Was more taljing to Quinn who seemed surprised about people drinking in the office.

Yes, I do not know when exactly open all day drinking became verbotten.

Creative types probsbly were the last to curb it in.

I know it still happens occasionally as all the partners had alcohol in their offices, but it wasn't a day to day thing in the office I worked in was all I was saying.

I believe the mid 70's was when things slowly started to change, and then in the 80's when real national campaigns started to change things. Probably coincides with MADD forming in 1980 as well.

And a bit of research also suggests (I'm too young to know so any time I have these types of questions I've always had to look it up) the Three Martini Lunch
and business tax deduction that came with it was a point of contention in the 70's and 80's, and into the early 90's.

Also, for those who talk about drinking in the office, etc...we all know it happens from time to time, and some offices have kegs that come by on Friday, etc.

But this is the discussion of executives and others in offices drinking daily, and routinely, and the open practice of serving others in their office, etc.

When did that start to go away, and was there any one reason for it. My best guess is the major changes happened in the 80's, and it coincided with national awareness organizations like MADD.

When I first started working in 1989, there was still alcohol in a lot of the offices. Also, people could still smoke in the buildings. You'll still see the booze in some places, but not like back then.

LOL - from the wiki link above

Comedian George_Carlin once commented that the crackdown on the three-martini lunch should not affect the working man's "two-joint coffee break".

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I think Weiner basically just ran out of story and didn't want to stretch it too thin. This is my all time favorite show, but even I'll admit that that it's felt like they've been treading water for a while now.

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Could not agree more. There have been more than a few episodes that did not live up to the rest of the seriesa few felt like soap operas. The good stuff though, to me, has the best writing of any drama all time.

I'd place the series in my top three all time. Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Wire. Pick an orderany order but MM has the best writing and art direction.

The best part about that era is right when Don gets to work and the first thing he says to his secretary is, "Wake me up at..."

Naps at work and right when you get to work!

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The best part about that era is right when Don gets to work and the first thing he says to his secretary is, "Wake me up at..."

Naps at work and right when you get to work!

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I think its the era and the level. He is a partner.

Damn

Yeah I'm guessing Don wouldn't mind taking that million dollar check back right about now.

A direct Manson family reference in this episode...

This show...I don't get it anymore. Watching it is like a wet fart. Who the **** is this waitress?

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This show...I don't get it anymore. Watching it is like a wet fart. Who the **** is this waitress?

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I was kind of thinking the same thing. What the hell are we building towards? 4 episodes left and we're meeting new characters. And uninteresting ones at that (frumpy waitress and Mrs. Kensington).

Hopefully this episode, and that waitress, make more sense in a few episodes...right now it feels like a waste of time.

Five episodes left, guys. Chill.

Don thought he had a legit rebound of sorts with the waitress. Then he loses her, Megan('s mom) takes all his ****, and he comes home to an empty apartment/life. Yes, we've seen Don hit rock bottom before, so this isn't anything new, but they're obviously setting the table for something here. I don't understand how this could be perceived as wasting time. He literally has NOTHING now. Hence some kind of big decision is likely coming. Takes time to set that up / take everything away.

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while watching with my wife i called the mom taking all his stuff and i predicted that he will have that check for a cool million canceled.

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He won't have the check cancelled. He doesn't do that type of thing (not bc he's a good guy, but usually bc he just doesn't care).

Why does everyone keep saying he's going to cancel the check? I'm with Quinn. Don didn't seem mad (just defeated), and it's not like it'll cost him much comparatively to replace it all. He's gonna get a ton just from selling the condo itself. Regardless, it'll definitely be interesting to see where he goes next.

Also, did anyone see that shot in the preview from next week of Don asleep in his bedroom? There was a woman in the foreground holding her purse like Betty always does. I hate analyzing next weeks' previews since it's so pointless, but these Betty/Don interactions are starting to have an interesting vibe.

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I thought that was the one of the best episodes of the entire series. Not sure what some of you are expecting.

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Right there with you. Some great moments, some big changes, Roger being Roger and Harry being Harry. Can't ask for much more.

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while watching with my wife i called the mom taking all his stuff and i predicted that he will have that check for a cool million canceled.

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He won't have the check cancelled. He doesn't do that type of thing (not bc he's a good guy, but usually bc he just doesn't care).

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he tried to be the good guy and give her everything after what roger said got to him, and here after he tried to do something selfless, he comes to find out she has taken advantage of him. that or this will just be the end of the megan story line.

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Yeah, I think we're finally done with Megan for good. Though, I can't get over how prominent she was in the marketing, which seems like a lot for just one episode. Hopefully that was a bit of misdirection.

Never thought I'd see the day that Megan gave Betty a run for her money in the terrible person department, but she's definitely giving it a shot.

Hopefully it's the last we see of Megan. I see what they were trying to do, but was one of my least favorite episodes. The waitress stuff just didn't work for me and I'm tired of Megan.

Two thoughts (the first one is mine, the second one is not):

1. What if Weiner got so tired of reading the "this ends with Don's suicide" theories that he wrote a completely out of character happy ending where Don finds someone as broken and jaded as he is and lives happily ever after in Racine, WI?

2. Do these two episodes feel like an extended epilogue for a story that has long since concluded?

I'm not going to say it was bad or anything, but I'm not sure what they're doing with Peggy. I feel like her character is treading water. Same with Pete's. Maybe they're setting them up to end up together or something. Otherwise we've seen all this dozen times before. Peggy gets defensive about being in control, becomes passive aggressive, ad infinitum.

I am not sure if they're setting it up for anything. It seems that the show will just end. It's always been about character development, not big events, so I don't think that will really change. Maybe I'm wrong but everyone seems to be building up to a big climax in their minds and I'm not sure why

Sepinwall has some good analysis:

http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-mad-men-new-business-divorce-american-style

Even he is tired of the same old story lines and the focus on intently uninteresting characters. MUCH too much time was spent with Megan's family.

So far, I don't know why they bothered continuing the show, except to make some more money.

I really enjoyed last night.

I think many that are looking for a crazy book-end or something are going to be disappointed. Weiner has basically said as much.

Also important to note that this is the 2nd half of a season, so it's not its own season. I'd love to go back and watch the full season at once when it finishes to see if the flow is any different.

I'm totally ok with them introducing new characters here and there during the final episodes. As mentioned, they have to be used to help Don realize rock bottom(yet again).

So now he just thought he found a person that he could mutually live and share grief with, but she is just too broken, even to go from rags to riches. Don goes home to find that he was robbed by his ex wife's family, and now literally has nothing. If that isn't intense, then ****, I don't know what is.

I'm excited for the final 4.

I'm curious to see what Don's interactions with Sally are going to be like. While it feels like a lot of time has been wasted on Megan and Diana, I think (hope?) the whole point was to demonstrate the futility of Don's standard coping strategies: first the random stewardess in episode 1, then the failed attempt at a starting a relationship with a broken stranger. We already know money can't solve his problems (neither for himself nor by trying to make others happy by giving it away...see Diana's response to his guidebook gift and Megan's response to the $1 million), and I guess there's still a chance he finds some level of satisfaction at work, but my bet is on him turning to Sally as the next thing to satisfy him. He doesn't seem to care about Bobby and Gene, but maybe his next step is to peg his hope for redemption on being a good father to her.

Maybe that goes well and the show ends on somewhat of a high note for Don, but it's just as easy to see Sally telling him he's a complete failure as a parent...at which point I could buy the narrative of him throwing in the towel and jumping out of the SC&P window.