Cable television is often seen as the hyper-specific counterpoint to the broad, all-demographic-encompassing programming of the broadcast networks. A quick scroll through the TV Guide channel shows a myriad of narrowly focused stations, promising shows that appeal to a specific group of people, or dedicated to a specific genre. Hell, the fact that there's a "TV Guide Channel" at all is one of the oft-overlooked miracles of cable TV.
Yet the concept of the narrow focus of cable is more myth than reality. The initial cable channels that sprung to life in the late seventies weren't remarkable in that they provided something specific, but in that they catered to everybody. Channels like TBS and USA mainly played reruns of old dramas and game shows, with maybe a few movies and Atlanta sports events thrown in. There was very little original programming, and the appeal was deliberately broad.
In the years that followed, however, cable television began to concentrate on certain niches, and many of these channels make up the bedrock of modern cable television. ESPN did sports. CNN was news. MTV was music. Nickelodeon was for kids programming. By the time that Food Network, the History Channel, and the Sci-Fi Channel premiered in the nineties, the tale of cable appeared to be a journey from broad generalities to a narrower focus.
While investigating a recent phenomenon regarding the positions of the stars and the planets and how they influence our lives - which I have confirmed is in fact nothing but a Scam, as suspected - I suddenly got an unexplainable urge to explore the precepts of Mysticism (that is to say, nonsense). And I was recently presented with an outlet to pursue this urge through an episode of the hit scripted AMC drama Mad Men. In one episode, which I'm sure one of our esteemed writers remembers, Don Draper (that is to say, John Hamm), gets a Tarot card reading.
Even though this happened a full two seasons ago, I won't give away the circumstances under which this happens, as I'd like this post to stay spoiler-free until after the jump. Remember, I'm watching this on Netflix (a fact I'm sure the Nielsen boys would love to get their hands on), so while I'm rather far behind, I'm still going in sequence, so I'd like to stay as spoiler-free as possible myself. So back to focusing on the mysticism.
I had picked up a Tarot deck back in my days of living like an indie-hipster-druid in Portland OR, so I decided to freeze-frame on Don's tarot reading and analyze it a little. Turns out it's a pretty accurate description of his character in the show. Which is interesting, because I've always thought the Tarot had more weight in its descriptive powers rather than its predictive powers.
So if you've watched up through Season 2 of Mad Men and/or you're interested in the divinatory arts, press on to find out what all this means for us.
Greetings and, er, uh, saluatations! This is, er, uh, Senata Robert Kennedy. Please, cowl me, er, uh, Bobby. I have, er, uh, been asked buy the, er, uh editas, of this er, uh, foine blog heeyah, to, er, uh inform you that, er, uh, Mr. Jordan Pedasen, will be, er, uh, indisposed for this, er, uh recaap.
So, er, uh, I should warn you, that er, uh, Mr. Boivin plans on referring to some, er, uh spoilahs. Please take that into considaration before, er, uh, proceeding.
Pahoehoe, Mad Mennisotans! Boivin and Jordasch are off this week for a much needed furlough at the Minnesota State Fair (see what I did there?). But we'll be back next week with a double feature, so get excited for an extra helping of our wry social commentary/barely-coherent rambling!Continue...
We’re both drunk already! Let’s do this! Spoilers ahead! Wait! “Here be spoilers!”, “Spoilers ahoy!”, “Watch for spoilers!”, “Spoilers: they’re after the jump!”, “Get ready to be spoiled!”...
Konichiwa, Charujasato-san! We hope you’re the mood for suburban child scandal and advertising intrigue! Lord knows we are! And if you aren’t? Who are you, Dr. Lyle Evans? Click ahead and let the fun begin! It’s spoiler time!
Boivin: This week we got two very distinct plotlines, one being a return to the house formerly known as Draper. As I mentioned in the very clever and funny opening line to this post, we’re back to the show’s regular formula of half of the plots revolving around Don and Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce’s adventures in advertising and the other half dedicated to the home front. I guess we should start with the office comings and goings: Don’s got a rival! The Japanese? Those sandal-wearing goldfish tenders?
Jordan: The same. Just in time for Lucky Strike to see its bottom line drop into the toilet, Pete Campbell, who is becoming so good at his job I’m damn near proud of him, found the next golden goose in the Honda corporation. They were only manufacturing motorcycles at this time, but Pete find them as they’re looking to expand into the car market. They’ve chosen three American advertising firms to compete for the account. And they’re only allowed three thousand dollars to win over the men from the East. Piece of cake for Don Draper, right?
Boivin: In terms of cake pieces, it would’ve gone great if not for Pacific vet Roger Sterling shooting his mouth off. How’d you feel about Roger’s series of anti-Japanese tirades? I thought they were hilarious (Editor's note: Charge Shot!!! does not advocate nor does it condone Mr. Boivin's racism), and my weakness for World War II puns was in full effect. Also, I loved all the stuff about navigating the Japanese customs with the help of Cooper-sempai. About time we got some use out of his hentai fetish!
Jordan: Is there any way you can feel towards hentai that doesn’t qualify as a fetish? I certainly thought they were funny and, more importantly, plausible. Roger doesn’t often look like much more than a smug asshole, but here we see that he does indeed care about someone other than himself. There are scant flashes of his humanity, and this was one of them. Thank the kami Pete reeled him in, though. Don brought it home, but Campbell had the balls to tell him off.
Boivin: I like this heretofore unexplored rivalry between Pete and Roger. I think Roger’s fired him at least once but their interaction has been fairly minimal and professional. With Roger off the rails, Pete speaks truth to power and shows what a competent and, amazingly, essential part of the agency he has become. Who could have figured that his bitchface would climb so high?
And speaking of interactions with Roger, I loved his scene with Joan. And speaking of which, how does she not fall over?
Jordan: A giant ass that acts as a counterweight. Joan has become even more fierce than she was the first few seasons. The partners still parade her about, but SCDP’s rank-and-file seem too intimidated by her to treat her like an object. She, the symbol of everything backwards about female employment in the ‘60s, has ironically become the most powerful woman in the office. Maybe more so than Peggy, who we only see a bit of in this episode. But we swap an Olson for a Francis as Betty comes roaring back into the picture.
Boivin: Peggy riding around that empty sound stage on the motorcycle: one of my favorite images ever. I think I’ll get it as a tattoo.
Regarding Henry: he’s shaping up to be a pretty swell guy. Betty on the other hand...yeesh. When you hit a child, you generally lose all the audience’s support. Betty’s becoming an almost over-the-top monster (not that I’m complaining) and is starting to be the closest thing the show has to a straight up villain. The way she deals with the, um, situation at home is really bad. She’s losing sympathy fast.
