I don't like the sound of this....

Don't know wtf is going on with the spoiler-fest in here, but I think that they've been trying to show Pete Campbell snake his way into the more important decision making, and he's finally broken through. It took a while, but it happened. Don't think it was jump the shark at all.

This was my thought on it as well. Also the fact that Pete had already approached Joan before the meeting made the outcome realistic. If he hadn't talked to her it would have been no's all around, but since Pete had laid the ground work it was "I'm shocked, I'm appalled, you take care of it."

The "Regroup" smirk/smile when Pete had his back towards joan was classic mad men.

A) I don't much care for Peggy, so I don't much mind that she's leaving. I've made my opinion w/r/t her known, so I think the show will be fine without her.

B) Those that do like Peggy have to want her to leave. When she told Don that she knew it's what he would do, she was exactly right. SCDP will never not have Don in charge of creative. Peggy, as headstrong and proud as she is, absolutely believes she could be that person in charge of creative someday. She's blocked at SCDP and was given a chance to make a ton of money and take a clear promotion to a clear path at superstardom at a new agency.

Peggy staying at SCDP would have been what Reaper was concerned about - characters acting outside of their character. This was clearly the Peggy move and the right one for her to make.

I don't know how they can keep her as a significant part of the show without losing a great deal of time that would be spent on the development of the agency. There are only so many broadcast minutes and they can't be spent trying to spin a story along with a 2nd agency.

I think Peggy's gone.

Get rid of the Betty subplots and fill those minutes with Peggy subplots.

If Peggy is gone for good, they're going to have to give the audience a new voice. Maybe Don changes? Maybe Joan shifts? I don't know. But, I think, it's too late to introduce a new "Peggy."

And I just can't see the show leaving the audience voiceless for long.

But I agree that it was the right move at the right time. As much as I hate to see her leave SCDP, she had to. I get it. And I'm proud of her. But I can't see her being gone (from the show) for good.

At the very least, surely, we would have heard by now if Elizabeth Moss was leaving the show, right? Be pretty impressive to keep that under wraps.

Ginsberg?

I suppose you could get rid of the Betty subplots by having Sally finally kill her. There's your plot twist, eh?

Starting to wonder if ol' Lane isn't gonna be the one to get bumped off. I wouldn't really care that much; Lane's a special sort of slime. He's essentially a sneakier version of Roger. Roger is just out in the open with his proclivities, whereas Lane is a manipulative little prick with the same personal shortcomings and none of the gravitas to own them.

I'll put money down that Peggy isn't gone from the show. She's an integral part of the show. A goddamned pillar.

I'm cutting Lane a little slack. I did some reading and at the time of this episode, British citizens paid as much as 83% in taxes to the Crown. Plus a possible 15% more in unearned income PLUS capital gains. Plus Lane would be paying US taxes as well. He's really in a hole.

Plus he loves cheap horror movies and a big ass steak.

If I were a betting man... and I'm not... and I'm usually wrong about these things... I'd say Peggy is still a part of the show moving forward, and that, yes, Lane will probably end up dead by the end of this season.

I told my wife after the last episode that I really didn't have a good feeling about Lane. I like Lane, but he's desperate.

Frankly, I'd love to see Sally off Betty. I don't care how uncharacteristic it might be!

But, seriously, I'm not sure why Betty is still a part of the show. She's been largely absent this season and I haven't missed her.

Any chance Peggy comes back as a partner?