Though half the cast wasn’t in this episode in any significant way, the portion of the characters who were involved had significant storyline progression. The plot has comparisons to Slaughter House Five (an article possibly coming soon), and some are calling “Far Away Places” the best episode in five years.
Here are my top stories coming from the episode.
My Favorite Martian
Ginsberg continues to get more interesting. We get another little glimpse at his “father”, who apparently watches him sometimes when he sleeps and showed up at the office in need of the photocopier. The real depth to the character continued its build (or dig?) in a huge way when Ginsberg describes himself as being from Mars, explaining that he was born in a concentration camp and that the man he lives with isn’t his biological father.
Ballsy Peggy
The aggressive streak of Peggy Olsen continues. She yells at Heinz. She leaves work in the middle of the day and tells Bert Cooper she’s going to a movie. She sleeps in Don’s office. Oh, and there was the hand job to some random guy in a movie theater.
In The Truth
Roger Sterling fails to entice Don into playing hookie with him, and because of it he has to go to a dinner party with his wife Jane, which leads to one of the most important nights of his life. Wanting to make his wife happy, Roger Sterling agrees to take LSD with Jane and several others at the party of Jane’s therapist, and after a few fun visuals including a look into Roger’s subconscious, the fun fades out along with Roger’s marriage. As Roger Sterling and Jane lay on the floor following their bath, they come to the shared conclusion that their marriage essentially ended a while ago, a notion which sticks true once the trip ends the next morning. To end the episode, we find out that being “in the truth” has put Roger in a better mood than arguably anyone else.
The Chase
Don chases Megan out of the office, away from her job, and off to a mini vacation. She chases him out the door as he frustratedly walks out of the Howard Johnson after they have a fight. He tries to track her down after the return to the HoJo finds Megan nowhere to be found. He chases her all around the house, tackling her to the floor, and then he tries to recover as she lets him know that the fights they have are tearing them apart. This is potentially the biggest plot turn for Don’s love-life in the entirety of the series.
Looking Towards The Next Episode
Since there was relatively little in “Far Away Places” from several of the characters, here’s what to look forward to in future episodes from them:
Joan Harris, now husband-less, will soon find that the father of her child is no longer married. Will she tell him? How will that affect the way Jane reacts in the divorce proceedings? Might Greg come back before the season end and put another hitch in things?
Lane Pryce stepped up and made a statement by boxing Pete Campbell when his manhood and importance at the agency was put in question by the junior partner. How does that affect the inter-personal relationships? Might he find a partner in the no-nonsense movement alongside the reinvigorated Bert Cooper?
Betty Francis has really only been featured in one episode thus far, and now that her tumor isn’t malignant, it’s about time they started progressing the tensions between she and Sally Draper, is it not? Clearly a change is coming, given the hints dropped in previous episodes.
Pete Campbell appeared in “Far Away Places”, but none of the storylines from “Signal 30” were referenced, and given the significance of all that happened with him, there’s potentially a storm brewing.
