It's apparent from the preview that Pete and Duck will be aligned against Don. I think Bert Cooper will be in from time to time but not as much as in Season One.

I agree with your observations about the preview. I think Duck will get tired of Don getting in his way over hiring younger people. He'll start gushing over Pete's work in an effort to win him over. But Bert's words still echo from Season 1. They seemed pretty significant to me. I also think in the next episode tension will rise between Don, Duck, and Roger because Don won't approve of the conflict of interest when Duck and Roger want to make a bid for another airline. I don't think Bert would approve either, which is why I'm wondering if something happened to him. Heck, he may have died and might only return in flashbacks, which would be pretty interesting.

It was wise to introduce the power that will be afforded to Youth in the 60's. That was clever programming.
As for Pete- I think Bert was thinking Pete might think, if you can beat em, join em.
As for Don- he pissed on Pete's leg, asserting dominance, by assigning Peggy to that account.

I think Bert moved to China and is studying Tai Chi. Whose taking care of his banzai trees?

Don, in a bid to have greater control over things, especially if Duck tries to bring Pete under his wing, will actually have to suck up to that snake Pete - gain his "loyalty". Ugh!

Maybe the reason Bert made the loyalty remark was because he knew what kind of character Duck Phillips was (didn't Don hire Duck at the same moment he was trying to can Pete?). Can't remember.

If Don does that, whew, he's going to be compromising alot of his own values. We'll see, I guess.

I always liked the Bert scenes. He's so absolutely off the wall. I often thought "how the heck did this renegade small advertising agency make it against the big guns in New York, like McCann Erickson and J Walter Thompson?".

JAMM54, I agree about the Bert scenes. It was always so funny how he would just stop tallking and stare at them after he was done counseling-- or whatever they came into his office for-- never any comment to alert them he was done (maybe once in a while a "That's it" but usually just a blank stare and silence--and they would just stand there like "Is it over?" not knowing whether to leave or what...so funny. I think it was one of the ways he kept everyone off balance around him and on their toes!

We used to have a woman in the office who'd do that to you. It does throw you off balance because they don't respond. Pretty soon the babbling it out of control, and you're ready to confess to anything handy.