Last season, a reader of this feature accused me of harboring an illicit crush on Sally Draper so I’m going to let you take on this part of the episode.
Jordan: Oh Jesus, Boivin. Illicit would be the nice word for that.
The A.V. Club last week named Betty Draper as one of their 22 “Showblockers,” characters so grating/unrealistic that they stop an otherwise quality show in its tracks. And while I agreed totally with that conclusion last week, I actually remembered why I felt sympathy for Betty while watching this episode. She’s inhumane, inhuman even, but she really did deal with some truly heinous, alienating shit in the form of one Mr. Donald Draper. Seeing Betty slap Sally stings a little bit less when you realize Betty’s really just a child herself. But she’s certainly hard to love.
Boivin: Betty’s “Showblockers” problem comes a lot from her being separate from the office story-lines. Dealing with her takes focus off the stuff going on about accounts and such. But it’s essential for Don. I love the war between the two of them, and Betty has some good points about his piss poor child-rearing skills. Faye’s suggestion that Sally just needs to know that daddy loves her was spot on.
Jordan: You know, I think there’s something sweet and genuine brewing between Faye and Don. We both kept expecting them to jump into bed together immediately, but watching them slowly learn more and more about one another is far more satisfying. I think Don may have found his foil. But for now, he’s still the awesomest dude in Awesome Town. Him writing a check to the Japanese returning the three grand for the ad contest was one of the most fist-pump-worthy moments of the season. And it really does warm the cockles of my heart to know that, even without Lucky Strike, SCDP will be just fine, now that they’re doing things Don’s way.
Boivin: One last note before we go: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. taught me how to masturbate too.
Madness awaits after the jump, folks! So grab your rejected pile of nude photographs and prepare for spoilers! Boivin: Like so many episodes of so many television shows before it, this week’s Mad Men adventure could be divided up into a series of “plots”; A, B, and C, perhaps. Let’s start with Pete’s, shall we? The whole “chicken shit into chicken salad” LBJism was aptly put to use here. Pete’s gone from being locked in a dead end in his professional life; he’s Head of Accounts at the new agency but when two thirds of your business is Lucky Strike, which belongs to Roger, what good is that? As much as we might love to hate Pete and his bitchface, it was nice to see him on top this week. Not to mention his interactions with Peggy about you-know-what. Jordan: Watching Pete’s father-in-law (Joe O’Connor, who played Marshall Darling on Clarissa Explains It All) slumped over in defeat was strangely satisfying, especially considering how much his son-in-law bites. And it really did attest to Pete’s business acumen (and his total SOB-ness) that he saw an opportunity to grab a bigger account while losing a smaller one. Is Pete actually becoming more useful than his family connections? Boivin: Pete defeating Trudy’s dad was something to see. How he could go from one day hoping to take him down easy and apologetically to the very next day “Hey, I know it’s cool that I got your daughter pregnant, but guess what? GIMME ALL YOUR ACCOUNTS.” It’s testament to just how weaselly he can be. I never thought I’d be so happy to see Pete come out on top. And whatever makes Allison Brie happy makes me very happy. I would get her so pregnant. Jordan: It’s nice to see him finally beat Cosgrove, who makes a wonderful appearance which, I think, won’t be a one-off. I thought the most affecting part of Pete’s story, though, was the way it crossed over with Peggy’s. Peggy spent most of the episode gallivanting around with a bunch of LifeMagazine hippies, but it was her walking into Pete’s office at the end of the episode to congratulate him on being a father was one of the most heartbreaking moments of the season. I’ve railed on Mad Men before for dropping plotlines when they’re inconvenient, but season four is really hitting it out of the park in terms of continuity-keeping. Speaking of which, I’m starting to think this is the best season yet. A quick sidebar for your thoughts? Boivin: I want to withhold judgments for now; we’re only four episodes in and I think it’s going to be very hard to outdo the first season’s incredible highs. But yes, this one’s on quite a roll. It uses it’s new energy nicely. Don’s gone from suave and mysterious to just pathetic and mysterious, but he’s still the same Don from way back when, just in a new situation. Notice the role reversal in this episode? Dr. Faye Miller told Don something he didn’t like or agree with and he got angry and told her that he as the client was always right. Remind you of anything? Perhaps, several other scenes over the series’ history? The tables have turned! Jordan: I know you argued last week that Faye was simply the next in a line of focus groupers, but I think her character really represents a sea change in the “image management” industry (or whatever you wanna call it). Don, I think, appreciates that what he does is manipulative, but he doesn’t think it’s craven. Faye, with her false modesty and scientific hypotheses about consumer behavior, represents a new world. And it’s not one that leaves much room for the Don Drapers of the world. Boivin: Maybe I just dismiss Faye because she is all that I hate. Well, not her specifically, but focus groups in general. They’re the ones who ruin movies and bring things down to the lowest common denominator. I miss the days when men in fantastic suits smoked and drank and made clever ads that made me want to buy cigarettes and liquor, damn it! I will actually be impressed and humbled if Weiner and friends get us through this season without Don sleeping with her. It seems like it’s just a matter of time before she falls before Don’s effortless charms, but I would certainly hope that he tries and fails, because man oh man does he deserve to be in the karmic doghouse after the way he treated Allison this week.
Jordan: Isn’t “Weiner and friends” what you call your package? Boivin: No. It's name is Geoffrey Arend.Continue...
Apologies for being tardy, fellow Mad Mennonites! But better late than never, right? Of course right! So slap a steak on your groin like it’s a Big Texas Belt Buckle and prepare for spoilers! Yee-haw!
Boivin: Before we discuss anything else, I think we should talk about the format of this episode. It seemed like a two-for-one, a twofer if you will. By the time the Don and Anna plot was resolved, I thought an hour had already passed by, but lo and behold we were only halfway through the episode. That’s economical television, folks!
Jordan: One could almost construe it as disjointed, but both halves were so damn satisfying that I had a hard time complaining. They also weren’t wholly distinct, as the angst engendered by first fueled the whoring and boozing of the second.
Boivin: Of course; Don’s discovery of Anna’s impending death leads him to accelerate his self-destructive tendencies (which have of course been highlighted this season) and led him to reach out to Lane, his new BFF. The final shot before the first 1965 meeting of the partners at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is quite telling: Don strips the sheets off the bed and collapses onto it, giving the camera a vacant stare.
