Peggy will keep the baby, but with no love. She'll use it to gain Peter's affections. I credit Peggy as being more intelligent than the average bear, but she still holds Pete somewhat dear, violating her own credos it seems. She'll use the baby to gain his favors or to blackmail him. Roger is realizing his mortality. He isn't coming back to work. No way. Betty won't leave Don. He's going to leave her. Rachel has Don by the gonads, no matter what either of them want to admit to. They'll work out a compromise that isn't running away.

First of all- this is hands down the best dramatic series to hit TV since the Sopranos.
2nd- I don't think Peggy will keep her baby. There is something eerily robotic about her, and I think she will give it up for adoption while taking a brief vacation. When she comes back, all the men will comment about her swift weight loss and she will be the talk of the office.
Betty will not leave Don. She will continue to spiral through life in a delusional state, further irritating the rest of the Mad Men fans. Roger will try to return to work- not sure what will happen to his relationship with Red.

I agree with Sandunguera: I don't think Peggy will keep the baby. It was extremely telling that she didn't want to even look at the baby, and I would hate to see a woman who managed to break the officeplace glass ceiling become hindered by an unwanted child. But then again, maybe that would make for some great drama.

As far as some other things I'd like to see, how about Betty having an affair? How about Don having to fire Roger? How about Pete finally landing an account of his own, only to fall flat on his face? I am of the opinion that anything to continue to bring Pete down a notch or two is A-OK...

**********
Here is a Season Two "scoop" from the Basket of Kisses blog site:

"Here is a comment we just received from someone going only as “Someone Who Knows”:

"Season two will open with a long segment at Sterling Cooper, and is being written to grab first-time viewers who will be checking out the series after all the pre-Season Two buzz, while still delivering upon the expectations of returning fans. A machine-gun paced segment at an advertising agency at the top of its game, it’s full of the crackling dialogue, hints of key dramatic plot points, and has one tremendous laugh. Everyone will be blown away. Peggy is there, don’t worry!

"Now, in truth, the game we’ve been playing is fun and we can keep on playing, but I know TV. And what “Someone” has described is exactly how a Season Two opener of a ‘best show no one’s watching’ needs to be constructed. We will meet each key player, in a way that will both open our (the loyal viewers’) eyes to where they are now, and catch the new viewers up on who they are and why they are important."

Season Two will reportedly pick up a little over a year after the end of Season One - around February or March of 1962.

Matt Weiner has said in the past that each season will pick up close to two years after the close of the seasons before it.

Don will sh*t bricks once he finds out Rachel had an abortion while she was abroad. Peggy's baby will be put up for adoption, and she will never speak publicly about it for fear that it will derail her skyrocketing career. Joan will become involved with a black man--a famous actor or musician--which will send Roger reeling and cause a scandal in the office. Rachel and Betty meet by accident while Betty's having a "day of indulgence" at Menken's. Harry and Jennifer have a baby, but Pete and Trudy don't...or can't. Sal has an affair--his first--which opens up a whole new world for him. Don will discover that Adam wasn't really his biological brother. Pete tries to use Don's past against him yet again. Ken publishes his novel, while Paul's writing goes nowhere fast.

My predictions:

Peggy gave up her baby moments after we last saw her in the season one finale. I think we'll find that she's become less naive and more ambitious and calculating. Her career will begin to fast-track, at least as much as a woman's can in the early 60s.

Betty and Don will still be married, but the shiny veneer of a happy marriage will be gone. They will share open hostility, but the idea of divorce is abhorant to both of them. (Being the early 60s, divorce was still very rare. Couples simply suffered through bad marriages.) Betty will transform into a blowsy alcoholic and act out her frustrations. I like grinandbearit's idea that she and Rachel meet while Betty shops at Menken's.

Sal will be married to the telephone operator in the office, maybe have a child. Unsatisfied, he'll get drawn into the Greenwich Village scene to meet other gay men where he ends up befriending the talented Midge. He'll hire Midge into the Sterling Cooper art department, much to Don's surprise.

Pete will be more successful at his job than his marriage. Through his family connections, he'll bring business to S-C and continue to be a thorn in Don's side. In the meantime, he and his wife will be unsuccessful in trying to conceive, thus further emasculating Pete (who is unaware that he made a baby with Peggy).

I don't know if Roger will be back, but I certainly hope he is.

Now that Don is partner, Joan picks up with Don where she left off with Roger.

Just my 2 cents.

Wow, fellow MM addicts, Matthew should check out these blogs ( I imagine he does!) to get ideas if he's ever needing any! Love all the speculations! I would like to add that I think Mona will find out how Roger's heart attack happened and put 2 and 2 together and realize he's been straying for years with many. I don't think she'll leave him though. Did anyone catch the way his daughter was flirting with Don in that one episode? Maybe there will be a little jailbait philandering on Don's part there next season! I also think that Betty will take a downhill slide as to her drinking (now that she suspects Don of infidelity) and become an alcoholic but only briefly when she sees how it is affecting her looks and weight! ha. Maybe she will have a flling with her shrink, too!

scfan, I think Mona suspects Roger of being a philanderer. Probably Margaret does, too, which is why she has so many issues.

Remember that scene in Ladies Room where Mona helps Betty put on her lipstick? She told her "I bet you don't have trouble holding on to your man..." or something of that nature. Then when she and Margaret visited the office, we got a look at Sterling's secretary, whom Mona picked precisely because she was so plain and unstylish. Mona knows her man. I think she loves him, but she's also aware that he's a real SOB. They're probably still together because a) it's convenient, and b) it would be devastating financially (Mona would take Roger for all she could--including the agency).

"Sal will be married to the telephone operator in the office, maybe have a child. Unsatisfied, he'll get drawn into the Greenwich Village scene to meet other gay men where he ends up befriending the talented Midge. He'll hire Midge into the Sterling Cooper art department, much to Don's surprise."

Wow -- that is brilliant! Sal is such a tragic character. He tries so hard to fit in, that I can totally see him marrying a woman out of desperation. What a difficult period for him to live in. I love the idea of him somehow bumping into Midge.

You know, grinandbearit, I think you're right about Mona--she couldn't have been married to him as long as she has and not suspect something--I think she is in the same boat as Trudy, she loves her husband in spite of his SOB-ness! One thing I recall about Season 1 was when Joan learned of Don's nooner (with either Midge or Rachel--not sure which it was) she made the comment "So that's why he never gave me a second look" or something like that. Now that Roger is recovering and probably on Dr.'s orders to not get excited (re: no sex) she will probably zero in on Don now. As if he isn't juggling enough women already!

