'Mad Men' 'Far Away Places' Recap: Drugs, Fights, and Facing Reality

Mad Men season 5 continues with episode 6, "Far Away Places," which shows Peggy, Roger, and Don in some out of control situations. It begins with Peggy getting off to a rough morning with an argument with Abe before she heads into work. She's focused on the Heinz presentation, which Don and Megan will miss because they're headed upstate to a Howard Johnson.

Peggy's Odd Afternoon and Evening

Raymond's not so thrilled about Peggy's presentation, and she doesn't take it too well. Stan suggests photography will help, but it comes down to Raymond not liking the use of college students. Peggy points out that he got sentimental during it and thinks he just likes fighting. He clearly doesn't like her, and Ken tries to smooth things over by suggesting he and Raymond have dinner. When she's the only one in the conference room, Pete comes in and tells her she's off the business.

Peggy heads to the movies and ends up smoking with a man who was sitting behind her. He moves next to her and leans in, but she just unzips his pants and tells him to watch the movie. When she returns to work, she meets Michael's father before lying down in Don's office until Dawn wakes her at 8:30 when he calls. He asks if anyone called her, and when she tries to tell him about the presentation not going well, he's obviously distracted and hangs up.

Peggy talks to Michael about his father, and he tells her he's "a full-blooded Martian." He explains that Morris told him he was born in a concentration camp, where his mother died, and he found him in a Swedish orphanage when he was 5. When she gets home, she calls Abe, asks him to come over, and tells him what Michael said.

Roger's Trippy Night on Mad Men

Roger wants Don to play hooky with him. He's the one to bring up the Howard Johnson, and Don instead goes off to tell Megan about it. Roger's stuck going with Jane to a dinner he didn't want to. He clearly wants to leave, but then she tells him she had told him they were going to do LSD. This is just another instance where he doesn't listen to her. She thinks it'll be good for him, and after writing down his name and address, he takes the LSD and has quite the experience. There's Roger pouring himself a drink and hearing music, seeing himself with different colored hair on each side after looking in a magazine, seeing Don, and seeing himself with Jane. In the cab on the way home, he sees Cooper on his money.

The good thing about this trip is it allows Jane and Roger to be honest with one another about their relationship and her being in therapy. The next morning, they have to face the reality of the situation, and while he's already planned what's coming next, it takes her a few moments. He's going to check into a hotel, and he clearly likes that there's no fighting. While she tries to argue she was on drugs, he points out that she knew this was coming. It doesn't make it any easier for her.

Don and Megan's Long Afternoon, Evening, and Morning

Megan isn't as excited about this trip to the Howard Johnson as Don is, and she feels like she abandoned the others for the Heinz presentation. He calls it just an advantage of "being the wife." When they arrive, Dale's there to greet them and offers to bring out a sampling of everything when she mentions she's hungry. However, things quickly go downhill when she mentions that she can't like to work while he can. He never gave her the chance to tell him she didn't want to go on this trip. He brings up her complaining to her mother about him, and she comes back with a comment herself. Their fight ends with him driving off without her when she refuses to get in the car.

When Don returns, he finds out she walked out with a group of guys she was talking to and he finds her sunglasses in the parking lot. He goes between sitting in the diner waiting and calling people on the payphone, including Peggy, explaining why he was so distracted when she tried to tell him about the presentation not going well, and Megan's mother. He ends up falling asleep in the restaurant until an officer wakes him. Don tells him his wife's missing, and he says she'll keep an eye out.

Don remembers driving with Megan and his children after vacation as he drives home. When he tries to open the door, he finds the door chained. Megan tells him she doesn't want to see him. He ends up following through with his threat to kick the door in. She took a bus home and is clearly still angry. He tells her he thought she was dead and grabs her. He ends up chasing her around the apartment until they fall to the floor in the living room. He says it was just a fight and it's over, and she gets up to go to work. He stops her by hugging her around her waist.

Things seem to be better between them when they get to work and he leaves her with the others, but there is still his professional business to consider. Cooper's not exactly pleased with what's been going on and tells Don about the previous day and says that while Don's been on "love leave," he's not doing much around the office. It's true. Roger stops by to tell Don, "It's going to be a beautiful day." While Roger seems much happier with his life, Don has a lot of thinking to do.

What did you think of Mad Men season 5 episode 6 "Far Away Places"?

Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels/AMC

© Meredith Jacobs 2012

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