Even though this week's 'Mad Men' (Sundays at 10PM ET on AMC) had a bit of a meandering manner to it -- outside Allison's righteous knickknack throw at Don, that is -- the last fifteen minutes brought up why dramas like this show and others of its ilk suck viewers in. You never know when an event that's going on in the show's present can dredge up an incident from the show's past. Emotions can still be raw, and when they bubble to the surface, the knowing viewer can nod along with the character, feeling what they felt.

That's what I felt when Peggy found out that Pete Campbell's wife Trudy (played by the always lovely Alison Brie) was pregnant. When she got the card that was passed around the office, the look on her face spoke volumes: Only she and Pete know that this is going to be Pete's second child, not his first, and she wonders what might have been if Pete stayed with her instead of staying with Trudy.

But the episode ended with a glance that made me think that Peggy's starting to move on from that, five long years later.

What do you look for in a DVD set? Are you the type of person who expects to see a lot of extras (commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, bloopers, deleted scenes, documentaries, etc) because DVDs allow us to have all of those things and it would be a ripoff for the consumer if we didn't get them? Or are you the type of person who is just happy to have the actual episodes to watch over and over again whenever you want and you don't really care about the extras?

You're in the middle? What a politician.

I lean towards the former for newer shows and towards the latter for older shows. Though I would love to have commentaries and features for older shows, I realize that's not always possible. I ask this because the DVD set for the third season of AMC's 'Mad Men' has cast and crew commentaries for every single episode. Let's take a look at that feature and everything else in the set.

Usually during a press tour all-star party, there's one or two unexpectedly popular stars who just seem to attract throngs and throngs of reporters for the entire night. A couple of years ago, it was George Takei right after he started on 'Heroes.' This year, the NBC star attracting the attention at their all-star party in Pasadena last month was Alison Brie.

Why? Well, besides being cute and chatty, having significant supporting roles in two critically-acclaimed shows probably helped. Brie not only plays the uptight and naïve Annie on the comedy 'Community,' but she also plays Trudy, the hard-driving wife of Pete Campbell (played by Vincent Kartheiser) on 'Mad Men.'

I managed to wait out the crowds and get a few solo minutes with Brie. We talked about how she shifts between the high comedy of 'Community' and the intense drama of 'Men,' and if her presence in 'Men's' finale means she'll be back for season four.

So there's a major character leaving AMC's Mad Men, and this is probably one of those casting decisions that's going to make dedicated Mad Men fans very upset. They might even Twitter or text "OMG!" to their friends.

But I'll put the announcement after the jump for those of you who don't want to know. The person leaving Mad Men is...

Some of these "let's combine one show with another show" ideas never quite come together because the cast of one show doesn't necessarily fit into the cast of the other show, but this pic that puts the cast of Mad Men into Star Trek: TNG uniforms is pretty funny and clever. Pete Campbell makes a great Wesley Crusher (at least I think he's supposed to be Wesley - if not, he should be).

[via Pop Candy]

(S03E12) "The whole country's drinking." - Pete, to Trudy

When Joel talked to Mad Men creator and writer Matthew Weiner last month, he wouldn't say when or how the show would deal with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. We all knew it was coming, since last week's episode was set on Halloween, but I actually thought it would happen in the season finale. But they addressed it tonight.

They say November 22, 1963 is the day America changed, and I would say that the lives of the people in and around Sterling Cooper changed too, in various ways and for various reasons.

(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 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.

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.

(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...

Hey, did you hear Mad Men's third season debuts tonight at 10 on AMC? Actually, when the show is this good, I don't mind the hype.

To prepare for the third season, here are some more web goodies for you (in addition to avatars, sneak peeks and recaps). The New York Times has an article on the cocktails of the Mad Men era, and if you want to make some of your own AMC has the drink recipes. AMC also has a Which Mad Man Are You? quiz. Or how about buying some of the era's items for your house?

There are also several interviews to read before the premiere, including Jon Hamm (here too), Christina Hendricks, Elisabeth Moss, and Vincent Kartheiser.

Oh, something from the other night, after the jump...

Earlier today, Joel gave you an early look at season three of Mad Men. We're not sure what exactly to expect from the new season, but we know what happened in season two. If you haven't seen season two for some reason, or just need a quick refresher before Sunday's season premiere, here's a recap of the entire season in four minutes.

AMC is starting to post more and more videos at their Mad Men site in anticipation of this Sunday's third season premiere. Below are two videos from the Mad Men premiere party that was held recently.

I like the life lesson that Alison Brie (Trudy Campbell) thinks the Sesame Street Mad Men parody will try to instill in kids.

In case you can't tell this by the title of this post, let me just say what follows are MAJOR SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS.

AMC has picked the 10 most shocking moments on Mad Men. This includes both seasons of the show, and it's a nice recap of some great scenes. I don't know about you, but I think that number three should definitely be in the top slot. It's one of the most hilariously gross things I've ever seen on television.