I am sure that in the next episode,Don will be asked to return by the new owners. I also think that Doug is in big trouble because they asked him to leave the board room after he lost his temper with Don. There is also the possibility that the merger wont go through because Don DID walk out.This is a VERY interesting turn of events! I cant wait to see what happens now.

I guess I should clarify my statement: Don would have to come back to Sterling Cooper, but not the merged firm, especially with Duck in charge. Don has re-discovered his family and now has the means to spend more time with them, maybe even the means to become a gypsy.

I like your idea of SC or SC/PPD begging him to come back after he leaves. That would be a real 'Steve Jobs' moment for Don and give plenty of back story for the time between seasons.

The briefcase was baggage of the past..just like the suitcase arriving at the doorstep. Well, not just like, but similar. Don is a new man or getting there. And, the contract negotiations should be interesting. Don is SC's image and the English know it.

I thought Don said something like "I'll be willing to talk about this on Monday if you change your minds."

I agree: leaving the briefcase did not signal Don's departure. He intends to spend the weekend with his family, in an attempt to reconnect with the kids and Betty and maybe be the "other" guy again. Duck's drinking sabotaged him again; the English at Putnam will want to renegotiate the chain of command. Since Slattery will take a more prominent role next season, you can bet he'll be part of the hierarchy. And the show IS Don, so no way is he going to leave.

Loved Hamm on SNL, with Moss and Slattery. Especially the bit where he made fun of himself, the how to be Don Draper skit.

Mad Men is the best new show in years. I can watch the same episode three times in a row. I love the atmosphere and clothing, the music and current events.
I sure hope Weiner doesn't take the show too far ahead next season. I like the period it's in now and would hate to lose character development -- and potential new seasons due to the years creeping ahead too quickly.

Incredibly intelligent. I can't get enough of this show.

Don left his briefcase because at that moment he litterally did not have a job. His last comment in the board room was "If we're still here on Monday we can talk". He did not want a contract so he could retain his leverage in any situation regarding his future or the future of SC.

The statement from the head of PPL that Duck never could hold his liquor strongly implies that whatever future the merged company has does not include Duck as president. All parties know that Don is the key to whatever creative future SC has.

Don will be back and will likely get a promotion.

Pete will become head of accounts.

Leaving his briefcase is two fold: 1) He was called home by Betty and he intends to focus 100% of his energies on his relationship at home and 2) The make up of Sterling Cooper at that precise moment is of a company of which he wants no part. He did tell them to call him on Monday ("if we're all still here") and then we'll talk.

I could be wrong but I feel that Don will not be onboard with the new SC. I believe that is why he left his briefcase at work and that is also why CEOs got excited when they realized that Don does not have a non-compete clause in his contract (Infact, Don does not even have a contract) which means he can walk out of SC with half a million dollars and the ability to start his own firm if he chooses. He would then be a competitor with SC and could probably steal away a few of their top clients and some of the better employees as well. I know Peggy would go with him and maybe Joan Holloway as well. He would be stupid to stay onboard, he could topple SC on his own.

It is a separation of work life from business life - a shift in the focus of his character development? Perhaps symbolism for a 'new' Don.

I don't get the animosity between Duck & Don because Don is the person who hired Duck at the end of the 1st season. Don seemed really gung-ho about Duck. Then there is all this animosity between the 2 this season. Don did say he would discuss it on Monday if "we're still here."

Next season, I think Duck will be gone no matter what. I haven't decided if I think the merger will go through. But regardless Don will be back. He is SC, SC is him.

I'm curious about the timeline for season 3. Season 1 was from March-November 1960, season 2 was Valentine's Day-end of October 1962 (time of the Cuban Missile Crisis). I hope they cover JFK's assassination next season.

The animosity between Don and Duck comes from Duck's ineptitude. While Don did Duck a favor bringing him on board, Duck thinks that Accounts should play a bigger role in management than Creative and is unhappy with the fact that Don has so much influence with the clients, management and loyalty from the staff. Duck thought that he should be a partner as well but Roger burst his bubble telling him that he hadn't earned it, so Duck set up the merger as a way of getting he upper hand on Don, which of course didn't work out the way he planned.

Did I mention that Duck was inept?

Don will not be leaving SC because that would break up the characters and they wouldn't be able to interact with him.
I believe the British team will be re-thinking their choice of who will be in charge, because of Ducks outburst. The British generally do not appreciate public displays of emotion the way Duck performed.
They will probaly offer Don the top job.

