Mad Men 3x13 Reaction
Added 2025-10-23 18:22:05 +0000 UTCthis is our super bowl
Comments
I am having so much fun watching this show with these two
BobJ
2025-10-27 01:47:54 +0000 UTCtho entertaining
on crip ...
2025-10-25 02:24:59 +0000 UTCgonna unbury my blasphemy subreply to see if anyone (dis)agree highkey on this rewatch, the episode feels like fan fiction (derogatory) and not good imo
on crip ...
2025-10-25 02:21:27 +0000 UTCEnd of an era ❤️ (and the start of a new one!)
Jenny D
2025-10-24 20:03:47 +0000 UTCHonestly so true. S1-3 feels like a prelude on rewatch
Isaiah Bryant
2025-10-24 17:12:21 +0000 UTCSpoiler Roger gets even funnier
cheech
2025-10-24 15:21:29 +0000 UTCI was wondering when they would come around to finding Roger funny. I truly think all it took was noticing that he is funny once or twice, and after that point every line he says has made them laugh.
Kev
2025-10-24 14:25:40 +0000 UTCFinally, the prologue is over and now the real Mad Men begins. (just kidding... or am I? 🤔)
Taya
2025-10-24 13:14:54 +0000 UTCAnd the fact that there are several arguably even better episodes than this is a testament to how much of a true masterpiece Mad Men is.
Alfie Harrison
2025-10-24 11:51:08 +0000 UTCWhew. Don really bounced around the stages of grief this episode… From denial of him being the one to break up his family with his cheating and lies, to seemingly accepting it when he tells Roger he needs a lawyer and then anger when he infamously wonders “Who the hell is Henry Francis?!”. Deserved or not, it has to hurt finding out your wife is leaving you for another man... but probably even more so when you were just beginning to process her leaving you for entirely different reasons. Interestingly enough, the Don/Betty confrontation was a lot tamer than I remember it being. And it was still rough. Kind of amazing though that after all that build up, their entire divorce essentially took place in *one* episode. Don being afraid Betty wouldn’t love the “real” him was 100% a self-fulfilling prophecy caused by his own actions. But at the same time… was he wrong? The lie got bigger the more time went on, but there really was never a point in time a lie that big would have been an *easy* pill to swallow. You guys wondered how he was processing this and while Henry was a catalyst, Betty leaving him right after she finds out has to be top of mind. Betty is certainly a woman of her time shaped by her environment and upbringing, but relative to her time she has more agency than I think you guys give her credit for. She didn’t *need* to marry Henry. She wanted to. Between her half of her dad’s house and her divorce settlement (which she would have gotten if she wanted it) Betty would have been well off. But she never wanted to be Helen Bishop and she probably wouldn’t trade places with Peggy or Joan if she had the chance. Like you’ve said many times, it’s very easy to imagine Betty being happier if Don simply was a better partner and she felt connected to him. But like others have said, this is just a great episode. I wouldn’t even know how to rank it because I honestly feel the same way I do about this episode with at least 1/3rd of the show. But this one definitely stands out, just for the sheer amount of things that happen. The inevitable Don/Betty split. The end of Sterling Cooper and starting a new agency. Cementing the Don + Peggy bond. Pete getting his validation. Just a great culmination of 3 seasons of world building.
JJ
2025-10-24 08:12:54 +0000 UTCThis some 'Deadwood' shit
bondbond53
2025-10-24 02:46:32 +0000 UTCThis is the most fun I've had since the pigs ate my little brother.
Thomas Fahey
2025-10-24 02:00:01 +0000 UTCSuch a great ep and reaction. Mad Men is the only show for me that could pack so many great moments and story into one episode. The best. I always loved the way this episode ends with Don conceding the end of his marriage to Betty. As much as it was so obvious that Don's heart was not in his marriage, its end really is one of the most devastating moments of his life. Achieving his dream of an idyllic wife, kids, home that he thought so assuredly would make him happy to collapse because of his own actions is catastrophic for Don. That phone call contrasted with Don gazing adoringly at the new SCDP, closing with Roy Orbison's Shahdaroba, hinting at a venture of unknown possibilities couldn't make Don Draper's hobo side happier.
Eric Viola
2025-10-24 01:52:05 +0000 UTCAlso I love how when describing the episode during the discussion part, LM use basketball analogies but in the video's subheading, its referred to as watching the superbowl 🤣😭
Infode
2025-10-24 01:28:59 +0000 UTCAlthough we knew about Don's father's death, it just hits different seeing it happen. The ep. was so packed - phenomenal
Infode
2025-10-24 01:20:12 +0000 UTCLadies and gentlemen, I think we just witnessed a perfect hour of television.
Taya
2025-10-24 01:01:42 +0000 UTCIt is darkly funny that Don's equivalent of saying "I love you " is "I want to hire you to work for me".