Jordan: The Anna part of the episode was just as heartwarming and heartbreaking as the character’s other appearances on the show, but this one packed a particularly hard punch. Watching Don go from being merely a sad divorcee creeping on a twenty-year-old to a man without an identity who realizes that his only real friend is about to die was almost exhausting.
Boivin: It’s not just Anna that’s dying: she’s going to take Dick Whitman to the grave with her. Anna’s the only one who knows Don’s whole life story. Sure, Betty and Pete have seen the Shoebox of Damocles and know that he wasn’t born Don Draper, but they don’t know him, he’s never been Dick Whitman with them. When Don signed “Anna and Dick ‘64” on the wall of Anna’s house, he was essentially commemorating the final nail in Dick Whitman’s coffin.
Jordan: I can’t resist trying to predict what the show might do with this. In whom will Don confide? Allison? Lane? Certainly not Roger or, uh, Bert (though seeing Robert Morse’s reaction to Don trying to open up would be hysterical). Or will he simply bottle the whole thing up (literally)? Will the show end with the iconic single light bulb illuminating Don’s swinging corpse?
Boivin: Cooper already knows, and is on the record for not giving a shit, which is why Don didn’t get fired when Pete blackmailed him at the end of Season One. Maybe this is how he inevitably gets Betty back (though she seems pretty hostile towards anything having to do with Dick Whitman)? I think this is the first episode in the series’ history to be without the former Mrs. Draper, and honestly it did pretty well.
Let’s talk about Joan, everybody’s favorite character.
Jordan: That moment where Joan’s husband stitched up her finger was so touching it almost made me forgive some of the character’s rape-ier tendencies. Almost. We’ve seen Joan before, but I think this is the first time we’ve gotten a really full-fledged Joan subplot. For better or slightly less better, Joan’s usually just exquisite eye candy.
Boivin: Gotta disagree. Joan’s had decent subplots since the beginning. Think her affair with Roger Season One, and her impending nuptials culminating in the hard-to-watch office rape at the hands of Greg in Season Two, and Three had her front-and-center spawning my new found accordion fetish.
Her sobbing as Greg stitches up her finger is so hard to read. Is she crying because this horrible man is the one she’s stuck with, surgical incompetence and all? Or is she remembering the Mr. Right she fell in love with? I thought that scene was great because it managed to create just the slightest bit of sympathy for Dr. Rape, who is by definition the worst person on a show about terrible people.
Jordan: I feel like Joan was the one being acted upon in her previous subplots, and though she’s still the victim here of Greg’s (admittedly forced) abandonment, I perceive her as being more effectual here. It’s her stress we focus on this time, and not the aftereffects of something we’ve seen her suffer.
I also feel like Mad Men has largely forgiven Greg for his transgressions, which never really made sense to me. Greg seemed like a stand-up (if a bit whiny) guy both before and after the rape, and that seemed like something Matt Weiner threw in to shock rather than to move the character forward legitimately.
Boivin: But it informs so much of their relationship from that point on. Greg’s behavior towards Joan doesn’t always seem that bad in Season Three and this current one, but when you understand that he’s the kind of guy who would rape his fiancée in her boss’ office, you see him for the bully and monster he is. One has to remember that Joan has essentially made her peace with living in a man's world, and she's going for the ladies' American Dream of settling down with a handsome doctor and having lots of kids. But she's stuck with a man who rapes her and isn't even good at his job. It’s going to be weird when Greg's eventually killed/maimed in Vietnam. Though, knowing Weiner he’s probably going to be sent to West Germany in an effort to throw off our expectations.
And Lane. Poor, poor, pitiful Lane. This segment made me so happy. For a number of reasons. Not only did we get some of the best drunken debauchery this side of Roger Sterling but we also got to see the boys go and see Gamera!
Jordan: “LOOK AT ME! I’VE GOT A BIG TEXAS BELT BUCKLE.” One of the best lines in a season full of ‘em. We’ll have to agree to disagree on Weiner’s intent with Greg. I’ve seen enough character and plot inconsistencies in Mad Men that I no longer labor under the delusion that the writing staff is infallible. But I will say that bringing Lane and Don together in their most vulnerable moment was a stroke of genius on the part of the staff. When I watched Lane walk into the harsh light of day after a night of quality hooker-lovin’, I knew Lane would be a perfect foil for Don’s compulsively watchable slide into oblivion.
Speaking of oblivion, that's all the time left for us! Come by at our regular time next Tuesday for more Mountains of Madness! Continue...
Season Four of Mad Men is underway! We’re getting our Christmas episode in August! Lucky us! Jump ahead for our esteemed experts’ views on America’s favorite advertising-based historical drama. Spoilers aplenty!
Jordan: To me, this episode felt like a bit of a placeholder: not much character development, few gripping moments (though Don’s drunk ass slumped outside his apartment door was pretty tragic). But I’d have to put it near the top of the pack for the sheer multitude of unforgettable lines and killer scenes. The conga line? Harry Crane sitting on Roger’s lap? “Look where we are”?
Boivin: I think what you’re mentioning as a favorite moment is in fact the character development you claim to so sorely miss. Don’s drinking is starting to get out of control. We probably saw him two sheets to the wind more times in this episode then we did in most of the previous seasons. Clearly he’s not taking his new bachelor life well. And while we’re on the subject, poor Allison.
Jordan: At least she shows up in the “scenes from next week.” Yes, I did think the Don moments were fairly significant, though the general levity of the proceedings didn’t let me emo out with Don for too long. Or rather, I felt the emotional impact of Don’s struggle was blunted by all the silly (but hilarious) crap going on. I enjoyed it, but I’m hoping the show will be able to balance drama and comedy with a bit less clumsily than it did this week. By the way, what did happen this week?
Boivin: Well, Don met a neighbor and made some bad decisions around the office by insulting the psy-ops division and refusing to take a simple survey about his childhood (though of course he’s going to hook up with Dr. Faye) as well sleeping with his long-time secretary Allison and then sort-of-accidentally treating her like one of his whores by giving her her Christmas bonus the morning after. Peggy worked through some issues with her new boyfriend, who really wanted to make the Beast With Two Backs and is working under the impression that he’s her “first” (somewhere out in the infinite cosmos Duck Phillips laughs maniacally). Roger had to deal with Lee Garner Jr. (of getting Sal fired fame) ruining the office Christmas party, and Freddy Rumsen returned! Also, future right-wing pundit Glen B. made some creepy overtures to Sally Draper’s affections, which included vandalizing the Draper-Francis house. I have amazing memory retention; I was in a “gifted” class in lower school.
