After Don decided that life with Joy would not be suitable for him, he stays in California. Don meets up with the only person who he can talk about his secret with freely — the real widow of the real Don Draper, Anna. In a flash back, Anna finds Don, while searching for the real Don and confronts him about the real Don's whereabouts. Don agrees to take care of Anna, and Anna agrees to keep his secret. When Don met Betty, Anna gave Don a divorce and moved to California. Don spends Christmas at the home of Anna and her son, without telling anyone where he is or whether he will come home. This is difficult for Betty who has to explain to Sally that she does not know where Don is. Pete and Trudy have heated arguments over whether to adopt a child, Pete's father in law pulls the Clearasil account from Pete to pressure Pete into seeing things Trudy's way. Peggy gives a lot of thought to her connection with the Catholic Church, and uses her ideas to create a campaign for Popsicle. Because Roger is under pressure to gain enough money for a divorce settlement with Mona, Sterling Cooper is sold.
This episode contains examples of:
- Appliance Defenestration: Pete performs a variation on this trope to demonstrate his anger with Trudy, by throwing the Christmas turkey out the window. Pete is not the sort of person who would break a window, but this act is still a demonstration of extreme anger.
- The Confidant: Anna has been one for years.
- Date Rape: Joan does not want to have sex in Don's office, but her fiance is not deterred. He pushes her on floor and forces her. She obviously is not enjoying it. Joan does not break off the engagement.
- Ironic Echo: To the first season finale; Peggy sincerely notes that both she (office and new position) and Joan (marriage to a handsome doctor that works with black children) got what they wanted, in contrast to when Joan condescendingly told Peggy that some people get what they want and aren't happy with it. This after Joan was raped by Greg.
- Making Love in All the Wrong Places: For Joan, having sex in someone else's office is the wrong place.
- Masquerade: Deconstructed. If there are a group people in another life, who know Don's secret then this is a masquerade. Consistent with the shows postmodern themes, there are no conspiracies, and the masquerade is not for any greater good. The show tries to construct a credible masquerade situation, with believable consequences.
- The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life: The masquerade in this story is one of several deceptions that is killing Don's marriage, and it is one of the things that Don will find difficult to explain to his wife. Of course, there are so many deceptions in the marriage that viewers are given every reason to hope for Betty's freedom.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Bert Cooper's sister and fellow board member is named Alice Cooper. While the naming is insignificant in 1962, when the episode is set, less than a decade later the name would be claimed by a famous (male) rock singer known for shocking on-stage antics.
- Odd Friendship: Anna Draper has every reason to resent "Don Draper" for stealing her husband's identity, but Don promises to provide for her... and then begins to confide in her, since she is (at this point in the story) the only person who knows he is Living a Double Life. His friendship with her is on a completely different level than his relationship with Betty.
- Product Placement: According to The Other Wiki, Popsicles, very likely, are an example of this.
- Rape as Drama: The rape foreshadows a failed marriage: not subtle. From this point on, when viewers see Joan with her fiance they will be disturbed, and know that she is marrying a monster.
- Tag Line: Peggy's slogan for Popsicle "Take it, break it, share it, love it." Instead of promoting the high sugar flavor of the product, Peggy tries to make buying a Popsicle an act of caring. Does that mean she is trying to find the human side of the Popsicle[1]?
- Twisted Christmas: Being rich does not seem to buy anyone a merry Christmas. Don is having a good time with Anna, but the pain of not being with his wife is evident. Betty is in an unpleasant situation. Roger claims to be very happy with Jane, but he is not convincing. December 25 is just another painful day for these ad men.
- Then there's the fact that Joan is getting married to Rapist Greg on Christmas Day.
- Wham Episode: The events in this episode have lasting repercussions. Sterling Cooper has been sold to a British corporation, and we know about Don's past with Anna.
