleep on that shyt.
The scenes that really stood out for me:
Don chilling in his apartment with nothing to do. It's funny how he is simultaneously letting go of the idea of Don Draper with his family i.e. Sally but still keeps it up when Dawn came to visit. Shows how much of his entire identity was tethered to 'work' like it is for so many people, and was just a great sequence that showed loneliness and depression. The idea that when you're depressed and lonely, everything can slip to the wayside, you're sitting at home alone in a robe, the TV for companionship, eating Ritz out of the box but when you do have something come up you get dressed, tidy up, put up that facade that it's alright. And it's almost to an absurd degree to present that you're fine. He put on a suit for a 2 minute interaction.
I'm really enjoying Peggy's arc and like you guys have pointed out it's interesting to see the woman who ostensibly wields the most power at the firm and who shot up the ranks (only to be halted by devil incarnate himself Lou Avery) is the one that needs a man the most. Her boss is now Lou Avery who isn't as challenging as Don and she doesn't have a romantic interest that she had in Ted. And it's interesting to compare her trajectory to Joan, who had to fight every inch of the way to get her position in the company, to Peggy whose struggle was also immense, but it wasn't sleeping with sweaty Jaguar guy immense and how both characters have changed in terms of privilege and race. In the earlier seasons Joan seemed to not care about integration or black people in general (Kinsey's relationship with his black girlfriend) whereas Peggy played the appeasing white liberal to an exceeding degree (when Dawn slept over at Peggy's apartment). Now you see Peggy as more like Joan to begin with, even extending to other females in that she doesn't give a fukk, she's power hungry, doesn't care about the secretaries even though she used to be one. And Joan who this episode was far more sympathetic to Dawn and Shirley than I would've ever imagined, even promoting Dawn at the end.
I love Pete and Ted together at the LA office. The scene with Pete ranting Ted just like, "You can have my office
" and not even caring about what Pete had to say.
Lou fukking Avery. What a prick. And he's basically a prick because he's so boring. He's just that old guy that's a dikk and doesn't give a fukk what everyone thinks of him. Who was his secretary at the end? I can't remember
Im interested to see what Cutler has up his sleeve and the 'power struggle' between him and Roger.
The last scene with Sally and Don
I've seen it bandied about around the internet a lot with this episode but it's really the only way to describe it. It was hopeful. And jesus christ ending with the most hopeful song of all time. Great episode.
The scenes that really stood out for me:
Don chilling in his apartment with nothing to do. It's funny how he is simultaneously letting go of the idea of Don Draper with his family i.e. Sally but still keeps it up when Dawn came to visit. Shows how much of his entire identity was tethered to 'work' like it is for so many people, and was just a great sequence that showed loneliness and depression. The idea that when you're depressed and lonely, everything can slip to the wayside, you're sitting at home alone in a robe, the TV for companionship, eating Ritz out of the box but when you do have something come up you get dressed, tidy up, put up that facade that it's alright. And it's almost to an absurd degree to present that you're fine. He put on a suit for a 2 minute interaction.
I'm really enjoying Peggy's arc and like you guys have pointed out it's interesting to see the woman who ostensibly wields the most power at the firm and who shot up the ranks (only to be halted by devil incarnate himself Lou Avery) is the one that needs a man the most. Her boss is now Lou Avery who isn't as challenging as Don and she doesn't have a romantic interest that she had in Ted. And it's interesting to compare her trajectory to Joan, who had to fight every inch of the way to get her position in the company, to Peggy whose struggle was also immense, but it wasn't sleeping with sweaty Jaguar guy immense and how both characters have changed in terms of privilege and race. In the earlier seasons Joan seemed to not care about integration or black people in general (Kinsey's relationship with his black girlfriend) whereas Peggy played the appeasing white liberal to an exceeding degree (when Dawn slept over at Peggy's apartment). Now you see Peggy as more like Joan to begin with, even extending to other females in that she doesn't give a fukk, she's power hungry, doesn't care about the secretaries even though she used to be one. And Joan who this episode was far more sympathetic to Dawn and Shirley than I would've ever imagined, even promoting Dawn at the end.
