As fans of the show Mad Men, we come to accept the slow burn of the series.  Always more character development over plot with a strong payoff in the end.  This was not the case in tonight's episode where within the first minute of the show, I was already gasping out loud.  Do I start with Joan's allegedly short-term pregnancy, Lane's nightmarish father and surprising choice for a girlfriend, or Don's shockingly honest confession to Faye about his former life?   Matthew Weiner spoke in an interview about how actions have consequences.  In tonight's episode, this is true for nearly everyone that sits around the conference table at SCDP and there was no end to each character's desperate attempts to put their broken lives back together.

Joan/Roger

As soon as Joan locked the door to speak to Roger, we were in trouble.  She's late.  And she's apologetic.  As Roger and Joan try to talk through what to do, Joan characteristically takes it all upon herself and barely leaves Roger with the task of paying for her now third abortion.  The abortion clinic scene was upsetting, but I loved seeing someone from Center Stage show up on a show like Mad Men.  Joan lies to deflect her sad truth.  I'm willing to wager she didn't have the abortion.  Well, at the very least, it wouldn't be surprising if she decided to keep it.  When is Joan's facade going to crack?  Don and Joan need a support group to keep their lies and identities intact.   

As far as Roger goes, he's in deep trouble, in more ways than one. His marriage is a sham, and surprise surprise, he's all talk where his love for Joan is concerned.  He can't have a baby, but he can't let her have the baby with her husband either.  Perfect.  It was upsetting to see her comfort Roger, when he should have stepped up and insisted he accompany her to the abortion.  His entire explosion at Pete was really about him, including the not-so-subtle bleeped out F-bomb.  Way to keep it real, Mad Men.  I was expecting Don's panic attack to be Roger's.  He's sure heading for one if Lucky Strike does really bow out after a month.  His desperation with Lucky Strike's least favorite spokesperson was terribly real.  Lucky Strike is necessary to keep SCDP above water.  And with North American Aviation out, the Mad Men gang is barely hanging by a thread.

Lane

My sympathy for the characters on this series never ends.  Lane's hard as nails father seemed tepid enough, but Lane's initial reaction to get Don to accompany them to a bizarre Playboy dinner indicated Lane needed some backup.  And no wonder.  Lane's father's upper crust background kept him polite on the surface, but when pushed, and apparently being pushed is equivalent to Lane's introduction of Toni, his (gasp) black girlfriend (AKA chocolate bunny), dad went from Jekyll to Hyde in no time flat.  When he hit Lane, then threatened him, telling Lane to "Get your home in order," Lane was cowering.  Who knows the more extreme consequences Lane's father might take if Lane hadn't given in?  It's not looking good for the future of SCDP. 

Don/Pete/Betty/Faye

Newton's law states that for every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction.  This couldn't be truer for Don and the case of his stolen identity.  For years, he didn't have any consequences for his desertion in Korea, but in the last few years, his lies have started catching up to him.  And when the Department of Defense starts investigating him because of Pete's account, Don's facade finally crumbles.  His reliance on Pete was surprising, but it demonstrated Don's true desperation to make his identity problem go away.  Pete's angry reaction was valid, but in the end, he saw Don's presence as more valuable than his absence.  Betty's allegiance wasn't shocking, and their phone call was refreshing in that it paid homage to the strength of their former relationship.  Betty's honesty with her husband was refreshing as well; this was the first episode where her actions haven't been appalling.  

Don's panic attack and shameful admission to Faye about his identity theft and desertion came after his vulnerability was exposed, much like when Peggy saw him at his worst physical state.  His attempts to make her leave in the middle of his panic attack were to prevent himself for letting someone else in.  He's tentatively reaching out to more people.  After Anna's death left him fairly unraveled, Peggy stuck by him after learning of some of his past.  Perhaps Don is starting to trust that someone else will stick by him.  We can't forget that Betty's rejection of Don after he told her the truth about his identity was exactly what he most feared.  Letting another person in is always risky, but Don's sick of lying.  Don's last little glance at secretary Megan left me wondering if Don's wandering eye will be making an appearance next week.  He's not exactly the poster child for monogamy and sleeping with the secretary is his permanent default. 

Cheers to the Beatles.  Two more episodes left.  I predict a serious crash and burn for one or more characters.