don draper

(S03E09) Nobody was getting any sleep, or so it seemed, and many people were acting like babies who wanted what they wanted when they wanted it.

Conrad Hilton has become more of a headache to Don, and the way he's being played, he's very Howard Hughes-like to me. Eccentric, powerful, demanding and hard to read. For a master player like Don, it has been unnerving to have Connie pull his strings. Don doesn't like being a marionette.

Don wasn't the only one having his strings yanked. Lucky Strike, in the form of client Lee Garner, Jr., pushed Pete and Harry around, but it was Sal who suffered. And Henry discovered that Betty was more complicated than any Ossining housewife he ever knew. More after the jump.

One of my favorite scenes from Mad Men this season was the one where Don barked at Peggy. Don doesn't usually explode at people (it simmers underneath) and he and Peggy always had a great relationship, so it was shocking to see him dismiss her that way. Things aren't any better on this Sunday's episode, as this scene below shows. Though to be fair the guys get the brunt of Don's insults.

It's a good scene, plus I'm a sucker for Frank Sinatra references and this episode is called "Wee Small Hours."

... not who you think.

AskMen.com has released the list of the 49 most influential men of 2009 (not sure why it's 49 and not 50) and there are several TV people on the list, including FOX News anchor Shepard Smith, chef Mario Batali, and Seth MacFarlane.

But the number one person? The person who AskMen thinks is the most influential? He's from TV too, and he's actually fictional.

For all of their problems and dalliances, Mad Men's Don and Betty Draper are one sexy couple. Sunday's episode, "Souvenir," was another stellar offering, and one of my favorite scenes was when Don and Betty pretended to be strangers in Rome, then went back to their room and made sweet love.

It made me swoon, not just because they're two really handsome people (her beehive-type hairdo was something else), but also because I felt like I was part of the whole deception involving the Italian guys at the cafe. Very fun.

And this, after Betty accepted a kiss from Henry Francis after the courtroom scene. She's such a cold fish with these things, and I have to wonder if she's just doing it to get back at Don for his affairs. She doesn't seem to enjoy the attention of other men. She doesn't seem to enjoy much of anything. Bob likened it to Revolutionary Road, and I quite agree. And it's no wonder Sally has repressed anger issues. She comes by it honestly.

(S03E08) "You don't kiss boys, boys kiss you." - Betty, to Sally

I think my favorite episodes of Mad Men are the ones that have a nice balance of Draper household drama and Sterling Cooper advertising drama. It seemed that this episode was going to tilt a lot - too much - towards the former, but about 20 minutes in, both worlds came together in unexpected ways -- Betty going on the business trip to Rome with Don and Pete running into ... well, someone at the department store. We'll talk about that more after the jump.

I'm not surprised that there's no smoking or drinking in this Sesame Street parody of AMC's Mad Men, but I still think it could be a little sharper. And why are all of the characters wearing hats?

Jeez, here I am being hard on a kids' show. The line at the end about sycophants is funny and something for us adults.

I like the plot description for this new episode of Mad Men, "Souvenir." It says "Don takes Betty on a business trip and Pete helps a neighbor in his building." I like that summary because 1) it doesn't really tell you anything but you're intrigued, and 2) it describes two things that have never happened before. Don taking Betty on a business trip with him??

Vincent Kartheiser is so good in this scene below, and the writing is just so smart.

(S03E07) "Maybe I was late because I was with my family reading the Bible." - Don, to Conrad Hilton

I've never understood why some people say they can't get into Mad Men (or they watch the show and think the same thing) because "nothing ever happens." I think a lot of stuff happens in every episode, but a lot of it is done with silences and not something more intense. But even the people who think that the show is too "slow" will have to admit that like last week's episode, this episode had a ton of character development, mystery, and plot twists.

Halloween's almost here, so we're giving tips on how to dress like your favorite TV characters.

The Costume: Don and Betty Draper, 'Mad Men'

What You'll Need: For Don you'll need some hair gel and a comb, a gray suit, a pack (or five) of cigarettes and an arsenal of cutdowns and witty retorts in your back pocket; for Betty, a perfect blonde 'do, a foam baby belly (here's a how-to ... bonus if you happen to be rocking the real thing) and the other half of Don's carton of smokes (fakes if you're in that "bonus" category, please).

There was a real conundrum for Mad Men last Sunday night. Did you watch the Emmys and see Mad Men win as Outstanding Drama Series or were you tuned in to watch latest episode from Season Three? Of course, most of you reading are DVR owners and could watch one live and record the other, but watching an award show after you know the winners is a little like watching sports when you know the results.

Well, if a Mad Men fan has missed any episodes this season, or if they're piled up on the DVR/Tivo queue, making you feel guilty for not keeping up, here's an out. AMC is going to show a Mad Men Season Three marathon on Sunday, September 27, starting at 10 a.m. All six episodes will air up to the premiere of the last, episode seven, at 10 p.m.

(S03E06) What do disappointment, opportunities and snakes have in common? They're all themes in this episode of Mad Men. The British, in the form of Powell, Ford and Mackendrick came to Sterling Cooper for a visit, but what that visit meant was anybody's guess. The visit wrecking holiday plans for the staff -- no Independence Day for you, colonists -- was obvious irony and true nonetheless. And the Guy walking into the ad agency, well, it would be a hollow joke after this tragedy. More after the jump.

Does it seem like somebody lit a fire under Oprah Winfrey? It seems like it to me. Her new season commenced this week with the Whitney Houston two-parter, she's off to Central Park for tomorrow show which will relaunch Oprah's Book Club, and on Monday Oprah's doing a flashback to the 1960's with Mad Men's Jon Hamm and January Jones as guests.

I'm not someone who thinks that a TV episode title (or book title or film title or song title) automatically means that the episode will be great, but isn't "Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency" a terrific title for a Mad Men episode? In this sneak peek below, Lane Pryce and his irritating assistant John Hooker have a big announcement for the staff of Sterling Cooper.

(S03E05) Time is moving on and the time's are a-changing. Sally has had a difficult adjustment to the loss of Grandpa Gene, so much so that Betty and Don actually have to act like parents and attend to her needs. The family was a big part of the episode, not just the Draper family, but the Sterling Cooper family, too. More on the latest Mad Men episode and the changes after the jump.

(S01E04) "He has no idea how confused America is going to be about that J. - Don, about jai alai

In the late 80s, when I was doing sales and marketing for a national music magazine, the staff played a joke on one of the new salespeople. We had to get a certain number of sales per day and she wasn't having any luck, so I called her phone and pretended to be a customer. I think I told her I was going to buy thousands of dollars worth of magazines. Looking back now it was an immature, cruel thing to do, but I thought of that during tonight's scene with the Sterling Cooper gang calling "Margaret" and pretending to be a potential roommate. People are such jerks.

But this episode was mostly about what happened to Gene...