Jordan: Yeah, I definitely squealed like a girl when Freddy Rumsen came through Roger’s door. And that’s kinda interesting considering I didn’t really care about Freddy when he was a series regular. Based on the way the show swept him aside, I don’t think Matt Weiner did either. But he’s returned with a purpose; Mad Men’s fourth season is all about the winds of change finally beginning to buffet Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (whew). And who better to illustrate the extinction of the dinosaurs than old, (formerly) drunk, urine-soaked Freddy Rumsen. You can practically smell the formaldehyde.
Boivin: It was great having Freddy back, he of the playing-Mozart-with-your-fly, I think there’s a big fan following for him because he was our first experience with a series regular getting dismissed, and he was also just damn funny (he’s Bill Murray’s brother, of course). His relationship with Peggy was great to see again because he more than anyone is responsible for her rise to power. His advice to Peggy regarding male-female relationships and his opinions on what women want are the first time I can remember in the series of an “old-fashioned” guy being told off by a woman for his views. Speaking of which, how about Peggy and her beau? Second most-loathed male character behind (distantly) Joan’s husband Dr. McRapey?
Jordan: I thought Peggy’s boyfriend was hysterical (“Think about THAT!”). His 12-year old with a boner shtick reminded me frighteningly of this, uh, guy I know. Let’s call him J. Pedersen. No, that’s too obvious; Jordan P. Anyway, back to the blood-sucking marketing team. I really enjoyed watching Don squirm as the new, focus-grouped version of his business was rolled out in front of him. It actually made me respect Don’s brand of product hawking. It’s manipulative, sure, but it’s not halfway as craven as the crap we have today.
Boivin: Don’s had to deal with focus groups since the pilot (remember the German lady?) but I think he’s always been able to work around them. It’s just this one was getting into deep stuff like “Were you raised on a farm in Illinois and have you stolen the identity of a man who died in the Korean War to make yourself into the paragon of the American Dream and are you a terrible person for doing it or just a SURVIVOR?” that rubs him the wrong way. I think we’ll be seeing more of sexy psychologist lady down the line. It’s between her and Phoebe the nurse for this season’s Draper Girl.
What about poor Roger and Cigarette dauphin Lee Garner Jr.?
Jordan: I guess it’s clear who Garner’s new Sal(ly) is.
Boivin: As much as that Christmas party looked like fun (I’ll take a place behind Christina Hendricks in a conga line any day of the week), seeing Roger humiliated and bullied into a Santa costume was infuriating and a big moment of poetic justice/epiphany for the character. He’s been eternally in the “the client is always, always right” school of accounts work and here we see it taken to it’s most extreme (well, maybe a little less extreme than “have sex with him in the editing room”). Could this be the tunraround that makes the SCDP gang lose the Lucky Strike account?
Also, someone on a Mad Men talkback I frequent said regarding Lee Garner Jr. and his Polaroid: “Hey, here’s a great idea: let’s give a bullying, sadistic, closeted homosexual with daddy issues a camera! That’ll never backfire!”
That’s all for this episode, gang! Tune in next week: same Mad time, same Mad channel!
Welcome back, fellow Mad Meniacs (don’t worry, I’ll never call you that again)! Season Four of Mad Men has begun! For this year’s outing, I’m joined by my distinguished colleague Jordan Pedersen for a discussion of the comings and goings of everyone’s favorite AMC program (or maybe second favorite if you like Breaking Bad or continuous showings of Dragonheart and Lethal Weapon 4)! Let’s get right into things, shall we? Spoilers ahoy! Boivin: First off, I loved the opening to this episode with Don being interviewed by Advertising Age. With a first line like “Who is Donald Draper?”, how can one go wrong? I also, think it sets up a good theme of Don being outside his comfort zone. He’s the new face of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce; he’s used to be being the main draw at the agency but now that his name’s on the wall he’s become something of a celebrity or at least a public persona. Also, one-legged man. Twin Peaks, anyone?
Jordan: I didn’t necessarily dislike it, but it felt a tad obvious to me. I mean, the show’s been asking that question since it premiered in 2007, even if nobody said it out loud (until now I guess). And, for the most part, that’s how I felt about the whole episode. Mad Men has made its name as a studied, deliberately-paced character drama. “Public Relations,” on the other hand, was a zippy, quick-witted almost-dramedy. I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t always sure what show I was watching.
Boivin: Frankly, the show has needed a shot in the arm like this episode. Think about last season: what happened? Don and Betty got a divorce, and the core players jumped ship and started their own agency. That was about it. Don hasn’t changed that much over the series. Sure, he’s had his moments of resolving to be a better husband and father but it usually just ends with him diddling some broad. I think putting everyone in this new situation, Betty and the kids included, is making for some great stuff.
Jordan: I think those are two fairly monumental changes that took place, actually. But what’s important is that they took place in the last episode of the season. Creator Matt Weiner is definitely trying to distribute plot development more evenly this time around, and I’m, by and large, fine with that. He’s even gone a more conventional route with B-plotting. Mad Men has always had a central (A) plot and a side (B) plot, but Pete and Peggy’s P.R. stunt felt almost zany, like something Tracy and Jenna would do on 30 Rock. I do give the show credit for handling a new thematic thread pretty elegantly, though.
Boivin: I think Vincent Kartheiser should just start reading Tracy Jordan lines instead of Pete's. "I am a Jedi! I AM A JEDI!"
I agree with you on the Pete and Peggy thing. I didn’t really get what purpose it served other than perhaps showing that Peggy is trying to blaze her own trail at the agency without Don’s paternalism. Beyond that, I don’t suspect the ham fight will come up in a big way, so this was sort a one note plot. Don didn’t really seem offended by the stunt, just annoyed, which I guess is his default emotion around Peggy.
How do we feel about the situation at home, both Betty’s and Don’s?
Jordan: Don’s paying a hooker to slap him! Sweet! Yeah, Betty’s even more of a shrill bitch than she was before, and Henry’s still the likable guy who you hate because he’s not Don. And Sally Draper remains the show’s secret weapon, even though she’s lost that inimitable lisp.
Boivin: I myself have always hated Henry Francis, though now he seems downright sympathetic. I’m sure marrying Betty Draper seems like a great idea when you start out but after eight months or so...yeesh. I think thousands of boyfriends around our great nation asked their significant others to slap them around during sex on Sunday night in an effort to be more like Don Draper.
Jordan: Yeah, it’ll be cool to see the shoe on the other foot, as far as being the dominant one in the relationship is concerned. And Don’s not just playing the sub in bed; his new girl Bethany (played by some chick from True Blood, apparently) won’t even screw him on the first date. To me, that was the most shocking depiction of submission in this episode.
