Mad Men Season 3 Episode 7: Seven Twenty Three

We’ve just passed the halfway point in “Mad Men” Season 7 and all our fears about British rule have been laid to rest.

Thanks to a farming accident at the offices of Sterling Cooper, we no longer have to worry about Guy MacKendrick taking Draper’s thunder. What’s more promising is that Draper (Jon Hamm) is may soon land the biggest client of his career, Hilton Hotels. After being overlooked by his new British bosses for a promotion, Don has to wonder if his future at Sterling Cooper is tainted. Maybe it’s time Draper packed up shop and opened up an independent advertising agency of his own? This direction would be reminiscent of another Sunday night favorite, “Entourage.” At the end of “Entourage” Season 2, Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) leaves his agency after a falling out and eventually sets up his own boutique agency during the show’s third season.

Unfortunately, office favorite Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) has said goodbye to the offices of Sterling Cooper. Will she return? I can’t quite imagine Sterling Cooper without her stern hand or the back and forth commentary between Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) and Joan. Not to mention, there there were no ramifications for Harry Crane (Rich Sommer) ignoring Joan’s contributions on his rise to the top of the Sterling Cooper’s TV Empire.

At home, Sally has finally learned to accept the death of grandpa Gene and embrace her new baby brother. But, Betty (January Jones) may be considering moving up from simple housewife to local politician. How will Don react to this progressive shift? We’ve seen Draper ignore Salvatore Romano’s (Bryan Batt) bellhop fetish, and accept Peggy’s office promotion. But, is Don accepting enough to allow progress at home?