'Mad Men' recap: Crisis Management

The evening ended with moving shots of Pete, holed up alone in the Sterling Cooper office, holding a shotgun to ward off whatever evils lurked outside. (At first I thought that was Duck, and that inevitably, after failing at both sobriety and power plays, we would hear a shot as he ended his self-inflicted misery.) Peggy, in her girlish nightgown, crossed herself and went to bed on petal pink pillowcases with a clean conscience and beatific smile. And Don, his mouth blurping open in surprise like a hungry guppy, took Betty's hand after she told him she was pregnant. The world may crumble around them tomorrow, their marriage may be hanging on by a thread, but for now they are in it together.

Now, let's all follow Don's lead in the months to come before we're graced with the start of season 3. When the world seems in the crapper, go home to your loved ones. Leave your work at the office where it belongs. Find solace in Frank O'Hara poetry and moody Italian films (or Tina Fey impersonations and Mad Men reruns). Hold your partner's hand. And for heaven's sake, above all else, VOTE for the person you feel will provide you with the most comfort and lead with the steadiest hand in a time of national crisis!

Best lines of the night:

"Call Roger in half an hour and tell him I'll met him in half an hour. And Mr. Phillips? Maybe I'll run into him in the men's room," Don told Joan upon his return to the office.

"If I'm going to die, I want to die in Manhattan," said Pete.

"I hope the Soviets got a guy like you to build those missiles," Sal told Harry after he busted the TV.

And, finally, from Don's letter to Betty: "I understand why you feel it's better to go on without me and I know that you won't be alone for very long. But without you, I'll be alone forever." Sob!

How are the rest of you feeling after the much-anticipated finale? Am I completely nuts thinking that Pete was holding a rifle there at the end? (Where'd he get a gun??? D'oh! That's right — the chip-n-dip exchange from season 1. Thanks, gang!) Did you also find him oddly adorable this episode? So Pete and Peggy's son was not taken in by her sister, but rather put up for adoption? Which means that theoretically Pete and Trudy could have adopted him if he'd been willing to go through with it, right? Anybody mad at Betty for grabbing a revenge quickie at the bar? Is Duck going to commit suicide off screen before season 3? And how far ahead do you think season 3 will skip?

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