Boivin: My faith was utterly shaken. If Don can’t even bed a girl fresh out of college, and a friend of Jane’s at that, I don’t know what I’m doing with my life anymore. Don’s always gone for much more assertive, dare I say interesting women. You have the free-spirited beatnik Midge, the intelligent and independent Rachel, the aggressive Bobbie, and Suzanne who wants to have her fourth graders listen to Martin Luther King’s speeches. I don’t think we’ll be seeing too much of Don’s date.
Before we finish, can we talk about how awesome the ownage of the prudish swimsuit guys was? Because I think they now know how Bobbie Barrett felt in that powder room in Season Two.
Jordan: Couldn’t disagree more on the date. First, because Don seemed as utterly charmed by her as she apparently was by him, and, second, because I’ve seen production stills with her in a different location. So there.
Don pwned the swimdorks, for sure. My feelings on that scene echo my feelings about the whole show: I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t sure it felt like Mad Men. But maybe that’s a good thing.
Boivin: This isn’t your daddy’s Mad Men, where every episode ends with a pan out of Don looking sad! This is X-TREME SEASON FOUR MAD MEN! We end on high notes with sweet British Invasion tunes!
That’s all for this week, Charge Shooters!!! Come back next week as our sherpas continue to scale the Mountains of Madness!Continue...
My litmus test for TV shows is pretty rough: if they're not The Wire, I'm generally disappointed. You'd know this if you read our decade-end retrospective, and, if the comment boards are any indication, you didn't.
Although AMC's Mad Men unfortunately does not pass the test per se ("This version of The Wire has no black people!"), the show happens to be my favorite thing on TV right now and proves how stupid that test is.
Mad Men, if you've had your head completely up your ass, focuses on fictional Manhattan-based ad agency Sterling Cooper as it gets buffeted by the cultural sea changes of the 1960's. It was during this decade that all the morning boozing, chain-smoking, and blatant misogyny we see on the show started to look a little sketchy. Science started, uh, doing its job, and women realized they could do stuff.
Smack-dab in the middle of all this revolutionary social change is the impossibly handsome Don Draper (seriously, how did Jon Hamm not work before this show?). Don's a creative visionary, a womanizing jagoff, and a profoundly tragic figure all rolled into one deceptively smooth package. One of the most brilliant things about Hamm's performance (and casting) is that we're sold on the fact that such a perfect-looking man could be so tortured.
His past is famously mysterious: a stolen identity here, a forgotten family there. At some times, the severity of the trauma in Don's past is enough to excuse his quixotic behavior. At others, we practically scream at the TV, "STOP SCREWING WOMEN THAT AREN'T YOUR WIFE."
Betty Draper (January Jones, seemingly brilliant, but suffering from Scarlett Johannsen's disease, where I can't tell if she's underacting perfectly or not acting at all) is almost equally problematic. She plays the victim for much of the show, but despite how drop-dead gorgeous she is, Betty's still a hard character to love. She is, by turns, cold and immature, prone to insensitive outbursts at her children and general pouting.
While the relationship between Betty and Don is at the center of Mad Men in general, it takes up an even larger chunk of the third season. We, accordingly, see less of the show's cast of secondary characters this time around. Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) gets considerably less screen time; perhaps creator Matt Wiener thought the story about her illegitimate child with Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) had run its course? Peggy's character seems to have two purposes on the show: to deal with the poor treatment she sometimes receives as Sterling Cooper's first woman copywriter, and to feel guilty about accidentally having a kid. Unfortunately, Peggy has already "done her dramatic job" on Mad Men, and she's consequently being pushed to the margins.
Roger Sterling (John Slattery), Joan Harris/Holloway (Christina Hendricks), and the aforementioned Pete Campbell, however, aren't in the same boat as Peggy. That we get less of them this season is more distressing.
But if Don and Betty take up an inordinate amount of this season, at least they justify their upgraded presence with fascinating storylines. The conflicts over Betty's father moving into the house, Don being forced to sign a contract with Sterling Cooper, and the continued shakiness of their marriage never failed to keep me fascinated.
The show's trademark mysteriousness remains firmly intact: unexplained dreams, flashbacks, and hallucinations abound. It's wonderful to watch a show where the creator is confident enough in his vision not to hold the audience's hand the whole time. A friend once said, of Harold Pinter, that "he walks the line between mysterious and inscrutable perfectly." Creator Matt Wiener strikes that same balance.
But the thing that makes this season of Mad Men perhaps my favorite is that stuff is actually starting to happen, if only by the season's end. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that all those social changes we saw bubbling at the show's margins are finally starting to leak in to the lives of the characters (that photo of Don underwater really does sum up the season perfectly). The men and women of Sterling Cooper have thus far been content to let the '60s happen around them; the decade is finally happening to them. As I watched the season's stunning finale, I couldn't help but wonder what Don might be up to 10, 20, or 30 years in the future. What would he look like if he were still alive today?
The unhurried pace of this show is finally starting to speed up. Maybe the best is yet to come.Continue...
There was speculation around the blogosphere this past week that since last Sunday's Mad Men dealt almost exclusively with the JFK assassination, this week's season finale would essentially act as a coda to the season and serve to further deal with any loose ends left after "the Grown Ups". Boy oh boy, did this episode prove us wrong. Instead of another hour of Don Draper and friends moping around being sad about the president being killed, we were treated to some of the biggest movings and shakings of the plot in the series' three seasons. By the hour's end, the status quo has been entirely uprooted for Don both at work and at home and things are never going to be the same.
So what exactly happened and what is in store for us next summer?
The episode opens with Connie essentially firing Don, or "letting him go" to put it in a slightly more cordial way. The reason? Well, the firing has been a long time coming, I'm frankly surprised it took until the season finale to tie this plot line up, because Hilton has been disappointed with his surrogate son's creative output (even though we the viewers know that it's been awesome). He uses the old "it's not what I wanted" excuse. Hey, Connie- who's the advertising genius in this relationship? More than all that though, Connie has caught wind that Sterling Cooper's British overlords Putnam, Powell, and Lowe are being bought by McCann Erickson (the scumbags who tried to lure Don away in Season One) and for this reason he wants to jump ship. Don and Connie initially bonded over being self-made men who rose up from the ranks of the common people to rule over the phonies born into privilege, but now it seems that Connie is no better than any other millionaire hotel tycoon and Don accuses Connie of building him up just to knock him down. He's confirmed my suspicions and now the "Don works for Paris Hilton's great-grandfather" plot line has been resolved. Let's move on, shall we?