I love Pete and Ted together at the LA office. The scene with Pete ranting Ted just like, "You can have my office
" and not even caring about what Pete had to say.Lou fukking Avery. What a prick. And he's basically a prick because he's so boring. He's just that old guy that's a dikk and doesn't give a fukk what everyone thinks of him. Who was his secretary at the end? I can't remember
Im interested to see what Cutler has up his sleeve and the 'power struggle' between him and Roger.
The last scene with Sally and Don
I've seen it bandied about around the internet a lot with this episode but it's really the only way to describe it. It was hopeful. And jesus christ ending with the most hopeful song of all time. Great episode.
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Roaden Polynice
Superstar
Oh, and February 14th. Masturbate gloomily. 
No respectOh, and February 14th. Masturbate gloomily.
R.E.N. Spells Ren
Veteran
It really was a great episode. I had to sleep on that shyt.
The scenes that really stood out for me:
Don chilling in his apartment with nothing to do. It's funny how he is simultaneously letting go of the idea of Don Draper with his family i.e. Sally but still keeps it up when Dawn came to visit. Shows how much of his entire identity was tethered to 'work' like it is for so many people, and was just a great sequence that showed loneliness and depression. The idea that when you're depressed and lonely, everything can slip to the wayside, you're sitting at home alone in a robe, the TV for companionship, eating Ritz out of the box but when you do have something come up you get dressed, tidy up, put up that facade that it's alright. And it's almost to an absurd degree to present that you're fine. He put on a suit for a 2 minute interaction.
I'm really enjoying Peggy's arc and like you guys have pointed out it's interesting to see the woman who ostensibly wields the most power at the firm and who shot up the ranks (only to be halted by devil incarnate himself Lou Avery) is the one that needs a man the most. Her boss is now Lou Avery who isn't as challenging as Don and she doesn't have a romantic interest that she had in Ted. And it's interesting to compare her trajectory to Joan, who had to fight every inch of the way to get her position in the company, to Peggy whose struggle was also immense, but it wasn't sleeping with sweaty Jaguar guy immense and how both characters have changed in terms of privilege and race. In the earlier seasons Joan seemed to not care about integration or black people in general (Kinsey's relationship with his black girlfriend) whereas Peggy played the appeasing white liberal to an exceeding degree (when Dawn slept over at Peggy's apartment). Now you see Peggy as more like Joan to begin with, even extending to other females in that she doesn't give a fukk, she's power hungry, doesn't care about the secretaries even though she used to be one. And Joan who this episode was far more sympathetic to Dawn and Shirley than I would've ever imagined, even promoting Dawn at the end.
I love Pete and Ted together at the LA office. The scene with Pete ranting Ted just like, "You can have my office
Lou fukking Avery. What a prick. And he's basically a prick because he's so boring. He's just that old guy that's a dikk and doesn't give a fukk what everyone thinks of him. Who was his secretary at the end? I can't remember
Im interested to see what Cutler has up his sleeve and the 'power struggle' between him and Roger.
The last scene with Sally and Don
I've seen it bandied about around the internet a lot with this episode but it's really the only way to describe it. It was hopeful. And jesus christ ending with the most hopeful song of all time. Great episode.
Shirley was his secretary at the end. I believe the implication was Joan moved the airhead back to the front and Peggy is now sharing that girl
And I don't know if you were trying to say that Joan's struggle (sleeping with Jaguar) than Peggy, but if so I'd have to vehemently disagree. Joan has played the stereotypical 'on her back role' since the beginning of the series. Her struggle to be seen as a valuable asset for the company in spite of this has been real, and immense, but I'd argue that Peggy's attempt at the same without laying on her back (Pete not withstanding... what did she gain from that?) was even more immense, IMO.
Peggy seems to be transforming into that chick Don was fukking before he married Meghan. Career woman the guys steer clear of.
Roaden Polynice
Superstar
Shirley was his secretary at the end. I believe the implication was Joan moved the airhead back to the front and Peggy is now sharing that girl
And I don't know if you were trying to say that Joan's struggle (sleeping with Jaguar) than Peggy, but if so I'd have to vehemently disagree. Joan has played the stereotypical 'on her back role' since the beginning of the series. Her struggle to be seen as a valuable asset for the company in spite of this has been real, and immense, but I'd argue that Peggy's attempt at the same without laying on her back (Pete not withstanding... what did she gain from that?) was even more immense, IMO.