Just thought of something else...did anyone catch that picture of a young Roger-- and his father, I presume--there on Bert's side table when Roger and Don were in Bert's office that one time? Bert made some comment about it to them. Makes me wonder if maybe the ad agency was started by Bert and Roger's father or something? Maybe Bert owed Roger's dad somehow and so was inclined to hire Roger after his first partner (Roger's dad) died, or whatever...intriguing situation, no?

Given the times Peggy will give up her baby, society did not embrace the single mother back then. Because Peggy has a brain, I predict she will rise through the ranks of Sterling Cooper over the decades, let's hope the show lasts long enough to see her break through the glass ceiling.

I think that Peggy will give the baby up, but over time it will begin to torture her. I think Don and Betty will still be married, but their relationship will continue to deteriorate, and Betty will become more aware of how Don cheats on ehr and controls her. I think Pete and his wife's relationship will also continue to deteriorate, and he will still harbour some feelings for Peggy whick she will want no part of after the baby.

@scfan, that is an interesting theory, and it also explains why Bert is so eager to play the nepotism card with Pete and give him a pass when he went over Don's head for like the billionth time.

I'm sure that sort of nepotism was even more prolific back then than it is now. I know so many bankers who refuse to do business with family-run businesses because at this point, they're all run by the sons of sons who have no idea what they're doing.

I'm not exactly sure that Roger is that bad, but he certainly acts as a destructive force to the ad agency, so your theory I think deserves credence.

I think you are right, Clayton N., Roger is a mess but that charm and humor of his have saved him--- so far. God help him if he ever loses that! It's about his only redeeming quality. Going further with the "out on a limb" speculations...what if it turns out that Roger is Bert's son--by the long dead wife of that (also dead) partner (Roger's dad) that Bert had a fling with way back there and Roger is the result? Whoooeee...we all need our new Season.. things are becoming far fetched, at least in my mind. But it's fun to wonder. Or is there enough age difference for that...maybe Roger's dead father is Bert's bro. or something... Roger a nephew might be more believable.

I think there might be too little of an age difference there, scfan. And I'm not exactly sure what evidence you could possibly come up with to support it. But I'll say this: Matthew Weiner has never failed to surprise, and I think we'll all be shocked no matter what prognostications we come up with here. That' s one of the things that makes this show so great. It's fun to try, though!

I think Peggy will keep her baby. Pete is
adopted, his father made the comment that
they gave him everything- his name

I think you are right there, Clayton N. about the age difference with Bert and Roger (for Roger to be Bert's son). But he still could be a nephew---or? There must be some strong connection there, familial or not, for him to keep that photo of Roger and whoever that was there in his office. Now that I think more on it...I think maybe that was a pic of Roger with Bert. Seems like they were out fishing or something like that. I love the way Matthew Weiner scatters all these little crumbs around for us to mull over..."does this mean anything, or not?"--that kind of thing. Makes it all so intriguing to watch and wonder if certain details will be explored in subsequent epis.

Clayton - Sal is my favorite character. He totally reminds me of my cousin who was shunned by much of our extended Italian family in the late 60s for being gay (not me, I was a child at the time). I'm very curious to see what Weiner, et. al., have in store for him.

Peggy was in complete and total denial about the pregnancy, which is understandable, given how unwed mothers were treated as scarlet women in 1960. They used to send girls away to "homes" to hide their shame until the birth, then whisk the baby away. The mother was expected to go on as if nothing had happened. Adoption records continue to be closed in many states due to this shame mentality. How could Peggy take care of a baby on her own back then? That swine Peter wouldn't help her, he'd get her fired! Since the in-laws are pushing for a baby, it would be ironic (and awfully contrived) if Peter and his vile wife ended up adopting Peggy's baby.

I think Peggy will give up the baby. Eventually she will break down and confess to someone (Joan, Don, Pete???) that she put the baby up for adoption. Maybe the child will die in an orphanage and she will go crazy from the guilt.
Betty will stay married to Don but start living her own double life (maybe she will sleep with the shrink out of revenge). She will become something of a closet feminist when her best friend does leave her husband.
Don will have a child out of wedlock (his own whore child - but who will be the whore?) while continuing his climb to the top of advertising world.
As for Pete I'm really not sure. I would like to see him actually make some personal progress in some manner but then see him struggle with some family drama (like being left out of his fathers will).
I just can't wait to see season two!!! There better not be another strike to delay my mad men fix. My friends and I are already planning a classic cocktail (dress-up) night for when the show returns.

Some very astute comments concerning plot developments! As much as I love the show, what’s the point of this series besides entertainment? If the second season of MM is going to amount to more shenanigans in offices and hotel rooms, the show will lose momentum. I want to see what the crises of the early ‘60s does to these people. I expect to see an end to the sleepy ‘fifties certainties of characters like Pete Campbell. How will they react to the Kennedy era? – A period of idealism and danger, of goal setting and betrayal. Will the civil rights struggle and the murders in Mississippi affect these shallow ad men and their suffering women? Will they improve?

Roger is of interest. Having suffered a heart attack, he’ll have to change his evil ways. Will he discover a new outlook and hook up with Betty? A transformed Roger could save her if Don can’t. She would blossom with an older man. Sal is another key character and previous comments about him marrying the operator and discovering the Greenwich Village scene, etc. are right on. Rachel is tough and intelligent and I love it when she tells Don to go to hell. The struggles of the ‘60s should affect her enormously. She is a woman ripe for feminism and social consciousness. Is Don man enough to go with her?

About the only thing I am sure of is that you did not keep baby if you were single in 1960. It was unheard of, unless the baby was raised as your sibling or other family member. I can't begin to guess at other story lines. I am so looking forward to learning more about the characters and seeing the people and the times evolve.

Do we know when the next season will begin, is it at least in production ?
I can't wait. Love this show.
Are there any other good sites about this show or is this it?

Peggy stays with the agency but without child. She is a broken person but lives on in hopes that she will be recognized for her talents and not her sexual attributes as a result of her slimmer figure, while ironically, her adopted child seeks revenge against a mother who has deserted him/her and a father who has never accepted responsibility for him/her in a daring "retro" flash forward to the 80's. In the meanwhile, Peter has become a different person. He has found religion and has been born again after the market crash of the 80's and is seeking to reach out to others in compassion after ruthlessly clawing his way to the top -- some 20 odd years after "the fling"-- remorseful about his life of manipulation and deceit, an occupational hazard. Ironically he comes face-to-face with the mirror image of his 60's self in the form of his own bastard child, a young person who has bottled up years of resentment and bitterness after living in remote exile of the Big Apple in outer Pennsylvania, and not in the mood to forget and forgive. One could only hope anyway. But somehow I think the writers will excel beyond this plot line. Great show. Look forward to next season.

Oh I forgot to add: Peter awakes from a dream, discovers he really isn't in the 80's and doesn't change his stripes after all.

Now all those serious fans out there, give us the real scoop because I am looking forward to what delicious scripts the writers the have cooked for next season.

