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thrilla in vanilla posted:Season 2 is the second best one of the series imo. 5 is a monolith surrounded by slightly smaller ones. But the idea of anyone frowning on season 2 is baffling to me, the last three episodes are a stretch almost unequalled until s5 I think When I rewatch I never enjoy going back to the earlier seasons. It sometimes feels like you're watching two different shows.
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Nov 29, 2020 07:01
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GoutPatrol posted:When I rewatch I never enjoy going back to the earlier seasons. It sometimes feels like you're watching two different shows. That's weird because S2/3 feel like the most solid storytelling they did. I prefer it over S5 at least if I had to rank favorite seasons to watch again. It'd go in list of preference Season 3 Season 2 Season 4 Season 6 Season 1 Season 5 Season 7 I vastly prefer S6 over S5, just personal preference. All the seasons are basically 10x better then anything comparable in the category but something about S6 in general I really like.
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Nov 29, 2020 11:44
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Why? What makes one season of mad men better than another?
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Nov 29, 2020 16:58
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More Sally
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Nov 29, 2020 17:20
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The Klowner posted:I view the show as a complete whole. it doesn't make sense to rank the seasons imo. To me that's like ranking scenes in a movie. What do you think about people ranking the seasons on other shows? The Wire? The Simpsons? What would you think about someone ranking The Godfather movies? Especially the first 2, which were derived from the same source material?
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Nov 29, 2020 18:43
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To me the first two godfathers are two parts of one film. I haven't seen the third. I also haven't seen much of the wire or the Simpsons. E: to be clear, I don't view all media within a franchise as parts of a whole. I just don't like or dislike any of the mad men seasons more than another. They all have a very consistent quality in my opinion. I cannot say the same for, say, the Star Wars films. The Klowner fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Nov 29, 2020 |
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Nov 29, 2020 19:14
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I'm always shocked when people think the later seasons are weaker, imho the show exclusively gets better.
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Nov 29, 2020 19:26
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The simpsons changes writers and producers so the seasons tend to feel more distinct than something like a mad men.
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Nov 29, 2020 19:37
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The Klowner posted:E: to be clear, I don't view all media within a franchise as parts of a whole. I just don't like or dislike any of the mad men seasons more than another. They all have a very consistent quality in my opinion. I cannot say the same for, say, the Star Wars films. OK, this makes sense. I agree that it feels pretty cohesive and of similar quality, except I happen to have some issues with season 6 that I'll probably elaborate on when Jerusalem gets there. And I'm glad there are several posters here who really like that season. I look forward to hearing their perspectives on the parts I have problems with. Gaius Marius posted:The simpsons changes writers and producers so the seasons tend to feel more distinct than something like a mad men. Very true. Weiner was a skilled a showrunner who was given a lot of freedom to do what he wanted. thrilla in vanilla posted:More Sally Amen.
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Nov 29, 2020 20:20
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Season 2, Episode 3 - The Benefactor Written by Rick Cleveland & Matthew Weiner, Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter Betty Draper posted:I like being around you. Don't say anything to ruin that. Freddy Rumsen has fallen asleep (or passed out, to be more accurate) in his seat on the set of a television commercial for Utz Potato Chips. A comedian named Jimmy Barrett stands in a white suit by a fake bar and a bowl of nuts, giving instructions to not only the crew but the director who all raise no objections. They move into a take, Jimmy speaking direct to camera about preferring potato chips to nuts at a bar because "Utz are better than nuts" before burying his face directly into a packet of the chips. Pulling free, he immediately declares to the director - who clearly knows where his bread is buttered and lets Jimmy have his way - to keep on the roll and reset the camera so he can go again. As Jimmy as working his way unsupervised through the commercial, Freddy is woken by a quick part on the shoulder by Ken Cosgrove. He's brought around the owner of Utz and his wife, a rather large woman, because they're keen to see Jimmy.... and he is delighted to see them, or more particularly the fat wife. Grabbing the boom and hauling it down close to his mouth, he launches into a Herbert Morrison impression as everybody looks on, aghast. Comparing her to the Hindenburg isn't enough though, as he throws out a series of further insults about her weight referencing buffalo and Monstro the giant whale. Ken quickly ushers the horrified Utz couple out of the studio, while Freddy can only let out a slightly awed if annoyed,"Jesus, Jimmy". Jimmy, the kind of guy who refuses to believe that his jokes aren't funny, knows he's hosed up but isn't the type to admit it, so simply complains that at least one member of the crew was laughing (they weren't).   Betty finishes up one of her riding sessions, pleased to see her friend Sarah has also finished. They start to walk towards the car park together, discussing Sarah's upcoming 10th Anniversary and Sarah's desire for a functional (if expensive) gift from her husband, like a car, rather than anything romantic. They distracted as they see the young, handsome Arthur Case being led in on his horse by Gertie, and they enjoy a bit of quiet mockery of him. That is until they realize that Arthur has been joined by his equally young and beautiful fiance, Tara. As they approach, Betty tries to make a quick escape - joking from a distance is once thing, talking face-to-face quite another - but Sarah forces her to stay, insisting they meet Tara. Does Betty feel like "the other woman" here? Guilty in spite of doing nothing (she barely even ever talks to Arthur, and certainly never alone), or does she feel an odd tinge of jealousy towards Tara for no reason? I suspect it may actually be as simple as seeing the two together makes her realize that Arthur is "real" and not just a figure of idle gossip, speculation and fun between her and her friend, which in turn makes any deeply repressed or hidden fantasies Betty might have had herself about him more "real" and thus extremely frightening. Arthur greets and introduces them, and now the shoe is a little on the other foot, as Arthur and Tara clearly have their own little world in which Betty and Tara are the object of attention. As the couple part from them, Sarah comments a little too much on how pretty Tara is, far prettier than she'd expected. Betty affects indifference, saying Tara is about what she expected, and is careful not to encourage or ask for further elaboration when Sarah mentions having dreamed about some idealized version of Arthur. She mentions she'll see Sarah next Saturday, and is mildly alarmed when Sarah tells Betty she'll have Arthur "all to herself" because she's be attending her "fat" daughter's ballet recital. This puts Betty on somewhat safer ground though as she is able to focus on "defending" Sarah's daughter, insisting she'll grow out of her fat phase (Betty did), causing Sarah to joke that this is the trouble, she has outgrown... her leotard! Given Sarah has been married 10 years, I'm gonna assume this poor little girl is probably still under 10-years-old and already suffering this bullshit from her own mother. At Sterling Cooper, Harry recieves his paycheck from the mail room clerk, Todd. As he prepares to open it, however, he realizes that his envelope has stuck to another, he also has Ken Cosgrove's paycheck. He calls Todd back, then thinks better of it and tells him it's nothing, but asks him to close the door after him. Making sure it is closed (no lock, he's not a Partner!) he tears open Ken's envelope... and his heart sinks when he sees how much Ken makes compared to him. He has another problem though, he's torn the envelope and too late he realizes that now it is obvious he opened a co-worker's mail. Taking his letter opener, he tries to carefully pry his own paycheck open so he can switch the envelopes out... and of course tears it right down the middle. Getting desperate now, he considers having another go at the paycheck of the man he shares an office with - Warren McKenna - but realizes that this could double his problems: one torn open paycheck might be an accident, two is a pattern. He made the right choice, as shortly after replacing Warren's envelope on the desk, the man himself pops in. Harry immediately swivels, looking for all the world like somebody who just caught doing something bad. Unsure what is up with his co-worker, Warren notes a group of them are heading off to the Oyster Bar, but Harry declines. Once left alone, he's immediately on the phone, putting through a call to his wife Jennifer. At first his pregnant wife is delighted to hear from him, thinking he's calling to check on her due to her morning sickness which has kept her at home. But when she realizes it is about something else, her mind races, at first thinking she's done something to upset him, then thinking (unspoken) that he might have cheated on her again, to pondering out loud if he's been fired etc. The entire time he tries to get a word in edgewise, but every time he takes a breath to gather himself she leaps to fill in the blank. Even after he tells her that he opened Ken Cosgrove's mail she laughs it off as nothing... until he tells her that Ken Cosgrove makes $300 a week. NOW she's as upset as he is, more-so perhaps. Suddenly Ken Cosgrove is "that mannequin" and she's furious that Sterling Cooper is spending money on a single, childless man instead of a married man with a child on the way. She insists he march in and demand he get paid more, declares he is the only thing holding the entire company together (he appreciates this but knows it's not remotely true) and even chides him for only calling her so he could feel sorry for himself rather than actually do anything about it. Pathetically, all he can offer back is that he's trying to find a replacement envelope for the one he tore, and he only belatedly remembers to tell her to feel better when she pointedly tells him she has to lie down as she doesn't feel well again.   It's a nice scene, our first sight of Jennifer was at Paul's party and her reconciliation with Harry between seasons did not seem a particularly healthy or happy one. Here in this scene we actually see that they are communicating, that he is trying his best (not always well) to be more open with her, that she doesn't just support him but challenges him, but she also values him and pushes for a success she thinks he deserves etc. They are far from a perfect couple, but as far as Mad Men couples go, at the moment they're closer to the top than the bottom! Don has skipped out on work to go see an obscure French Film (in searching for what film it was, I found a rabbit's hole of people VERY angry about other people's guesses), sitting in a near deserted theater and watching the film with great interest. In the Art Department, a bored Salvatore is making up the new art for their American Airlines pitch... which consists of removing the Mohawk Airlines branding and replacing it. Harry pops in to see him and "casually" ask if he has a spare envelope, and when Salvatore says no and why, Harry not quite as casually asks if Sal could make one. The answer to that is also no and why, and Harry comes clean, passing over the torn open envelope and asking Sal if he can repair it. Like Joan with Peggy in the first season, an amused Sal tells Harry that he's overthinking things. The simplest thing to do is nothing, just keep the envelope and throw it away later. When Ken hasn't got his pay by the end of the day he'll ask them to make him a new check up and that'll be the end of that. Harry sighs, realizing like Peggy that he gave away more than he needed to for an answer that was obvious. Like Joan, Sal is going to enjoy every second of this too, asking if Harry is upset over nearly getting caught... or of how much Ken gets paid. Harry admits that it probably won't seem all that much to Sal (he's the Head of the Art Department after all) but he found out that Ken is getting $300 a week BEFORE tax. Suddenly Sal's face has fallen blank, and rather than answer he jams his pencil into an automatic sharpener... it seems that Ken makes far more than Sal thought... could he possibly even be making MORE than Sal himself? But Sal is more savvy than Harry at least, pointing out that as there's nothing that can be done about it then there is no point in worrying about it.. and certainly not in telling a wife, he's shocked that Harry was naive enough to