No, it's a sign he might not be back. The "if we're all here" referred to the Cuban Missile Crisis, not whether the merger would or would not be on-going. In any event, he's not going to do any work over the weekend, just be with his family.

I thought it was interesting that he said, "I sell products, not advertising." Products are real. The way Duck was talking, advertising is nothing more or less than any other business.

M Weiner & Co. left it wide open - open his own business or become a more important player at SC. Either way, he's the master of his own fate.

Nothing says that Don's exit would be permanent, it could be very short until PPL makes him an offer he can't refuse.

BTW, where does is say that Don has to sell his stake? Just because Bert, Alice & Roger have sold all or part of their share of the business doesn't obligate Don. He doesn't have a contract, remember?

thanks for all the posts - quick question, though -
by Don saying that he has no contract, does that mean that he has no exclusivity agreement with SC regarding the clients? so he can still earn the buyout settlement as partner, and still leave with whomever wants to go with him [staff and clients]?

dunno how these kinds of contracts work.

I knew that Duck was going to trip over himself and that it would backfire!

Don actually said "If the WORLD is still here on Monday, we can talk" - my interpretation is that it refers to the Cuban Missile Crisis, not the merger.

I feel so proud; as soon as duck proposed his merger I knew Don's lack of a contract would kill him.

Anyway, as a practical issue, Don will have to be at SC simply because following all the characters through multiple ad agencies is impractical and I don't see them axing half the cast. Of course, that probably means that Duck is a dead duck. Obviously, Don is in the drivers seat here but I doubt he's all that keen to kill his half million dollar profit (probably something like 5 mil in todays money) so there's definitely pull on both sides but Don won't just "fall in line" with Duck regardless.

Re: Leaving the Breifcase: 1) Needs to concentrate on family 2) Job in limbo.

Re: "If we're still here on Monday we can talk". - I imagine that's referencing the Cuban missile crisis vs SC. Don's playing hardball but he is playing. He didn't throw rocks. He is open to discussion but not on Duck's terms.

It does seem though that TV will have to play a more prominent roll at SC and that doesn't seem to be Don's thing (yet).

Re: Peggy's monologue to Peet: Jesus. "You got me pregnant. I had a baby. I gave it away" Frankly I think it should have been "I had YOUR baby" but hey. I think Peet was half way to suicide at the end. It's so much more effective than "Like, I am soooo over you"

So, assuming Duck gets axed as the Pres, where does that leave Peet. Does Duck stay? If Don has power does he give head of accounting to Peet. After all, that "you handled it" speech he gave to Peet was clearly a gladhanding thing to stop Peet from rightfully chewing him out for leaving him hanging in CA. Frankly, that relationship is so baffling. If this was the Sopranos Don would have had Peet whacked but it ain't. So, does Don allow Peet to climb? (WIll Peet ever play the Don is a deserter who could go to jail card again. It's has potent as ever with a new set of masters.

Do marriages recover from that. Admitted infidelity followed by a secret revenge infidelity?

If Weiner remains true to Madison Avenue history, Draper will be right back at the agency when the new season starts.
There's a tradition of friction between account guys and creative guys. In the 60s, the account guys called the shots including creative but creative directors began to assert the power. Now, in agencies, the creatives are the kings and the account people little more than schedulers and do the grunt work the creatives look down upon.

People like Duck were and are a dime a dozen in agencies.
Pete will simply follow in his footsteps.

I think Don not having a contract with SC means that he has no "non compete" issues to deal with. He can go to another ad agency and do for them what he's done for SC and also probably take clients with him with little or no redcource...and that could be bad news for SC and their pre Beatles British Invasion fellows...

I thought that Don might leave at first. His $500,000 is equal to $3,622,000 today. However, if he leaves he won't do it until the last episode of season 3. I can't see the writers abandonning most of the characters at the agency when it has taken them two years to create them.

@!funkychick: Matt Weiner himself said in an interview that the JFK assassination has been done, done, done and he has nothing new to portray or to add to that. Season 3 will pick up (my prediction) for the arrival of the Beatles in America February 1964... the screaming throngs of teenagers at the airport, their appearance on Ed Sullivan.