Wow -- lots of great ideas. Where to begin.

Twiggy: I love the idea of Pete and Trudy unwittingly adopting his own baby, but I think the implication in episode 13 was that Trudy was pregnant. I could be wrong, but if that is indeed the case, I don't see why they would be in the market for adoption.

Krushcev -- You're the first, I think, to bring up the fact that we'll be seeing our characters for the first time living in the Kennedy era. I think it's very insightful that there has to be a change in their mentality given the uproar that he caused. I can't wait to see some of the stereotypes and ideologies that Matthew Weiner had such a blast riffing on begin to change.

What does everyone think will happen with that wierd little neighbor kid Betty babysat for..Glenn, I think his name was? Maybe he will hit puberty in Season 2 and begin lusting after Betty even more--and maybe she will actually even have a fling with him!!! Or, maybe that central AC salesman...she already had a fantasy about him, remember? Maybe when he comes back to set up a sale to Betty, she will act on her fantasy. I think she is going to "get back" at Don for his affairs one way or another.

Something else that will get more attention in season 2 that should have been clarified in season 1, was the physical altercation between Pete and Ken. Ken made a remark about how fat Peggy was getting and Pete gave him a punch to the face. The group broke it up quickly. I was expecting to see repercussions the following episode but nothing was ever said.
I think we will see more of Sal and the guys in the office will slowly begin to realize that he is gay. Testa Rosa, that party sound like fun, let us know how it comes out. Wish I could start something like that but I don't know anyone else that watches the show. I had better talk it up. Haven't been interested in a TV show as much as this since "Roots" was on in the 70's. Want to know when episode 2 starts, can't wait.

I think Peggy will blackmail Pete when she doesn't get what she wants from him. Depending on what happens with Miss Menkens, I think Betty may come around and bring back that spark that Don needs in his life. I hope to god that Roger comes back. Although I do like the new creative director, Roger is a must needed character.

Has anybody looked at all the CUTE and vintage cocktail hats and dresses on Ebay? They are worth a look.

Re: my above comment: the "Cafe Au Lait" cocktail dress (on Ebay) looks like something Joan would have worn and the black and white polka dot one is kinda current-looking--they are ALL adorable...also,there's a candy pink one and a blue gossamer print one that look like Betty's style!

In case anyone's wondering...no I'm not selling anything on Ebay...I just read the comment above about the group that's having a Retro Watch Party for Season 2's premiere and they are all planning to wear retro cocktail dresses. I just had a thought to check Ebay out for those and some are really cute. However, I bet they were super uncomfortable (what with all the undergarments that were no doubt necessary for them to look right!) but I guess that's where our mothers' comment "You have to suffer to be beautiful" originated!

The predictions on this message board are SO great! I love the idea that Rachel could become pregnant with Don's child or that Betty and Rachel would meet by accident at Menkin's. I love Don's character, but at the same time, I hate how he treats Betty--she needs an affair or two of her own! Perhaps with Roger Sterling--there was certainly some chemistry there--it would be sweet revenge for Betty, and all hell would break loose at Sterling Cooper. Of course, there was definitely some weirdness with the kid next door, Glenn--I definitely got a weird Mary Kay Letourneau vibe from Betty concerning him.

I personally believe Peggy is going to give up her baby for adoption. For some reason, I've always thought Peggy could wind up with Ken. Yes, he has made fun of her behind her back and has been a bit of a creep in the past, but toward the end of the season, I thought he started to respect her as a writer and even stand up for her work. After all, he is a serious writer himself.

Pete would be wildly jealous, of course, and there would be a rift in the office boys' club. I'm sure Pete would set his sights on ruining both of their careers. And he would have his own problems at home. I love the idea that Trudy and Pete would be unable to get pregnant--I'm all for emasculating a creep like Pete, and I never really liked Trudy, especially after she bullied Pete into getting an apartment 10 times his salary--what a spoiled brat! Maybe she'll take up "her first" on his offer to just "be together."

Also, great idea about Sal meeting Midge and hiring her on in the art department! I agree that the writers definitely seem to be developing something by throwing in Lois Adler as a possible wife for Sal. I would love to see his character blossom in the next season!

I think the concept of Sal somehow meeting up with Midge is great, but as far as her joining SC's payroll goes... consider how antiestablishment her character is; I just don't see her going for it. I think she'd see that as a personal sellout. Unless she found a way to justify it to herself- maybe she'd think of working for an ad agency as a means of having the last laugh on, and sticking it to, the gullible mainstream society.
I agree with the general consensus that Peggy absolutely will NOT keep her baby. I've been wondering if she was so naive that she really had no idea she was pregnant, or if she was in total denial.

-Trudy can´t have children and everyone blames Pete for it. HUGE troubles in their marriage. I think them trying to please eachother will pass quite soon.
-Peggy have given the child up for adoption, or let her family raise him. Pete not knowing would be a little too soapopera for my taste, but he doesn´t try anything just to avoid a scandal
-Pete not going anywhere in Sterling/Cooper-just because Don wont let him. Peggy on the other hand...
-I believe Jennifer have forgiven Harry.
-Sal being uncareful at least once. Something small and credible for that time.
-I hope not, but if Bertram Cooper dies there can be a of struggle of power between Roger, Don and maybe Dick.
-I think there be more hints about rising feminism.

Anagramatically yours:

The future, and perhaps the entire story is revealed quite clearly in episode eigfht of the first season in plain view:

"The Hobo Code"

1) The food here is good.
2) Watch out for the nasty dog
3) A dishonest man lives here
4) Tell a sad story

-MM

Remember, Mad Men is a work of literature.

All I know is that by the end of Season I, two characters had been shown with rifles: Pete in one episode and Betty in another. These two characters are ready to blow.

Of course Peggy will put the baby up for adoption and hide it like they all did in the 60's. As for Peggy moving up the corporate ladder...NOT! Again, this is 1960 people!! Women back then did not get promoted in nine months - try nine years. It was a man's world back then, and there are too many men in this office to let a woman take the fast track. Pete will make sure she is knocked down a Peg (LOL) or two. Peggy will probably step on someone's toes - get demoted and be back to typing letters for Pete. Pete will become a real monster to her once this happens. I think the idea of Betty becoming an alcoholic sounds like it might happen. I see her getting drunk and having an affair with Roger. Probably befriending the divorcee neighbor and being the talk of the town. The Italian guy at SC will have a secret gay affair - probably with Ken. I never noticed the picture, but the prediciton of Bert and Roger's father starting Sterling Cooper and Roger taking over after his Dad died sounds good. Maybe Bert is looking to Don to get Roger to quit? Whatever happens, I am hoping for more 1960's current events to play into the storyline this fall.

I too can't wait for Mad Men II. Lots of good predictions but what I want to see is more of the same "stuff". It's what sequels are all about, more mushy details.

