She has to quit acting like a brussel sprout, acknowledge she had a baby, and agree to put it up for adoption. Done.

The shock of giving birth sent her into a deep state of denial that included not acknowledging her situation or taking any action. It became easier under the influence of the drugs to not acknowledge her situation.

When Don visited her, I believe he was telling her, "Come back. Make a decision. You are in control of your life. You must go forward. You can begin again. Believe me, I know."

I think my interpretation is valid whether he knows about the baby or has an opinion on what she should do about it. He leaned forward and stared directly into her eyes and told her the first thing she had to do was get out of the hospital, Talk to whomever it takes, acknowledge the truth and step forward on it.

Did she put the baby up for adoption? Did the baby die? Did Don mail her a book? Did she tell her family who the baby's father is? We don't know...and it doesn't matter if Don knows either. That's why I feel he was giving her a pep talk rather that providing her specific intructions on what to do.

Hi ballrow! I think in that scene Don was telling her to "play along" with whatever the doctors want so they will think she is better and discharge her.
But, I wonder if she was mentally capable of doing that.

Peggy needed to acknowledge the pregnancy and the birth.
Then she would get out of the hosp.
I also believe that Don sent Peggy that book of poems.

What a dilemma for Peggy, though, to have to acknowledge reality, in order to get on with denying it. What an existential problem, which is why, I think Don and Peggy are two peas in a pod. I get the feeling that it takes the two of them to solve that dilemma. When she tells Bobbie that Don has helped her out, it means more than we know yet.

Exactly!

Yes, that is so true, ballrow. Peggy and Don's secret connection is what keeps us going!

Peggy's mother and sister made note of Peggy's poor judgement in having an affair with a married man....no mention of who this man is.

Oh what do those two old bats know? It's not like Peggy confides in them. They've speculated this whole thing through. God only knows how misled we've been so far based on what they've surmised. Let's just be patient, and enjoy!

Don was able to get through to Peggy because she respected him. I don't think some unknown doctor who kept her drugged up could do the same. Family members are out of the question as well.

I think when Don says that Peggy will be "shocked" to see how easy it will be to forget what happened, it really changes her head. Right there she knows he's hiding something too.

And, why do the mother and sister say the baby was a married man's, if they don't actually know? Remember, she appears to be completely out of it from the day she gave birth on, in denial about even being pregnant. Her family wouldn't have even heard about her pregnancy until it was over, and after she was committed. Who would tell them it was with a married man?

Don obtained the information on Peggy's whereabouts and had discussed her diagnosis (far enough to confirm or deny TB) by the time he sat by her bedside. Who from? Nurses, receptionists, operators...he must have made a few calls. Privacy laws were not like they are today.

Don was (probably) the only man who reached out to check on Peggy, so when he pressed them for information about her, the mother or sister could have concluded the baby was the reason for his interest.

Peggy always talked to the family about her job and would have certainly told them 'Mr. Draper' was married (she had already met Betty and the children). With no further information from Peggy, they could have easily put together their own story about who fathered her child.

Once upon a time I thought that the only way the sister/mother would be able to 'know' the baby's father was married was if Peggy told them. I now realize Peggy wasn't saying much at a time they needed answers and they could have easily filled the void.

Great post, greytone. Yes, I can see Peggy sharing the information that her boss was married. Since most of the women back then had affairs with their bosses (many still do), Peggy's mother and sister could have just assumed the baby was Don's. I still don't think Don visited Peggy in the hospital and think she was hallucinating his visit. Don just doesn't seem the type to WANT to know anything about anyone else. He has enough problems of his own to deal with!!

...Thanx, Drink&Smoke...(nice icon!)....
We will soon find out if Peggy was hallucinating...so we will agree to disagree on that point, right now....;-) Tell me, if it wasn't Don, who was sitting in that seat...the doctor?...or nothing at all?

However, I don't agree that "most of the women back then had affairs with their bosses..." because I am from back there and know that is not true.

What I will concede though, is that most women were given the opportunity to have affairs with their bosses. In private companies, training on sexual harrassment did not exist, so there was a great deal of pressure to succumb to those in positions of power who abused it. Government and major corporations were ahead of their time in this area. The women I knew did not give in...or give up! (At least, on the job, that is!) The message was spreading that such activity was not wise. (Hooray of the Bobbi's of the day!)

PS:...So you don't buy into the idea that Don mailed the book to Peggy because he knew she was not at work (because he visited her at St. Mary's)?

I think Don had been on a mental ward before or even in a mental institution. He knew that to get out, you have to give the doctors what they want. Be the good, agreeable patient.