share information with the woman he has dedicated the rest of his life to. The only comfort he offers is that Media is a meritocracy, so he needs to show them that they can't run the place without him and the money will follow. When Harry can't think of exactly how he might do that, Sal is less sweet, smirking and saying this indicates Harry is absolutely worth the smaller amount of money he's being paid. Don has returned to the office and is doing paperwork when he gets a buzz from Lois, informing him that Mr. Sterling and "Ben" Cosgrove are here to see him. Irritated, he informs her it is KEN, and then Roger is bursting through the door to declare he has such bad news to share that he brought Ken with him to tell him instead. Don is bewildered, and also a little irritated, he has work to do and the double-act as the two squabble over how best to tell the story isn't helping. Spotting Roger mooching a cigarette from Ken, he snaps angrily that Roger should just grab a packet from the storeroom since they have cases of Lucky Strikes in there... and Roger happily reminds him that he doesn't smoke! Ken finally gets the story out, Utz' Mr. & Mrs Schilling popped by the studio and got a full blast of the Jimmy Barrett treatment. Freddy comes in, Lois' announcement of his arrival barely preceding him, and Ken immediately turns on him, snapping at him that his drinking is affecting his job. Don is shocked at this blunt statement, but Freddy is more than ready to defend himself, angrily reminding Ken he was told there were to be absolutely no visitors on set to avoid Jimmy getting distracted... and only an idiot would let somebody who looked like Mrs Schilling anywhere near Jimmy. So how bad was it, Don asks, and winces as he gets a recap of the Hindenburg and Pinocchio jokes.... while Roger can't help breaking down laughing. Don may have snapped at Roger earlier but he can't yell at him, so he turns his anger on Freddy and Ken, asking if either of them laughed at Jimmy's jokes. They're quick to assure him they didn't ("My mother is heavyset!" promises Ken), but now Roger has contained himself and got back into Boss mode. Giving neither any quarter, he points out that Freddy may have failed to control Jimmy but Ken failed to control the Schillings so right now neither looked suited for their roles. Don's day gets worse as Lois announces Duck is also here, and he comes barreling through the door to proclaim that Utz wants to drop Jimmy, and Sterling Cooper is likely to lose Utz as well over this whole debacle. That's enough for Don, who has just been hammered with bad news after bad news, and stops everybody to ask if anybody is actually trying to do anything to control this situation or they're just going to let the worse happen. Duck has tried of course, but the Schillings aren't answering his phone, and now somebody needs to talk to Jimmy as that is their only hope of fixing everything... and of course Duck is looking right at Don when he says that, asking with zero malice and actual honest hope if Don can deal with Jimmy. Having regained his composure and seeing the others freaking out appears to have calmed Roger, who seems supremely confident now as he promises that Don is going to fix things. Don, despite acknowledging that Jimmy is a "known quantity", isn't quite as confident, and both he and Dick seem more than ready to affix blame now in case anything goes wrong later: Duck complains that Freddy let Jimmy get drunk on set, while Don complains that Ken didn't let him know the Schillings had shown up so he could keep them clear... which is when Ken - probably seeing his $300 a week before tax job in jeopardy - speaks up for himself to point out he DID tell Don... or at least Don's secretary, because Don wasn't in his office. Suddenly Don is at a loss for words. Because he was, of course, at the movies when an important client got horrifically insulted by a celebrity who works for them and there is no way he can admit that. He casts a quick, guilty look Roger's way before quickly declaring that he is going to smooth things over with the Schillings, then explain "the facts of life" to Jimmy and make sure this is all dealt with. Everybody else is satisfied and beat a quick exit out of the office, happy to leave Don to take on the burden (again, this should REALLY be the job of Head of Account Services) except for Roger... who now they're alone wants to know where Don was.   He claims he was at the printer's, and whether Roger believes that (if Don was out having sex he wouldn't mind, but I imagine he'd be appalled to learn Don was at a French film) he accepts it, but makes a point that he really should have made sure Lois knew that too. He leaves, and now Don is fuming and looking for somebody to take it out on, and unfortunately for her that somebody is Lois. She's called in as Roger leaves, holding a notepad in the hopes that this is just some dictation. Instead, Don attempts to keep himself under control - after all, HE is the one who hosed off to the movies instead of doing his job - as he starts off accusing only to quickly realize that Lois has no idea what she has done wrong or why he is mad at her. So instead he calms himself, informs her that she is not suited for this job, and explains that she almost cost him his reputation today and on other days too. She's quick to jump to her defense, pointing out that she covers for him all the time, and he snaps at her that this isn't what she's meant to do... she is meant to "manage expectations." Poor sweet Lois has no idea what the difference is, not grasping that it's an unfair power dynamic where he can do what he wants and she has to be careful not to make it clear he's doing what he wants. So Don settles on telling her it is no insult to say she is not suited for the job, it's just the fact of how things are. Standing and joining her, he shakes her hand and tells her to go back to the switchboard (she's not so much fired as shifted off elsewhere), with her last duty being to go and inform Joan (who he calls Miss Holloway, just as she calls the others Mr, or Miss in Peggy's case). She goes, in a daze, still not entire sure what she did wrong and close to tears. Because while Don is basically overcompensating for almost getting caught red-handed in front of Roger and Duck, he is right... she wasn't suited for the job. Warren is leaving for the day and amused that Harry shows no signs of going, at first assuming he has inside knowledge of something happening at the firm tomorrow, then guessing that Harry is already looking for excuses not to go home to his pregnant wife. Harry doesn't argue, but once he's finally gone he grabs at his phone and makes a call to Edgar Fladen at CBS. "Flatty" is an old buddy of Harry's, and he immediately jokes that the drunken lustre of Sterling Cooper must finally be wearing off for Harry if he's working so late... and then realizes that Harry isn't joking when he says he is thinking of "moving out to move up". There's nothing for him at CBS unfortunately, Edgar explains that his own job is probably in jeopardy, and is a little put out when Harry seems to completely miss that statement. He asks for a little sympathy for himself, after all he's got a Top 20 television show and he can't find a sponsor for it. This gets Harry's attention, a sponsor? For a Top 20 television show? They should be lining up around the block for this opportunity, and Sterling Cooper has plenty of companies that would love a chance for that kind of attention. Edgar calms him down though, there is a reason there are no sponsors: in a painfully transparent ploy, the writers produced a dreadful script about cannibalism they knew the director would reject, and they just so happened to ONLY have one back-up script. That one back-up script just so happened to be one rejected the previous year on "moral" grounds, because it's all about abortion. Fun fact, the episode in question was from The Defenders, and was actually titled The Benefactor, just like this episode. Harry can see the problem of course, but he's also intrigued. He asks Edgar to send him over a copy, because abortion or not, he's still considering what Sal said about making himself worth more to Sterling Cooper... and a Top 20 Television Show is a Top 20 Television Show.   The next morning, Don arrives and finds Joan waiting for him. She's still trying to find him a new secretary, but until she does she is going to be filling on on the desk for Lois herself. This is a double-edged sword for Don, because she sure as gently caress knows what she is doing, but she's also an authority figure herself and one who isn't going to let him get away with sneaking off or disappearing. She tells him she'll try to find somebody more like Miss Olson, since she was an effective secretary before coming a copywriter, but Don kibosh's that: he wants somebody who will actually be satisfied as "just" a secretary. Learning that Jimmy Barrett hasn't been showing up to his morning call times till 4 in the afternoon, Don decides to catch a nap himself before going to meet him... and gets a reminder about the dangers of a competent secretary when Joan sweetly but with finality informs him they'll ACTUALLY be going over his correspondence together now. He capitulates, of course, and she follows him into the office where he'll actually be doing some early morning work for the first time in a long time. Harry watches The Defenders episode that Edgar sent over, and it's "worse" than even Edgar told him: the show isn't pulling any punches about confronting, acknowledging and discussing abortions: can he really sell a client on sponsoring this after his big talk last night? That afternoon Don heads to the set and takes a seat at the "bar", but there is still no sign of Jimmy. A woman appears carrying the tuxedo and flirts with Don, asking him to buy her a drink. She explains that Jimmy left early (so only a few hours late?) to do a set at the Copa, and she's just bringing him his tuxedo. Confused, Don points out this is Sterling Cooper's tuxedo, but without a care in the world she explains that Jimmy likes this one better than his own, as if that is the end of the story. Still, it gives Don an in to go and see Jimmy off set, but the woman stops him, saying he can just talk directly to Jimmy's Manager instead: Her. This surprises Don, and it turns out that he knows her, but only as Jimmy's wife which is how she was introduced when Jimmy was pitched as the new spokesman for Utz. She shrugs at that, in the "old days", presumably when it was important Jimmy be seen as "available", she would introduce herself as his sister. It makes no difference to her, whatever the case she is the one who manages Jimmy, and she dismisses Don's complaint that she didn't manage him yesterday by pointing out Jimmy isn't anywhere near as funny when he's sober. Her name is Bobbie Barrett, and she's maddeningly confident in a way that sets alarm bells ringing. Because she's EXACTLY the type of woman that Don falls for: independent, confident, amused by the world rather than scared of it. She refuses to accept that Jimmy is in any way in the wrong for having insulted his benefactors, responding to Don's claims that they're fans of his by saying they should have taken being insulted as a compliment. When Don quietly threatens her with the fact the luxuries they provide Jimmy can be taken away, she's not in the slightest intimidated, pointing out that they have a signed contract. She also doesn't share the same confidence in him that Duck and Roger did, scoffing at the idea that HE will be the one to talk to Jimmy and set him straight. No, Don is exactly the type of person that Jimmy hates, and she claims the only way he'll be able to keep Jimmy happy is if he kowtows to his every whim, subordinates himself to him, lets Jimmy think he's smarter than him and even that he has a shot at Don's own wife, girlfriend... or both. Feeling like she's put Don in his place, she goes to leave but he smoothly offers to drive her, nowhere near giving up on meeting with Jimmy. She tries to fob him off but he points out that it's raining and he has an umbrella, and now she's amused, not realizing that he's just done what he does best in spite of her looking down on him: he's sold her on an idea. Outside, they quickly rush into Don's car as the rain comes down, Don of course getting the door for her and holding the umbrella over her as she gets inside. Climbing into the driver's side, he starts up the car, before they hear and feel a loud thumping and realize they're caught in a hailstorm. Momentarily stranded, two extremely attractive people alone in a car in the dark... Bobbie figures what the hell and makes a move on him. He's not shocked but he also isn't receptive, pulling away and telling her clearly that he doesn't want to do this. This just amuses her further though, as we've already seen she's as used to getting her own way as her husband is, and she grabs his crotch, gives it an appreciative squeeze and points out it sure doesn't feel like he doesn't want it. Don, who has seemingly remained faithful to Betty since his disastrous break-up with Rachel, resists a moment longer but then surrenders. She may be childish, but in a very different way to Betty, her confidence and poise striking the perfect chord within Don. Again, it indicates that Don's fidelity may not have been quite so much a conscious choice or display of restraint as it was a lack of opportunity. Not for women, a guy who looks and sounds and dresses like Don will never be wanting for women being attracted to him... but for the type of women that HE finds irresistible. Now he's met one, and within 10 minutes they've having sex right there in his car.  
Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 17:22 on Dec 1, 2020 |
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Dec 1, 2020 16:00
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Don returns home where he's assailed by reasons to feel guilty. His loving children greet him as he enters, his beautiful wife is right there at the table with them. They even get to play out a little domestic play-drama (after he's washed his hands and mouth to get Bobbie's smell off them) as Sally begs Don to give her permission to be allowed to go riding with Betty on Saturday. Spotting that Betty does NOT want to take her daughter, he offers a,"....no...?" response which Betty - who primed Don by loudly telling Sally that daddy would not disagree with mommy - immediately seizes on as the last word for why Sally can't join her and the other "mommies". It does mean that Don will need to be at home on Saturday to watch the kids, and - perhaps in part out of guilt - he offers no objection to this, even offering to let Sally ride HIM around like a pony if she wants. The reasons to feel guilty pile on as, completely unexpected by him, Betty presents him with the watch he broke while bathing the children. She's had it repaired... and she's had a monogram added. He stares at it, and then with genuine gratitude he thanks her. She's pleased at the praise of course, and the little kiss he gives her. But as she goes back to smoking and watching the kids finish their dinner, Don finds himself staring at all of them. I've mentioned all the reasons he SHOULD feel guilt but until this moment there was no indication he was actually feeling it. Not now though. Now as he sits and looks, you can see in his face a moment of realization, the stark reality of what he has done. He has cheated on Betty before, long-term affairs with women he wanted to run away from Betty and his children with. But it is only now, after this tawdry tumble in his car with a woman he'd barely spoken to, that he truly seems to realize what he is in danger of costing himself. Come Saturday, Betty heads out on her horse and discovers a useless Arthur sitting on his own in the middle of some grass watching helplessly as the horse grazes without a care in the world. He tries to joke it is out of gas so he is filling it up, but Betty warns him he is ruining the horse for whoever has her next by letting it fall into bad habits. She pulls up on the reins to make the horse lift her head, Arthur worrying that this probably hurts the horse. Whether that occurred to Betty or not doesn't matter, she notes that you have to let the horse know what not to do, and he can't be afraid to be a little more aggressive. He cracks a joke about their horses' names (he gets stuck with a Nehi, she gets a Copenhagen!) which actually does make Betty laugh. But when he admits that he has always enjoyed hunting more than riding, she's not impressed. He admits it is a horrible thing to kill animals, but takes the chance to complain a little about his fiance not listening to him, and to mock her rich family. This is all getting a touch too personal and familiar for Betty, who informs him she needs to warm Copenhagen up, and trots away. Arthur watches her go, for the first time we see that he's as interested in her as she and Sarah have been interested in him... perhaps more-so. He's also now aware thanks to her that Sarah will NOT be with them today. Don leaves the kids eating breakfast in the living room watching television and heads into his study. He places a call to Bobbie who is lying in bed and pleased to hear from him, though a little surprised that he called when Jimmy could have answered. Don, trying to keep things professional, explains that it didn't matter who answered, since he wanted to invite them both to dinner on Monday. She's amused by this, but certainly not about to turn down dinner at Lutece, though she's clearly a little disappointed he is acting so formal. But he can't help himself, when she asks if this is what he wants, his natural desire to be charming comes out and he repeats the question back at her. Now she is getting warmed up, and even him informing her that he's at home with his children fails to quell her enthusiasm. If anything, it gets her more fired up, telling him that she enjoys being bad then going home to be good. She tells him she'll see him Monday and wishes him a wonderful weekend, and for once he finds himself not getting in one last final zinger or impeccably timed comment that leaves him on top of the conversation. She hangs up on him and he takes a moment before hanging up as well, then slowly leaves the study to return to his children. Does he hate himself for his weakness? Or does he feel that same siren call as Bobbie to revel in getting away with things he knows he shouldn't be doing? Back at the stables, Betty is removing the saddle from Copenhagen when Arthur - Gertie is presumably doing all that for Nehi - approaches to be "charming". Betty isn't impressed, warning him not to smoke since the horses don't like it, and taking offense when he "jokes" about the stables burning down. He's quick to promise her he didn't mean it that way, and to apologize when she warns him that just because he doesn't like something doesn't mean those that do are silly. As she brushes Copenhagen, Arthur comments that he can't figure her out. Betty is not pleased at this kind of line, because it's absolutely a line, the kind of thing a guy says to a girl when he's trying to pick her up. She's amused by his claim that Tara was clearly jealous of her, referring to her and Sarah as Arthur's "old lady friends", but isn't impressed when he starts talking about Tara's flaws. She points out that her years of marriage mean she knows her fiance would NOT be pleased to hear this kind of talk. But while she continually offers no encouragement and even outright chastises him, he continues to follow her around like a puppy, telling her all manner of personal stories about his relationship with Tara, about his sense of alienation from her rich family, effectively calling her a brat. When he calls Betty beautiful, she thanks him for the compliment in about as perfunctory a manner as possible before reminding him that Tara is also very beautiful. Arthur really does NOT seem to be getting the message though, or is happily ignoring it as he talks about how Tara wants for nothing, but that Betty is different. Pulling on her coat, Betty promises him that once he is married he will come to realize just how much Tara means to him. But Arthur ignores that, instead stepping forward and declaring completely out of the blue that Betty is so profoundly sad. She's confused by this line, shaking her head and telling him it just seems that way because her people are Nordic(!). Some part of her knows what is happening, maybe even some tiny part of her welcomes it, but the largest part is in denial, trying to act like this is anything other than what it is. Because Arthur is getting closer, repeating how profoundly sad she is, leaning in for a kiss. Even now, as she flinches backwards and shakes her head, telling him not to do that, she still can't quite seem to accept he'd be this forward and thoughtless. He, of course, is positive that if he just continues to ignore her protests and kiss her, she'll melt and everything will be great. So he gives her a line straight out of a romance novel or a movie when she tells him not to do this, admonishing her not to tell him what to do and leaning in for that kiss that will let off the fireworks and pan the camera over to a fireplace and every other little fantasy in his head... and leans right into her outstretched palm as she puts a stop to his forward momentum. See the difference here between Don and Betty. When Bobby leaned in to kiss him in the car, he didn't want it (intellectually) but made no effort beyond that to stop her. Betty however didn't just exhibit self-control but took action to prevent Arthur from crossing a(nother) line. Surprised, nothing quite going to the script he had in his head, he reverts back to his moonstruck delivery of,"You're so profoundly sad." Once again, she fails to read the lines in his head though, telling him he's wrong and then with a display of resolve that surprises him, allows herself a smile and corrects him: she's grateful. With that she walks away, in control, leaving him to turn and sink into a seated position, the sheer enormity of the fact he just tried to cheat on his fiance seemingly sinking in... or maybe after lambasting Tara for always getting what she wants he's finding he doesn't take kindly to being told no either. Meanwhile Betty walks away, lighting up a cigarette once she's clear of the stables and the horses' sensitive noses... and her hand is shaking as she lights it, because she knows just how came she close to a moment that - in spite of Don's many transgressions - would have weighed heavily on her for some time to come.   She returns home and can't quite bring herself to face Don in this state, thanking him for watching the kids and trying to retreat up the stairs without answering his question on how the day's ride went. But he calls her in, ignoring her protests that she needs to get cleaned up. She's probably feeling guilty in much the same way he should have when he came home on Friday night, even if he actually did something and she didn't. So when he tells her they're going to Lutece on Monday night she's equal parts delighted and feeling even more guilt - she nearly let a guy kiss her and betrayed her loving husband who takes her to fancy restaurants! The guilt is somewhat undercut when she realizes this is a business dinner, that he's bringing her along to charm Hunt Schilling and Jimmy Barrett, to be his dazzling "better half". At least cognizant enough to pick up on her disappointment when she starts complaining there is no notice for her to find something to wear, Don promises her they'll go alone some other night. Finally, mercifully, she is able to get upstairs to get changed and also come down from the adrenaline rush of her near miss with Arthur. Don meanwhile goes back to reading his paper, apparently feeling like everything is back to normal. On Monday at Sterling Cooper, Freddy, Sal, Ken, Peggy, Harry and Don sit with Elliot Lawrence from Belle Jolie lipstick, watching a pivotal scene from The Defenders where a father is reacting with horror, rage and disgust to the discovery that his daughter has had an abortion. It's a full court press to sell Elliot on a sponsorship, with Harry in particular leading the charge as he points out that they'll be able to get the deal for pennies on the dollar thanks to the controversy. Elliot is intrigued, though he doesn't quite see Harry's logic in how Belle Jolie is a perfect match. Don can sell that though, he can't sell anything: controversy is going to draw in viewers, every woman is going to watch this episode... and while they're watching, they're going to see an ad for Belle Jolie. Elliot looks to Peggy as the only woman (apart from the secretary taking notes) in the room to see if she feels this is accurate. Whether she agrees or not (she never consciously knew she was pregnant so never got the chance to know if she'd have had an abortion or not) personally, she sure as hell agrees professionally. Ken follows up, pointing out that if they put up a warning about the content of the show, their Research says people will be even more drawn to watch. Harry, not wanting Ken any opportunity to get the glory on this, quickly cuts him off, and Don smoothly takes over pitching, seeing it as a chance for emotional catharsis for women viewers who will then be primed to be told they can be beautiful. But while Elliot is impressed, he's also wary not just of the controversy but also the idea of trying to sell Hugh Brody on this. Harry, desperate for a win, goes in hard, earned a raised eyebrow from Don as he tries to push the growing political sensibility of female consumers. Elliot won't be moved though, while he would love a spike in sales he also knows that a family company like Belle Jolie won't be a part of the abortion debate. He does however want to stress how impressed he was by the pitch, by the further enhancement of his view that Sterling Cooper is an agency that is constantly thinking of them and how to grow their product. Don knows when it is time to start pushing, thanks Elliot and agrees that they all have to work for somebody after Elliot admits he would personally love to greenlight this sponsorship idea if they just had a different product. As Harry leaves, Don pats him on the shoulder, an attaboy the despondent Harry barely notices. Don was surprised by Harry's aggression, but he was also impressed. As they all leave, there is a brief moment between Elliot and Salvatore as the former asks after the latter. Composing himself, remembering how close they came to being something more, Salvatore tells him he is doing very well and then moves on. Elliot, far more practised and at ease at being two people, simply smiles and lets him go. Harry's day isn't over though. Soon after the Belle Jolie meeting, he is summoned to see Roger Sterling. Awkwardly he enters the large office and carefully makes his way towards the Partner who is frowning over papers and wearing glasses. Is he ACTUALLY doing paperwork, or is this all an act to further intimidate Harry? Regardless, it works, because Harry is incredibly intimidated, made worse by the fact Roger has to ask him to confirm he IS Harry Crane before getting started. At first it all seems horrifying, as Roger notes he heard all about this push for sponsoring a show about abortion third-hand and thought it seemed reckless. Even worse, Sterling took it all the way to Cooper, and the thought that Bertram Cooper knows about this has Harry sweating bullets... until Roger tells him that whoever told on Harry thinking he would get in trouble had it backfire on him, because both senior Partners of the firm are impressed (Cooper is impressed means Sterling is impressed, that's just how it works).... and that means Harry has just found himself in the unexpected position of being asked what HE wants. Taken aback, Harry needs a moment but he rises to the occasion. Stepping forward, he stammers out that the agency needs a television department like all the other major agencies have... and he wants to run it. Without the slightest hesitation, Roger makes the sign of the cross and declares there is now a television department, and Harry runs it... and he's also the only member of it. Still nervous but somewhat emboldened, Harry says he also wants a raise. That's something else entirely to creating a television department on paper, and Roger takes this a little more seriously. Removing his glasses, he stands and moves to the drinks cabinet, telling Harry not to be greedy. This time though Harry doesn't back down, remembering Jennifer and Salvatore's words about what he's worth, and he tells Roger he's not being greedy. "Are you arguing with me?" Roger asks, but by now even Harry must have realized that Roger Sterling enjoys this kind of back and forth... so long as you remember he's ultimately the guy in charge. He hands Harry a drink, a sign in and of itself that they're in a good place and then tells him to give him a number. Gulping down his drink, Harry timidly suggests three hundred.... and ten dollars! Roger laughs, explaining (and lying, though Harry can't say how he knows) that nobody makes anything close to that much. No, he'll offer him $225, so say yes. Harry of course immediately does, not seeing it as a $75 dollar loss to Ken but a $25 gain for himself. Not pushing his luck, he quickly slips out of the office, leaving Roger to enjoy his drink while Harry counts his lucky stars.   