For MM, I want to see more sexy, sultry women putting the kabazz to guys who think they are God's gift. I want to see guys sleezing and slashing their way to the top, the way they did it in the 60's.

I know Don won't disappoint us, he has "the gift". Betty will get sultry because we have seen glimpses of it. Pete, Roger, even Red have hinted that there is more to their character. Peggy will wise up, and hike her skirt too.

So many possibilites, so much to eagerly expect.

Peggy will definitely start causing trouble now that she's pregnant. She'll burst the bubble of the happy married couple.

Well, well. Kristen over at EONLINE has spoilered that Peggy moves back home with her mother and sister. Looks like she may keep PeteSpawn after all, and raise it as her "nephew." cf Olive Oyl...and Jack Nicholson. Here's the link. Scroll down to the spoiler section...

http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/detail/index.jsp?uuid=021a0c73-ac99-468d-9ee3-5c5921fb0157

But what I want to know is why it's okay for Peggy's sister to assume the motherly duties, but it's not okay for Peggy to do so. While there were plenty of single mothers in those days, I don't think women voluntarily did it like they do today. Is Peggy's sister married? Divorced? Widowed? Does she have a husband in the service?

Certainly leaves lots of room to screw with Pete. I can hardly wait!

Ok. Here it goes. Peggy will keep the baby.. somehow, not sure about the sister, not sure about quietly in her apartment... it'll be hidden, but she will keep it. There will be no affection for the child innitially, it could develop, however the child will be a recurring issue. Uncertain about whether she will tell Peter, probably not at first, but she will. Peggy will continue as a copywriter but Peter will treat her badly... and the rest of the men will treat her as a mascot, underling, joke. She will continue to be a success, but more calculating and certainly angry.

Peter will probably not believe her and will further reject her. It will be a source of fear with his wife, father, status. He will continue on his self destructive child-like behavior. He will have trouble conceiving with the wife... but they will conceive... come on people... drama.

As for Sal... he will continue to want to fit in, not sure about the operator, but he'll definately keep his front, as awakward as it is.

Betty and Don will remain married. Don is has come to face some grave truths, he won't change per se but his actions will, he will probably play a better father and husband until his wife's psychiatrist prescribes pills... and until he's tempted again... he won't be able to controll his impulses and Rachel will always be just in the horizon, tormenting him further.

Betty will continue to chain smoke and become more and more dejected... Her push and pull with perfection is going to be elevated... she knows there's something wrong with her life and how women like her are supposed to live but she continues playing the role. She will probably be perscribed pills, we will see her in all of the zombie-like glory of vallium in 1960s suburbia-- eventually, she'll wash the pills down with booze, but probably not right away. people will distance themselves from her and be fearfull. she will be come ever self-loathing.

The neighbor's kid is going to grow up fast. his mother obviously knows he has a problem... but how it will unveil is to be determined. there will be a scandall and perhaps tragedy as a result.

Richard will come back off and on. Trying to get back with Red, trying to be part of the action, but he will remain periferal to the company... and to Red.

The only way the show will survive is to keep politics, social issues, and the development of the american ad industry (etc)-- and how they affect the characters a constant in the plot and personality developments of the characters. there will definately be more indiscressions, martinis, and romps, but if the show keeps that up it will become very boring very fast. The show also obviously has to maintaing the meticulous decor, costuming, food styling details it has so-far. that is what makes the show brilliant.. but if we get lost in a cloud of cocktails, romps, and cigarettes, we'll just not watch anymore.

P.S. People, remember, Peggy isn't breaking any glass ceilings, she is being given the opportunities because she is the only way these men can keep the accounts they are going after. Though she will be strong, she is not a maverick (at least not yet), she is simply the best person for the job... and they have no choice, there is no respect for her, except for some of the quieter players.

And yes, I do believe she didn't know she was preagnant. People, even in the 1960s were sometimes completely unaware of simptoms. She probably thought she was sick, and then just getting fat.

How could Peggy rationalize the absence of her "monthlies" for 9 months?? Just wondering. That would be pretty hard to ignore.

Thank you scfan and venetania! If you think women today have equal treatment in the work place and are breaking glass ceilings, think again. We have made progress but at an extremely slow rate. As for Peggy not knowing she was pregnant, that my friends is called DENIAL. The missing of monthlies for 9 months as well as a healthy baby kicking and having hiccups cannot be denied. A baby moves inside you, and you can see their hands and foot prints in your skin as they do it. Indigestion can't do that. When the baby was born denial couldn't rear its ugly head anymore. Peggy is supposedly the smart one of the bunch? Sorry, I feel Peggy had a case of - Reality Bites!

Right On! I recall in my 8th month of pregnancy with my son (now 26!) he gave me a kick that took my breath away! Like you said above, luvmadmen, it can't be denied! Oh well, maybe Peggy will go into therapy next season with Betty's psych!

Did everyone forget about Pete being crazy and buying a gun with the store credit for the chip and dip? Did anyone else notice the way he aimed it at Peggy immediately after buying it? (I don't remember the episode, but rewatch the one where he bought the gun... you'll see.) I called that she was preggers... we'll see if I'm correct in Pete's plot to "silence" the mother of his bastard child... he is very emotionally unstable, a real sissy that couldn't handle his problems anyway.

Just a thought to consider...

I predict or at lease hope that Sal and Elliot will reunite. I think it would be an easy and predictable storyline to match he and Lois together. I hope that the writers will explore the life of a gay man back in the 60's. What did that look like? The hiding , the shame and ultimately the pride of living ones life fully, even when they are going against the mainstream. Perhaps Sal and Elliot will show us that even in a time like the 60's, where Gay men hid in shame, they can overcome the homophobia by living fully actualized lives. I am a fan of Matthew Weiner's courage to look at and explore characters that aren't mainstream.Like he did in the Sopranos. He educates us, makes us uncomfortable, and ultimately grows our minds to look at what life is really like behind closed doors.

Mark, you read my mind. I really loved Elliot's character and would love to see a storyline pick up between him and Sal--but perhaps with Lois thrown in the mix too, even if it is kind of obvious. I could see Sal trying to develop a relationship with her if he thought it could be his chance to be straight, or at least look like he is. Very Rock Hudson/Phyllis Gates, if you know what I mean.

Interestingly enough, I pulled up Rock's profile on Wikipedia and it mentions that after her death, some of Phyllis Gates' friends outed her as a lesbian who knew Rock was gay and only married him for his money. Hmmm...now that would be an interesting twist on Lois's story but pretty unlikely given her obvious affection. Or perhaps Sal and Joan's roommate (Carol?) will hook up to cover one another. Could there be blackmail in Sal's future? Of course, I'm getting a bit soap-opera'ish now...but it's still fun to speculate.

