I really enjoy this show. However, I find Bette's character to be dull. I do appreciate the writers bringing the housewife of the 50's-60's into the story.

Salvatore's scene was tastefully done. I do like his character and the situation is sad. Also, the new operator who has a crush on him is adorable.

On Don, the character is very complex. But I do agree with the discrepency in the writing. One week he is drinking and withdrawn at his daughters b-day party and the next he is telling his son he will never lie to him.

I think Don stole another soilders identity, perhaps one who died while on battleground.

But I find Don's bed hopping shameful. One minute he's into the department store owner, the next that dumb hippie girl.

Cant wait till next week.

I think that Don is truly attracted to Rachel, in the sense that he finds her attractive, intelligent and passionate. In a couple of episodes, he seems to be using his mistress to relieve his pent up feelings for Rachel. It appears after Episode 8 that they will most likely be over, since she declined the trip to Paris (his attempt to show his feelings for her) and he paid her off like a prostitute with the bonus check. Perhaps this opens the door for something to begin with Rachel. Betty just seems to be the trophy wife that he finds dull and uninspiring, although they have some good moments. I love the complexity of these relationships and I enjoy watching the web he weaves. He is gorgeous, might I add. Simply divine.

This was a great episode. I, too, interpret Don's giving his mistress the check after she refused to go to Paris as a final pay-off. The gap between her beatnik (hey - its 1960: they aren't hippies yet) lifestyle and Don's world seemed really wide in this episode. Perhaps that, and turning down the trip to Paris, means its over. Given Don's fidelity track record, this will likely lead to renewed contact with Rachel.

A lot of people have commented on Betty being flat or boring. The sneak peak at the next episode suggests we'll be focusing a bit more attention on her. She may turn out to be more complex than we suspect.

I thought the scene with Sal was perhaps the best in the episode. I can't help thinking that had this shown been set in 2007, perhaps the writers would have been more tempted to let Sal go upstairs to the client's room. In 1960, I imagine, the stakes and risk associated with trying to explore your sexuality must have been much higher.

Thanks for a great show.

My heart broke for Sal. He knows he's gay, but his career and his heritage are going to keep him from acting on it. I'm guessing he's going to forge into another superficial connection (a la Don, Pete, Roger) with the switchboard operator. If that happens, how long before Lois' innocent adoration for Sal is replaced with the vague sense of dissatisfaction?

Pete is such a fantastic character. My favorite of the bunch. I like the insightful interviews with the writer and characters here.

Sorry, I meant actors.

I hate to interrupt, but I can't get this site's video player working on my PC for some reason. My Adobe Flash is up-to-date, and I have broadband, so what am I doing wrong? Thanks, anyone who can help!

This show is fantastic! I haven't seen anything like it before. It just wraps you into each one of the characters and pulls you in. To chat with others about it, visit www.TALKMADMEN.com!

Regarding Don's alternate identity...I think the writers want us to think that it is as simple as stealing a dead soldier's persona. I think he will turn out to either be a spy or a CIA operative. The spy think probably would have worked better in a 1950s set show.

Guess we'll find out. The layers of who we all are can be compared to a very large onion...and peeling the layers does produce tears often.

We got a lot more insight into Don's character. When the Dick said, "whore's-get" that inferred that the woman living with his "dad" was not his mother. Uncle Max said "you got the same father." Not mother. Which may be why he had no fraternal feeling for Adam and why he had no genuine reaction when Adam told him his mother died. Further, because of the phrase, "whore's get" it's likely his "dad" may have had doubts about his male parentage. Or she may have run away with someone else. Young Dick was someone to do work on the farm for the price of food and clothing.

He'd also seen the hobo mark for a dishonest man marked on the fence post and had seen the entire incident where his "dad" promised to give the coin after the hobo worked and then didn't bring it out when the man had finished.

At any rate, Don Draper wanted to distance himself from that life as much as possible, to the point of changing his name.