Something to remember, this isn't the only time that Harry has shown initiative, and Cooper clearly remembers this even if Roger doesn't. Harry was the one who took the initial "blame" for the advertising buy-up that locked Kennedy out when the Agency was trying to woo Nixon, and now he's been out actively hunting up unusual sponsorship opportunities for clients (who are impressed by the thought even if they ultimately turn down the offer). Harry more than deserves that paybump, and somebody like Ken who drank in the praise for his short story a year+ ago is now faced with his most recent Account resulting in the Jimmy Barrett fiasco. That evening at Lutece, Betty is charming the Schillings, though Hunt is clearly painfully aware that there is no sign of Jimmy or Bobbie while Don does his best not to draw attention to it. Finally Hunt outright asks where he is, telling his wife - Edith - who is coming, and she's not pleased to hear it. Don is quick to promise that Jimmy is coming to apologize, but she still seems uncertain. Jimmy and Bobbie arrive at this moment, just late enough to have been annoying but not so late that it's beyond the pale. The men stand due to Bobbie, while Jimmy is immediately all eyes on Betty, largely ignoring everybody else to focus solely on her, though he can't help but allude to Don and Betty being almost Ken & Barbie-like in their perfection. He likens Don to JFK before assuring Betty she may not look like Jackie but she would certainly be the President's type. All this time, he ignores the Schillings, and there is no sign of the promised apology. When the waiter arrives to give them the Specials, Jimmy cuts him off to order drinks, claiming he (in the 3rd person, of course) is "down a quart". It's certainly not looking good for Don, Jimmy is unapologetic and about to start drinking, and all he wants to talk about is Betty, grilling her on horse-riding. Just like the start of the episode, he's amusing only himself (Bobbie pretends to be enjoying the schtick) and ignoring the clear disapproval and silence coming from his "audience". Bobbie excuses herself briefly, and seeing an opportunity to ask her what the hell, Don also asks to be excused for a moment. At the Crane household, Jennifer is sitting on the bed knitting little boots for the baby, and happily assures Harry that both her and the baby are extremely proud of him. He's pleased too, reminding her that a 12.5% paybump for a single day's work is nothing to sneeze at. It's not that though, she admits the extra money is nice, but more than that is her excitement at being able to tell the other girls at the telephone company that her husband runs the Television Department at Sterling Cooper. It goes unsaid, but I think another large part of her pride comes from the fact that her husband followed her advice and stood up for himself, and that was recognized. Joining her on the bed, they kiss and he lays his head in her lap. He skims over the details of the television show itself, not wanting to bring up abortion to his pregnant wife, but explains that even though he wasn't able to get the sponsor onboard, everybody was impressed at the fact he recognized the opportunity in the first place. They sit there together, in perfect happiness, the misery of his cheating on her over a year ago a distant memory at most as everything in their lives finally seems to be coming together exactly as they want it to be.  Bobbie is checking her reflection in corridor mirror when Don comes by. She compliments his look but he's in no mood, warning her that the window where he can get away with an apology is soon closing. If the appetizers arrive and he's still said nothing, the Schillings will leave, and there will be no salvaging any of this then. Bobbie is unfazed though, smug even, as she counters that she and a lawyer looked over Jimmy's contract and figured out that he has no need to give an apology at all. Hurt feelings aren't a good enough reason to fire Jimmy, and he'll end up getting paid either way. Don is no idiot, there is a pitch happening here and he's the one they're trying to sell it to. If they weren't going to apologize why bother showing up? Because Bobbie knows that Sterling Cooper will be the ultimate losers is Utz fires Jimmy, and they're the ones who really need this apology to happen. She basically has him over a barrel, and unlike Pete Campbell she has no qualms about admitting exactly what this is: blackmail. If Don wants Jimmy to give an apology in public like this to the Schillings, then it will cost the firm 25k... and a newspaper article from Sterling Cooper declaring the money is a bonus because Jimmy did such a great job. He takes this all in blank-faced, much like he did when Pete tried to blackmail him. There the choice was between possibly throwing away his entire career vs. living under Pete Campbell's thumb for the rest of it. Here the choice is between swallowing his pride and paying out a one-time fee vs. losing a gigantic client for the firm. So Don considers... then grabs her as if he was going to kiss her, before instead running one hand up her skirt and into her crotch. She gasps in shock, trying her best to keep her composure as he slides his fingers inside of her. Leaning in close, Don doesn't go for a kiss, instead he gives HER an ultimatum. He will have no qualms with destroying Jimmy's career, and if she doesn't want that - and he knows she doesn't - then SHE will do what HE says. Having made his point, Don removes his hand, smooths down her dress, then saunters away like he doesn't have a care in the world. Bobbie is left behind, flustered and unsure what to make of any of this. After all, if he was willing to do this here in the restaurant, what else is he willing to do? Like Arthur, this is a case of a man making unwanted and unwarranted sexually aggressive moves towards a married woman. It's important though I think to stress that this isn't a matter of Don being so manly that he overwhelmed Bobbie or any missing-the-point bullshit like that. This was more about him demonstrating his refusal to be controlled as well as his willingness to go completely beyond the pale in a way that even Jimmy Barrett wouldn't do. I don't think he put any great thought or planning into it, it was more a spur of the moment thing, and it was also a huge gamble. Bobbie could easily have screamed, and she could still go running in and make a scene and destroy not just Don's reputation, but Sterling Cooper's as well (and give Utz a big hit). But Don is good at judging people, at seeing how far he can push them and in what direction. With Bobbie he saw a woman who enjoys pushing the boundaries, but who also felt she held a stronger hand than she really did. He allowed her to push and dominate him so far, enjoying in the moment the same independent and resistant streak that attracted him to the likes of Midge and Rachel. But she seems to lack their depth, and after that initial attraction gave way to regret, Don seemed to quickly reach a point where her charms were quickly outweighed by the problems she was causing. Don returns to his table, ignoring Jimmy's open flirting with his wife, wiping down a hand that has been far more intrusive of Jimmy and Bobbie's marriage than Jimmy is being with Don and Betty's. Bobbie also returns, and I don't think she really decided how she was going to play this until the moment she walked in and saw Don calmly sitting at the table with the others. Taking her seat, she ignores Jimmy's jokes to insist kindly to Mr. and Mrs. Schilling that it's time Jimmy said something important. Jimmy takes his cues from her, he's been running under the assumption he could do what he wants, and now that she's given the sign he may presume that there is 25K coming... or more likely he had no idea that was even in the cards and was just gonna play it however Bobbie told him to. Now he turns on the charm, and not in the flirty way he's been doing with a dazzled Betty. Instead he sincerely, and with deep remorse, apologizes profusely to them both but especially Edith for his actions and cruel words. He explains that there are two versions of himself, the one under the lights and the REAL him. The former has made him rich but not particularly nice, but he had no excuse to say the things he said to her... not because she's married to Hunt, but because he shouldn't treat ANYBODY like that in that situation. It wasn't a set, he wasn't doing a show, he should have been professional. Edith takes this in, then quietly admits that she knows this is the kind of comedy he does, but she simply doesn't have the stomach for it. Jimmy takes a beat, then turns and bites on his fist, fighting with everything he has not to crack an inappropriate joke about the size of her stomach. It's good enough for Hunt though, his offense soothed, and he suggests they order. Don, confident and secure again having once more - through some pretty disturbing tactics - calmed a bad situation, calls over the waiter, ready to enjoy the rest of the evening with his wife. That night as he drives Betty home, he notices that tears are streaming down her face. Alarmed, he asks her what is wrong. Nothing she promises, and then surprises him by telling him she's actually deeply happy. For her, the night was nothing but an unparalleled success: Jimmy was charming, paid attention to her, made that beautiful apology and then they enjoyed a lovely meal. She admits that when she said she wanted to be a part of Don's life, it was THIS she meant... they make a great team. She nestles against his shoulder as he drives, and it is hard to say if she is being truthful, if she is trying to suppress her "profound sadness", or some heady mixture of both. For Don though it is as complicated, because as pleased as he will be that Betty feels valued, some part of him must be dreading the notion that she wants to be more active in his business/social life. Plus of course the knowledge that the evening was nearly an unparalleled disaster that could have cost him hugely, and it was only salvaged by his aggressive sexually charged groping of Bobbie Barrett. The irony, of course, is that both of them are reacting the way they are in the wake of separate opportunities to be unfaithful to the other. Betty standing firm against Arthur caused her stress which this evening helped somewhat dispel, while Don's infidelity with Bettie caused him all manner of problems he had to fight through during this strained evening his wife enjoyed so much. As he drives home, his wife curled up against him, he is surely thinking about the dangers his business (and social) life puts the stability and happiness of his domestic life into. He always belatedly remembers just how important that is to him, and he is more and more aware of how incompatible these different parts of himself are... and now Betty wants to bring them closer together. Don Draper has survived one potential disaster by the skin of his teeth... but is he heading into a brand new one of his own making?  Episode Index
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Dec 1, 2020 16:00
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Still loving these writeups! I think you have a typo for the director's name, it's Lesli Linka Glatter (with a "k" in the second name). Wish I had something more useful to contribute 
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Dec 1, 2020 17:12
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Thanks, fixed it. That's super weird, because of the spelling of her name I legit just copy-pasted it when I did the write-up just so I wouldn't get it wrong, so I have no idea how that happened!
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Dec 1, 2020 17:23
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"My people are Nordic" is definitely one of the all-time Betty lines. It's about as funny as Pete's "Direct marketing. I thought of that. Turned out it already existed, but I arrived at independently." Of course, it's not as funny as "Not great, Bob!" but what is? "THE KING ORDERED IT!" Overall, I don't think this is one of the stronger episodes, but it has one of the most famous Don moments, when he sexually assaults Bobbie at Lutece. Disturbingly, many people found this scene to be "cool", an example of how alpha and masculine Don is. The show did its best to clarify that Don is a miserable person, but bad behavior will always look glamorous to a certain segment of the audience, and in the early days of Mad Men, there were a nauseating number of articles in men's magazines and the like advising their readers how to be more like Don Draper. I think the show did a fairly good job handling the moral responsibility of depicting a character who is superficially cool, but is also a hosed up person who does terrible things. Most of the troglodytes who thought that Don was an example to be emulated lost interest long before the show finished. It eventually became clear that the show was not confirming their worldview after all. But I do have some misgivings about this scene, where a "cool" man gets what he wants by sexually assaulting a woman and then threatening her. What do you all think? Do you think I'm overthinking it?
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Dec 1, 2020 23:16
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Yoshi Wins posted:Do you think I'm overthinking it? Not at all, Don absolutely crosses a line and it's gross as hell. As soon as I saw it I knew that there were surely a not-insignificant chunk of the audience who completely missed the point (Don is both desperate AND has a hosed up view on women) and thought it was an example of Don being "alpha" or some other misogynistic bullshit. I think it stands out because it's the first time I can recall we see Don doing something so crude. He's absolutely had his moments of misogyny before, but when it comes to sex he's mostly been either respectful or mindful of at least keeping up appearances - he doesn't screw around casually, he even makes sure to get consent with Rachel on that night that he shows up in a panic wanting to be with her for the first time. Now we see him once again backed into a corner where he has no choice but to capitulate or roll the dice on a desperate gamble, and that he chooses to dominate Bobbie in the way he does speaks volumes: he can't talk a woman into what he wants, so he gets physical and domineering instead. Even short of the sexual angle, he'd never pull that with a man, and we know this because Pete Campbell put him in a corner last season and while Don made some vague allusions while standing uncomfortably close, he never actually got physical or explicitly threatening.
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Dec 2, 2020 00:08
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Yoshi Wins posted:"My people are Nordic" is definitely one of the all-time Betty lines. It's about as funny as Pete's "Direct marketing. I thought of that. Turned out it already existed, but I arrived at independently." Not that this is wrong, but: quote:This just amuses her further though, as we've already seen she's as used to getting her own way as her husband is, and she grabs his crotch, gives it an appreciative squeeze and points out it sure doesn't feel like he doesn't want it. they're not actually equivalent, but they are definitely superficially equivalent.
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Dec 2, 2020 01:44
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Yoshi Wins posted:
I think alot of those stories (and I guess this applies to most things) is that they are written in such a way that you never really know what's going on in the show in the first place. You look at articles about Mad Men and Breaking Bad in the late 2000s and they always just taking the premise of the show and running an article on what they think the show is like. A SNL-parody level try on what they think the show is.
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Dec 2, 2020 02:33
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sebmojo posted:Not that this is wrong, but: Very true! Don wasn't even flirting with her. He was being pretty professional with her, and she just assumes she can kiss him and grab his crotch. Both of them crossing major ethical and moral boundaries to say, "I know what you REALLY want." The fact that the other person "gave in" in both cases doesn't make it okay. Definitely an intentional symmetry within the episode that I'd never noticed.
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Dec 2, 2020 04:25
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I'm starting to think this Don Draper guy is a real jerk!
