'Mad Men' and sex: Done right, or an easy way out?

I agree with most everyone here that it’s in keeping with Don’s character to respect the boundaries between business and pleasure. But more notable than Don’s acceptance was Sal’s ‘coming out’ to Don: he came downstairs and onto the street with the bellhop and didn’t try to lie to Don about it later, effectively letting Don know it was for real. I loved this because it was also his way of bonding with Don, trusting him with his secret, which lets Don know how well Sal knows him. I actually think Sal’s handling of the situation, rather than frightening Don, makes him a bigger man in Don’s eyes.

Don’s response in the airplane was a bit to neatly clever, like a lot of the writing on this show. If Don is so smart, why hasn’t he–let alone all the other executives–figured out that Pete is worthless? Don and Sterling obviously immune to the allure of his pedigree, and must have seen his account numbers by now. Are we to believe the British execs didn’t notice that he’s brought nothing to the company?

This may be simplistic, but I think Don has always felt like a misfit, so much so that he had to create a new identity just to live with himself. After his initial reaction of shock, he felt empathy toward a fellow misfit. Peggy also became a misfit (in society’s eyes) – - again, empathy from a fellow misfit.

I think Don is a bit less easily shocked by “abnormal behavior” than you might think. Certainly his descent into the “La Dolce Vita” lifestyle depicted in season two brought him into contact with a few, shall we say , “exotic” characters not common to his Madison Avenue milieu. At most, his reaction was dispassionate.

Agree with Ken. However, I think the fire in the hotel sequence was poorly written. It was just a contrivance so Don could spot Sal’s dalliance. Surely there was a more elegant way to script a scene like that.

Which Don Draper are you watching Ken? The one that asks genuine questions of African American waiters, like they were people? The one who admits he believes in nothing? How about the one who promotes a woman to a man’s position? Don is progressive as Hell, but he’s progressive in the sense that, well, whatever makes him richer is a good thing.

I do not think Don is a conservative at heart, only in his actions. I think seeing Sal in the window did not repulse him, it shocked him. It never occurred to him that any of the gang he worked with would be homosexual. After letting the idea settle, Don realizes Sal also has big secrets… and Don loves secrets.

I don’t think Don is more progressive in his ideas about homosexuality than his peers. In my opinion, there’s no reason to believe he supported Sal because he felt some kind of kinship with him. Don’s never been prarticularly self-aware, and I doubt that he equates his own secret life with Don’s hidden homosexuality. His message to Sal wasn’t “I understand about the need to live a false life”; it was “don’t get caught and we’ll both pretend I never saw it”. Don’s smart enough to know that Sal is an asset to the firm, and that he is even more of an asset (to Don personally) now that Sal owes him.

I was disappointed in this episode. Didn’t seem to take me anywhere new, or offer any unfamiliar insights into the characters or their relationships.