1funckychick: Weiner has already stated that he plans to begin in 1964 which would be after the JFK assassination. He stated he felt so much had been done on that that he would move ahead to early 1964 after the fact. Someone on another thread brought up the fact that ratings are still low for the show even though it's critically acclaimed, and the fact Weiner has no contracts with AMC for further production. I also recalled in the cast party scene that Christina Hendricks said something to the effect that it would be hard to say goodbye to the other cast members. Perhaps she just mean it would be hard for a few months but it seemed an odd statement if she knew they would be filming again at some next year.

LaurieB and I must have been posting at the same time, because when I posted her comments were not yet visible regarding the fact that Weiner is planning on going directly to 1964.

nokomis wrote:
"BTW, where does is say that Don has to sell his stake? Just because Bert, Alice & Roger have sold all or part of their share of the business doesn't obligate Don. He doesn't have a contract, remember?"

short response: don is bound by the votes of the majority of his partners to sell the partnership's business (the agency), even if he didn't participate. but since he has no contract, he can decline to work for the new owner, and go to work for another agency or start his own.

the type of contract referred to is a written partnership agreement with a non-competition clause, which would prevent don from going to work for a competitor or starting his own ad agency for a certain period of time and/or certain specified location(s), if he were to voluntarily leave sterling cooper, even after a change of ownership.

the partnership (and the percentage of each partner's interest) must have been created by an oral agreement and the performance of the partners (conducting business as partners). don is a very junior partner. the sale of the partnership's business was carried by the majority of partners (not just numerically, but percentage-wise, too.) his vote is irrelevant. therefore, despite don's absence at the meeting, or the fact that he didn't vote, the majority of partners with controlling partnership interests voted to sell - and don is bound by that vote.

he'll get paid for his 12.5% share of the business, but he can also walk away from further employment under the new management with no limitations or penalties, if he so desires.

I think Don should take this opportunity of a break from SC to take Betty and the kids back to California, reconnect with them, come clean to Betty about his past, and introduce them all to Anna.

I AGREE w/some of the previous posts .... the "if we're still here on Monday" referred to the missile crisis, which is why he didn't take his briefcase.

And based on the Season 1-2 gap, I'm guessing Season 3 will pick up about a year later, with very little answered (at least right away) about what took place during our hiatus. Remember, many thought Roger was a goner after Season 1! I'm still trying to figure out why the lock was changed on Don's office door at the beginning of Season 2 - episode 1.

The Sterling Cooper walls will still be standing when they return. But who will own then? Where will Duck be?

Sharon...
You beat me to posting that Don was refering to the precarious state of the world as the reason he wouldn't need his suitcase. Keep in mind, he had just casually absorbed the fact that his estranged wife had called and asked him to come home. I agree with you. He might have also decided to dedicate the time to his family and not bring any work home. He is re-prioritizing.

Except...
I feel the lock was installed (not changed) in his office to prevent anyone else from coming in and getting his mail (like Pete did). JMHO

"At the end he told Joan that he wouldn't be needing his briefcase. That is a sign that he isn't coming back."

No it isn't! Don said to the Brits: "if the world's still here Monday" we can talk. He has no binding contract to keep him at SC, he'll make enough from the merger to be independently wealthy. SC needs him much more than he needs SC and he knows that. He did not burn his bridges when he exited the conference room so he can & will strut right back in again. The old Don thrived on power struggles in and out of the workplace and the new & improved West-Coastified Don-Dick-ego-merger does too. He knows he dropped a bomb when he said he's not under contract. I think Don will enjoy kicking Duck under the bus as payback for Duck sacking the amiable Freddy.

Don simply did not take his briefcase home because he envisions spending 100% of home-time with his family. Heck he just got the joyous news that Betty wants him to come home. and the world could end in the next five minutes. So F--- the briefcase & F--- SC. I think it's a pretty cool statement that Don's returning home as husband-father and is leaving the office at the office. In Flight One, when Pete came to Don for advice on what to do in the wake of his father's death, Don told him to go home and be with his family. Don said to Pete: "There's work and there's life." This weekend with the world in crisis, Don is intent on scratching his way into his life with no work distractions, to be in the moment and enjoy what he has before it's gone.
In disecting the various characters and their actions in Epi 13 we should keep in mind that their decisions were influenced by the very real threat of life on the brink of nuclear annihilation. The world as they knew it was ending in the next heartbeat so a society acted as if it was on it's deathbed-- with confessions, recriminations and last gasps to grasp for a final straw of affirmation as I think Betty did in the backroom of the bar.

