Mad Men
Season 7 Episode 12 “Lost Horizon”
Directed by Phil Abraham
Written by Semi Chellas
Created by Matthew Weiner
Starring Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, Christina Hendricks, January Jones, Vincent Kartheiser, John Slattery, Rich Sommer, Aaron Staton, Kiernan Shipka, Kevin Rahm
AMC
Air Date: Sunday, May 3rd, 2015, 10pm

Last week on Mad Men, the gang found out that McCann Erickson “forgot” to pay the lease and everyone has to move to their offices. Don (John Hamm) tried a last ditch effort to separate themselves, by offering to go run the California branch. At least this way, the conflict clients won’t be affected. It’s shot down immediately, with assurances that this is better for them. When they finally tell the office at the end, it’s like they already ceased to exist.

Peggy (Elizabeth Moss) finally confided in someone – Stan (Jay R. Ferguson), about the baby she gave away. She left out the part that it was Pete’s (Vincent Kartheiser) baby. Speaking of Pete, he punches an obnoxious school director for rejecting his daughter over an old family grudge. I would have punched him too.

Mad Men 7.12 “Lost Horizon” review: It was time for SC&P to move to McCann Erickson and the honeymoon lasted all of three seconds. For Joan, it didn’t even start. She has been treated like shit since the moment she arrived, first with an jerk that jeopardized her relationship with Avon, and then with Ferg, who insinuated sexual favors. I never would have survived the sexism of that time. Hobart is unsympathetic.

Hobart: “You’re unhappy. And now I’m unhappy. I’m willing to give you 50 cents on the dollar to never see your face again.”

She rejects it, but Roger comes in so sad and tells her to take it. She does.

Bert Cooper alert! Although I thought for a second that Don had died or was about to get into a horrific car accident (damn you Grey’s Anatomy!), when Bert (Robert Morse) popped up – first as a voice on his radio, and then in Don’s passenger seat. Don walked right out in the middle of an important meeting and drove away to find Diana. His fake excuse when he arrived at the home of Diana’s ex-husband and his new wife, was transparent, and I’ve never seen Don Draper feel that awkward. I’m really looking deeper into all of his moves, alternating between theories of nervous breakdown, a stroke, he’s already dead, he’s in a coma, he’s going to kill himself… many many theories, but none of them are, “Don Draper got down on one knee and asked Betty to marry him again. And they lived happily ever after.”

I mean… did you not think it strange when Don pressed on his windows? I expected the theme music to start.

Two sweet moments: First – Peggy roller skating while Roger played the organ. Second – Don calling Betty, “Birdie.”

Mad Men airs on Sunday nights at 10pm ET on AMC.

Video

Talked About Scene: Episode 712: Mad Men: Lost Horizon

Joan takes a stand against McCann.