Mike
2025-10-24 01:00:03 +0000 UTCProbably my favorite episode of the series (not saying the best, subjective)
Scott
2025-10-24 00:53:52 +0000 UTCChristmas came early this year lol On one hand, it's so fun seeing you girls reach these milestone episodes but on another hand I genuinely can't believe we're already on season 4. Time flies when you're watching quality TV. On that note, HOW can anyone say Mad Men is boring when you've got episodes like this. P.S.: Roger lowkey is the star of this episode what with agreeing to the plan, getting Joan back and dropping absolute banger jokes all episode. What a guy
bondbond53
2025-10-24 00:45:23 +0000 UTCThat's a combination of such foreign words for someone European like me lol
bondbond53
2025-10-24 00:43:44 +0000 UTCseeing your mean abusive(?) dad get kicked to death by a horse at like age 6 or whatever would be enough trauma for a lifetime. then everything else happens to don 😩
Kara
2025-10-23 23:57:00 +0000 UTCWell, Don was fired. Presumably the contract allows for this. That said, much like the season 2 finale with Duck, this episode is an enormity from a legal perspective. You can't just steal company property and go create your own firm. PPL would have immediately sued our wayward partners and by the end of the week (and nowadays, literally by Tuesday), a judge would have issued an injunction grinding the new business to a halt while the rest is sorted out. That's just not how any of this works. But this is a TV show, so we go with it. 🤷♂️
Julien
2025-10-23 23:27:41 +0000 UTCI'd like to take this opportunity to hype up the S4 premiere as one of the top 92 episodes of the series. (I actually do think it's great.)
Mike
2025-10-23 23:24:17 +0000 UTCI'm pretty sure the broad consensus is that this is the best episode so far. Remarkably, the consensus is also that the best episode is yet to come. Three seasons in, how amazing is that.
Julien
2025-10-23 23:18:53 +0000 UTComg, an episode so good we got a caption!
Chris B
2025-10-23 23:15:31 +0000 UTCSo much happened in this episode that Don's scenes with his father are somewhat overlooked, but it's one of my favorite moments. The way he makes a different choice than his father did regarding their respective businesses was quite interesting and also revealed another trauma he's living with: seeing his father die in front of him. as Milena has already mentioned in some reviews. I also can't see how he could even begin to deal with everything he went through, and precisely the fact that he doesn't deal with it makes him incapable of being a present father and a good partner.
Bernardo
2025-10-23 23:15:09 +0000 UTCSomething I'm wrestling with: The show really hammered the point that Don signing that contract was equivalent to him signing his freedom away. And then, as soon sit becomes an issue, he just... easily wriggles out of it like a genius? That aside, this is obviously a thrilling episode and one of the best of the series. I especially love that "Who the hell is Henry Francis?" scene. That's not a side of Don that we see very often, and it's really not a side of Betty that we see very often. That's much closer to the "Whitecaps" breakup that people were expecting in Episode 311. Don is terribly cruel towards her -- of course Gene wakes up crying when he calls her a whore, that's called writing, folks -- but, like all good arguments, there is a kernel of truth there. Betty was building a life raft. Henry didn't "trap" her with his offer to provide for her; she was never going to divorce Don and go it as a single mother. She was looking for a new version of the life she already has, because that's all that she knows. Sidenote: In all the talk about at-fault divorce, it's worth remembering that, even if Betty and Henry haven't sealed the deal yet, she did cheat on Don in the S2 finale. Not that it wasn't deserved, but (if I'm understanding the lawyer correctly) it would technically disqualify her from divorcing Don in NY based on *his* adultery. Now, there isn't proof of either case, which is apparently required, but from a psychological/character standpoint, I do think that matters. Anyway I think it's obvious why this is considered the end of one "era" of the show. The first three seasons of Mad Men are incredible, but when I think of this series, I think of the post-SC era. Can't wait for what's to come. Edit: Coming back after watching the discussion. Regarding the Pete,, yes, they knew/assumed that he was planning to leave Sterling Cooper. Don and certainly Roger have been in the business long enough to know that, when you pit two employees against each other for a promotion, you'd expect the loser to be disgruntled. So on top of the character dynamic stuff with Don (which is also a factor), that's why they go to him: They know he is already prepared to leave and to bring his clients with him. (And some of the clients might even be prepped for it, too.) Roger asks what Pete already has in his saddlebags. There is an expediency to bringing along the guy who is packed and ready.
