Mad Men: The Milk and Honey Route (2015)
Season 7, Episode 13
10/10
Everyday it's a getting' closer / Going' faster than a roller coaster
11 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Don is having a conversation with his daughter describing the road trip he is planning, his getaway. Sally in turn remarks how she would love to go to Spain, an idea that Don seems to support. Ending the conversation with a textbook fatherly advice it is funny to see the resemblance of 'child' dreams that both Don and Sally share. They have no idea where they are going or for what purpose, which seems to be making the journey only this much exciting and thrilling.

On the road, Don's car breaks down, causing him to check into a motel. The owner of the hotel 'drags' Don into a veteran's convention/party/fund raiser. Don is reluctant to share at first, however after a few drinks, yet still surprisingly Don finally let's it out - he killed his CO and got sent home. The secret Don was keeping all this time was out and it meant nothing to anyone, the veterans simply showed their drunken compassion, as if they have all been there.

In an unexpected turn of events, the boy from the hotel's room service that was buying Don's booze set him up to the very veterans from the party. Convinced that Don stole their donations, they take his car as collateral. Almost as if he has nothing to lose or care about, Don takes the blame and even gives gives his car to the boy, who has surely reminded Don of himself. We leave Don at a bus stop, carrying on his journey to the unknown.

Meantime, Betty's new shoes cause a comical collapse on the stairs on the way to class, she is now an aspiring student. Apart from a broken rib, the fall leads to a shocking discovery - Betty is on the last stages of lung cancer. With another sad reference to US milestone events of the time, we learn that Betty has less then a year to live. Refusing to continue treatment, Henry tells Sally the news and brings her home, hoping she could convince Betty otherwise.

Betty gives Sally a letter to open after she passes, which Sally opens as soon as she returns to school. The letter is touching, motherly, and elegant, just like Betty herself. It is very sad to see one of the most beautiful characters potentially go like this. Betty's problems provide a thin and at times even sarcastic contrast into Don's issues, as the two stories are shown in parallel, making them seem completely pointless and small.

Duck Phillips asks Pete for a favor to help him get a job, for old times sake, which turns out to be a trick - Pete is getting interviewed for a job himself. Pete ends up taking the job and reconciles with his wife, who seems reluctant at first, however as Pete lands a few signature promises, she jumps right in. Amusingly, this seems exactly like something Pete Campbell would do, exactly the type of emotional and money driven decision he would make. Let's just hope this is not all a trick on the naive and a genuine job offer. Somehow, the weasel that Pete has always been, he still resonates as a positive character.

"The Milk and Honey Route" brings us one step closer to closure, attempting to shed some light into where are heroes are going and what is really bothering and motivating them.
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