Don's been sleeping in baby Gene's room for the past few weeks as Betty doesn't love him anymore. This is of course significant because if you ask Sally, that room is haunted. Betty goes with Henry Francis to discuss divorce proceedings with a lawyer, and since she can't prove Don's numerous infidelities (by all accounts it looks like Don would have more evidence on Betty, going to a divorce lawyer with your adulterous lover is either a sign of stupidity or an utter lack of self-reliance) she's going to have to temporarily move to Reno to get things under way. The kids don't take the announcement of divorce very well, Sally especially though Bobby Draper even gets some good screen time in this episode, and seem to side with Don, but wouldn't you? Don initially seems powerless to stop Betty and resigns himself to letting her have her way, that usually seems to work with her. But soon enough, Don gets some inside information by his once and future bro Roger (more on that later) that Betty has been alleycatting around with Henry Francis. That trollop! He gets liquored up (as one does in such situations) and confronts her about it in the middle of the night. He vows to not give her a penny and to keep the kids; he'll ruin her for this. Maybe if Don hadn't reformed himself (again) as a contented family man when he found out about this he might not have freaked out so much. But on the other hand, this isn't so much about Betty cheating on him as it is about her destroying the tidy little world he's created for himself. Marrying the spoiled little rich girl, churning out a couple of adorable little moppets, and buying a house in Westchester is the cornerstone of Dick Whitman's Don Draper persona and now she's gone and ruined the whole thing. He's been kicked out of the house before and he could probably tolerate Betty having a man on the side, but leaving him for some asshole from the governor's office? Fuck that!
Of course Don comes to let Betty have her way, telling her that he hopes "she gets what she always wanted". Good one, Don! Let her guilt tear her apart!
I for one am sort of intrigued by the way the show has approached the Betty and Don divorce plotline. For a program that effectively acts as a revisionist take on the 1960's, exposing all the un-PC and ugly goings on of American society at the time, I find it odd that a the story of a woman divorcing her cheating husband in a time when divorce was still greatly stigmatized for women is treated so negatively. I'm not against it, I find it a refreshing take for the story and am glad the show hasn't spiraled into "you go girl!" back-slapping. It's also consistent with Betty's character, most importantly of all.
Aside from the fall of the house of Draper, the big big big new development at season's end is of course the goings on around the offices of Sterling Cooper. With the news that PPL is being sold and Sterling Cooper is going to be absorbed into their rivals McCann Erickson (unless they're sacked like old man Cooper is bound to be) the old guard of Don, Coop, and even Roger hit the ground running with a plan to buy the company back from their British oppressors and restore it to its former glory. In their conspiracy they decide to include Lane Pryce who is sick and tired of being kicked around by the home office and is now in full-on good guy mode (I told you it would happen!). In return for his financial wizardry, Lane asks to be made a partner in the new firm- Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce! The tetrarchy decides to get themselves fired (courtesy of Lane) and steal all of Sterling Cooper's best talent and accounts. The first piece that falls into place is the new firm's Head of Accounts and who better to fill that position than another discontent Pete Campbell!
After being passed over for the promotion at the end of the Accounts contest with Ken, Pete is shopping around for new jobs. While at home faking sick, Pete is surprised by a visit from Roger and Don who ask him to climb aboard the defection train to Freedomville. I for one think it's great and extremely satisfying to see Pete finally get his. Every time it's looked like things were going his way, they're snatched away from him. No character has gone from Draper enemy to ally ("heel to face") as often as Pete and because of this I think it makes his final victory all the sweeter. Also, it makes Trudy happy and therefore makes me happy.
Peggy is also being recruited by Don for the revolution and she's initially hesitant to do it. After all, she's been treated like Don's homonculous ever since he elevated her to copywriter status and he's been keen to keep her loyal and subservient to him since then. Peggy's also felt, with plenty of cause, that Don takes credit for her good ideas and punishes her for the ones that don't go anywhere; therefore- why take it anymore? After all, she's got a pretty sweet offer from her sugar daddy Duck. It looks like Peggy will go with the man named for a water fowl until Don shows up and sincerely apologizes for the way he's treated her. He's losing almost everything he values in his life, he can't lose her. As he tells her, he sees her not so much as an extension of himself as he sees himself in her. I would assume that being the spawn of a no-account farmer and a whore with nothing to your name is somewhat equivalent to being a woman in the world of early 60's advertising. And with that, Peggy's on board.
I for one would like to know what ever happened to Duck. I was really hoping that his bring Peggy over to Gray was part of a revenge plot against Don. "You fool, Draper! Now your apprentice has turned against you and are under a three year contract with an agency that doesn't appreciate your talents! At last I have my revenge! Mwahahahahaahaha! Now I will eat your grey flannel suit!"
When the conspirators discover that they don't know where anything is kept at the old office when they plan to steal it, Roger has only one call to make. And with that, Joan is back to work and all is right in the world. I must say that during her big entrance after the "who knows where all the stuff is?" scene, I almost stood up and cheered.
Also, Harry is recruited. I like him. I really thought Sal was going to be back when they needed to break into the art department but it turns out a few good kicks to the door will do. Ken is of course left behind. And poor, poor Paul...
And so with that, the midnight gang's assembled and the new staff of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce takes up in their new hotel room office. Will they still be there next season? I loved that this season ended on something of a high note, with the new agency taking off and Don moving into his own place in the City. If you'll remember, Season One ended with Don alone in his house with Bob Dylan playing, a victim of his own deception. Season Two had Betty telling Don she was pregnant and now they had to stay together. It was refreshing for a sense of triumph to pervade the finale, even as the Draper family fell apart. The cloud of the Kennedy era seems to be lifting and a bright new future seems to be in store for our heroes! What could possibly go wrong?
Thanks for reading and I'll see you next year for more Madness! Continue...
It finally happened: the rug has been yanked out from under Madison Avenue. A sniper's bullet has shattered the fun little world that Don Draper and company have made for themselves. The days of workplace alcoholism and playing grab-ass with the secretaries are over (or at least on their way out). Camelot lies in ruins and now it won't be long before Sterling Cooper follows suit. This episode has been a long time coming, essentially being an inevitability since the show started way back in 2007 and as one might expect, the vast majority of this episode (and in all likelihood next week's season finale as well) was devoted to the Kennedy Assassination.
If this were Friends, the episode would be titled "The One Where JFK Gets Shot", but unfortunately it isn't, it's Mad Men and we're going to have to deal with that. So click ahead and let's all try not get teary as we remember the episode where Kennedy got elected and everyone was getting drunk and screwing in the office, shall we?
