HomeTVMad Men season 7 Severance recap

Mad Men season 7 Severance recap

Mad Men returned to UK screens tonight as the series enters into its last run of new episodes before bidding adieu.

If you havenā€™t seen the latest episode of Mad Men and donā€™t want any spoilers we suggest you stop reading now. If you have seen it and want to relive all of the action then keep reading.

It wasnā€™t Menken to be

Don (Jon Hamm) is back to his womanising ways in the wake of his (nearly finalised?) split with Megan (Jessica Pare). The episode opened with him casting women for a Wilkinsonā€™s commercial that involved them being seductive in a fur coat and not much else. Following the casting Don and his latest female companion accompanied Roger (John Slattery) and his two female companions for a late night trip to a diner.

Waitress Diana (Elizabeth Reaser) caught Donā€™s eye and he was convinced he knew her from somewhere. His chance to find out was scuppered by Rogerā€™s rudeness, which he eventually apologised for by leaving a $100 dollar bill in payment for a $12 check.

Mad Men season 7 episode 8
Credit: AMC

Back to his day job Don asked Meredith (Stephanie Drake) to contact Menkenā€™s department store to set up a meeting with his old flame Rachel Katz nee Menken (Maggie Siff) after he had a dream about her attending his Wilkinson casting. He was shocked to find out his former love had passed away following a battle with leukaemia and attended her wake where he received a less than warm welcome from her sister.

Returning to the diner, Don pursued Diana and followed her into an alley behind the building when she took a cigarette break. The two had sex before returning to the diner. Diana mistakenly thought Don was back to reclaim what he ā€˜paid forā€™ with Rogerā€™s $100 bill and told him that wasnā€™t going to happen again.

Taking Joan seriously

Joan (Christina Hendricks) was less than impressed when a meeting with Topaz tights didnā€™t go the way sheā€™d hoped. Aided by Peggy (Elisabeth Moss), Joan approached McCann Erickson to reach out to their new business partners for help introducing them to department stores to try and increase Topazā€™s sales. She was greeted by three men who were more interested with making lewd and reductive comments about her but left the meeting having achieved what she wanted. That didnā€™t mean she was happy though and a snappy exchange with Peggy showed that Joan wasnā€™t ok with not being treated seriously. How did she make herself feel better? A lot of expensive shopping.

Weā€™ll always have Paris

Peggyā€™s colleague John Mathis (Trevor Einhorn) tried to set her up on a date with his brother-in-law Steve (Devon Gummersall) and at first she was having none of it. Following Joanā€™s comments about the way she dresses, Peggy decided to accept the set-up and went on the date with Steve. The two clashed to begin with when Peggy made a big fuss about Steve receiving the wrong meal from the waiter. The two agreed to swap meals to resolve the issue and promptly got very drunk.

Taking Steve back to her apartment, Peggy stopped herself just as she was about to sleep with him. That didnā€™t stop her from trying to find her passport so the two could go off to Paris together for a romantic getaway. She couldnā€™t find the passport but negotiated with Steve that they could go away together in a couple of weekendsā€™ time. The next morning she wasnā€™t quite feeling the same passion as regret and a stinking hangover kicked in as she found her passport in her desk drawer at work.

Mad Men season 7 episode 8
Credit: AMC

Kenā€™s revenge

Ken (Aaron Staton) has been down on his luck for a while now and that definitely didnā€™t change in this episode. After arguing with his wife Cynthia (Larisa Oleynik) about his future at the firm following the new merger, he told her he was holding out for a promotion he knew was coming his way. His father-in-law, responsible for giving the firm the Dow business, announced his retirement and Ken saw an opportunity to step up. Unfortunately he was greeted by a surprise courtesy of Roger and one of the McCann Erickson bosses who took him off the Dow business and fired him.

Angry at what happened, understandably, and believing that his previous history with McCann Erickson was to blame Ken got the ultimate act of revenge when he approached Dow and was appointed their new Head of Advertising meaning that he is now a client of his former agency. He promised Roger that he wasnā€™t going to be an easy client to please. Uh oh!

Tune in to AMC at 10/9c on Sunday in the US and Sky Atlantic at 10pm to see the next episode, New Business. Watch the promo below:

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip is the owner and Editor of Entertainment Focus, and the Managing Director of PiƱata Media. With over 19 years of journalism experience, Pip has interviewed some of the biggest stars in the entertainment world. He is also a qualified digital marketing expert with over 20 years of experience.

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