@greg just posted something on the main thread about the"are you looking for a chick" line. I missed that on first viewing.
I saw the cooking similarity to the boiled milk flashback and was glad that they did not go down that road again.
I also wondered about the caterpillar into butterfly possibility, but after several viewings, I am pretty sure at the very last second there is a subtle pressure applied from the knuckles , barely noticeable, but enough to squish that idea.

I love this.

My personal favorite is Don as phantom. Disappearing Don is such a recurring motif on this show. In season 1, he disappeared during Sally's birthday party. In season 2, he disappeared for 3 weeks, and now in season 3, he's been admonished in just about every episode for not being present. I love that it was part of Betty's rant, too.

"Where's Don?!"

"Have you seen him?"

"He's never where you expect him to be..."

Hi Greg!
Up till last nights episode I didn't care for Bryce at all.
Then, during Roger, ripping Pete apart in Bert's office, Bryce says something like "is the flogging over". I think he felt bad for Pete, and thought Roger was going overboard.

Leave it to Roger to come up with the classic line: Do you know how many "hand jobs" I'm going to have to give"? to clear up Pete's mess he made with the Admiral people.

I almost fell out of the chair when Duck told Pete and Peggy that he knew they had a relationship! Both of them froze until he clarified that he was referring to their work relationship.

I wasn't sure if the green worm that Betty was holding was a catepillar or an inch worm.
I was thinking of the song about inch worms that I heard years ago. Something about the inch worm "measuring the maligolds, and not taking time to notice how beautiful they are".

The egg and chick scene with Don and Sally struck me differently. When Sally started to explain how she knew there wasn't a chick in there, I think Don thought she was going to talk about fertilization (birds and bees discussion). He smiled, almost with relief when she gave her explaination about eggs coming from the grocery store. That scene between them was so touching.

Other odd things about the guard, Dennis:

The scene in the waiting room where they are drinking the booze out of the cups ends oddly; they are facing each other smiling and Don is holding the paper cup. It does a fast cut and Dennis is once again looking away and Don's cup has disappeared. It's like the previous conversation never happened.

And when Don returns to the hospital with flowers, he passes Dennis in the hall. Dennis seems to not recognize Don.

Yeah, I caught how Dennis seemed not to recognize or acknowledge Don. Wonder what that meant? I guess the worm/catepillar turning into a butterfly was too cliche for this show, tho I did think that was going to happen. Notice Megar Evers was in the dream as an example of what happens to those who speak up? "I just got off the bus and I'm having a baby". Betts' mom seemed cold which is what many expected. I think Betts is her mom - dealing with her life. You are like a cat - very important with nothing much to do...or something like that....summed up her life. Still hard to feel sorry for her....living in that big house; help; money; fine husband....I'll take it.

In the dream sequence, Betty is wearing a beautiful silk dress. The music and the scenery signal that she is in her "happy place". She has passed from the ugly cocoon stage into a butterfly, lovely, colorful and slim. Then she is validated by her daddy, who tells her she is important and reassures her that he misses her. The inchworm represents a stage she has completed. Perhaps, as 60s Child so astutely suggests, she will stop measuring the marigolds now and live more fully?

Inchworm, inchworm, measuring the marigolds
You and your arithmetic will probably go far
Inchworm, inchworm, ___________
_______________, how beautiful you are.
One and one are two, two and two are four,
Eight and eight are sixteen,
Sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two.

It's a children's counting song. Help with the blanks, please?

My take on the inchworm is bit different. To me, the entire sequence was surreal. My sense is that Betty actually was killing the inchworm. And even though she was giving life in reality, this was the end of something. Felt like subtle foreshadowing of something to come. Whether it be something in her life and relationships or perhaps the assassination of JFK in November.

INCH WORM
(Frank Loesser)
perf: Danny Kaye,
Charles Aznavour,
Kenny Loggins

Inch worm, inch worm
Measuring the marigolds
Could it be, stop and see
How beautiful they are

(Chorus:)
Two and two are four
Four and four are eight
Eight and eight are sixteen
Sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two

Inchworm, inchworm
Measuring the marigolds
You and your arithmetic
You'll probably go far

(Repeat Chorus)

Inchworm, inchworm
Measuring the marigolds
Seems to me you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are

Hi fellow Maddicts and welcome to the new posters.

Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I think Betty's beautiful dream sequence was about hope. You could barely see the long thread the worm was dangling from. When Betty gently reached out her hand and held the worm, crushing it would seem to be the obvious thing to do, based on our world today with all the violence, etc...so graphically depicted in movies and on TV. But she held it so tenderly I was expecting her to let it go so it could continue its work...as she will do be delivering her new baby.

@hobocode: that "mess" Don was cooking up was corned beef hash - typically served with fried eggs - and delicious, though a bit salty.

I applaud Don for standing up to Pryce. It seems that Bert and Roger don't have much to do with the day-to-day operations of SC...they leave the dirty work to Don. Pryce seems to be Don's counterpart with Pryce's company...counting pencils and paperclips, etc. but also having to deliver bad news about canceling an account.

During the dream sequence, was everything in the kitchen reversed? Gene was in the doorway mopping blood (?) and the doorway was to the left of the wall oven, but in all other scenes the doorway is to the right of the oven. Also, the fridge is on the other side of the kitchen. Meaning of this?

I noticed that both Betty and Don DRaper have blue eyes. Isn't it a genetic impossibility for thier children to have non-blue eyes? This may just be a casting choice. Don't get me wrong I love the cast selection for both Sally & Bobby Draper. Am I the only who noticed this? Maybe I need to get a life?

For those looking for mirrors/double images:

Perhaps it means nothing but when Don enters Betty's hospital room and sits down, there's a reflection of them in the mirror.

Dream sequence - kitchen reversed - mirror image. Betty through the looking glass.

debrav -
Yes, you do need to get a life. But then you're in good company here. :-)