I kind of wondered if he was just saying that he is relieved. Don really never talks about his feelings but he is trying to get back home and did try when he dropped his daughter off. He likes that security of a home and family and in his own way I believe he loves Betty. I think we have seen with his associates that he never reveals anything about his private life or feelings.

It has to be a relief, for a man who tells alot of lies, to not have to lie to his wife every day. I think Don views getting back with Betty as just one (but not the only) option for 'moving forward'. If he gets back together with Betty (and I think they will get back together), they will move forward with different expectations of each other.

I think he is relieved, for the moment. Up until Betty became suspicious of his fidelity, his marriage was probably fine. But, it would be hard to maintain your identity/keep your guard up with someone who is questioning you in close quarters. That would be incredibly stressful and wearing.

He's relieved because he doesn't have the stress of hiding the truth that he had an affair from Betty any more. He won't admit it to her but she does know.

He also said "I don't feel bad at all." Very telling.

I wondered if we were seeing Don grow a little in maturity. Probably not, right? He was compassinate toward Freddie. In the past, I think, he seemed to ignore the antics of the junior guys instead of jumping in a saying what he thought. Of course, he was angry because he had been blindsided, so maybe that was it instead of compassion. He is so mysterious in his thoughts, as Roger said. That is part of his charm. We can make him think what we want and be whom we want him to be. Betty did for years. Why can't she get that desk drawer open, btw? How long has it been since Don left? We have seen no evidence that he has someone on the side and he didn't seem interested in Jane. Of course, we don't always see what is going on...like with Jane and Roger. I think Don is truly examining his life, rather than rushing into whatever the next step will be. He said he thought the estrangement would be over soon. When it wasn't and he realized he might actually have a way out, it would have been a relief. I don't know if Betty loves Don or if Don loves Betty. They both just went through the motions of marriage, it semed to me. Will it be easier for them to continue to pretend?

I forgot to add that I think Mona truly loves Roger. Remember when she spoke of their wedding and 'being in his arms'. We never hear that kind of talk from Betty.

Yes, I think Mona does love Roger and I think she senses the futility of his divorcing her for a secretary. Why, what's the point? She knows there is no real love between Roger and whomever this person is.

Legs, thanks for asking this -- I was about to pose the same question when I saw yours. People on this show, as in life, say things that run counter to their true feelings. I think he is relieved to not have to face Betty and the truth about his infidelities -- and all the lies beneath that surface problem. However, I don't think he is relieved to be without a home; quite the opposite. Doesn't he even say in the middle of his speech to Roger about moving forward, 'I don't know if it works' or some such to imply that it doesn't quite work? Anyone recall this?

Despite his dreadful behavior, Don's problem isn't that he doesn't feel anything at all or that he is relieved to be cast out from the home he's made for his wife and children. It would be easy if Don didn't feel anything at all -- that would solve his problems. While it would be ridiculous to say something like 'he feels too much,' I think it's fair to say he's got a lot of scar tissue and because of it he keeps people away. That's a path destined for loneliness, but for him right now that seems a safer path than full disclosure.

I kind of understand his partial sense of relief, having been through a divorce once. I think anyone who goes through this process feels some measure of 'relief' that the fighting is over, even if the outcome is a different type of unhappiness.

I tend to think Don misses his children (loved it when he called Sally "Salamander"), but he doesn't miss Betty. Betty scares him. She is moody and unpredictable and this season she has shown that she won't take any of his crap. Remember the scene a few weeks ago where they shoved each other? I'm sure Don feels inconvenienced by the split (the hotel bills are probably adding up), but apart from from that, I think he is rather ambivalent toward his marriage. We have not seen any tearful apologies or any showering of gifts (how about a frost free fridge, if they were available in '62?). He seemed more broken up about Freddy Rumsen.

That said, I fully expect the two of them to get back together. They are the mid century modern version of Tony and Carmella Soprano.

I think Don was hiding the fact to Roger that he does miss his children and he does miss Betty and the home or should I say the dream he created for himself. I mean why was he all sad and droopy eyed when he came home to drop the kids off and he was basically begging Betty to take him back, making her feel bad at what excuses to make for the kids and that it would be just better if he came back home. I am sort glad Betty is holding her ground. I mean if the tables were switched would Don have allowed Betty to come home...UGH HELL NO! So basically while people can tear Betty apart and call her naive, stupid, sab or what have you, to me she is acting like any other wife who learns about her husband's infedelities. I do agree with Helen that Don is now scared of Betty. He knows that she knows about the affair with Bobbie, and he probably thinks that she must know about more. Remember when Don gets scared he likes to runaway. We have not seen any apologies from both of them, and while it should be Don apologizing, I know alot of people like to harp on Betty and call her the misery in Don's life. All I have to say is get the "F" over it. The only misery in Don's life is his lying. If opened up and tried to be honest once in a while, he would be set free from his demons. But like Betty told him in a night to remember "You cant help yourself." That is true. Don is who is, and he will probably never change, yet I can see both of them trying to work things out for the sake of the children. Plus you have to think of it this way. Say by chance if Don did divorce Betty, and marries Rachel or whomever, who is not to say that he will cheat on them as well or treat them just as worse as Betty. Just because Rachel gets him...give me a "f-ing" break. He will be back in somebody else's bed before he could say I Do. Its in his nature to cheat. Don cant stay faithful, no matter who he is with. That said, I still think he harbors love for Betty. Its there somewhere. Something made him realize god I am so lucky when he saw her coming down the stairs on Valentines Day, and there was a whole lot of something when he saw the pictures of them in THE WHEEL episode. The feelings are there, it just that Don doesnt like to feel. He would rather be numb in a situation than actually feel anything.

Are you in love?, Roger asked Don. Don said, no, that if he were he would know what to do. Roger was asking if Don was in love with the other woman, but it could be said of his feelings for Betty, too. Frankly, I don't think Don knows what love is. Maybe his feeling for Rachel could have become love, I don't know about that.

Don doesnt know love. He though he knew love with Betty but I guess not, or unless he is hiding it from her. You could say he had some love for Rachel, but he didnt make the situation any better when he didnt give her a reason as to why he wanted to runaway. Plus she got sick to her stomach when he told her that he would provide for his children. She has a conscious, and knew what they were going to do was wrong, so she dumped him. I think almost every woman Don's try to love dumps him and good he deserves it. I know I hate on Don so much, but I truly like his character I just wish he would get his f-ing act together already. Does he want Betty or not? I mean next episode he looks like he does love and want her, but his lying and sociopathic ways are getting in the way at what he truly wants. I mean be honest if he did marry Rachel would he cheat on her? Think about it. Ugh...yeah he would!

As long as Betty was unaware of anything and not grilling Don's identity, Don Draper, all the time, his life was fine.

Now, to be in an assumed identity, and under suspicion and being questioned all the time? It's got to be hell to be in Don's position. It's like being at the police station getting the "third degree" interrogation.

This isn't an argument over whether he's right or wrong, just that being in a fake identity all this time, and now being questioned (for other reasons - not the identity) constantly by Betty, and absolutely not being able to answer anything, whether it's the infidelity or something else, because it might devolve down to issues about his identity - god, that's GOT to be stressful as hell.

That's why he says he's relieved and doesn't feel anything. The pressure is off, and he's worn out being guarded. His mind is probably as far away from "feeling" anything like "guilt" over his infidelities as you could possibly get. It was more about keeping the identity a secret, not about what he'd done to Betty, unfortunately.