Greytone, I have a couple of friends that had affairs with their bosses back in the 60's. Another friend rejected the advances made by her boss. Her rejection to her boss resulted in him making her life a living hell!! She didn't know why at first and then realized the rejection made him angry. Quitting was her only way out.

luvmadmen...
Your friends must have been generally described as 'pretty.' I say that because if you had 'pretty,' it was easy to work that option (Betty). You see all the posters who say Peggy is 'ugly' or 'homely' or needs a makeover? There are a lot more of us (average-looking, smart, bright-eyed) Peggy's in the world, so for that reason I am glad I missed that boat. Of course, we had to learn to avoid the emotional trysts (like Peggy & Pete) in the workplace (they had their own lessons and consequences) and thank our stars that we were not the bosses' 'type.' The one time an executive made a pass at me, I was so involved in my work I missed it! Someone later brought it to my attention.

I feel badly for women who had no option but to quit jobs because of this kind of pressure. I worked most of my life at major corporations with union representation. Not a perfect situation, but certainly better than most working women. My grandmother used to tell me, "If you're not the lead dog, the view's the same...," so, I am reminded that we are all from the same cloth when it comes down to it. It was not pleasant no matter where you were.
Most of women I know now are small business owners directing their own successes.

nancy asked who the father was. The show has lead us to believe that Peter is the father, as he was the only man we saw Peggy having sex with. The problem was, that she had JUST started the BC pill, and the jerk doctor who reluctantly gave her the Pill neglected to tell her that an ENTIRE CYCLE of at least ONE MONTH on the BC pill had to be taken before it was effective. As many doctors do, he didn't tell her that she needed to use a barrier method of BC if she had sex during the first month of the Pill.

Also, someone asked if the baby "died" NO, her sister and mother have the boy. Remember the epi where she went to dinner at her mothers house, and her sister said, "Don't you want to go say good night to him?" And she goes into the room, where her sister's children are sleeping, and HER baby is in a crib, while her nephew says, "Hi, aunt Peggy!: Then she goes to Mass with her family, and refuses to take communion, and they put the baby on her lap and the child cries in her arms, because he doesn't KNOW her?

Pretty integral to the entire plot, all this stuff.

And, I think it is obvious, that IF Don were actually there (and I am not sure that he was, it may have been a hallucination) he was telling her to give the baby up, (ended up with her mother and sister) and get back to work.

It is implied that Peter is the father (remember when Peter goes to the "Fertility Doctor" and is asked "Have you ever fathered a child?" Again, there is irony, as Peter says, confidently, "NO!"

There is also the possibility that Don is the father, but that would be too much daytime soap opera drama, which wasn't necessary. We also saw Don refuse her advances (which is odd, because it seems Don CAN'T say no to anyone who wants to have sex with him. I think we are going to be seeing a past where he was sexually assaulted as a child, either from a stranger, his own father, or his step mother. This type of terrible experience often leads to Sex Addiction. David Duchovny anyone?)

I still think that it's not as simple as Peggy signing the adoption papers, or Don would have told her to sign the papers. He said you know what they want. Perhaps it's their way of playing all the cards close to the chest, but I think that one of the things she has to do is complete the birth certificate. Even these days, you have to put something in for the name of the father. Birth certificates are public records. I think she's being pressured to complete the birth certificate, and there lies the answer to all of our questions.

Hey, that is insightful ballrow. Completion of the birth certificate by placing the father's name would hold up the entire process of adoption. It would answer all our questions about the baby's father. Now that a new one!

A couple of thoughts about Don and Peggy's relationship and the baby.
(1) There is some connection for me with the idea that Don was born "out of wedlock" as was Peggy's child. If Don knows that Peggy had a child out of wedlock, that somehow deepens his bond with her, but I am not sure where that might go. (Just a "Moses" in a basket...)
(2) Now that we viewed the hospital scene with Don counseling Peggy, if you go back to the end of the first episode, "For Those Who Think Young," you can view interaction between Don and Peggy with new eyes. They are with Sal, discussing the Mohawk ad design, and as Peggy works to get the right slogan, she and Don exchange eyes in a way that now makes new sense. She tries: 'Welcome back, Daddy," then, after deliberation, "What did you bring me, Daddy?" (with a seductive glance at Don) suggesting...what? That Don is the father figure for her? (obvious) but what else might it mean?
(3) I think that Peggy was called upon to give the baby up for adoption, and that the baby we keep seeing with Anita is Anita's baby. In the scene at Peggy's mother's home when Anita asks Peggy if she isn't going to forget looking in on the children—then see Peggy open the bedroom door reluctantly—I think we may have made the assumption that the little blonde baby is Peggy's. (Weiner's great plot development!) but, there is never any mention one way or another. I think it could be Anita's baby, and because she is so jealous and resentful of Peggy, she keeps "throwing in her face" her own child, to make Peggy more guilty. Even when Anita hands Peggy the child in the church, we have no reason to believe the baby is Peggy's. I think she he just "digging knives" into Peggy to shame her about her sinful act.
Done. Anybody???

