The Mets Pennant

Lane Price is the dead man whose office Don Draper now inhabits. Lane’s suicide in season 5 was, in some way, brought on by Don’s refusal to cover for him and give the man a second chance. Now, when Don finds the pennant stuffed in the corner, he picks it up and returns it to the wall. Now that he is the one begging for a second chance, to atone for his mistakes, it serves as a dark reminder of what losing this job permanently could mean for Don.

The Computer

SC&P’s new computer is one of episode 4’s titular Monoliths, an allusion to the mysterious black slabs of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001. In the film, the monoliths triggers new stages of human evolution; it gives the apes weapons and turns David Bowman into a space baby. Harry Crane’s new favorite toy also brings about a new era for the agency, as Don notes, it brings a very literal displacement of the creative team as it takes over their room, and it signals the displacement of creative, artistic advertising with cold calculation.

Michael Ginsberg’s breakdown is a symptom of this shift. In a world of computers, there is no need for abnormal, creative types like Ginsberg, and he can sense this change approaching. This existential anxiety fuels his schizophrenia, culminating in his self-mutilation.

The Flowers

Peggy Olsen’s love life hasn’t exactly been working out so well lately. After Ted made his decision to leave her for California, her emotions toward him have been pretty conflicted, and seeing those ambiguously labeled flowers makes Peggy run from elated to angry to despondent all over again.

Telescopes

In the mid-season finale, everyone is looking up at the moon, and telescopes pop up in a couple important scenes. When Sally is in the backyard, the telescope shows her new things, stars she has never seen before, as she discovers some more new things back on earth. Take note, young nerds, girls love an astronomy lesson.

We see telescopes again behind Megan while her and Don discuss their split on the phone. There’s no new discovery here, the telescope here represents the astronomical divide that has grown between the couple.