Peggy seems to be transforming into that chick Don was fukking before he married Meghan. Career woman the guys steer clear of.
It can be tough to equate the two I think. I could be completely off base.
Joan's rise up the ranks just might seem more visceral because of the way they portrayed the entire Jaguar thing, it was her dignity being trampled on, that as far as I can remember, I don't think you ever saw with Peggy (you could argue that it was when she gave birth to Pete's kid but she Draper'd that out the window, or I guess even with her affair with Ted). But don't get me wrong, Peggy has fought the entire series to be taken seriously by her male bosses and co-workers, her rise to the top was evidenced through her competence and unbending will, whereas Joan's was the getting up through the ranks by being competent, and a sexual object for men, which is something we've seen a lot in dramas and movies but can still seem freshly tragic, more than Peggy...at least when I watch it. I usually always feel more for Joan than I do for Peggy.
Formerly known as...
Collector
I'm ready for Don to swag back into the office. fukk that Lou 
exactly, he pullin' out late victories. like he's frustrated at work but he go home to a A1 everyday who's making that bread too
(huge upgrade from Trudy's whiny ass+no baggage) he need to do like ted said and collect the checks
The War Report
NewNewYork
Joan was looking delicious. :melough:
she never really had that great of an ass but that shyt lookin even flabbier with Shirley on the scene
bigmac
Superstar
You not think it's only a matter of time before he catches an L with her though?exactly, he pullin' out late victories. like he's frustrated at work but he go home to a A1 everyday who's making that bread too
So, has anyone else picked up that they're dropping hints to suggest that the firm is going to shyt without Don? Last week, Ken implied that their lesser account men have been dropping accounts pretty quickly. This week, as that disastrous partners meeting let out, they said they never mentioned which of Peggy's accounts they lost. Creative doesn't even have a representative at the partners meeting, and they seem to have gotten stagnant under Lou's leadership ( at Lou, though. He sucks). Cutler is lining up to try to get rid of at least Roger, if not Sterling as well. The idea to move Joan upstairs puts Joan on his side. Ted wanted no parts of in office beef, and he's out in LA clearly not giving a fukk. The only two people he would have to go through are Don, who he has turned everyone but Roger against, and Roger, who he's sizing up. The funny thing is that simply having Don in the office would seemingly remedy most of their issues (creative wouldn't be so shytty, and Don could have squashed that silly argument in the meeting).
On the other end, though, as Don seems to be letting go of parts of the Don Draper persona (working at SC&P, his relationship with Megan, the heavy drinking, trying to hide things, and even the thought of upkeep on the condo), he seems to be getting the rest of his life together slowly. He admitted to himself he's a shytty husband, started trying to get a handle on his drinking, and got a little of Sally's respect back. It feels like it's being suggested that at some point, be it during this half of the season or next half, he'll have to choose between truly being Don Draper or dikk Whitman.
at Lou, though. He sucks). Cutler is lining up to try to get rid of at least Roger, if not Sterling as well. The idea to move Joan upstairs puts Joan on his side. Ted wanted no parts of in office beef, and he's out in LA clearly not giving a fukk. The only two people he would have to go through are Don, who he has turned everyone but Roger against, and Roger, who he's sizing up. The funny thing is that simply having Don in the office would seemingly remedy most of their issues (creative wouldn't be so shytty, and Don could have squashed that silly argument in the meeting).On the other end, though, as Don seems to be letting go of parts of the Don Draper persona (working at SC&P, his relationship with Megan, the heavy drinking, trying to hide things, and even the thought of upkeep on the condo), he seems to be getting the rest of his life together slowly. He admitted to himself he's a shytty husband, started trying to get a handle on his drinking, and got a little of Sally's respect back. It feels like it's being suggested that at some point, be it during this half of the season or next half, he'll have to choose between truly being Don Draper or dikk Whitman.