Mad Men recap: Sex, lies, and a ketchup account

This week's episode follows Don, Pete, and Peggy as they give in to personal and professional temptations

"Mad Men"
(Image credit: Ron Jaffe/AMC)

Tonight's ironically titled episode of Mad Men, "Collaborators" — which was directed by series star Jon Hamm — offers no shortage of ways in which our main characters betray one another. In last week's premiere, we learned that Don Draper had returned to his philandering ways — but tonight's episode showed that Mad Men's other main characters, including Pete Campbell and Peggy Olson, are just as susceptible to temptation of one kind or another.

This episode wasn't exactly subtle about its thematic concerns, but just in case viewers missed the blinking sign saying "this episode is about prostitution," we were granted an unfortunate reintroduction to Herb, the sleazy Jaguar rep who made sleeping with Joan Holloway one of the conditions of his business. Joan's dressing-down of Herb after he waddles into her office feels like a bit of fan service — she actually delivers the line "I know there's a part of you that you haven't seen in years" as the portly jerk tries to pick her up again — but it's a welcome bit of fan service, finally allowing her to strike back at the man who put her in such an uncomfortable position last season.

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.