‘Mad Men’ season 6, episode 11 review: Did Sally Draper destroy Don’s world?

Just when you think that Don Draper was out of the weeds when it comes to his relationship with Sylvia, the Vietnam War of all things manages to drag him back in. Much of Sunday night’s episode of “Mad Men” was all about trying to keep her previously-absent son out of the draft, and what he was willing to do in order to protect him. (We’re going to get to the major shocker at the end.)

It was ironic in a way that the person who provided such help was Ted of all people, who finally seems to be coming to some sort of a truce with Don, the one man who has completely and totally tried to undermine him at every turn ever since the merger.

While there was a noticeable lack of Roger and Joan this week, we were at least pleased to see some other characters have some more time in the spotlight. It’s weird in a way that so much of Pete’s story is all about his mother, but what in the world is up with Bob Benson now? After these two had a conversation, the only thought in our mind was that this character became even more enigmatic than he was previously.

As we neared the closing seconds of the episode, this is where the world of Don truly detonated. We had a side story this week that was all about Sally Draper falling for Sylvia’s son, and this in turn led to a secret letter being dropped (against her will) under her door. Sally went to retrieve it … and then saw Don and Sylvia together in bed. Yes, this is a disaster. We couldn’t imagine anything worse. The only thing partially saving Don right now is that Sally didn’t say anything to Megan. (On a different note, it was incredibly awkward to see Sylvia say “you are good to me” to Don, when the man kept her in a hotel room earlier this year and made her carry his shoes across the floor.)

So in the closing of this episode, it appears that Don’s last-minute conversation with Sally may have saved him for now, but she’s volatile and constantly upset, so we don’t really see her keeping this big of a secret forever.

Basically, these final ten minutes changed this “Mad Men” from being a run-of-the-mill episode to a shocking one. For those of you desperate to see something enormous take place, the final two episodes are probably going to be your go-to destination.

What is your take on this episode, and do you think that Sally will really keep a secret?