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Dec 2, 2020 06:59
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I'm always happy to see Patrick Fischler in something, he's a really underrated character actor imo
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Dec 2, 2020 07:02
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Season 2, Episode 4 - Three Sundays Written by Andre Jacquemetton & Maria Jacquemetton, Directed by Tim Hunter Herman "Duck" Phillips posted:Our job is to bend down the branch. Let him pick the fruit. It's Sunday, April 8th, 1962 and Peggy Olson is spending one of her few precious days off attending services at The Church of the Holy Innocents in Brooklyn. The subject of the sermon is "the flesh lusts against the spirit", and how only the Holy Cross can save you from the horrors of having a healthy and completely normal sexual appetite. Peggy, only attending out of familial obligation, isn't in a mood to hear this kind of bullshit, especially since on some base level she can't escape her Christian upbringing and probably feels personally attacked by this. She tells her sister Anita she isn't feeling well, and Anita reveals another reason for Peggy's inability to sit through the sermon: she's hungover, Anita complaining she can still smell booze on Peggy even now. Anita doesn't want her to leave despite her distaste though, they're having supper with the whole family and she needs Peggy's help. Peggy slips out though, heading for the exit only to find Father Gill (played by Colin Hanks!) blocking that door. He assumes she's come out because she felt a draft, he's blocking the door so he can smoke AND keep an eye on two trouble-making young kids he's forced to stand facing a wall as punishment. He sends the two boys back inside with a firm warning not to get on his bad side again, and Peggy seems impressed with his authority. Having ascertained she'd unbothered by the draft and not related to either boy, he's guessed she's slipping out of the service but she assures him she just wanted some fresh air. He isn't fooled, but unlike with the boys he seems more amused by her "transgression", and with a smile she admits that she didn't want to lie to him inside the Church. They introduce each other and she learns that Gill is going to the dinner with the family later today. He asks her if she'll come back inside and Peggy - struck by this tall, handsome (in an unconventional manner), lean and confident man - agrees to do so, seemingly rethinking her desire to skip out on dinner with the family after all. At the Draper household, it seems neither Don or Betty are particularly religious. Rather, they're greatly enjoying a sleep-in when a phone-call intrudes. It's a friend called Caroline, wanting to check with Betty about what food will be appropriate for the children as a barbecue they'll be attending later in the day. As she talks, Don - happy, well-rested, still half-asleep - pulls up close against his wife and whispers to her to cancel. She tries to keep talking as he nestles closer again her, whispering at her again to cancel. She asks Caroline to wait a moment and whispers back that she can't, but seeing the sparkle in her husband's eye (and certainly feeling his physical interest) she makes a quick calculation and then apologizes to Caroline that Don isn't feeling well so they'll have to do it another time. Caroline immediately tries to work out the date, with Betty doing her best to get out of the call. With that out of the way, she can turn her attention fully to her randy husband. Thrilling to him climbing atop her, she asks what has gotten into him and he admits he doesn't know, but he did have an amazing dream and apparently the good mood has followed him into the waking world. They pull close together, man and wife who are allowed to have their "flesh lust against the spirit" by dint of being married... and then get unfortunately hauled back to reality by their two small children bursting through the door complaining about the other hogging the television. They quickly get rid of them, amused but also irritated by the mood-spoiling moment... but not enough to keep them from getting it back. Closing the bedroom door, Don returns to bed with a wolfish grin, Betty enthusiastically receiving him on a glorious, guilt-free Sunday morning.   Eventually getting dressed and making their way downstairs, they settle in for a lazy day on the couches reading - Don his newspaper and Betty Babylon Revisited. Sally pours them alcoholic drinks, really settling happily into her role as underage bartender. Bing Crosby is playing on the record player, but the music is disrupted by a fascinated Bobby touching it, and testily Betty reminds him that she told him not to play with it. Bobby, apparently not grasping that just because he couldn't see Betty she could see him, insists that he didn't touch it which outrages her. She looks immediately to Don, who continues reading his paper unconcerned, so she turns immediately back to Bobby and warns him that she saw him. Bobby is upset now, perhaps having convinced himself somehow that he didn't do it and insisting that he's innocent. Betty sends both him and Sally off to watch TV, but the day is too pleasant for her to stay upset for long, as she drinks in the music, enjoys Don's presence, and just for once everything seems to be exactly as she wants it to be. Getting up, she asks him to join her for a dance, telling him how she used to dance to Bing Crosby songs in high school. Don complains, though good-naturedly, that they weren't supposed to do anything today, but joins her. The two dance together, still holding their drinks, swaying together, Don joking about her reputation in school. His hand slides down her back and cups her rear end, the kind of thing she'd never had put up with back in school... but it's fine now, it's to be encouraged and enjoyed, after all he is her husband. It's Sunday, her life is a dream-come-true, and everything is right with the world. At Anita's home, Peggy isn't exactly seeing the charming side of married life as Anita and her husband Gerry bellow at each from across the house. He's laid up on the couch with his shoes off, complaining about his bad back, clearly not particularly excited about having a priest around on a Sunday afternoon when he just wants to relax and enjoy the game. The doorbell rings and Peggy answers, happy to see Father Gill, though they barely have time to speak for another guest bursts through after him apologizing for being late and explaining she was seeing her son in Greenwood. Poor Father Gill politely says he'd like to meet him sometime and Peggy has to quietly inform him Greenwood is a cemetery, marking an inauspicious start to his visit. The rest of the family rush in to see and greet the priest, even Gerry manages to stagger up to his feet and shake Gill's hand, apologizing for missing Mass due to his back. That's about all he can manage though and he apologetically explains he needs to lie down again, Gill quickly agreeing he should do so. Anita, of course, glares at her husband regardless for being so rude as to have crippling physical pain, before putting on a big happy smile as they usher the priest into the dining room. They sit him at the head of the table and Anita asks Gill to honor them by saying Grace. He's happy to do so, and offers a lovely and heartfelt blessing. Finished, he smiles at them all and they smile back, and then with the sweet, smiling judgment of a mother Katherine asks him if he's going to say Grace now? Because it's not the sincerity that's important, apparently, it's observing the EXACT tradition with absolutely no movement for adaptation or evolution. It might seem a bit much, but this is symptomatic of the the kind of hypocritical mentality that dictates that appearances are far more important than substance: it's why Katherine lied about Peggy attending a different Church; why they took Peggy's baby and gave him to Anita to raise (I think) etc. So that everybody sees them as good, honest, "Christian" folk. So, holding back his annoyance, Gill stands up and delivers a traditional, structured delivery. It has exactly the same meaning as what he already said, in fact what he originally said certainly had far more heartfelt emotion in it... but it's the latter that satisfies Katherine and the others, because it's what is SUPPOSED to be said.   The meal over, Peggy brings out a cake for desert as the ladies grill Gill for further information about himself. They're thrilled to hear he spent time in Rome, asking if he got to meet the Pope. He did not, of course, pointing out it's like assuming you'll meet the President if you go to Washington... but he does make them laugh by noting that like with the President, you KNOW when he's in the building. Peggy offers to go get the Sherry when Gill insists that Katherine have a drink too if she's serving him one, and when she's out of the room she's surprised to hear Katherine proudly telling the priest all about how Peggy works on Madison Avenue doing "the writing for advertisements", and how she'd test out her presentations on them... and speak Latin! Father Gill is interested, but when Peggy apologetically mentions she will have to go, he's surprised to realize how late it is and offers to give her a drive. He thanks them for the meal, is sure to deeply compliment Anita on her cooking (especially after Katherine comments that the chicken was overcooked) and agrees to have his photo taken with them. For the family it is a real honor, the priest coming to dinner with them fits right in with their desire for a proper appearance over all considerations: this is effectively an endorsement of the Church for them, an acknowledgement that they are an accepted and worthy "Christian" family.... even if Gerry is passed out asleep on the couch behind them as they get their souvenir photo. A different type of family dinner is being held elsewhere. Roger and Mona Sterling have taken their daughter Margaret and her fiance Brooks (I'm not sure if this is his first or last name) out to dinner at a restaurant. The subject of the wedding has come up, not particularly to Margaret's liking: she and Brooks have been engaged now for 2 months but she's not running around making wedding plans? Margaret explains, obviously not for the first time, that "we" think a large wedding is silly, an unnecessary expense that exists solely to show off or to somehow "prove" to other people how much they love each other. Brooks, very smartly, agrees entirely with Margaret when Roger asks how HE feels about this. That of course gives Roger an opening though, since he's in the business of convincing people: because HIS wife wants their daughter to have a big wedding, so he's agreeing with her. Margaret - who is now old enough to have gotten over her disdain for her father, helped along by the fright of his heart attack - reminds him that Mona GOT a big wedding, her own. But even Margaret can't help but get a little caught up when Mona speaks longingly of perhaps the most perfect day of her life: her mother and sister fussed over her, she was never happier, her handsome new husband glided her around the dance floor like something out of a dream, she got to dance with her own father at her wedding and make HIM happy... and she doesn't want Margaret to miss out on getting to experience that same perfection/happiness for herself. Margaret is moved but still non-committal, and Brooks pulls out a menu in hopes of shifting away from this conversation. He and Margaret agree to have the same meal, which delights Mona of course, while Roger ponders it all... how to make sure his daughter agrees to make the most special day in HER life reflect what he and Mona want her to do instead. Father Gill drops Peggy off, but before he lets her out he asks her if he can ask her something personal. Normally alarm bells would be ringing in this situation, but for Peggy the idea that Gill might try to proposition her seems unlikely. Indeed it is, his "personal" request is actually rather touching: he's to deliver the Palm Sunday sermon next week, which is a big deal, and he'd like her assistance in writing it. She's shocked, he's the expert in this field... plus she doesn't think she's the audience he should be targeting. His response to that is exactly to be expected though: he needed help, and a series of events lead to him having dinner and driving in a car with the one person in the Church who regularly engages in presentations/public speaking... this is God's work. Flattered if still a little unsure, Peggy offers the best advice she can: do your prep work/research, be confident in what you're saying and find a member of the audience to fix eye contact on. He's thankful for the tips, admitting he's not worried about the content, just in how he'll present it. On that though she does have one other suggestion: the sermon is the only part of the Mass in English... but it's not always particularly clear in spite of that. Her recommendation is to simplify it, to allow the Churchgoers to understand what is being said. He thanks her for the advice and they say goodnight, Peggy for once getting to enjoy a man who appreciates her for her intellect/experience with no ulterior physical motives. In the Draper Household, an exhausted but happy Don and Betty climb onto their bed joined by their children who are loving having spent the entire day just hanging out with their parents with no distractions. Sally massages her mother's feet and Don good-naturedly ribs her, calling them water-skis, and she laughs as she elbows him. Sally excitedly joins in, Betty tickling her mercilessly while Don smiling beside her. Bobby is excited too, but he's also a small child, so his excitement and energy levels see him jump about gleefully on the already overloaded bed... and with a crack the base snaps and they take a sudden if short drop. Now the humor is gone from the room, Betty scowling at her son and admonishing him for breaking the bed by being "wild in the house", ignoring that she was taking part in the tomfoolery too. Bobby in a quiet voice mumbles he didn't mean to do anything, but when Betty tries to send them both to brush their teeth and go to bed they remind their parents they haven't had dinner. Surprised, Betty and Don share exhausted looks, neither in the mood to go through the process of preparing dinner for two small children. But it's 7:30pm, close to the kids' bedtime, so it's now or never. Betty takes them downstairs, saying she'll make grilled cheese sandwiches for them. Don is left on the busted bed, falling back and letting out a sigh. He had a great Sunday, but he never quite realized how exhausting it could be doing absolutely nothing.  