Well said egk719. It could be interesting to see Elliot struggle between the two relationships. It is so common, even these days, for gay men to try and pass as straight men by having a girlfirend. That is often part of a man's "coming out". Coming to terms with their sexuality. Interesting , too, what you discovered about Rock Hudson and Phyllis Gates.

Well said egk719. It could be interesting to see Elliot struggle between the two relationships. It is so common, even these days, for gay men to try and pass as straight men by having a girlfriend. That is often part of a man's "coming out". Coming to terms with their sexuality. Interesting , too, what you discovered about Rock Hudson and Phyllis Gates.

Does anyone recall the episode in "Dallas" (Yes, I'm dating myself...I'm a child of the '50's/60's) where Bobby had dreamed either an entire season or some episodes (I forget) Maybe Peggy's pregancy/baby's birth will turn out to be a dream and she really was just fat from "eating from the cart too much"?? That would be way to predictible for Matthew Weiner, though, I believe.

Oh and ,ChelisaKnieval, I agree it would be wild if Pete went ballistic with that gun. Remember him sitting there looking forlorn as Trudy's voice berated him for buying it? Funny!

Hello, I'm new to the forum. First post.

My prediction is that Season Two will begin to explore Civil Rights issues by introducing some substantial black characters--quite possibly a young man who comes from the "wrong side of the tracks," but makes great pains to hide the fact. He probably went to Howard or NC A&T where the lunch counter sit-in took place.

Any takers on this thought.

My predictions:

- I agree with Ad-up...Racial issues will be introduced in the workplace...my guess is that either a black executive will join and face belittlement from Pete and Paul--and support from Don and Bert....OR a black secretary will be hired, and Joan will not be able to handle it.

- Joan will never score with Don--unlike Roger, Don has genuine personality attachment to his mistresses, and Joan is too shallow and insubstantial a person to provoke his interest.

- Pete will have some sort of mental breakdown...He and Trudy will have a kid who's about a year old and he just can't hack it as a husband, father, or account rep....his life stagnates into a miserable, generic slice of the rat race. Perhaps now, Pete will finally shut the hell up and get some actual work done.

WAY FURTHER BEYOND: Season THREE will end with Kenedy's assassination.

MY PERSONAL WISH: Trudy leaves Pete, for one of his coworkers, divorces him, cleans him out...then Pete gets fired, in front of everybody, gets mugged on the way home, by a 12-year old...when he gets home, he is disowned by his parents, and has to get a job restocking the vending machines---in the skyscraper where Sterling Cooper is located....and right about then, Peggy and Trudy both start to hit him up for child support payments...eventually, Pete can't afford to pay his mortgage, and moves into the only place he can afford: Adam Whitman's old apartment.

The neighborhood of Harlem will become central to at least one storyline. Why? The neighborhood is in decline, and unrest trawls the streets because of the lunch counter sit-in at Greensboro, NC, and other ongoing problems.

Sterling Cooper, through its new black employee, seeks to make inroads into the black community. Maybe they curiously look into Ebony and Jet magazines. But what does SC know about products aimed at blacks? The new employee (he/she) will help guide SC to this market.

Meanwhile, internal struggles plague the new black employee. The Black Power/Black is Beautiful movement is in its infancy. Maybe his/her straight her and attempts to be "acceptable" to the environment at SC are causing this person is torn between their allegiances to the black race and their duties at SC.

I just love reading all these imaginative predictions! I think Matthew will do well to check out these boards for ideas! I especially love the comment above by Anshul that Pete will be reduced to stocking the SC vending machines. How funny! Maybe in one of the season-ending cliffhangers he will be sitting there in one of his famous grand funks holding his gun trying to figure out if he should blast out his brains! Knowing Pete, he would end up shooting out the ceiling or? and then end up responsible for the repairs!

About the Ladies...

In a twist, Joan might try to take a page from Peggy's book and explore actual business interests, which require creativity rather than cunning and schemes.

Betty will make a go of something, though I am unsure...Maybe she will try to rekindle her modeling career with an agency unfamiliar to Don. She may surprise everyone by inquiring to a lawyer in another town about D-I-V-O-R-C-E. She may also give some serious thought to the fledgling women's movement, secretly devouring a copy of "The Feminine Mystique" and attending occasional gatherings at NYU or some nearby community center.

Rachel Menken returns...with Don's love child and a Greek shipping magnate's son for a husband...making Rachel like the Gates of Thermopylae, a tough fight.

Don is going to have Pete in his crosshairs...or vice versa. Tensions between them in the office will be thick as smoke from the Lucky Strikes. Don will find out about Peggy's baby, but one of two things could happen:

1. Don may have sympathy for her, and do what he can to see that the child lands with a good family;

2. Don might start to treat Peggy harshly (in sympathy for his own painful childhood).

In any case, Pete will be a marked man. The showdown between Don and Pete at their meeting with the boss was a pivotal moment for both men. Pete represents the kind of guy Don's biological dad may have been...a heartless, womanizing lizard born with a proverbial silver spoon in his mouth.

Pete, on the other hand, will prove to be a worthy opponent. With Don's many concerns pulling him in different directions, Pete will begin to zero in on the weak points, thereby bringing Don down a few pegs.

Meanwhile, baby Pete/Peggy is being followed through the foster care system. What will become of this youngin'?

The new black employee has divided loyalties. On the one hand, he has lived much of life in New York (Harlem, that is). However, he has a substantial number of family members living in Mississippi--particularly a sibling who witnessed a violent racial incident.

He has struggled hard to gain a foothold in the corporate world, and everyday tries to maintain a delicate balance between life at SC and life in an all-white suburb where many of his neighbors are either suspicious of him or still think he and his wife are the help. All the Civil Rights unrest will make it ever harder for him to keep that balance.

Or, if our newest addition is a black woman making small but ever significant strides at SC, her home tensions with her husband are problematic. As many black men held some of the same patriarchal views as their white male counterparts, this woman may feel some kind of draw toward the women's movement. Of course, she doesn't want to emasculate her husband.