@1funkychick: Matt W did a press interview saying he didn't want to go in depth re JFK assassination since it's been done often and done well (pc words for saying it's been done to death) without his contribution. He said Season 3 may touch on it by showing how the lives of the MM characters were altered by that day in Dallas, the end of Camelot.

Matt W also said in the October interview that he is (my words) basking in the glory of completing Season 2 and will take a break to savor it before sitting back down to the painful process of writing Season 3.

It's anyone's guess or bet where exactly on the timeline of the 1960s MMSeason3 will start--will we see Joan and Dr Greg walking down the aisle in Dec 1962 or will we, more likely, jump ahead to post-Kennedy assassination February '64 with the Beatles Invasion and Betty sitting up in bed reading excerpts of the "Feminine Mystique" to Don at night and to Francine at the kitchen table during the day? I don't know, I don't care. I trust Matt & his crew to take us along for another mind-boggling, totally engaging, enlightening ride.

All I know for sure is that MW promised that Freddy Rumson will return. We don't as what: a panhandling Bowrey wino or sobered up reclaiming his former SC office or something in between? Season 3 sounds delicious already and there are only a few ingredients on the prep table.

It has been fun sharing ideas and perspectives here at the AMC site. Wishing all fellow Maddicts a happy, healthy and sane off-season! LOL. I will miss my Sunday nite fix

Hi fellow Maddicts!
I am sorry to hear that Matt W. may not start Season 3 in 1963.

I don't care how many times the JFK assassination has been covered, to ignore that event, and it's impact on Americans in 1963 is unbelievable!!

The Cuban Missle Crisis was covered throughout episode 13, the radio and TV reports were in the backround of almost every scene. The stress of not knowing if there would be a nuclear war impacted every character's storyline on MM.

How can Matt W. and company "skip" an event that changed this Country so much?
Americans still reference our Country's history before the assassination, and after the assassination.

I will continue to hope that Season 3 includes one of the most important times in our history.

One of the things that struck me from last night's episode, was at the beginning of Season 2 Matt Weiner and January Jones were both asked if Betty would have an affair, and both said no. So, here we have Betty banging the married stranger (!) in the storage room at the bar.......jeesh. And yep, I saw Episode 13 four times, the stranger has a wedding ring on his wedding finger. So.....so much for promises! We never know what they're going to be doing.

I was really stunned that Pete gave Don the heads-up on the Duck schemes. I'm sure Don had a hard keeping a straight face watching Duck "accept" the position of President with his "I'm unprepared for this honor" baloney. Classic Duck detonation scene. Loved it when Duck revealed his hand and animosity/revenge motives about Don - talk about unprofessional. Actually, I thought Duck would've had more animosity toward Roger for his unvarnished put-down of his abilities and denial of a partnership stake.

Regardless of the cliffhanger ending, I see Don and Roger moving up. Roger to President and Don Vice-President or the other way around since it is the Brits' decision. Unless (help me out here boca) the Brits can legally rescind their offer with the loss of the creative head and potential accounts due to fraudulent claims of misrepresentation of the company's standing (all accounts, partners, etc).

@Sharon I think the lock was installed in Don's office to prevent unwanted visitors from coming in when Don wasn't there. In Season 1,Pete came in after Don and Peggy were gone and found a package addressed to Don. Pete took it to his house and pieced the story together about Don's stolen identity.
The package had pictures of Dick/Don and it gave Pete the ammunition to try and blackmail Don about his stolen identity.
It's good thing there was a lock put on the door after Bobbie Barrett came to visit Don. Imagine someone walking in on that performance!
There's no question that Don will be at SC. He's really the heart and soul of the place. If Don left, most of the clients would follow him. It's been illustrated that Don's talent and his commitment to the client's accounts are well known in the industry. That's why he took it really hard when he had to "fire" Mohawk Airlines. He was violating the trust Mohawk had in Don.
The interactions and intrigue at SC are my favorite part of
the show.

Just wondering if there are any true 'Mad Men' from that era, or children of the real Mad Men out there...Daddy on Madison Avenue, Mommy home with the kids in Ossining...drinking, smoking..you know all the stuff before PC came about!

@iwishiwerejoan. I think there is a woman poster named Remembering and she stated that Don and Betty's marriage/social class,etc was uncannily like her own.
She's written some pretty heartfelt posts.
There are more than a few retired posters on here who actually worked in Advertising back in the early 60's. That is one of the things I like about this forum is the diversity of ages and backgrounds.