The next day, Pete Campbell and Ken Cosgrove have taken Marty Hasselbach from Gorton's for a lunch date. As they laugh at his bad jokes, a pretty young woman comes walking up to the table and Ken introduces her and Marty. Her name is Vicky, and she charms the older man immediately, delighting in his bald head and sliding her hand over it, proclaiming that he "thinks a lot". Ecstatic over the attention, he agrees it has been known to grant wishes, but this time Pete and Ken don't laugh, distracted by the sudden arrival of Roger Sterling. They're quick to introduce him to Marty, presumably to showcase the fact they're on a working lunch and not just out boozing randomly in company time. He is pleased to see him, they were due for a meeting the next day in any case, but he's even more pleased to meet Vicky, who surprises everybody by introducing herself... as Marty's wife. He's happy to play along, especially as she continues to gush over his lack of hair, of her plans to sneak into the shower with him one morning and shave the rest of it off. Roger is surprised but pleased over "Mrs. Hasselbach's" ardor for her older husband, and when she confidently answers his question of how long they've been married with,"Five years!" he proclaims he understands now, this is clearly a "second go-around" which is why they're both enjoying the marriage so much. He says his goodbyes, saying he hopes to see both tomorrow. Once he's gone, Marty beams at his "wife", having a great time with this unexpected fun on top of the expected escort he must have known Ken and Pete would provide. The next day Don is working in his office when he gets a surprising call from Joan over the intercom: Bobbie Barrett has come to see him. Surprised, he quickly acts as if he was expecting her and tells Joan to let her in, shaking her hand and greeting her professionally. Joan offers to take her coat but Bobbie declines, making herself at home on the couch. Once Joan is gone, Don reminds her that they have appointment books for a reason, and ignores her niceties to pleasantly remind her that he's busy. He assumes she's come because Jimmy's mouth has gotten him into trouble again, but while it is related to Jimmy it's something else on her mind: how does she get a television show made? Her idea is a deviation on Candid Camera, one with Jimmy hosting called "Grin and Barrett", in which he uses his cruel wit to harass people before revealing they're on a television show. Don is blunt: it's derivative... but that's also not a bad thing. ABC have recently lost Candid Camera and they're not happy about it, a replacement show with a twist and a celebrity attached isn't necessarily going to be immediately rejected. The trouble is that Jimmy has a contract with Utz, and he rejects Bobbie's thought that they could get around this by having Utz sponsor the show. That's not going to work, Utz isn't a sponsor that can compete at a National level, and that's what ABC would want. He also rejects her suggestion that Utz just release Jimmy from his contract to "keep him happy", taking more pleasure than he probably should in informing her that Utz doesn't care if Jimmy is happy or not... after all, Jimmy made it clear last episode he really didn't care if Utz was happy either. But now he's dashed her hopes, he raises them again. Because while Utz wouldn't release Jimmy for his happiness, they could be convinced that Jimmy's association with Utz would be more effective if he's also hosting a hit television show. Delighted at this suggestion, she gets down to business... or at least her version of it. Striding to the door, she applies the lock (Joan hears this from her desk and jumps to the obvious conclusion, but also knows part of her business is making this none of her business) then asks Don to sell the show for her. He's not interested in that, but he agrees he can at least talk to the Schillings about the situation. Pleased, she "rewards" him by coming over and kissing him. Affecting indifference, he claims he has work, but she dismisses that and he makes no move to stop her as she drops her coat to the ground in front of him, presumably as padding for her knees. For Bobbie, this all probably seems rote: she is perfectly self-assured almost to the point of arrogance about her own desirability and men's inability to deny her (to be fair, probably with precedent). It's a little different for Don, even if the result is the same: it's the confidence that attracts him, plenty of beautiful, desirable women have thrown themselves at him only to be rebuffed. Despite his irritation with the entire Jimmy situation and her attempt to extort 25k from Sterling Cooper, he still finds her self-assurance irresistible, even if he may not particularly like her as a person. In the end, liking each other doesn't matter, they both get what they want.   Pete and Ken are discussing an account in Ken's office (which is huge, if a little sparsely decorated) when Roger comes wandering in asking if the Hasselbach meeting is still at 3pm, and if Mrs. Hasselbach will be joining them. Pete tells their secretary they don't need her taking dictation anymore, making sure she is out of the room before gently telling Roger the truth: there is a Mrs. Hasselbach, but it's not who he met yesterday. Roger takes this in with an impassive face, then simply nods and agrees this makes sense. Ken, a little too eager to please, offers to get Roger her number... as well as the offer of many other numbers he has on record. Roger doesn't want a pimp though (and certainly not an underling) and calmly declines, before complimenting both on their good work and wandering back out the door. Despite his smooth face and the ease with which he took the news though, it's clear "Mrs. Hasselbach" is still on his mind. Don returns home to a thrilled Sally who leaps into his arms for a hug, giggling as he puts his hat on her head and responds to her complaint he needs a shave by solemnly informing her that SHE needs a shave. Unfortunately Betty isn't as happy, telling Don that Bobby fiddled with the record player again and has broken it, and the repair call out is going to be $18 (reminder, the secretaries at Sterling Cooper get $35 a week) or $9 if he is willing to drive it out there himself, which he isn't. He winces at the cost, but what really makes Betty mad is that once again Bobby lied to her and tried to claim he didn't touch it. Sighing, knowing this requires him putting on his disciplinarian hat, he asks where Bobby is and then trudges up the stairs to do his duty. Betty motions a watching Sally away before turning to look up the stairs and see Don lay down his authority. What she sees is Don putting his head through the door, curtly telling Bobby that he believes his mother when she tells him he broke the record player, and warning him not to do it again. A sad little Bobby, sitting on the edge of his bed, whispers a soft little,"I won't" and Don glares at him before closing the door. Returning down the stairs, he finds a disbelieving Betty who is shocked this is the extent of his parenting: making their son go to bed? She reminds him that he already broke the washing machine, and he's not going to learn the difference between right and wrong unless he gets a spanking. Don disagrees, that won't do anything, and goes cold when Betty complains by asking if he thinks HE would be the man he is today if his father didn't hit him? Rather than responding, he complains that he'd like something to eat and moves past her into the kitchen. She glares after him, having either missed or ignored the clear look of hurt on his face when she mentioned his father... which to be fair isn't a surprise, she's mad herself at the moment but he's also never offered ANY information about his father. She's simply made the assumption that like herself the role of the father in Don's house was to administer "mild" physical punishment as a learning tool. Our privileged knowledge of Don's upbringing means we can guess that there was absolutely nothing "mild" about his physical punishment at all, and that it probably went far beyond "just" a spanking. The week passes, the weekend comes, and Palm Sunday arrives at last. In the Draper home they're up early, Don making pancakes while little Bobby stands watching both hungry and fascinated. Peggy, still in her nightwear, walks by carrying his toolbox, pointedly reminding him he left it by the bed (presumably he fixed the damage caused by Bobby's jumping). He calls out to her that he'll do it (put it away) but she ignores him, apparently still not in a good mood over his (lack of) punishment of Bobby. She keeps on walking as he flips the pancake and wipes down his hands, intending to head out after her. The phone rings at that moment though and he moves over to answer it, leaving behind Bobby staring fascinated at the last pancake still cooking on the griddle. It's Duck on the phone, and he has bad news: Shel Keneally called him late last night to let him know American Airlines had scheduled multiple pitches at different Advertising Firms for the coming week. Don is confused, they're not scheduled to pitch until the week after. Duck doesn't give the obvious answer, which is that they're low on the totem pole for American Airlines' interest, instead offering one of his accomplishments rather than a failure: he's managed to get them a spot on Good Friday at the end of this week... but it means all hands are needed on deck from TODAY to crank up the pace on the pitch they thought they still had two weeks to prepare. But as Duck is telling him to come in, a sharp cry of pain from Bobby takes away all his attention. He quickly hangs up the phone and rushes to Bobby's side as he clutches at his face, he got too close to the griddle and has burned his chin. Betty rushes back in as well, pushing Don aside to get a look at her son, furious that she was only out of the room for "10 seconds" and Don managed to let their son burn himself. Don, frustrated, explains he was distracted by the call saying the American Airlines pitch was moved up. She doesn't see what that matters now, and is even angrier when he explains it means he is going into the office. Refusing the chaos of taking TWO children with her to an emergency room on Palm Sunday, and adamant that she won't impose on Francine on Palm Sunday, she TELLS (not asks, TELLS) Don that he'll be taking Sally to work with him. She doesn't give him a chance to argue, just hauls a crying Bobby away as he complains he wants to go with daddy... does he mean to the emergency room? Or is he forgetting the pain in this moment because he doesn't want to miss out on going to daddy's work, especially if Sally is getting to go! In any case, it leaves Don and Sally alone in the kitchen together, where his young daughter responds to all the chaos in the most perfect way possible: https://i.imgur.com/GUjGOmJ.mp4 Don's dad face is also top notch.
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Dec 5, 2020 15:19
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At Anita's home, Katherine and Anita have invited over Tom and Roberta Callahan, Mrs. O'Neill & Mrs Casey to enjoy lunch with Father Gill (Gerry, of course, is on the couch for this back). The man himself arrives however with bad news, he can't stay, and though they're upset they understand immediately when he explains another worshiper named Mrs. Marchetti has taken a turn for the worse, and he's needed at her bedside in case of the worst. Anita offers to at least get him a paper plate of food, but forgets all about that when Gill inquires why Peggy isn't there. Katherine immediately announces she is sick, so Gill hands Anita some folded paper and asks her to pass it to her sister. There's nothing untoward about it, he openly tells her its contents, it's a copy of his sermon, a thank you for her help with writing it. Katherine and Anita are surprised, they wrote something together? Gill explains she gave good advice, apologizes again for not being able to stay, and makes his exit. Katherine sees him out, then passes her other daughter openly commenting on how nice it is that Gill has taken an interest in Peggy. She is none the wiser that Anita is clearly upset over this revelation, that Peggy - her sister who goes out drinking, skips Church, gets covered for by her mother etc is now earning praise not just from a respected man, but a man of the Church to boot. Don and Sally arrive hand-in-hand at the office, the secretaries all charmed by the sight. Joan, though she remains professional, is immune to little Sally's charms and can only offer a forced little smile when Don leaves her in Joan's care with little more than a joke to keep her away from the paper cutter. In the conference room, Peggy is present and far from sick. Katherine has again lied for her daughter, though as Peggy herself said in another episode, nobody asked her to. She's joined the full court press spearheaded from Duck, who is acting as General as he lays out the schedule and their Friday deadline. American Airlines arrives at 10am, Roger handles the introductions of Cooper as senior partner followed by the Creative and Accounts teams. Pete Campbell will be strategically placed beside Shel Kaneally (presumably as a reminder of his personal connection, as well as a signifier of an already established working relationship). All the Americans Airlines executives will be handled a maroon folder (Sal sighs that they can't get cordovan by Friday) with copies of all the data, art, strategies etc they'll be getting pitched on the day. Pete won't just be a pretty face though, he'll be running as the coordinator between Creative and Accounts, and he gives a pleasant but firm reminder to Sal that the can't just reuse old art from other campaigns: every plane that features in every image MUST be an American Airlines plane, a model they use. Duck suddenly cuts Pete off, noticing that Harry Crane is present and wanting to know why. Harry, singled out and surprised, nervously explains he is the head of the Television Department. Duck absorbs that for a second, it seems he wasn't even aware they had one, but again he quickly smooths over any gaps in his own knowledge to spread on what he does. He'll be presenting the setup, covering American Airlines' history, getting the Research Department into place to tell American Airlines what Americans are waiting to hear from them... and then it all goes to Don, who does the final and most important job: sell American Airlines on their pitch. Don doesn't react to the compliment, but he frowns when Duck explains to the others that they're going to pitch all three of the proposed campaign ideas they've been working on so that American Airlines can see all their options. He likes even less Duck's assurance to everybody that just because they're pitching these ideas doesn't mean any of them will be the ones they go with, that this is just about getting their foot in the door and then they can come up with a new idea. He doesn't openly contradict the Head of Account Services though, just brusquely tells the rest of the Creative Team he wants to see them in his office now and leads them out of the room. Joan is typing as Sally draws in a coloring book, happily chatting away to the disinterested secretary. She comments on how Joan has "big ones" (I mean....) and how her mother has "big ones" too, and how she's going to have "big ones" too when she grows up. Thankfully for Joan, a distraction comes in the form of Don leading Creative into his office, completely focuses and not even acknowledging his daughter as he goes. Inside his office, Don is more open about his disagreement with Duck's strategy: they're not going to hedge their bets and present three separate campaigns. Whatever it is they present, even if they end up changing it once they have the Account, they have to go in full on it. He knows that clients will be suspicious of an Advertising Firm leaving wriggle room, they'll want certainty and focus. The trouble is... he still doesn't know which idea is the one he wants to go with. He critiques what is shown to him: Sal's ad about stewardess recruitment isn't glamorous enough; he's suspicious of Paul's menu being all in French; Peggy at least has found him the same pattern as used on the Queen Mary for the plates, but she warns him they can't move ahead until HE makes a decision on if they're proposing a change to American Airline's logo. That he can't decide on, admitting that they're got a lot of "bricks" with which to build, but he hasn't decided what the "building" is meant to look like yet. They all file out, leaving him alone to ponder the decision he is unexpectedly running out of time to make.   