Falling Away

All right, spoiler alert, but either you follow Mad Men or you don't.

It finally happened. On the latest Mad Men, "The Gypsy And The Hobo," Don and Betty had THE scene, where they had it out about his past. It was surprisingly quiet, and Don came clean. He seemed like a different man. In fact, he seemed like Dick Whitman.

Some fans wonder if this will hurt the series. This has been Don's central secret, and now it's out. Where do they go from here? Will the tension be gone?

My guess is it won't hurt the show (or at least needn't hurt it). The whole secret past of Don has always been one of the least interesting things about the show. There's already plenty of intrigue going on, both at Sterling Cooper and at home. What will happen as the crew faces the 60s--which are about to bust wide open--is the big question.

It's like Matt Weiner's last show, The Sopranos. I suppose it was sold as a mob boss with a twist--we see him go to therapy. That last angle sort of worked in the first season, but soon became unnecessary. Tony Soprano, at home and at work, was plenty.