Mad Men Season 2 Finale

AMC

It’s the end of the world – at least that’s how it seems. The Cuban Missile Crisis provides a fitting backdrop to the final Mad Men episode – everything we know is under threat. Sterling Cooper are being taken THE FUCK over by the British firm of Dick, van and Dyke and the naked terror of the world as Kennedy and Khrushchev face each other down is mirrored in microcosm as Gay Sal, Beardy Paul and That Other Guy fret over losing their jobs. Betty is pregnant to the husband she recently ejected. Don is utterly bereft without her. Impending nuclear war seems like a welcome relief.

"I say, wouldn’t it be a whizz if we made Duck Phillips president, what-what?" say the limey toffs at the board meeting. I don’t see why not – it was that treacherous bastard who set the whole thing up, after all. Duck is thrilled with the totally predictable news and quickly appoints Pete Campbell as his replacement. Pete shows his undying gratitude by ratting Duck out to Don about his Presidential plans. Thanks Pete!

"Knowing Peggy I think it’s safe to say that she was praying for Sexypriest to put his cock in her so that they can both go to hell together."

Sexypriest tells Peggy she’ll likely go to hell if she doesn’t reconcile with God and although Peggy ain’t trying to hear that at first she winds up praying later on. Knowing Peggy I think it’s safe to say that she was praying for Sexypriest to put his cock in her so that they can both go to hell together. If that’s not a storyline in season three then my name’s not Aerial “Money” Telly.

There’s more turmoil in store for Peggy as a drunken Pete tells her what we’ve long suspected: that he has loved her ever since he put his cock in her in the first episode. "You’re perfect" he tells. Steady on Pete. We know Peggy writes some decent copy and we know your marriage has hit a rocky patch but you do realise that Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks), verifiably perfection in female form, works in the same office?

"Raped by her Doctor fiance in her boss’s office Joan carries on with the relationships and because, well, she’s the wrong side of 30 now and who’s going to want the best looking woman in history now she’s 33? Yeah, I don’t get it either but there it is."

And what about poor Joan? Raped by her Doctor fiance in her boss’s office she carries on with the relationshit because, well, she’s the wrong side of 30 now and who’s going to want the best looking woman in history now she’s 33? Yeah, I don’t get it either but there it is. Let’s hope Doctor Rapist chokes on his own cock the sick pie abusing bastard.

"Duck shouts and banged his fist making him look a total drunk mentalloid and it looks as though Duck may have quacked his last as President."

When the boardroom showdown comes around, Don is forewarned and forearmed by Pete’s heads up and it’s all "over my dead body" with regards to Duck’s New World Order for Sterling Cooper. He walks out, leaving Duck to shout and bang his fist making him look a total drunk mentalloid in front of the limey toffs and it looks as though Duck may have quacked his last as President. And he was just getting started!

And so was Don. His next act is to write a heartfelt mea culpa to his estranged wife about how he loved her more than pie itself and that, baby, love really hurts without you, that it’s breaking his heart but what can he do? Betty responds by telling him of the pregnancy and letting him back into the family home. It looks like they’re going to make a go of things. He’ll be banging Joan next season. Trust.

" They care about their characters, everyone’s actions make sense and it credit you with a lot of intelligence. It works like a charming, intricate piece of clockwork – everything, everyone is connected, no part is redundant."

Other "people" will tell you that Mad Men’s second season was a poor relation to the first season but Aerial Telly sees all time and all telly in an instant, speaks only the truth and he says that it actually improved. It does its work slowly, like a corrosive, gradually wearing down your resistance. They care about their characters, everyone’s actions make sense and they credit you with a lot of intelligence. It works like a charming, intricate piece of clockwork – everything, everyone is connected; no part is redundant. It’s already been hectic and the 60s are just getting started. Expect great things from season three.

The best thing about it: Don Draper’s back story.

The worst thing about it: Doc Raper’s wack story.

The verdict on Mad Men Season 2 Finale: Satisfying end to a classy sophomore effort.

Marks out of 10: 8