But while all of Sterling Cooper have rushed out on Palm Sunday to deal with this emergency, Roger Sterling is enjoying an entirely different "work" appointment. He's taken a hotel meeting and arranged a meeting with Vicky, having acquired her number without Ken's involvement. She looks fantastic, of course, and he drinks in the sight of her as she confidently struts about the room. He admits to being nervous, not because he's cheating on his wife, but because he's doing something he hasn't done since World War 2... paying for sex. Vicky assures him the prices may have changed but the menu remains the same, and he happily lays the cash down on the bedside table... which is when things take an off-turn. Because now he's paid, he essentially is treating her like an employee. When he moves in for a kiss, she pulls away, reminding him again that the menu is the same... including those things that are off-limits. But he's paid, and if there is one thing Roger Sterling dislikes it is being told no, especially by somebody who works for him. So, never threatening, never aggressive, never accusatory, he pushes to have the one thing he's been told he can't have. He offers her more money, including carfare, and doesn't blink at the ridiculous price she counters with - 100 dollars, close to a full month's pay for one of his secretaries. Eventually he breaks her down and gets her to agree to the kiss. Even then, it's not enough to have had it, he has to press things, make her agree that letting him kiss her wasn't a big deal after all. Still, he does make concession to not being in full control, warning her without specifics about the state of his health. On this field though, Vicky is confident, promising him as she turns out the light that nobody dies having sex. A bored Sally wanders into Paul Kinsey's office where he's sitting on a couch writing in a notepad, asking him if he's resting. Kindly he explains he's working, and is amused when Sally declares that they're going to have a conversation. She finds a photo of Sheila on his desk and, betraying the sad fact that even at her age she's already picking up preconceptions, asks if she is his maid. She's not alarmed or shocked when he explains she is girlfriend though, excitedly asking if he kisses her. "Sometimes," Paul agrees, and is rather alarmed when Sally - with complete innocence after last Sunday's walk-in on her parents - asks if he ever lays on top of her. Rather than stepping on that landmine, he plays to an idea she can far more easily relate to: if he doesn't do his work, her daddy is going to be angry at him. The staff takes a dinner break, though the secretaries have to wait for the higher-ups to eat first before they can grab a meal (well that's just some bullshit right there). Joan warns them to be patient as they stand in line smoking, two of the secretaries exchanging upset looks as they pass an oblivious Peggy who of course now ranks up with the other copywriters and gets to eat before them. Ken, Paul and Harry muse over the benefits that will come when (they're not considering if) they get the American Airlines account, including being able to fly everywhere they want to as "familiarization" with the product they're helping to sell. Sally listens in as Harry eagerly considers that they might ALL get to have their own offices (right now Ken and Pete already do, but he - the Head of the Television Department! - doesn't), while Ken is more excited about getting to pick out stewardesses. Finally the secretaries get the go-ahead and rush to the remaining food to chow down. Unfortunately for one of them who is chewing gum, she's singled out by Bert Cooper - who has just kind of been hanging around all day - when, shoeless as always, he steps in socks into some gum on the floor. Calling out to the girl "chewing your cud", he accuses her of being unladylike AND treating the office like a subway station. He orders her to collect her things and go home, then storms off to his office complaining grumpily. The woman is horrified, till Duck comes home and actually thanks her for getting rid of Cooper for the rest of the day. He assures her she'll be fine, tells her to lose the gum and get some dinner, and promises that Cooper will soon forget he ever fired her. Suddenly Don emerges from his office, where like Paul he has been scribbling in a notepad while deep in thought. Moving to the center of the room, he gets everybody's attention as he declares that American Airlines, like America itself, is not about the past but the future - there is no American History, only the frontier. In his mind, that crash happened to some different American Airlines, not the one they'll be pitching to on Wednesday. Their job is to tell the executives who come in that what kind of airline they are GOING to be running going forward. It's inspiring and presented with confidence, but it begs the question... what does all that actually mean? Don's answer sounds great but says nothing, as he challenges them to imagine what 1963 is going to look like. He returns to his office, and Pete, Harry and Ken are left far from as confident as they were moments ago. They complain about the lack of a decision from Don, the non-specific and open-ended directive.. Pete especially is upset about the crash being off-limits, that leaves him with nothing to actually discuss. None of them notice Sally standing in the background listening to them complain about her father. Duck overhears them too, and provides a calming presence as he shuts down the mutinous talks and gives them a reminder about their roles... which includes himself: they bend the branch... it's then up to Don (and his responsibility) to pick the fruit. They all leave their spot, leaving behind Sally... who notices that one of them has left a glass of unfinished liquor behind.   As promised, Roger has survived his experience with Vicky. As she dresses and he finishes putting his suit back on though, he declares that he'd like to go to dinner now. She reminds him that she has to meet a "friend", but he calmly declares that he'll pay the cost of missing the visit. Either because she wants to take advantage or maybe in an attempt to scare him off with her expensive tastes, she asks if he's been to Lutece. He has, and he has no qualms about taking her there (I presume Mona is well out of town during this build to Easter). He offers his arm and she takes it, and they leave the hotel together, both presumably more than happy to go. I have to wonder though, see how Roger gets an inch and takes a mile? What started as a paid for encounter with a prostitute turned into making her agree to kiss him which was supposedly off-limits, now he has her breaking an appointment with another client and making her go to dinner with him. I don't doubt he enjoys her company and her attitude, but he's also extremely presumptuous with her: she is after all his dream girl, somebody who he can cheat on his wife with who - unlike Joan - can be cajoled into going along with everything he tells her to do. Subject to his interests and desires, and her own ignored or relegated. Late into the evening, Sterling Cooper is emptying out and Don leaves his office, hat and coat on. Joan is technically doing her job and "watching" Sally,who is sleeping on a couch while Joan bitches with another secretary. She's talking about how she's impressed that "she" has come in on a Sunday but points out that "she" is also getting paid more than all of them. The safe presumption is that they're talking about Peggy. After all, they're all in on a Sunday as well, but they all had to stand in line waiting for food while Peggy - who was once a peer to the other secretaries and very much a junior to Joan - got to sit and eat with the other executives. Worst of all, she didn't even seem to notice her treatment was better than the other women were getting. Don joins them and lifts up the still sleeping Sally, saying goodnight to Joan and the other secretary and thanking them for babysitting (apparently they get no bonus for that though). He doesn't seem to notice the empty glass of liquor that drops to the floor, which would explain why Sally was in a stupor. Joan seems to have been aware of it though, and not at all upset... after all, it stopped Sally from asking questions about Joan's enormous breasts. Katherine is getting ready to leave Anita's, talking on the phone to Peggy who presumably has made it home herself. She passes the phone to Anita who talks to her pleasantly enough, telling her Gill's sermon went well and he gave them a copy to give to her. She says goodbye and hangs up, and is annoyed when Katherine comments about how nice it is that Gill is able to get to know Peggy without being burdened with knowledge of "all her troubles". Anita complains that Peggy just does whatever she wants with no regard for others, and that Katherine is far too easy on her. Katherine frowns, not willing to be drawn into an argument just when she's leaving, and asks if Gerry is warming up the car before walking away. I guess Gerry's back can tolerate at least driving his mother-in-law home. Good Friday arrives, and the week of preparations has come to a head at last. In the main conference room, final touches are made, advertising mock-ups put on easels for television and print, sample brochures and menus laid out, the maroon folders all spaced out perfectly on the desk. Bert Cooper sits, the others stand, all waiting to make a good first impression and wow the major airline with the quality of their work and land a real whale. The door opens, Duck steps through the door... and there they are all waiting. Sterling Cooper's finest:  And a grey-faced Duck tells them Shel Keneally was fired this morning.  They're horrified, more-so to learn that the rest of the American Airlines executives are still coming in. Why would they come to a meeting brokered by somebody they just fired? The answer is unfortunately both obvious and devastating: they're coming in because they're obligated to do so, but this is purely a formality. "We have to deliver a stillborn baby," Don explains to Pete, because professionally they're ALSO obligated to pitch as if they don't know their cause is hopeless. All the work they've done, all the prep, dashed by a single line... but they still have to go through the motions of pitching regardless. As Sterling Cooper's top men (and women, Peggy and Joan are both present in very different roles) put on their game faces, Anita visits the Church to take Confession... a very calculated Confession. Because it's Father Gill in the Confessional Booth, and her minor list of "sins" is purely preamble for her to drop a bombshell. Protected by both the enforced anonymity of the booth and the flimsy shield that she is actually condemning herself, she confesses that she has sinned by hating her sister for getting away with causing their mother paid, of having a baby out of wedlock, with "seducing" a married man (apparently she forced Pete to take the train up to Brooklyn and hammer drunkenly on her door in the late hours of the night), with getting to do whatever she wants and get away with it while Anita herself is good and does everything right but doesn't get anywhere near the leeway that Peggy does. Father Gill listens in shock, but keeps his composure and directs Anita to the requisite prayers to make for forgiveness, praying with her for absolution. But Anita, perhaps intentionally but maybe unconsciously, has gotten her savage satisfaction. She has burdened Father Gill with knowledge of Peggy's "troubles", hypocritically using the Confession Booth as a method of revenge even as she claims that she never gets to have things her own way. To be fair, you can see the cause of her frustration, especially given she took on the burden of raising the child as her own rather than let Peggy suffer the "scandal". But as noble as that might be, it's important to remember... Peggy never asked for any of this. She never asked her mother to lie, she never asked her sister to take the baby, and while it's wonderful they decided to raise it on her behalf, just how "Christian" is it if they're constantly going to rub it in her face? But her tears of frustration are genuine, who despairing cries of,"What about me? What about MY troubles" seem legitimate. But it is hard to say if Peggy would laugh or cry at the notion she gets to have things her own way all the time. Hell, she wouldn't be going to Church at all if that was the case, and her avoidance of home where possible isn't all that surprising given Anita's frequent put-downs and guilt-trips . None of that matters though, because though he can never reveal his knowledge of it, Father Gill now knows the truth: that Peggy Olson had a child out of wedlock. Nothing can make him not know that, and Anita gets to walk away having dumped that all on him AND getting forgiven for it. At Sterling Cooper, the pitch is over and everybody sits in silence as Sal collects the posters and charts. Duck returns to the room, telling them that Cooper has walked the American Airlines people to the elevator, and they at least acted impressed. That seems to be the signal for everybody but Don and Roger to leave, though as Pete goes - perhaps thinking about how he whored himself out for nothing, maybe just generically upset over losing a big client - Duck makes a point of giving him a supportive pat on the back. If nothing else, Duck knows what Pete was willing to do for the firm, even if it ultimately lead nowhere. With just Don, Duck and Roger left in the room, Don can't help but offer a silent "I told you so", sliding over the maroon folder that was prepared for Shel Keneally. Duck considers it, considers the implied insult, then takes the high road to agree the result was heartbreaking, but offers Don congratulations for putting together a hell of a pitch anyway. He leaves, and now it's just Don and Roger, the latter knowing that a more vocal,"I told you so" is coming. He tries to play off the hurt of their failure, but Don - who saw American Airlines as a long-shot at best, who was against ditching Mohawk and feared the damage it could do to the firm's reputation - points out that they hired on Duck to help them win new business, not to lose old business. Roger, who has to, takes a more philosophical approach. They lost, but the important thing was that they were in the hunt. That's where the excitement is anyway, you take a gamble and maybe it doesn't pay off... but if it does, oh the excitement, the thrill, the energy and life it gives you. That's how he likes to feel, it's a philosophy that paid off with Vicky last week for him but didn't pay off today with American Airlines. But he'll always push for new business because of how it makes him feel, while old business is... well, it's just old business. Mona would be thrilled to hear that.   