We have to keep remembering it is 1960, not 2000 when it comes to racial issues. I found it interesting that most people only see the lunch counter sit-ins and freedom rides causing the civil rights movement. However, it was financial hits that made "The Man" stand up and rethink racial segregation. Of all things it was blacks boycotting stores by not purchasing such things as Easter clothes that really started getting corporations listening. Other financial boycotts happened that pushed CEO's and politicians to give desegregation a closer look. It is still too early for a black man to come into a white bread Manhatten neighborhood and expect any job other than an elevator attendant. However, money makes people listen. I think Don will seek out blacks to help him create a new advertising slogan for a new account that will get black buyers back to spending. Remember the episode where he talked to the waiter at the restaurant about cigarettes? As far as Pete, he will keep doing his same sleeze ball things and get away with it, because he can. I can't help but to think that Betty will develop a close relationship to valium and become a prescription drug addict. It will be just what Don needs to continue sleeping around. They already have a nanny, so Betty can pretty much zone out all day with her valium and the kids will be fine. As for the gay relationship for Sal...do we all remember "Brokeback Mountain?" You really think they will show gay men having a relationship without hiding it? Think again folks. That wouldn't be 1960, heck that wouldn't even be 1990!! And as for Peggy....the writers are making us think that she is getting ahead, but I have faith they will stay true to the era. Peggy isn't going anywhere at Sterling Cooper - baby or no baby. That's just the way it was back then. Sorry, but history is not pretty. :o(

I agree with you luvmadmen, Peggy is going nowhere. Don Draper, being an astute boss, knows when to use talent for cheap dollars. Also, what better way to goad his team of male junior executives to achieve, then by handing over some duties, cash, and mini power to a "woman" out of the secretarial pool? In essence, Peggy thinks she's going somewhere and it looks like it, as a threat to the men, but she could just as easily drop back down if she's not under Don Draper's management or he moves up to a higher executive level. This is really more a lateral move with no future. Peggy still has another 20 years to go and not in that company when it's all over.

As for her baby, she would never keep it in that era and had she not had a job, she probably would've been shuttled off to an unwed mother's home had she still been at home. But this is NYC, so a little more sophisticated in their solutions compared to a smaller city.

As for Pete and the gun, I don't know what to make of that. Kennedy's assassination is what, maybe a year and half away? I don't know what to think about him - maybe just that his anger at Peggy for rejecting him, and then competing with him at the office will make him go over the edge. Probably in the worst way, like sexual aggression against Peggy.

I like Betty, alot. There's a real sweetness and stoic suffering about her because she is lonely, doesn't really know who Don is, and doesn't know who she is. I think Betty will start to draw away from Don and be more independent in her thinking. Don't you see Betty being brave and taking a stab at the work world, in some way, either modeling or some other way just to stave off her loneliness and shore up her confidence? The kids will be in school all day, Don's job will be more involving so what's Betty going to do? Start to read Betty Friedan? Take a cue from Jackie Kennedy?

Peggy gives the baby up for adoption because it will stand in her way of whatever type of career development she hopes to attain. You know the old phrase--"watch out for the quiet ones"-- I think that applies in the case of Peggy. Being Don Draper's secretary, she knows his comings and goings during the work day, both business and personal. (She did overhear him on the phone with Midge). She has the makings of a blackmail arsenal going on with enough information to hang over both Don and Pete's heads to get her just far enough ahead.

As for Betty-- I think that during her psychoanalysis it will come out that she has either been molested or raped as a child, OR that she has an attraction to women and will hook up with one of the other housewives, namely Helen. She will still be married to Don and will keep up the "happy housewife" charade.

Both Betty and Pete have been seen with rifles--I suspect one of them will make an attempt on Don's life.

Joan will unsuccessfully attempt to undermine Peggy.

Call me crazy but I think Betty might end up having an affair. Not sure with who but I just think she is unhappy in her marriage and the lack of attention Don gives her that she will seek comfort elsewhere.

I hope Joan finds a decent guy. Her taste in men is lacking.

I think Pete will just be up to his old tricks trying to get at Don's job but he may make things a little tougher for Don this season.

Well being seen with a gun (like even a BB gun) wasn't freaking anybody out in those days. Not until the assassination did guns, kids toys, the like become an issue. I don't really get the gun stuff about either Betty or Pete's characters except that they both seem like they could go crazy one day. Actually, it'd be quite an episode if they both went after Don at the same time!

Pete keeps butting his head against his glass ceiling with Don, and doesn't seem to let up or even think he should. He has no subtlety (or brains to back off), but wasn't it seen as being a go-getter to be SO aggressive.

Okay, what's the big deal with Betty's numb/paralyzed hands? Anybody got a clue what she might have or is it psychological? Is Betty going to end up an invalid for most of the season and Don actually becomes a nurturer? So far, he's pretty closed up other than for sex. If I was Betty, I'd be going nuts with loneliness.

Does anybody think that Pete is an earlier, young version of Don Draper? Before he became the Don Draper of Madison Avenue? Pete's so cloddish and inept both socially and businesswise, even for that era. Pete's aggressiveness really does go beyond climbing to the top - it's very hostile I think, compared to the rest of his peers in the office. And marriage doesn't seem to have softened him any.

Well, I just have to say that Mad Men is pretty cool. I mean we could basically call it a night soap opera and thats just fine with me. I like that it's based in the 1960's when life was completely different from the way life is now. It gives you a whole new perspective on how life was then, but at the same time shows you that when it really comes down to it, everyone is still pretty much doing the same thing.

I find it interesting that in that time period that people could smoke ANYWHERE THEY WANTED! Which they portray in the show. I don't know, I find it interesting. Even though I don't smoke.

Okay Okay.. to the show

I think that Peggy will keep the baby. I don't know how yet, but I think she may do that because it's not so much of a huge drama is she didn't keep the baby and then later told Pete. Ya know. Nooo I don't think so. I think it makes for more interesting drama if she kept the baby and then one day came out and told Pete or Pete somehow found out on his own.

Clearly she was suprised by having that little guy and I'm sure she was thinking the whole time.. what am I going to do?!? Who knows, but I think she will keep it.

As for Don and Betty.. I'm sure they will stay together. As for him leaving her, if he left her.. she really wouldn't have a reason to stay on the show and thats pointless. That leaves no drama. So I think he will stay with her because thats what they do even though we all know for WHATEVER reason he is dying to run away and start over again. Ha. I mean you can't really do that. I don't like this life let me run away everytime and start over. What a fantasy and non-reality world he lives in. He's just a character though. But yea, I think they will stay together and yes I believe he will have a child out of wedlock, but then if that happens.. it's the same thing that happened with Pete, so then again maybe that won't happen.

As for Pete. He's a snot. I know he wants to become big in the company, but he just goes about it the wrong way and I think he's like that because of the way his father treated him as a child. Now he's in a marriage he doesn't even want to be in because it was the RIGHT thing to do and now he has a baby with Peggy that he doesn't even know about. I actually think if given the option, I think in due time he would leave his wife and be with Peggy and that child. ONLY because I think he's really into Peggy and she seems to understand him like no one else. It's weird.

EAS, remember Pete talking on the phone to his fiance before his wedding, and saying "I'm giving up my life for you, aren't I?" when she was asking him if he loved her? If ever that was a statement of non-love, well I don't know what.

