‘Mad Men’ season 6, episode 12 review: ‘Who is Bob Benson?’ 2.0; Sally Draper’s move

With there only being one episode left on “Mad Men” before season 6 comes to a close, you knew that we were going to see some serious developments here. Luckily, not one element of this hour disappointed. This was an episode that really managed to have quite a bit going on, but almost all of it was helpful in setting the stage for an epic send-off next week.

For one, we’re finally starting to get closer than ever to learning just who the man of mystery known as Bob Benson really is: Don Draper. Both of them managed to create completely new personalities for themselves, and the irony here is that Bob was hired while Don was away. Were it not for Pete (desperate to get rid of the man after the brief moment of intimacy last week), this revelation would have never come out in the first place.

What was particularly strange, and possibly a sign of Pete’s growth, was that he didn’t actually let the truth about Bob out. Instead, he allowed him to actually stay on, knowing that someone with his ambition could be an asset.

In moving over to Sally Draper, it’s hard not to feel anything other than sadness for her. After what happened when it came to learning the truth about Don last week, she understandably decided to get as far away from the situation as she could. But to boarding school? Well, it is a place to really get away from the world. She has an opportunity to now to go to the school, once she does manage to finish smoking with Betty (seriously) in the car on the way home.

The only person that we potentially feel more sorry for than Sally at times was Ted, who was basically pushed around, shoved, and manipulated by Don. Basically, Don managed to go to bat for him to get a higher budget for a spot … but it came at the expense of Don pretending to expose Ted’s feelings for Peggy at a meeting with their client. Once again, we learned why Don is so good as his job, and why Ted may at times be too nice for it. His feelings for Peggy got in the way, and he couldn’t separate them from his work.

What was your take on “Mad Men” this week? If you want to read some more early scoop about the upcoming finale, the best thing to do is to head on over to the link here.

Photo: AMC