Mad Men Season 7 (Episode 6): The Strategy

Why Mad Men Episode 6 (Season 7) Worked:

• The early tension between Don and Peggy over the Burger Chef campaign.,
• Don admitting that he just came from the movie "I Am Curious Yellow." Probably only 27 people watching even knew about the movie but it was a very cool thing to do in 1969.  (It was a porn film, in case you're interested.)
• Don explaining to Peggy about how he works creatively.
• The Madras sports jackets.  Pete and Bob Benson really rocked them.
• Bob's "proposal" to Joan.  He needed her to be his beard so he could rise in corporate America. He thought she'd need his security.  Her response: "I want love." One of the better scenes in recent weeks that didn't revolve entirely around the office.

Why Mad Men Episode 6 (Season 7) Didn't Work:

• The work for the Burger Chef tv commercial.  Usually, "Mad Men" shines when it focuses on the creative work that goes into an ad campaign. However, almost all of the scenes about the Burger Chef campaign were about as bland a limp lettuce.
• Bob bailing out the gay client from jail.  The scene in the cab as they left the jail was confusing and poorly written.
• Pete's fight with Trudy at their Cos Cobb house.  Another confusing and poorly written scene. 
• Don and Peggy drinking in the office, having a heart to heart, and then dancing to Sinatra's "Strangers in the NIght."  Another scene where one could only wonder: What is this about?
• Stan's beard.  It's so bushy, it's practically its own zip code.  Distracting.

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 6 (Season 7):  C-.  A lot of nothing happened in this episode.  Don still hasn't recovered his mojo.  His marriage appears tenuous. He's become...uh....what's the word -- boring! Peggy feels pathetic now. Pete's relationship with his girlfriend doesn't ring true. Let's hope for a first half season-ending wallop next week. This was pretty thin gruel tonight.