Pete is SUCH a climber, that I think that's all his marriage was about - climbing. Doesn't Pete come from a "society" family? So, of course he'd have to marry a girl from that social level. I actually think Pete loves his girl from the Bronx, Peggy, but in Pete's world she wouldn't be "good enough" at anytime, anywhere, anyhow. Even if he got her pregnant. If Pete had known Peggy was pregnant, he'd have found a "doctor" or paid Peggy off even knowing that he loved her.

I think Pete's doomed to be unhappy and thwarted for a lifetime chasing after appearances and things, but never to fulfill his heart.

You are so right, JAMM4, I remember feeling sorry for Pete in the first epi when he came on to the girl at the bach party...he just came on too strong and she walked away leaving him wondering what he said wrong...but, in the ensuing epis I wondered (and still do) why I ever felt sorry for him at all. What a jerk. I think Vincent deserved his award as well as Jon his...both excellent actors you "love to hate" !!!

@SCFAN, when you watch interviews with Vincent Kartheiser he's very sweet, charming, and personable. And then they shave him, slick back the hair, and he's just a snake as Pete! He's got the smarmy, snake-oil charlatan down . If he wasn't such a great foil for Don Draper, I don't think it would be nearly as interesting. Don's always got to be swatting Pete's arrows aside.

Society did not embrace the single mother back in the '60s, Peggy will give up her baby.

Right on, granny franny. I totally agree with you!Let's hope the MM writers stay true to the history of the 60's and not give us something we can find tuning into an episode of General Hospital.

Wow...is everybody braced for the marathon tomorrow at noon? Won't be able to watch it straight through but might catch a few of the epis. I may even Tivo it all...but, we are lucky enough to have all of Season 1 on our On Demand as well. Wonder if they will put Season 2 epis on On Demand after they air? Maybe just show the epis more than once each week after each Sun. night premiere? I usually need a second or even third viewing each time to absorb it all! WOW ONLY ONE MORE WEEK...CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Oh, you are so right. I got the DVD's of season one in the cool lighter packaging. Was that a cool design or what? I have been watching the On Demand of all the episodes in season 1. It is the best!! You are so right, scfan - it does take you at least a second watch to grab all the nostalgia and methaphors. The third viewing puts you in that -"what is Matt Weiner trying to say here?" mode.

Peggy gives up the baby or pawns it off on a relative. No one at the office knows she gave birth. (We are just assuming that Pete's the father.) She slims down and takes tips from Joan on her style of dress - hoping to win over Pete, who alternately woos and disses her. He represents the privileged class compared to her working class roots - she might be willing to be his mistress, which to her is better than being a truck driver's wife. Pete is ambivalent but subconsciously feels more attached to Peggy than to his own wife; though Peggy's blue collar roots are a deal breaker. Remember how he sucker punched Cosgrove for insulting Peggy's weight?

Pete becomes Don's unlikely ally, something Bert Cooper foreshadowed after Pete tried to sabotage Don with the "Dick Whitman" revelation. On the QT, Pete continues to dig deeper into that issue o for future reference.

Roger, now sexually impotent and reduced to "watching", as he tried to do with the twins before the heart attack, strikes out with Joan.

More predictions later.

Hi bocaratonfan. Well, I think Peggy will stay focused on the 'ole career path. After the stomping Pete gave her heart, whew, it will take either a new character in the office pool or outside for Peggy to test the waters again. Peggy is done with Pete. She recovered fairly well from such devastating consequences (pregnancy) for being so naive and trusting. Trust the young to have a flexible heart, even a pragmatic heart like Peggy's. Peggy's work story is really the female Horatio Alger story, running parallel to Don's, though probably not climbing as high until she's in her late 40's.

Roger, though, probably still libidinous, will withdraw from Joan. He'll be like the empty horse, all words, no action. When a man had a heart attack in those days, there was no "cure". The clock has started ticking on your mortality, and it's overwhelming - it really depended on the severity of the heart attack and it wasn't easy for doctors to estimate the damage. Sure, you might cut back or quit smoking, drinking, but there was nothing really available to "fix" it like bypass surgery, cholesterol drugs or a heart transplant. Alof of heart attack victims got depressed or fatalistic. Two choices, usually: straighten up and live carefully OR death be damned - on with the drinking, boozing, womanizing (if they could). I'd say Roger would opt for the latter route with new women.

Joan will move on to new pastures, maybe outside the office this time.

Betty might get more involved with PTA, become a Brownies/Cub Scout den mother, join a country club for golf or start working in some Women's League stuff via Helen Bishop. Generally expand her boundaries and make some friends that aren't neighbors, thereby being exposed to other women's lives.

I think Pete will be fighting on the home front and in the office out of pure frustration. Frankly, no matter what shenanigans Pete's up to, he simply isn't very good at alot of stuff. He's a social and business clod, and not exactly "smooth". Unless he's "grown up" in the last two years.

And one of my favorites, Rachael, has fired Sterling Cooper, and thereby becomes an object of lost love/longing by Don Draper. Because I think Don loved Rachael in a feeling way that he has never felt about Betty. Betty was chosen to fit into Don's life model mode and now she's damaged goods (physically and emotionally), so she's wrecking the picture. Rachael, though, didn't fit any of Don's notions.

Cooper is very hung up on Ayn Rand.

The Fountainhead correlations ?

Howard Roark = Don
Peter Keating = Pete
Gail Wynard = ??Sterling
Dominque = Rachel ??

Question - who is Elsworth Toohey in all this ?

Maybe Peggy ??? :-)

one prediction:

betty has MS. the way it could be played out is her suicide or don could kill her not wanting her to suffer. maybe this is too far fetched. what i like most about this show is the normalicy, (is this a word?), of the characters and the plot lines. a middle-aged man eats, drinks and smokes like a viking on shore leave, he has a heart attack. another man has a past that comes back to haunt him, he buys him off. to me this is the way life would play out. if the plots and story lines become like desparate houswives, i'm out. i hate ridiculous coincidence.

jamm, kdb, suckedin, everyone - we have such great imaginations - love your ideas. Hey, check out the topic I started today about whether the 1960 lifestyle was the "good old days" - give me your comments on whether it's better then or today!

@kdb100273: Don, Rachael match-ups for Fountainhead, I agree. I think Pete is Gail Wynard (jealous of Don's position/who he is). Am I getting Wynard right (the publisher who wants to destroy him)? It's been a couple years since I read the book.

@suckedin: I don't think the writers would go too far off the rails from "realism". Think their bullseye is on "Best of Everything", "The Apartment", "Love With The Proper Stranger", etc. Also think they're trying make parallels between the stresses/complexities of '60s living with 21st century life.

Jamm54 -- Wynard was the man who wanted to be like Roark. Backed him up and all. Admired him. And conversely married Dominique for a while. Even after Roark had "had" her. I think Wynard also had to purposely take a fall and publicly distance himself from Roark - although he did not want to.