Mike
2025-10-23 23:05:03 +0000 UTCI think that's a little unfair. Harry is a bit of a joke and the show treats him that way. That's why he's the one calling up because he can't remember the hotel room number. Now, that's not the *only* kind of storiy we get with Harry, because the show great and isn't interested in painting its characters with only one brush, but he is not supposed to be anyone's idea of a forward-thinking advertising genius. (I agree that they're little biased towards Joan, but everyone has their favourites #PeteCampbellForever)
Mike
2025-10-23 22:54:54 +0000 UTCWhy so much contempt for Harry from our reactors? What baffles me is that they constantly claim Harry is useless and talk about him having "invented his job" as a bad thing. Whereas the reality of course is that having the vision to anticipate the future of this industry and creating a department to address is the opposite of useless - it's a brilliant thing. That's what any business wants in their employees and executives. The answer to my first question (why the Harry hate) is actually very simple: Joan. Our reactors blame Harry for having temporarily accepted Joan's help with TV scripts, without recognizing her supposed brilliance. But that's not Harry's fault. it was a temporary assignment and the firm was always gonna hire someone else to do it so she could return to her job - office manager. This, is what the Joan glaze creates: apparently, anyone who "stands on her way" is useless and bad somehow. 🤷♂️
Julien
2025-10-23 22:51:30 +0000 UTC"Because there are people out there who buy things. People like you and me. And something happened, something terrible. And the way that they saw themselves... is gone. And nobody understands that. But you do. And that's very valuable." I don't like ranking seasons or episodes but if this isn't my fav ep, its certainly up there and the most memorable episode of the show. It's a stunning piece of television that fully delivers on 3 seasons, 3 years, 39 episodes of build up. It might be flawless. When I was imagining the "never ever gonna happen" LM Mad Men reaction, this is the episode I pictured. You're not even halfway through the show yet 💀 The angry Don / Betty scene hurts to watch but it's ultimately toothless because as Betty herself implies, all she needs to do is call the cops/army and tell them Don Draper = Dick Whitman and its over for him. Their marriage isn't even legal, I'm sure Henry knows people in the justice department. He has zero leverage except soft power over the kids + knowing Betty doesn't actually want to send the father of her children on the run / to jail. Don's scene with Peggy is the highlight for me and I cry every time. Imagine how validating that must feel to hear, when she has absolutely nobody else in her life who will even acknowledge the trauma that happened to her. But there's Don, this talented genius, and he's not just saying you're good and he needs you, he's saying he understands you on a fundamental level... your trauma is real and its the fuel for your fire. She probably already knows this on a deeper level too, we've seen her reacting with kids, with Trudy etc. Duck can offer her jobs with more money + prestige but not true synchronicity and understanding. I honestly don't have much else to say. It's just a really great episode and a great reaction. Bonus Thoughts: It feels like Roger went along with the plan just to be friends with Don again lmao, they're teenage girl best friend coded fr. Conrad is annoyingly right: Don built an amazing career from nothing, but he never actually built a company, he just worked there. Here we get our unfortunate validation that yes, Harry is good enough at his job for Bert Cooper to decide to bring him as Head of Media. On Discord we were discussing if there's ever been a show set in a workplace for multiple seasons and then all the main characters quit, we couldn't think of one.
Kara
2025-10-23 22:45:39 +0000 UTChow did i forget to mention this..... its a chip n dip... Trudy put dip in the middle and chips on the side... they got two...........
Kara
2025-10-23 22:37:28 +0000 UTCCHIP 'N DIP SIGHTING
Mike
2025-10-23 22:35:04 +0000 UTCI don't really buy that last point. Don doesn't care about money and has never been shown to be particularly greedy or calculating. I fully believe he would take care of Betty & the kids and give her whatever money or share of assets he's required to give, or even voluntarily if she simply asked him. (despite his line "You won't get a dime", he only said that out of anger in the moment).
Taya
2025-10-23 22:18:32 +0000 UTCI rewatched this last night in preperation lmao. Love how much they enjoyed it. I love seeing Pete and Peggy get their due from Don. I think Don was being sincere to Pete. He was unfairly overlooked on the aeronautics and admiral tv work. Joan coming back and Lane standing up for himself are great moments too. Real getting the band back together episode. Harry is just a good example of how you make yourself indispensible at a company. Better to be the only media guy than the second creative or account man, as Paul and Kenny found out. I also love how they're fully on board the Roger Sterling train. Next season is my favourite too so plenty more to come!
