Mad Men 4x9: Mrs. Blankenship Sets Sail

Aw man, I can't believe they killed Mrs. Blankenship. She had some of the best quips and moments on the show. Most recently, she delivered this line to Peggy: "It's a business of sadists and masochists, and you know which one you are."

On the other hand, we got these great quotes as a result of her passing:

"I would have my secretary do it, but she's dead." - Don

"I don't want to die in this office. I almost have -- twice." - Sterling

"She died as she lived -- surrounded by the people she answered phones for." - Sterling

We also got to see Pete in the background, covering Mrs. Blankenship with a quilt and trying to maneuver her corpse out from behind the desk.

The real heartwrencher of the episode was Sally, who may actually be the best actor on the show. Did you notice that she's picked up her mother's inflections? She uses Betty's same flat tone when addressing Don -- and yet she can also throw a great tantrum and light up a room with her smile. I felt so bad for her when she fell down and no one would help her. Actually, secretary Megan (who kinda resembles Anne Hathaway) was great with her -- and for some reason I sense that's going to have consequences that Ms. Miller won't like.

Sally's devastation at being forced to go back to a home she clearly can't stand puts the episode at a 2.5 out of 5 razor blades for me. It was certainly upsetting, but most of the rest of the show (Mrs. B, Joan and Sterling's renewed relationship) was played for laughs.