"Mad Men:" "The only thing keeping you from being happy is the belief that you are alone"

We've sort of come to take "Mad Men's" evocative, Emmy-winning title sequence for granted, but the character plunging down past skyscrapers really does seem to be what has been happening to Don Draper (Jon Hamm) this season.

Earlier in the season, we discussed an installment of "Mad Men" that I deemed "the raunchy episode." By contrast, we'll call Sunday's episode "the spiritual episode:" Don gets (metaphorically) baptized and his spirit cleansed (temporarily, at least), while the Sterling Cooper copywriters moon cosmically about, uh, Popsicles.

Remember that episode about six, seven weeks back where Don's presence in a car dealership prompted a brief flashback that had him working in a dealership himself, with a woman entering and telling him he wasn't Don Draper before disappearing into the ether? We revisit that storyline again this week, and are treated to a glimpse into a far happier time in Don's life, as well as his healthiest relationship with a woman.

But first, AMC's traditionally coy episode synopsis:

"Don meets with an old friend. An account hangs in the balance when Pete's personal life presents problems. Joan brings her boyfriend to the office."

The first sentence, for once, actually describes the bulk and the point of the episode. The second concerns the weasel's (Vincent Kartheiser) ongoing weaselyness and an unexpected comeuppance in Pete's traditional B-story. The third sounds a lot more benign than it actually turns out to be.

Don's still AWOL from Sterling Cooper, and plans that commenced last week to sell the firm to a British company continue apace without him. He's still in California, wondering if life would've been all that much worse had he simply remained Dick Whitman. There's a series of scenes poignant in their rare, wistful peacefulness.

On the other hand, there's Betty (January Jones) still in floundering mode: When she finds her daughter smoking a cigarette, she's p!ssed, crabbing, "You could burn the house down!" (Echoes of the dry-cleaning bag joke from season one - Betty's more concerned about her possessions than her kids' health). Boy, those kids are gonna be monsters when they grow up.

As for the Popsicle stuff, it seems a little forced, but for viewers of a certain age, the discussion about how "Everyone breaks popsicles in half" will resonate - it was a shared experience between siblings. Now, of course, Popsicles come in singles and there's no need to share. Obviously, that's not brought up in the episode, but it's something "Mad Men" does so deftly - it gets you to consider how we got from there to here.

Anyway, Don's saga here reminded me of the Bright Eyes song "Cleanse Song." Sample lyrics:

Don't forget what you've learned
All you give is returned
And if life seems absurd
What you need is some laughter
And a season to sleep
And a place to get clean
Maybe Los Angeles
Somewhere no one's expecting

On a detox walk through a Glendale Park over sidewalk chalk
Someone wrote in red, "Start over"

So I muffle my scream on an Oxnard beach
Full of fever dreams that scare you sober
Into saltless dinners

Take the fruit from the tree, break the skin with your teeth
Is it bitter or sweet? All depends on your timing

- "Mad Men:" 10 and 11 p.m. Sunday, AMC.