'Mad Men' Season 7 Recap: Episode 8: 'Severance': Jon Hamm's Don Draper Returns For Final Episodes!

The final episodes of Season 7 from the critically acclaimed Mad Men has begun on AMC. In episode 8, will Don Draper (Jon Hamm), Betty Francis (January Jones), and Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks), realize they actually lived a life not lived in 'Severance?'

Harkening back to his fur coat salmon days, Don flirts with a model wearing mink. No one looks away from the model at the pitch meeting for a razor's ad. Don and Roger Sterling (John Slattery) are enjoying themselves on their dinner date with models. reaping the rewards, Don recognizes the waitress who serves them the check. 

Don returns home to an empty house, talks to his answering service. Back to his drinking days, Don sleeps with a new one-night stand. Joan and Peggy are in a meeting with Topaz but nothing goes as planned. At the office, a co-worker tries to set someone up with Peggy., who says no thanks.

Before his casting audition, Joan and Don talk about the failed Topaz meeting. Cosgrove  (Aaron Staton) gives his father-in-law a new set of golf clubs for his retirement. Rachel Menken/Katz (Maggie Siff) makes an appearance in Don's dream. Cosgrove's wife wants him to quit his job, go back to his dreams, and write his book, but their argument leads to the baby crying.

Joan and Peggy meet with McCann executives, who are a bunch of chauvinistic jerks. Sterling and a McCann exec are at Cosgrove's office to tell him bad news. Now that his father-in-law, Cosgrove is kicked out and Pete is supposed to replace. Fired from the firm, Cosgrove will receive a severance.

While Peggy and Joan argue in the elevator, Don receives news that Rachel is actually dead. Don heads back to the diner and talks to the waitress. After the two have sex in the back alley, she tells him he got his $100 dollars worth. 

In the telephone booth, Cosgrove tells Don he's done. The life not lived; Cosgrove is happy he's fired from the firm. Joan gets a call from Dennis, but she won't take it. Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) is envious of Cosgrove leaving; he should write an adventure story.  

Ted (Kevin Rahm) meets with Don to tell him about a Vogue party. During her date, Peggy is described as a girl "who doesn't put up with things." After being told she's fearless, the two then switch each other's plates. 

At the wake, Don meets with Rachel's sister and sees her kids. Don realizes she had everything before she died of leukemia. Peggy makes out with her date but stops because she thinks he's more than a fling.

Don watches Nixon on the news about Vietnam, marking the date, April 30th, in the 1970s. Cosgrove is now head of advertising at his new job, becoming Pete and Roger's client. He's basically getting back at them, which makes them worry. Don meets with the waitress, who tells him when death happens, you can't make sense of it. 

Readers, what did you think of Severance?