It's very likely that Don was actually there in the hospital room since it is not something she would imagine.
Thinking as Don and how I've treated people who've reported to me and are obviously tortured (affecting their work), the best advice without prying and causing other potential problems is to say firmly, "Get over it and get your act together." There are reasons why neither should or even wants to discuss the details. This approach also expresses confidence that they have the power to get it together (some don't).

I'm with you blue! The idea of Anita making Peggy feel guilty at every opportunity makes sense to me. Great post about "digging knives" into Peggy to shame her - sounds like a jealous sister to me. That's what a jealous sister would do. Inviting the priest over for lunch is another dig at Peggy. Make her sit there in her sin in front of a priest! Maybe a good confession is in store for dessert? Pretty clever Anita. Sibling rivalary at its finest!!

Drink&Smoke - I really think naming the father is what keeps Peggy in her situation in the hospital. If it were as simple as giving up the baby, there is no conflict for her. The naming of the father, I think, on a public document would create a tremendous amount of conflict for her, because she just wants to walk away. Do her sister and mother make the observation about the married man while she's in the hospital, or after she's out? I think it's after she's out.

ballrow and Drink&Smoke...you both are right on the money as far as I am concerned!

I just thought of something very ugly: if Peggy DID have to give the father's name in order to get out of the hospital, and IF she named Pete, what will happen if Pete and Trudy decide to adopt? Will there be a cross-reference on State records that Pete already fathered a child?? Will the State of New York finally be the ones to say "It's a Boy!" to foolish Petey?? Will Trudy dump him...leaving Pete to raise the love child on his own?? (Soft organ music drones in the background).

I think if Peggy named Pete as the father, then Anita and the mother will certainly know that the father is a married man. That secret might leak out with Anita, because she clearly holds a grudge. If Peggy named Don, then Don would certainly know about it too, which opens a whole new can of worms, and I don't think Don would encourage Peggy to "give them what they want", if what "they" want involved naming Don. I don't think in the pre-computerized record days, that there would be any way for Pete to stumble across the information by accident. I just definitely think there's more to it than just signing adoption papers, because Peggy wouldn't be so conflicted about that.

Maybe someone can answer this. I've got a few questions about Peggy, some things that don't quite make sense. I'm hoping some of you can clear some things up for me.

Season 1 ended with Peggy giving birth to her baby the day before Thanksgiving 1960. Season 2 opens on Valentines Day. I assumed it was 1961 and 3 months after season 1 ended. Remember when they were all sitting in the conference room waiting for Don, but he was at a bar after being at the doctor? One of the guys asks (actually tells) Peggy to go find out where Don is. When she leaves one of the guys says something about her having the perfect job. Something about you can get knocked up and come back 3 months later and still have a job. So I'm still thinking it's Feb 1961 and she's only been gone a few months. Okay, here's where I get lost. Episode 4 opens on the scene in church on Passion Sunday. There's a shot of the program and the date is April 8,1962. Later there's another scene of a program (I think it's Easter) and the date is also 1962. So if it is indeed Feb 1962 when season 2 starts, why the 15 month gap? What's the purpose of that? And why would the guys in the office be talking about Peggy being gone 3 months if she was really gone 15? If she really was only gone 3 months and came back in Feb 1961, why would they be talking about her being gone for 3 months when it's really 12 months later, like it was still something that just happened? They were talking about it like it was recent, like she just came back. I'm confused. Anyone got any ideas?

Oh, also did you recognize the new young priest that she's getting friendly with? It's Tom Hanks son Colin.

Oregon girl - you're a little late to the timeline party - Season 2 opens on Valentine's day 1962, and Peggy's absence is a matter of weeks - not months. She had the baby in 1960, right around the Nixon/Kennedy election, and before Kennedy took office in Jan. 1961. We don't know what the explanation given to the office boys was, but no one in the office really knows - fat farm, etc. are thrown out as conjecture. We know that Don has covered for her, by the way the other guys joke about Don not yelling at Peggy, etc. The Peggy/Don relationship is central to the show, and we know Don has helped her in many ways, some we know about and some we don't.

ballrow-I'm not sure what you mean by I'm a liitle late to the timeline party. Sounds kinda like a put-down to me. What did I miss that tells you her absence was only a few weeks?
I'll go back and watch the episode again if I know which one it is. Anyway, I still don't have my question answered. Why are the guys talking about Peggy's absence like it was recent, when it was really 15 months ago? Is there a reason that season 2 starts 15 months after season 1 ended? It seems like season 1 ended with such a cliffhanger, i.e. , what's Peggy going to do about the baby, that season 2 should pick up soon after and explain everything. But maybe we're left in the dark on purpose and the story will unfold gradually. Sort of like how we found out about Don's past gradually- beginning with the encounter with the man on the train that knew him in the army and called him Nick? Dick? (can't remember) Whitman, then slowly showing us his flashbacks to Korea and bringing back the coffin that supposedly held him but really held Don Draper.

Wasn't Peggy's sister Anita shown as being pregnant at one point? Was it before or after the appearance of Peggy's supposed baby?

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