The Mad Men Episode 'The Better Half'

You most likely heard Lou Johnson's rendition of Always Something There To Remind Me on the recent episode of Mad Men. Here is Johnson performing on American Bandstand.

This episode of Mad Men had some nice surprises. Who the thought Peggy would stab her hippie boyfriend Abe. Poor Abe actually got stabbed twice in the episode. The first time during a mugging that he didn't want to report. The second time by Peggy's homemade mop handle/knife/spear. The break-up scene between Peggy and Abe in the ambulance was awesome. I have never been a fan of Abe. I found the character to be a pretentious shit. However, being stabbed by your girlfriend is good grounds for a break-up.

Does anyone get what Peggy's attraction to Abe was? I never got them as a couple. The show was more focused on Peggy's career than personal life. Peggy's pregnancy in season 1 and 2 being the exception.

The more I learn about Henry Frances the less I like him. We saw subtle shadings of racism from Henry during the aftermath of Martin Luther King's assassination. We now know Henry needs to know that men find Betty attractive, in order to get turned on. Henry wasn't jealous of a colleague hitting on Betty. Henry wanted the details to feed his own personal needs. Yuck.

The Don and Betty hook-up was a surprise. What was interesting is the power Betty exerted over Don. Betty knew Don would follow her when she left the door open. Better knew the effect she would have on Don when she said the best way to hurt him was to love him. Betty then went back to Henry the next morning as if nothing has happened. Don was the one that disappeared on Betty during the early seasons.

The big question is why is Bob Benson. Rolling Stone asked that question in an article. What we have seen on the show is Bob Benson is an incredibly guy. There are no nice people on Mad Men. Jody Rosen tweeted these theories.

Here's the burning #MadMen question: is Bob Benson a.) g-man; b.) investigative journo; c.) corporate spy; d.) other?

— Jody Rosen (@jodyrosen) May 13, 2013

There is a fake Bob Benson Twitter account that is hysterical.

I guess we have to wait until future episodes to find out if Bob Benson and Joan are dating. I found it very interesting how coolly Bob played dumb when Roger Sterling came over to Joan's apartment.

I believe that Don's past as Dick Whitman will come back to haunt him. I'm just not sure if Bob Benson is the catalyst. I know that I don't believe that Benson is actually that nice. He may actually like Joan but he has shown signs of corporate ambition. That is perfectly normal in the Mad Men advertising world.