Another interesting scene is when he gave Midge the bonus check. He had in mind to spend it on her, not deposit it. So when she wouldn't go to Paris, he just signed over the check and gave it to her. Obviously, his primary motivation is not money. He wasn't trying to buy her off or silence her. He'd looked at the Polaroid picture, realized there was no future with Midge and this was a way of saying, "Goodbye." Like giving the $5K to Adam. In both cases he cut links using money as a going away present.

I felt the scenes with Sal were the best of this episode. Wonderfully written and performed. I found myself wincing in disappointment when he got up and left the table. I really didn't like his character before, and I don't think we were meant to. But as this show has proven, they are revealing a little more of each character with each episode. The scene where Don tells his son he will never lie to him was a little heavy handed. Yes, Bette is dry and boring, and actually kind of irritating, but I think we are going to see great things with her character in the near future.

"Episode 8: The Hobo Code exposes Pete's deep desperation for personal connection, and the vast discrepancy between his fantasy relationship and reality. How does today's perception of marriage differ from previous decades?"

When I look around at people I know who are married, I think there are two main differences in how today's perception of marriage has changed from the 1950's. One difference is in the reason for marrying, and the second difference is what people expect from marriage.

Prior to, and during the 1950s, if you were a married woman, marriage and child rearing was the be-all end-all goal. For men, marriage and child-rearing was a small part of their societal goal. Men were the captains of industry.

People were expected to propagate children who would serve the state and God. Marriage was a business and families did what they could to improve their station in life through 'good' marriage.

Pete, just like many people today, have no real idea of what they are actually getting themselves into when they marry.

Pete is from a wealthy background where he is expected to do well, but given no guidance or loving example of how to be loving, or have a satisfying internal life. All that matters is what shows to others.

Pete's upbringing is quite similiar to many of today's kids. Parents are too busy earning money, or whatever, and kids are brought up under the indifferent eye of servants... in Pete's case human servants, today's kids have electronic servants.

The second difference between marriage then and now, and by now I mean in the last 20-years, is that men and women expect to ""receive"" emotional satisfaction from personal connections.

People, in our society anyway, can choose whether to accomodate themselves to another person or not because a divorce is so easy. However, an easy divorce does not deal with the underlying problems.

Maybe when both men and women start expecting that they have to ""give"" personal and emotional satisfaction to get it, relations will improve overall.

I think it's ironic, that Mad Men are themselves the ones who popularized the ideal of "romantic love" to sell gift cards.

The physical aspects of the show: the set, costumes, props, etc., present a perfect picture of 1960 in Chicago. Nothing visual is anachronistic. However, the script is occasionally a bit careless with the language, occasionally using a vernacular word or phrase which would not have been used in the same way (or at all) in 1960 America.

Current American colloquial English is not exactly the same as it was in 1960 and MadMen is not always attentive to that fact.

Please give us a blog or some more info on the clothes. They are fantastic! We want more details and we want pictures-head to toe-of the costumes!!!!!

We really dig this show at www.realmadmen.com

Agreements all around on Don's decision to hand over the check to his mistress. After looking at the photo, he seemed to experience what many of us have, sad reality. Perhaps it was the weed he smoked that opened his eyes to this. It also shows that he feels no sense of materialism. Kind of strange for someone who made the comment that he "sleeps on a bed made of money." in a previous episode.

How sad for Peggy that Pete is so deep in denial about his marriage. It was obvious from episode one that it was all for appearance's sake.

And Salvatore is now one of the most interesting characters in the whole show. I called his tendencies from the first episode and so far the entire situation with him has been so well written.

I would like to comment on the two best actors on MM. Without a doubt, it is Pete

(Kartheiser) and Peggy (Moss). These two fine young performers are brilliant and talented and will far in the business. Their characters are not too bad or unbearable. They have effected us and stirred up some emotions which only goes to prove, they are doing it well.

And, watch out for Sal - he's going to shine. His subtle flamboyant ways is going to rock.

But please....bring that about gradually.