Mark M
2025-10-23 22:16:30 +0000 UTCThe name of the new agency is "Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce", named for Roger, Bert, Don, and Lane. Pete is a partner, but they said that putting his name in the company would be something for him to work for in the future. Reno (Nevada) allows "no fault" divorce, so you don't need to prove anything. In New York, like the lawyer said in the beginning, the government will only recognize a divorce in the event of adultery, abandonment, and other such things. Going to Reno allows them to just say "I want out" instead of legally getting one of them on the record as having broken the "rules" of marriage. Don's original attempt to recruit Peggy is one of my favorite moments in the series, because Peggy is correct that Don DIDN'T ask her to go with him. He just assumed she would go along when he mentioned it was happening. Don does honestly respect Peggy, but he is so narcissistic and misogynistic that his respect isn't enough to break past his hangups. It's such a perfect encapsulation of their entire relationship. And that's why it's so great to see him finally admit (some) of these things later and make a (mostly) honest plea for her to come along. Most people view Don granting Betty an easy divorce as a moment of humanity and kindness for him. But there's a minority of the audience who view it as a much more selfish and calculating move: he wants their marriage ended quickly so she can't claim any of the new agency. That Don realizes if they divorce NOW, then she can't get any of the profits or ownership like she would if the divorce drags out and the new company is successful. This is definitely a much smaller-held perspective, but it's out there.
JBK405
2025-10-23 22:05:49 +0000 UTCWelcome! Thanks for supporting! I can only imagine how fire your 14 episode binge was 😭
Kara
2025-10-23 21:53:20 +0000 UTCAn important detail is Archibald lashed out at people + refused to sell as a collective AND THEN was forced to sell anyway, so it was completely pointless, just like his fellow co-op members suggested. It was both stupid, selfish and ultimately pointless: even if he didn't get kicked by a horse he would still have to sell, likely at an even lower rate than the coop got.
Kara
2025-10-23 21:52:06 +0000 UTCHe's talking about the JFK assassination. Saying that Peggy understands that nothing will be the same again.
Mark M
2025-10-23 21:33:03 +0000 UTCI think Don seeing Trudy and Pete having a real partnership made him realize he could never give this to Betty and he decide to give her a call. Anyone knows what is something terrible that happened and is gone, a think that Don says to Peggy?
Rok
2025-10-23 21:10:04 +0000 UTCI loved the difference between Don and his dad when it came to doing business. When their back was against the wall, Don's dad lashed out at those around him and it ultimately led to his demise. Don on the other hand works best when he's pressed, instead he worked with those around him to get out of the contract jam. He even put aside his ego to work with people like Pete and Peggy who he knows he needs.
Cobalt
2025-10-23 20:49:29 +0000 UTCA fun nod to the Kennedy assassination here. When Don and Bert enter Roger's office, Jane is talking with Roger about an interview a Secret Service agent provided about JFK's death, and Roger offhandedly mentions that she's obsessed with a book depository, which was the vantage point where Oswald took his shot at him. However the location of that depository in relation to the car he was sitting in has been a constant point of debate regarding JFK's Assassination, so Jane being an early Kennedy conspiracy theorist is quite amusing.
Griffen Rosado
2025-10-23 20:37:41 +0000 UTCQuality tv
windyMelon
2025-10-23 20:31:21 +0000 UTCNOW we can all gush about how amazing this episode is. The show does match it at points, but I never think it tops it. It's Mad Men at its absolute best. And then the energy actually carries over into season 4 which just keeps serving up banger after banger.
Sebastian
2025-10-23 20:30:09 +0000 UTCWOOOOOOOOOOO
Eric Viola
2025-10-23 19:58:34 +0000 UTCI can't wait for your reaction to season 4, this is the first time I ever paid for someone's Patreon, but you really deserve it. This reaction was incredible! <3
PartyKitteh
2025-10-23 19:45:05 +0000 UTCI wish I could relive watching this for the first time. Thank you for letting me do something like that with you!
Zosko1
2025-10-23 19:18:12 +0000 UTCOmg. It's here. I've been waiting for this the last 2 seasons 😅
Alex Bernier
2025-10-23 19:01:49 +0000 UTCThe creator said that Don telling Peggy that he would spend the rest of his life trying to hire her is his way of telling her he loves her and I think it’s so fitting for them
Jude G
2025-10-23 18:48:31 +0000 UTClol i’m in the middle of Oklahoma on hour 3 driving by myself, but i just pulled I into the Dairy Queen to watch this in the parking lot
cheech
2025-10-23 18:48:02 +0000 UTCI checked patreon almost as a joke to myself, there was no way it'd be up yet, AND YET
Jay Craig
2025-10-23 18:36:39 +0000 UTCSo early?? Not complaining tho! Thank you <3
P
2025-10-23 18:28:05 +0000 UTCYes, us fellow yuros really appreciate these early releases.
Erik D
2025-10-23 18:27:06 +0000 UTCcouldnt wait to edit to rewatch this
LM Reactions
2025-10-23 18:26:19 +0000 UTCIt's the one we've all been waiting for+
Zosko1
2025-10-23 18:24:30 +0000 UTCSomeone call a wellness check on them, they’re never this early
My Toasty Toast
2025-10-23 18:23:53 +0000 UTCYaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy
Zosko1
2025-10-23 18:23:14 +0000 UTC
