While Mad Men carries on in some odd, dramatic trajectory, the historicity with which the show is normally imbued with was put out to graze during this past week’s episode of “The Gypsy And The Hobo.” Despite that fact, there’s been some interweb discussion as to how the show is going to deal with the Kennedy Assassination. In the past, other notable, historical moments like the 1960 election have become a part of the overall narrative with characters sitting around and watching television or even growing a beard in anticipation of the (failed) revolution to come.

But the death of a President seems more of a defining moment – which is odd considering Kennedy’s election was supposed to be a watershed moment in American history (that’s still debatable). With the event ever looming just over next week’s horizon, it’ll be interesting to see how the narrative fits with this singular moment in history – or vice versa.

Regardless of all that, there was an episode this week that didn’t possess that sort of high school history stuff. With Don ever more falling into an irreconcilable relationship with Suzanne – his daughter’s school teacher – it seems that he’s perpetually telling Betty the same crop of lies to get out of the house. The one difference this week, though, was the fact that Mrs. Draper took the kids off for the weekend. The moment seemed inopportune with Betty only recently discovering her husband’s past, but she heads out nonetheless.

With his time free – much in the same way Dexter worked a few episodes ago – Draper plans to spend time without his family: an evening with his lover. It all hits the skids, though, when returning home for just a moment, woman in car, that Don finds his family back from its truncated vacation and his wife looking to discuss that all too mysterious drawer in his office.

There’s no escaping this – after about twenty minutes there’s even a cut to Suzanne getting out of the car and walking home. Don and his wife don’t have it out, but this is an instance in which the Betty unquestionably has the upper hand. There’s no recourse for Don other than talking it out.

It seems like an interrogation, though, Don’s not emasculated even as he is prompted to recount his first marriage, the war, his identify and his childhood. Watching Draper come close to tears is a bit unsettling and out of character, but extreme times warrant extreme actions.

Nothing’s really resolved and Betty can’t feel too much better about all of this. The only solace that Don can find is at work, where he’s not exactly scheduled to be. There’s some minor skirmish about appointments, but moreover Roger has some tail thrown his way. Newly married and all, he declines which causes a bit of a problem in and of itself.

But that’s all just a spindle of distractions from the coming resolution, whatever it will be, to Don’s deceit. Betty’s probably sitting around right now trying to figure out what to do.