President Kennedy's death is one of those watershed events in American history where everyone who was alive at the time remembers where they were, who they were with, and what they were doing when it happened. For most of the Sterling Cooper staff, they were at the office: Don is fighting with Lane over money things and his lack of an art director (something that he probably could have helped to prevent IMHO), Pete has been effectively demoted as Kenny Cosgrove has won the Head of Accounts challenge and has been elevated to Senior Vice President in Charge of Accounts. Peggy has dipped out for a "nooner" to quote Paul (new favorite phrase) and is in bed with Duck, who is in fact privy to the events of the day but would really like to have some sex before he gives it much thought. Also, Duck has a tattoo which unfortunately is not of a water fowl of any kind.
Most of the cast is hit pretty hard by the tragedy. This might rank as the worst day of Pete's life, losing the promotion he's been fighting for since episode one and the death of the President. He spends most of the episode in front of the television with Trudy, drinking, and who could blame him (because she's so pretty)? Pete seems to be absolutely headed in the direction of defecting and taking up with Duck at his rogue agency. Unless there's some big twist next week, expect season four to open with Pete (and maybe even Peggy) working for Duck at Gray. But who knows, maybe Lois will run over Ken's foot with a lawnmower and save the day. It would certainly be ironic considering that it was Ken's lawnmower that hacked off Guy's foot and saved Lane from indentured servitude in India.
As has been established since this season's second episode, Margaret Sterling is getting married on the day after the shooting in Dallas. The reception hall is only half full and there enough extra entrees for every guest to have seconds (you see, when God closes a door He opens up a window). Roger is doing his best to salvage his (other) little girl's big day and is actually managing quite well, all things considered. There's just the pesky problem of all the guests watching the news in the kitchen and Jane's refusal to fall in line as far as Margaret is concerned. Also, the cake is nowhere to be found. As he plops a drunken Jane ("He was so handsome...and now I'll never get to vote for him!") down on the bed, Roger makes a call to his ex-paramour, Joan. This is the second sentimental call in two episodes between two characters whose post-affair marriages are not turning out like they hoped they would.
I'm going to call it now: the season will end with Roger and Joan getting back together and Ken losing a foot.
But whither the Drapers? Betty takes the news harder than almost anyone and it serves a catalyst for their rapidly deteriorating marriage. After spying Henry Francis at Margaret's wedding, she again meets with him and their illicit almost-affair takes more steps towards becoming the real deal. While Don is still shaken by Kennedy's death, he's handling it with his trademark grace under pressure, but the developments on the home front are a bit more serious. Betty informs Don that she doesn't love him anymore and leaves it at that. An interesting parallel can be traced between Don and Betty: at the series inception, it was Don doing all the cheating and putting the marriage at risk, now at the end of the third season, Don has hung up his philanderer's costume and is settling into being an honest-to-God family man. He wants to make the marriage work. Betty is the one set on breaking up the family: she runs off to Henry while Don stays at home with the kids instead of giving Suzanne a national tragedy booty call. The episode ends with Don back at Sterling Cooper on Monday's national day of mourning to find the office deserted except for Peggy who is re-working a campaign featuring an open-top convertible. While he came there because "all the bars are closed" it's fitting that he arrives only to find Peggy, his protege. Don's real family is falling apart, the only one he has left is the one he has made at Sterling Cooper, and how long can that last?
JFK has been a constant feature of Mad Men from the beginning, nipping at the heels of the staunchly Republican offices of Sterling Cooper. In a way, Jack Kennedy was kind of the Don Draper president, being a handsome war hero with a capacity for skirt chasing and leading a double life (JFK suffered from crippling back problems dating back to his Navy days, and suffered from Addison's disease, neither of which were publicly disclosed during his lifetime). Maybe John F. Kennedy was not the scion of a wealthy Irish-American family but was in fact the son of a drunk Depression-era farmer from coal country who stole the identity of the real Kennedy during the PT-109 incident? Think about it.
Now that the Kennedy era has come and gone and Lyndon Johnson has risen to power, what lies in store for the members of our favorite fictional advertising agency and their families? Tune in next week to find out in the dramatic conclusion of "At the Mountains of Madness"!Continue...
As you're no doubt aware, the title of this week's episode is a reference to such timeless rock standards featuring dualities as Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" ("said the joker to the thief") and more importantly Hüsker Dü's classic "the Tooth Fairy and the Princess" off of Zen Arcade. I fully expect more Hüsker Dü presudo-references to spring up as the show's timeline creeps closer and closer to the 1980's. That or the title refers to what Sally and Bobby dressed up as for Halloween 1963, but I think this show is a little more subtle than that, don't you? Also, second Mad Men episode with "hobo" in the title.
A big secret's out this week so pour yourself a big bowl of Caldecott Farms dog food (it's made from ponies, and it's delicious!) and jump ahead.
Our first plotline this week concerns our man Roger Sterling and his foibles with old flame/dog food heiress Annabelle Mathis. The recently widowed Mathis has come back to Sterling Cooper after years of absence seeking a revamp of her company, Caldecott Farms' image. You see, it's recently been revealed that dog food is made from horses and Annabelle wants the boys and girl at S-C to find a way to make people comfortable with that. She wants a "beef" or "pork" word for horse meat, Don seems to think that she would be better off scuttling the brand name and coming up with a new one that isn't "poison" to consumers. No matter what you call it, the product remains the same, just like a certain veteran of the Korean War we know and love. Annabelle is awfully flirty with newlywed Roger and seeks to rekindle their Lost Generation romance. We learn a lot about Roger here, namely that he was an amateur pugilist in inter-war Paris. Sweet! I really thought this would be the straw that broke the camel's back and that Roger would finally drop this goody-two-shoes act that he's been putting on since the end of Season Two but alas, Roger seems to really mean it when he says he loves Jane and turns Annabelle away. Eegads! He's a changed man! On the other hand, he had a pretty emotionally loaded phone conversation with Joanie...
Everyone's favorite redhead is still unhappily married to Greg Harris, failed surgeon and successful rapist. Greg's trying to begin a new career and fulfill his "dream" of becoming a psychiatrist due to the fact that he's let far too many patients die under the knife. Joan's doing her best to find herself a job to support the two of them during this awkward transition period, mainly due to the fact that Greg spends most of his time bitching and moaning about how entitled he is. This of course leads Joan to do what every viewer has been begging her to do since Greg raped her in Don's office last year: she bashes him over the head with a vase. Somehow, this jars him into enlisting in the Army as a surgeon. So now Dr. Rape will become Cpt. Rape. Congratulations, Mad Men viewers, you have your first Vietnam casualty.
