While many of the early episodes were solid episodes that helped establish the tone of the series and develop the characters, it was the middle and later season episodes that really made the show one of the best dramas in the history of television. Each season finale ended with some sort of change that would create anticipation for the next season. Sadly, this episode fails to build on the momentum of the previous season.
It takes place only a few months after the season 5 finale. However, it seems like so much has changed in the interim. Don is back to his old drinking and womanizing ways for about the hundredth time even though they don't really give a clue as to what caused it this time (the Lane Pryce drama would be my guess). Roger, normally one of the most intriguing and charming characters, is all of a sudden belligerent and obnoxious following bad news about his mother. Peggy is struggling with her new position but without the SCDP people around, it seems less interesting. Betty, whose character has essentially become useless since the divorce, is involved in a pointless story line with one of Sally's friends and a violin. I'm still not sure what the whole point of this was especially since Sally's friend was never seen before this episode and never seen again. Maybe they felt obliged to give Betty screen time since her role has diminished. The only good story line turned out to be Don and Megan's new relationship with the new neighbors which would be a major plot throughout the season. Not only are the characters and story lines uninteresting but the episode is slow moving not unlike the early episodes.
It seems like the best episodes of the series are the ones that are evenly balanced between the workplace happenings and the characters' personal lives. This one seems to focus way too much on the character's personal lives. They could have come up with something interesting with one of Pete's accounts yet Pete is barely seen in this episode. They could have built more upon the death of Lane Pryce and how it impacted the company. Thankfully, this episode was not an indication of what the entire season would be like. Season 6 as a whole turned out to be one of the best seasons of the series in spite of this episode.
It takes place only a few months after the season 5 finale. However, it seems like so much has changed in the interim. Don is back to his old drinking and womanizing ways for about the hundredth time even though they don't really give a clue as to what caused it this time (the Lane Pryce drama would be my guess). Roger, normally one of the most intriguing and charming characters, is all of a sudden belligerent and obnoxious following bad news about his mother. Peggy is struggling with her new position but without the SCDP people around, it seems less interesting. Betty, whose character has essentially become useless since the divorce, is involved in a pointless story line with one of Sally's friends and a violin. I'm still not sure what the whole point of this was especially since Sally's friend was never seen before this episode and never seen again. Maybe they felt obliged to give Betty screen time since her role has diminished. The only good story line turned out to be Don and Megan's new relationship with the new neighbors which would be a major plot throughout the season. Not only are the characters and story lines uninteresting but the episode is slow moving not unlike the early episodes.
It seems like the best episodes of the series are the ones that are evenly balanced between the workplace happenings and the characters' personal lives. This one seems to focus way too much on the character's personal lives. They could have come up with something interesting with one of Pete's accounts yet Pete is barely seen in this episode. They could have built more upon the death of Lane Pryce and how it impacted the company. Thankfully, this episode was not an indication of what the entire season would be like. Season 6 as a whole turned out to be one of the best seasons of the series in spite of this episode.