Toohey was the guy who wanted to bring him down - because he loved his work and would never have the guts or the dignity to live life as man should.

Vietnam might be a underlying theme. Sterling and Dan talk highly of themselves having fought in a war.
Kennedy has sent advisors over at this point and the US Government actually admits to some Air Attacks.

I think this will be a sticky thicket in the seasons to come.

kdb100273: I remember Wynard initially hiring Roark to design for him, and marrying Dominique. Then Wynard trying to bastardize Roark's design, so Roark ends by blowing up the building.

Was Toohey another archictect (peer) that Roark knew? I'm starting to remember that maybe Toohey took the safe route by going for money/$$/name (unimaginative architectural firm) over Roark's route of creativity, originality, and self-destiny. Is that right?

If it is, I still think that Pete is Wynard because Wynard loved Roark, and wanted his love/admiration in return, and to dominate him. I think Pete feels more like that about Don.

Jamm54 -Toohey was the columnist... the antagonist if you will.
He publicly berated Roark's work to the masses in an effort to destroy him, because he secretly loved and admired his genius, but was aware of his own shortcomings,thus artistically and organically that his goal was to bring Roark down.

If he could not be what a man should be... then he wasn't about to let anyone be what a man should be.

He is the pure definition of medocrity

I guess we can all agree that the Cuban Missil Crisis has to be in Season 2! But how will they tie it into advertising? I think Jackie Kennedy will be the influence on the dress for SC women, but again how will they tie that into advertising? Duck man is bringing American Airlines on board, but what about other airlines were evolving? Don will need to find another muse to help him with his ideas, and with Rachel gone (thank goodness, I hated her) who will fill in?

You hated Rachael, luvmadmen? Why? She seemed like a more polished version of Don who was in touch with her emotions (unlike Don).

From the Price is Right show, I remember trips on TransWorld Airlines, and British Airways (BOAC)? Aren't they both defunct now?

Maybe Don's new secretary? Don, as a partner, will NEVER fool around with a client again, unless he is a fool. Will have to take Roger's lead and start combing the ranks of the employees, I guess, for bedroom antics. But somehow, I think that's distasteful to Don - because they're subordinates, and he wouldn't want to expose himself or his other proclivities to them and try and retain his position as the "boss".

1.) Now that Peggy is now somewhat touted as being "one of the boys", she will not resign herself to becoming an unwed mother. I think she will give up the baby and avoid Pete. She's on the fast track.
2.) I really think that Betty turned the corner when she admitted, out loud, that Don is unfaithful. She may remain estranged from him until he comes clean about his past and stops the womanizing. She swallows her feminism but it's bubbling just under the surface (i.e. "the Shoot"). I think she is going to blow out this season.
3.) Don showed real sentimentality for Betty during that last episode....perhaps realizing that home and family and love aren't just gimmicks to sell things. Old habits are hard to break, so he may try to continue the Rachel affair out of loneliness. For all his philandering, Don is the only real (closet)feminist on the show (a characteristic that he actually shares with Rachel, Peggy and, in part, with Betty). This will help him eventually. His past is something that he's going to really be challenged with.
4.) I have always felt that Pete is psycho. He is really angry at his father...always trying to prove himself....always undermining...really ashamed. He owns a gun. Not good.
5.) Sal will struggle to hide his homosexuality, and will probably be discovered by the wily Pete. Pete engages in dangerous behavior with threats....perhaps Sal knows Tony Soprano?
6.) All the women in the office will begin undergoing a change...perhaps getting sassier with the idiots they work for. The skirts will get shorter and so will the tempers. Maybe a few faces will get slapped this season. Can't wait!

I'm just wondering who the guy is who is nuzzling Joan's neck as she looks over (at a tv?) in one of the teasers for Season 2. It can't be Roger because the guy's hair is dark (unless Roger's heart attack made him start going the Grecian Formula route to try to superficially regain his "youth"!) Maybe it's Paul (one of her old conquests with the "big mouth"? or even Duck? or Pete??!! Can't wait!!

I thought it was Duck at first, but the man looks too young to be Duck. I really think it is Paul!! Paul has a beautiful complexion for a man. needs to be married in order to leap frog over Pete on his way up the corporate ladder. Grecian Formula...that's funny! My Dad was gray by the age of 25. We were always getting him Grecian Formula for his birthday and he would never use it. He didn't mind the gray hair at all.

I agree that Betty has MS. At this time it was a really difficult disease to diagnose and usually women ( maybe men too) were sent to a shrink, under the premise that it was " all in her head".
I think that Don will resume chasing after his true self, by resuming affairs with more actualized, defined women who are an antidote to the passive Betty. Already he is reading poetry and sending it to someone who will connect to it ("Thought of you"). Even the physical exam and the impotence ( to use the 60s terminology) is indicative of a man going through an existential change.
My Bohemiain self would hope that Don would courageously leave Betty, move to the Village, teach English in the Bronx and live with a dancer.
Unfortunately I think he will be on the brink of just that when Betty is diagnosed with MS and his guilt will keep him right where he is.
Peggy gave up the baby, she didn't even look at it. I think that she will keep trying to bump her head against the glass ceiling, but she won't get very far, she is naive and smug at the same time. She will probably get PG (also a 60s term) again.

i wonder now about the MS prediction. on the local pbs station, the charlie rose show had matt weiner, john hamm and john slattery on last night. matt weiner alluded to the hand issue as a psychosomatic symptom that was alleviated by her owning up to knowledge of don's infidelity with her psychiatrist. good interviews.

MISS V 1st: I like your predictions about Betty (MS) and Don guilted by obligation to not leave.

Don is obviously thinking about life more deeply - hadn't made the connection with the poetry, etc. At some point, his whole "forward" philosophy had to be slowed down by commitments, so he is forced by circumstances to stop, look, listen, and analyze.

I think Don has a poetic dimension as a "creative" that exists regardless of events in his life.

Our predictions:
Pete and his wife will adopt Peggy's baby.
Roger Sterling will have another heart attack "in flagrante" and cause a scandal this time, before his daughter's wedding.

Betty WILL have an affair with Arthur, despite her "Nordic" genes. She'll have the affair out of anger toward Don, and also because Arthur has been the first one to recognise her deep sadness. Remember when she told Glen how sad she was?

Betty will become a denizen of "The Valley of the Dolls". It will start with Miltowns and mix with "mother's little helper" Valiums, alcohol and uppers. Her face will become puffy and red.
Betty will almost die from an accidental overdose.

Bobbie will cause some sort of scandal for Don. Betty will find out about Bobbie and Don. Jimmie will be the one to tell Betty, since Jimmie wants to "get with" Betty.

Love the idea of Pete ratting out or manipulating Sal. It would be SO in character. He could pretend to be sympathetic until Sal trusts him and then he manipulates Sal in some way.