@iwishiwerejoan. I think there is a woman poster named Remembering and she stated that Don and Betty's marriage/social class,etc was uncannily like her own.
She's written some pretty heartfelt posts.
There are more than a few retired posters on here who actually worked in Advertising back in the early 60's. That is one of the things I like about this forum is the diversity of ages and backgrounds.

sorry for the double post!

@madmanfan4ever. Thanks for the info. You are so right about this forum, entertaining and educational..and of course...MADMEN! I love being able to ask my father about the lingo, the actual agencies, and the gin joints they used to socialize in after a long day of working/drinking/cavorting, not necessarily in that order! I will cruise around for Remebering...

@iwishiwerejoan. yes,I think you'll find Remembering posts are
very interesting to read since she lived the life portrayed in MM. I believe there is a thread titled "What brought you here" or something similar to that.
Various posters on this forum submit their bio and how MM has touched a chord in their lives. It's pretty interesting.
I love to hear from people were were Don and Betty's age in that era. Since my parents are no longer alive,I can't grill them about what it was like or if they had these experiences. Now, I am relying on a anonymous forum to get at the facts! LOL

The show is in fact called "Mad Men", not Sterling Cooper. Don in fact COULD take the money and open up his own agency. We would still be able to follow the characters and their lives and stories no matter which agency they were at. The competition between the agencies would just stir things up more, which we love! Let's see, the Brits would be over at SC with old Bert and Roger. I'm thinking Pete and Peggy would go with Don. Where would that put Joan?? OR, maybe Don will play hardball and say I want to open SC West, as Ken suggested he might do. That would be fun too, as long as I never have to see Joy or her father or those other weirdos ever again.

I remember in Season 1 while Roger and Don were in discussion that Don said if he left SC it wouldn't be to go to work at another agency,but to experience "Life". I'll have to buy Season 1 DVD,but I didn't imagine this scene.
Who knows what Season 3 will bring.......or who will be writing it for that matter if Matt doesn't get his terms met.

LaurieB: Oh, please, don't move them out to California! They belong in New York, on Madison Ave.

I believe Don will still be at SC in 1964, and Duck will be out the door, or out the window.

Found the thread and reference to the early Season 1 episode
where Don is being pursued by another ad agency (maybe McCann) .They offer him more money and Don turns it down.
Roger and Don are talking in his office and Roger asks Don what he plans to do in the future and Don tell him "not this". He looked very pensive.I think if Don had it his way,he'd get out of advertising entirely and find another pursuit. Until then I don't see him jumping ship to another agency,but staying put at SC.

My dad worked for McCann-Erickson (the firm that tries to recruit don) from 1948 to 1966 before moving to Ted Bates. My mom stayed home. My neighborhood in Long Island was populated with at least five dads who worked in advertising agencies of that era. They had the same kind of hats as don. Carried brief cases like don's filled with those yellow envelopes and rode the train every day. Even the photos of betty when she is modeling for McCann have the logo of the company from that era.
The show seems very, very accurate.

Don is not going anywhere right now. He has too many possibilities to run off now, his wife, the kids, the new baby and the merger! Too much is at stake for Don to go anywhere. He left his brief case because he was so damn glad that Bett said come home. A man like Don can't live in a hotel in town for long. He is working on getting rid of Duck believe me, that is his new goal and Pete needs to be careful too!

I would be devastated if Don doesn't return to Sterling Cooper. One of the greatest pleasures of the show is Bobby Morse.

Lounging on the deck of his split level overlooking the pacific ocean, Don is holding little Ruth and thinking about the brand names the family will be forced to purchase because of his expertise in advertising. Sipping some crown royal, Betty enters and is whining about her sagging breasts and her tummy she just cant seem to lose. Don calls one of his old pals, Tim at Dow chemicals and they talk about old times and Tim asked if Bets is still the looker she used to be, and Don says she is in full Mommy mode. Tim tells Don about a very secret project Dow is working on that will set plastic surgery afire. Don in his powers of persuasion get Tim to confess that Dow has come up with a silicon product that is surgically inserted into the breasts of women and give them what God didnt. Don meets with the west coast Dow folks and a star is born and breast implants are brought to the masses with Betty being the first to go from hangers to hubba hubba.

I like that liquorupfrontpokerintherear. Do you really think Bett would go for that? She's so traditional and natural. Like, I said before I don't think Don is going any where. Unless SC pisses him off. If he goes to the west coast there will be two Mrs. Drapers Remember. That's not good for Don.