"The physical aspects of the show: the set, costumes, props, etc., present a perfect picture of 1960 in Chicago. "

Actually, it's been made quite clear that the show is taking place in New York City and its suburbs (eg Ossining.)

I just found out an interesting real-life connection between characters. We know that Betty Draper graduated from Bryn Mawr College. It turns out that the real actress who plays Rachel Menken (the Jewish lady who runs the department store) ACTUALLY went to Bryn Mawr College (class of '96)! (And she grew up in New York City!)

Wonder if that's why the writers made Betty a Bryn Mawr alum?

Kim

Bryn Mawr class of '90

I personally think Mad Men is one of the most greatest and classic entertainment series there is on television. My favorite character is Pete. he leaves you wondering whats next with his troubling, desperate relationship. Peggy makes an innocent mistress. Don is really confusing. But i like wondering whats next. ive seen episodes of 6-11 and i want to see them from start. All the way to episode 1. The 1960's rocked. And is exciting how anyone can think that far back and establish a series of men and women that would propose to go back and re-enact elderly lives as young attractive every day life human beings. I love the 1960's era. I think it is exciting and Beautiful. i love MAD MEN. KEEP THIS GOING!!...something about this show attracts me more and more. Im 18 years old. and is hard for someone to understand my do's and dont's. And this is my favorite do's. Watch MAD MEN new episode every other week. only on AMC.

This is a fantastic program. I have watched it from the beginning. In many respects, it is so true to life. In 1960, I was 23 years old. I began my work as a secretary and women were always referred to as "girls." The bosses would say "give this to my girl for filing, etc." Also, everyone was constantly smoking. I worked in a federal government office so there was no drinking at work (at least it wasn't out in the open, if it existed.) Housewives were expected to behave just exactly as these women do. Stay home and take care of the house and be dressed "to the nines" for the master of the house. The office girls were constantly being hit on and didn't dare complain in fear of being fired. Women were indeed second class citizens in that time period. A great show, however, and I'm delighted it is being renewed for another year.

I've noted the interaction between Don Draper and his kids, especially daughter Sally. In one episode, Don comes home and sees his kids glued to the TV set. Sally looks up and says "Hi Daddy!" Don doesn't answer with a personal greeting, but instead immediately latches on to something he doesn't like. Kicking at their legs as he walks past, he orders "Back away from the TV, you'll ruin your eyes." This rang so true about the interaction between fathers and their children back then. I was 2 years old in 1960, but I still recall feeling more apprehension than unrestrained joy when hearing Dad's key in the front door. Discipline and accountability were the most prominent relationship factors between fathers and children in the 60s.

The interaction between Don Draper and his kids, seems right on for the late '50s early '60s. In an early episode, Draper straight out orders them around. Not "Would you please bring Daddy a beer?" but "Get me a beer!" He also supports discipline from other sources without question, such as when a party guest harshly reprimands his son for running in the house (during a birthday party, no less!)

In a more recent episode, Don comes home and sees his kids glued to the TV set. His daughter Sally looks up and says "Hi Daddy!" Don doesn't answer with a personal greeting, but instead immediately latches on to something he doesn't like. Kicking at their legs as he walks past, he orders "Back away from the TV, you'll ruin your eyes." This rang so true about the interaction between fathers and their children back then. I was 2 years old in 1960, but I still recall feeling more apprehension than unrestrained joy when hearing Dad's key in the front door. Discipline and accountability were the most prominent relationship factors between middle-class fathers and their kids in the 60s. I happen to be married without any children, but I do know that this has changed. I'm just not sure if it's for better or for worse.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the relationship/chemistry/interaction/rapport between Rachel and Don...it's portrayed fabulously!!! While his wife is probably beautiful yet dull and vanilla...and Midge...was just a random mistress thing that he had going on for a while...I think the fact that he has/may have true feelings for Rachel because she is an intellectual, is smart, is hard working, humble AND SEXY...makes the storyline and the complexity of Don's relationships...especially with Rachel...so fantastic..keep it up!!