looks like bryan batt's "Sal" character is not returing?

what a loss for Madmen!  some of the best scenes and plot lines revolved around Sal's internal struggle with his true sexuality.

how disappointing!

There will surely be a "gay" plot line in the show, methinks.  I have wondered whether Peggy will be a lesbian.

Despite his best efforts to fit in, Sal was never one of "the guys" at the office.  (Obviously.)

His relationships with his co-workers, male and female alike, were very awkward, and of all the people on the show they could've cut loose, the decision to make it Sal was probably the best they could've made. 

Sal would have found his situation stressful and very tiring at work, but with a clueless beard for a wife on top of all that, they exhausted all that could be said about him pretty quickly.  At the end of the day, he would either be found out, or he would remain forever in the closet.  And frankly, I was sick of hearing and seeing him mince around the office as he did.

I see your point, White Bread, but I miss Sal too. I found him quite charming, even in his imperfection.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him return in another season, perhaps after having made some changes! The MM writers are creative enough to come up with another great storyline for him when the time is right.

I don't miss Sal.

In that regard, I agree with White Bread. Sal being in the closet totally got in the way of him being truly creative, bold, and perhaps even progressive in his artwork. His highly contrived efforts to blend in via overt actions of what was office masculinity back then probably made him even more staid and traditional in terms of the industry. 

Now, that's ASSUMING Sal had anything to actually offer advertising for the new events currently unfolding in the Mad Men timeline !  I'm sorry if I call out some of you Sal sympathizers, but people seem to really give him a break because he's forced to live in the closet for fear of being oppressed and persecuted.  Those are all bad and unjust things, yes, but that doesn't make him a superstar Artist. So far as I can recall, his output during S1 and S2 as the Art Director wasn't anything spectacular.

He did seem to shine in film direction though.

I would say he didn't even shine in the Pateo ad as it was a fame by frame reproduction.   I don't think Sal could have done the floor wax ad without adding un-nessisary bondage to the boys jail cell or making it have a tinge of sexuality.  He was too droll and pissy all the time at work.

I think we can assume that an art director at a New York agency is by definition talented and creative.  Therefore, Sal was talented and creative.  His time is coming.  Again, I am positive there will be some kind of "gay" plot in the show.  They could have endlessly had eps where Sal is thwarted, nearly exposed, etc.  I don't think it was exhausted at all.  We have watched endless Don Draper escapades that always go the same way and never tire of them.

I could picture the show introducing a young punky openly gay character who is a genius advertising ace with the Midas touch, waltzing in and everyone has to deal with it.  It's business after all.

I think that was the only reason Kurt survived at S/C at all. He must have been pulling in a lot of money for them, but he stayed pretty much in the background.

I'm not sure about any openly gay character taking any major role in the storyline now. As much as I liked Sal, the drama originated from his struggle with his sexuality and his shame. Of course he was instantly recognizable to us in 2007 as gay, but in 1960 things were different. Sal was what I would call "dapper" in his style and affectation. That didn't necessarily translate as homosexual. Plus, he was the Art Director. Artsy types always have a little more leeway. And he did (mostly) the same things as the other guys at Sterling/Cooper; smoked, drank, went to strip clubs, let cheap women sit on his knee, etc. Eventually he even got married. Despite his "feelings", he did his best to deny who he was and fit in with the crowd. That aborted tryst with the bellhop may well have been his first real same sex encounter.

Now let us remember what it was like for anyone who dared be openly gay back then. They were ostracized; openly ridiculed and reviled; labeled as mentally ill or perverted; beaten, if given the chance; even beaten and/or blackmailed by police. Anyone in the public eye in that era had to pretend to be straight: Liberace, Rock Hudson, Raymond Burr, etc.
Even today, they are the only group who can still be legally discriminated against in many areas.

So, sorry Becky, but I just don't see any major companies in 1965 being comfortable putting their trust and their business in the hands of someone they would percieve as a deviant.

What you say is true.  But I don't say this potential new character would be president of the company.  Perhaps he is not even seen by clients.  It could be done and would really show the social conflict of the era.  It isn't long before outrageous behavior invades Mad AVe.  They will smoke pot, wear bell bottoms, have long hair and question all the assumptions. Primarily they will be young.  That is the story of the late sixties.

Don't forget, the gay rights movement is getting underway at this time. The Stonewall riots took place in NYC 1969, less than 5 years away, and obviously there was a build-up to that. This is why I wouldn't be at all surprised if Sal returned to MM (or Kurt, or a new gay character). Perhaps not with SCDP, and perhaps only in a minor story arc, but I can't see the writers completely leaving out the significant events in the gay rights movement that really began in the 1960's .

My personal prediction? We will see a lot more of women, homosexuals, and visible minorities standing up for their rights in the coming season(s)!

Ok Becky, it looks like you do have a new gay character. But she's infatuated with Peggy!

Omigawd get over Sal already  it's over ha ha ha

I may have missed something.  Did Peggy have a lesbian encounter with this new girl who seems infatuated with her?

No, they're just friends. I think Peggy thinks she's cool or modern for having gay friends. This gal keeps trying to set her up with that Abe schmuck.