And of course, here's the big one: Betty confronts Don about the Shoebox of Damocles. After consulting with the family lawyer about possible divorce options on a visit to brother William's family (the "Fall of the House of Hofstadt" saga continues!), Betty corners Don and drills him about the mysterious pictures, Anna Draper divorce papers, and deed for a house in California. Don spills the beans on everything and even cries (for those of you playing the Mad Men Drinking Game at home, finish your Old Fashioned). In the end, it seems like an equilibrium has been found in the Draper household and it's agreed that Don's Big Secret will never be spoken of again. Don even breaks it off with Miss Farrell for the time being, whose possible exposure in the car was one of the most tense sequences I've ever endured while watching television. I suspect she'll show up in the next two episodes to torment Don for breaking her heart, Fatal Attraction-style. But that's just my opinion, remember she's got an epileptic brother with few scruples!Continue...
"The Color Blue" is not the first movie in the Color Purple saga (nor is it followed by the Color Red) but rather it's the title of this week's Mad Men episode! It refers to a question asked by one of Miss Farrell's students- is the color blue we see the same as the color blue someone else sees? Really this isn't so much about color observation as it is about Don Draper. Whose Don Draper is he? Does everyone see Don Draper the same way? Is he the nobody pulled up by his own bootstraps? Or is he a two-faced dirtbag who steals the names of dead men and cheats on his wife? Or is he both? Neither? What's going on here? Am I high? Or just afflicted?
Don's getting serious with Miss Farrell, who has a brother by the way, the Brits are looking to sell Sterling Cooper and need to make a big impression at the upcoming 40th anniversary party, Paul and Peggy are suffering from writer's block (again), Betty learns a secret, and someone is calling the Drapers and hanging up!
Allow me to appeal to your vanity and say that if you jump ahead I'll think very highly of you.
Don's affair with Sally's old teacher Suzanne Farrell is going into high gear with his visits to her garage-top apartment becoming more and more frequent. He's using the excuse that Connie is making him work late but regardless it still seems like he's philandering a little too close to home, wouldn't you say? Can't you learn something from Pete Campbell, Don? Or are you too proud to give that weasel the satisfaction? Mid-coitus, the happy couple are interrupted by her brother Danny, an epileptic who needs money and help finding a job. Don seems a bit weirded out (in all honesty, who wouldn't be?) and leaves with all deliberate speed. The next day, she follows him onto the train (creeeeeeeepy...?) and says how into him she is. Awwww...this seems to be the first Draper fling that has really taken on a romantic character (well, maybe Rachel) and not just a screwfest. There is of course the weird "I'm having sex with a teacher!" angle to it, of course but I wouldn't read too far into it as far as Don is concerned, he's above that. When Danny needs a ride to Bedford, Mass for a job at a VA hospital, Don steps up and volunteers to drive him as an act of contrition. Along the way, Danny tells Don that he plans to give him the slip and run away with the money Miss Farrell gave him, never intending to take the job in Bedford. He explains that due to his condition, steady work is an impossibility and he is essentially hopeless in terms of settling down and fitting in. Don, perhaps seeing a bit of his old Dick Whitman self in the guy, gives him some more money and his number should he ever need help. Will this selfless act come back to haunt him? Danny knows about his affair with his sister and seems like a somewhat shady time in need of money. Blackmail?
Paul Kinsey is getting jealous of Peggy's rising star status in the Creative Department: she's spontaneous and cute, he looks like Orson Welles. He's also under the impression that she's Don's favorite disciple, a claim which she rightly dismisses as untrue. The two pull a near-all-nighter trying to come up with some ideas for a Western Union campaign, the kind of all-nighter that involves copious amounts of drinking and in Paul's case, masturbating while listening to jazz (symbolic?). While talking with a janitor named Achilles (awesome!) Paul has an epiphany and promptly passes out and forgets it. When his secretary Lois (yes, she still works at Sterling Cooper even after chopping off Guy's foot and thereby sabotaging the Brtis' nefarious plans for the agency) wakes him up, he's pissed and utterly lost. Fortunately for him, so is Peggy. They present a weak pitch to Don which he rejects, but in the middle of what looks like a sinking ship, Peggy makes a save and turns a Chinese proverb about remembering to write things down into a pretty swell idea for an ad for a telegram service. Don likes it and tells them to present him with something by Monday. The only question is: does Paul see his contribution as an assist or an idea stealing on Peggy's part? The plot thickens.
Betty is still idling over her possible affair with Albany politico Henry Francis, but she just thinks that having sex at his place is so tawdry! She calls him up, wondering if he called and hung up on Sally earlier (also worth noting: Miss Farrell told Don it wasn't her either). Both of the Drapers' respective pieces on the side are denying the immature "call up the person you like and hang up when they answer" trick. But that's neither here nor there (I think it's Roger), because Betty has discovered Don's secret box! The Shoebox of Damocles as comrades-in-Mad Men-blogging and home of the Don Draper Fingerbang Threat Level, Movieline call it is the container of Don's past that was given to him by his half-brother Adam early in the series and is full of pictures of a young Dick Whitman, as well as a couple thousand dollars and the dogtags of Dick and the real Don Draper. So that's it, the secret's out! But Betty doesn't know how to confront Don about it, nor the full implications of the information she's uncovered. When she stays up to talk to him about it, he's too bust shtupping Sally's teacher. Fail. This has really changed the dynamic in the Drapers' flawed, flawed relationship. AND EVERYTHING WAS GOING SO WELL.
It's time for the Sterling Cooper 40th birthday celebration! Wooooohoooo! There are tons of problems though: Coop doesn't like seeing the other surviving founder because it reminds him how goddamn old he is, Roger doesn't like talking up Don in front of a room of people who like him better, and Putnam, Powell, and Lowe are looking to sell the agency after Lane has cut costs and increased profits significantly. Lane, whose wife Rebecca (Embeth Davidtz!) doesn't like New York because London is soooooo much better, is tasked with getting everyone on board to make an impression on potential buyers. He presents Don with his $5,000 signing bonus, which finally makes him smile, and tells Coop how much everyone will think of him when he shows up at the party looking hale and fit. Roger shows up with his elderly mother who mistakes Jane for his soon-to-be-wed daughter Margaret. Ha! Get it? When Don gives his big speech (am I the only one who thinks it's weird to hear him speak in public?) Betty just glowers at the man who may not be the man she thought she married. You know what that means...Continue...