Don surprises Betty by returning home early, which is puts down to it being Good Friday. But when she asks him how the American Airlines pitch when and he sighs,"It didn't" it doesn't take a soulmate to realize he's down in the dumps. She slides her glass of wine over to him as he dishes up his spaghetti, wanting to offer him support. She's distracted though by Bobby thumping his toy robot on the table, and tells him to stop doing that. That dealt with, she asks Don if he wants to talk about it, but he doesn't. Instead he asks about her day, and she starts to tell him about what her father has been up to... and Bobby starts playing with his robot again and accidentally knocks over Sally's juice, spilling it all over her, the table and the book she was reading. Furious, Betty jumps up to get a cloth to clean up, yelling at Bobby that she told him not to do this. He whines that it was an accident, and she's had enough, telling Don to do something about it.... and now Don, who has had an incredibly lovely day (that he also refuses to talk about, so it's all just bottling on up) has had enough too. Grabbing the robot, he hurls it across the room, shattering it into a million pieces. "Is that what you wanted?" he childishly demands of his wife, getting up from the table and storming out of the dining room. She isn't letting him get away with that though, and pursues him, while poor Sally is left to grab a cloth and clean up the spill herself. Betty follows Don up the stairs, yelling at him that he doesn't take responsibility for anything that happens inside the house. He complains back that he pays for everything, the food they eat, the clothes they wear, even her "drat stables". But she's not letting him play that game, even if she doesn't consider the fact that him being the sole breadwinner is HIS choice so he's really not in a position to complain about it. She reminds him she spends all day inside the house, locked up with both children who outnumber her, children with unlimited reserves of energy who are constantly testing their boundaries. She won't accept his claim that Carla is there to help, pointing out it isn't her job to RAISE their children, just help look after them from time to time. As they yell at each other, Bobby and Sally have gathered at the bottom of the stairs to listen in shock to their normally loving parents let rip. Betty spends all day being the bad guy, then Don comes home to a hero's welcome, hugs and kisses and he never punishes them or makes them upset at him. Don of course isn't exactly living a stress free life at the office (though he's also got a ton of freedom to come and go as he pleases) and jeers at her that if he brought home the stress he feels at the office, he'd end up putting her through a window. After having already asked him to share his day with her and being told no, getting mocked now as well as the reference to violence enrages Betty, and she shoves him angrily. Just as pissed for different reasons - he wants to come home after a stressful day and just sit down and relax, not deal with the poo poo she's been putting up with all day - he shoves her back. He is, of course, much larger, and she stumbles backwards looking shocked by the physical violence. She leaves the room, spotting the kids and ordering them to brush their teeth and go to bed. Don is left behind, heart sinking as he realizes the line he just crossed. He sits on the edge of the bed, miserable, and warns Bobby it isn't a good time when the little boy comes through the door to see him. Bobby has something he wants to say though, telling his dad that he's sorry - he doesn't really know what he's sorry for, he just knows he did something that made his parents upset and yell at each other (and break his toy!) and that this is something you say you are sorry for. Don tells him it is okay, and explains that dads get mad sometimes. Bobby, who of course looks up to his father like a shining God, asks if his own dad got mad. Surprised by the question, Don does answer it - he once told a sleepy Bobby he would never lie to him and would answer any question he could - telling his son more about his father than he's ever told anybody, including Betty. He's lead through this by Bobby's simple, childish questions - what did his dad look like, what did he like to eat etc? Don finds himself remembering something he hasn't thought of in years, an almost nostalgic memory of a type of candy his father ate, of the taste of it and the beautiful wrapper it came in. He explains that his father was a farmer, and Bobby seems to remember that he died, which Don agrees did happen a very long time ago. Bobby considers this, then sweetly offers that they need to get him a new daddy. Touched, Don calls his son over and hugs him tightly.   That night, Easter Sunday only one more day away, Don lies in bed not sleeping. Betty leaves the bathroom and joins him in bed, waiting and finally asking if he has anything to say to her. Miserable and tired, Don asks what she wants to hear, and she'd settle for ANYTHING from her buttoned up husband but for now she'd like to hear how he plans to help her raise the children... rather than be one. It's kinda fascinating seeing the change from season 1 to 2. In the first season, Don's position as Pater-Familias was undisputed and the anxious, easily overwhelmed Betty caused him - with a heaping helping of guilt for his own actions - to lash out at her as a child herself. Now, with the kids getting older and more of a handful, Betty is increasingly having to be more disciplined, and her once unwavering devotion to Don role as "husband knows best" has been eroded by the realization that he's largely leaving her to handle everything alone. Now the extra curricular activities he indulged in - forget the affairs, I'm talking staying overnight in the city, going out drinking, having business dinners etc - that she saw as his right are just further evidence of the unbalanced dynamic of their status as parents. That SHE would call HIM a child is not something you would ever except from season 1 Betty, even if it was justified. Now in season 2, it seems entirely in-character for her to confront him like this. Don of course just wants to agree to whatever she says or wants so he can go to sleep, but she's not having it, she wants this to be a 2-way conversation. So he actually ends up sharing something with her, though it is probably too much to ask for him to grasp that open communication leads to a greater understanding of your partner. The reason he doesn't spank or physically punish their kids is because his own father would regularly beat the poo poo out of him. That didn't "make him the man he is today" like she suggested earlier in the episode. All it did was make him bitter, made him fantasize about murdering his own father just to be free of him. She's shocked, quietly absorbing this before quietly offering that she didn't know that (why would she? Roughly 10 years of marriage and this is the first time he ever told her ANYTHING about his father). He points out that he wasn't half as good as Bobby, leaving it unsaid that he doesn't think Bobby has done anything to warrant even the most mild of physical punishment.. he's just being a kid. Don rolls over and closes his eyes, trying once again to go to sleep. His wife considers, then slides down beside him and wraps an arm around him. His eyes open, and they lie together in silence - not the companiable, happy silence they shared on that first Sunday at the start of the episode, but a good silence nonetheless. Easter Sunday finally comes, the third Sunday of the episode title. At the Church of the Holy Innocents, children rush around excitedly searching for Easter Eggs, the adults gathered in their Sunday Best observing it all. Father Gill approaches Betty as she sits watching Anita's children hunt, and they greet each other, Betty telling him she read his sermon from Palm Sunday and was impressed. He thanks her for her help, then offers her a painted egg. She takes it, a little unsure why he offered it, and he explains it is,"For the little one." He leaves quietly, looking unsatisfied and slightly disappointed, leaving behind Peggy, mind-racing as she grasps the significance of his words, of the fact he gave the egg to her and not the child's "mother" Anita. Anita herself is in the background, watching all this, and if she wasn't conscious of what she was doing in that Confession Booth, then she sure is hell knows what she is thinking now as she watches Father Gill awkwardly depart a clearly off-balance Peggy. A small smile crosses her face, she has achieved what she wanted: her "golden" sister losing a little of her allure for a man who made the "mistake" of judging her purely for herself and not something she did almost two years earlier.  Episode Index Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 01:29 on Dec 6, 2020 |
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Dec 5, 2020 15:19
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Thanks for the write-up, Jerusalem! Bobby #2 - Best Bobby. They couldn't hold on to a Bobby, but this one is the cutest for sure. "What did he like to eat?" gets me every time.  I had no idea that Father Gill was Colin Hanks! There are so many surprising castings on this show. quote:It's kinda fascinating seeing the change [in Betty] from season 1 to 2. Yeah, it's amazing how different Betty is between season 1 and 2, and what makes it really amazing is that it makes sense to everyone. I've never seen anyone complain that Betty changed too much too quickly. It makes sense that she reached a breaking point by the end of season 1 where she lost her illusions about having married some great man. She's got to make do with the flawed human who fathered her children. On a related note, I like that we see Don and the family and having good times together in this season. He feels like a more well-rounded character in this season. quote:She's talking about how she's impressed that "she" has come in on a Sunday but points out that "she" is also getting paid more than all of them. The safe presumption is that they're talking about Peggy. Nah, this is just a joke by Joan about Sally. She looks down at the sleeping Sally a couple times while she says this. She's "earning" more because her dad is rich as gently caress. The little back-and-forth between Duck and Don at the meeting where they're making their game plan hints at Duck being overly sensitive. He is visibly deflated when Don refuses to "give a little peek" of his planned pitch. He gets back on point pretty quickly, but the silence is awkward. Duck really seems to be struggling with being less important than his agency's creative director. It's a problem that's entirely in his head. Something as simple as, "We're all looking forward to seeing what you come up with," would have diffused the tension. Instead, everyone gets to see that the head of account services asked the creative director for info on a pitch, the creative director refused him, and the head of account services reacted awkwardly. It's a little thing, but taken together with his other conflicts with Don, a pattern starts to emerge. Some stuff you can't read yet, Jerusalem. Like Jerusalem, the first time I watched this season, I was also confused as to whether Anita was raising Peggy's baby. We get confirmation later that Peggy gave the baby up for adoption and she doesn't know where he ended up, except that it was "with a family somewhere." I really think the writers made a mistake with the ambiguity here. It goes beyond adding tension and veers into confusing territory. Tons of people ended up having to google what happened with Peggy's baby AFTER the season was over. I don't think that's good storytelling. I want to just TELL Jerusalem. Haha. But I don't think that's a good idea. I never want to reply to his posts with info from future episodes, even if I disagree with the way the writers were SO cryptic here. Also, Anita believes Peggy "seduced a married man". She's probably actually referring to Don! In The Suitcase, in season 4, Peggy reveals that her mother believes Don got her pregnant, and apparently Peggy never set the record straight, presumably because then she'd have to reveal who the father actually was, which she doesn't want to do. So Peggy's own family assumes the same thing that so many of Peggy's coworkers do - that she slept with her boss and got a promotion. Which is just tragic.
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Dec 5, 2020 17:50
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Great write-up, as always.Jerusalem posted:Late into the evening, Sterling Cooper is emptying out and Don leaves his office, hat and coat on. Joan is technically doing her job and "watching" Sally,who is sleeping on a couch while Joan bitches with another secretary. She's talking about how she's impressed that "she" has come in on a Sunday but points out that "she" is also getting paid more than all of them. The safe presumption is that they're talking about Peggy. After all, they're all in on a Sunday as well, but they all had to stand in line waiting for food while Peggy - who was once a peer to the other secretaries and very much a junior to Joan - got to sit and eat with the other executives. Worst of all, she didn't even seem to notice her treatment was better than the other women were getting. I know it's silly, but I always read this as complaining about Sally. She's bitterly noting to the other secretary that sure, Sally came in on a Sunday (as a joke I think  ), but she definitely makes more than any of the secretaries (which is true!) I had never even considered she could mean Peggy.
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Dec 5, 2020 17:56
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lmao. You really have an uncanny knack for juxtaposed screengrabs
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Dec 5, 2020 20:00
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Great write-up. I think Three Sundays is one of my favorite episodes of the series. Big Don speech, devastating final line, and the whole sequence of Palm Sunday at Sterling Cooper has such a realistic "off-day" vibe. (I love seeing everybody's "casual" officewear...Pete's tennis whites, my God.)
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Dec 5, 2020 21:33
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Just caught up with all the s2 recaps so far at once during a slow shift and drat this is such a good show and Jerusalem you capture it all so well. Three Sundays is definitely a season 2 highlight for me. An amazing episode.
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Dec 5, 2020 21:39
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JethroMcB posted:Pete's tennis whites, my God.) Yes! I laugh every time I see that outfit.
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Dec 5, 2020 21:51
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Yoshi Wins posted:Just a joke by Joan about Sally. She looks down at the sleeping Sally a couple times while she says this. She's "earning" more because her dad is rich as gently caress. Beamed posted:I know it's silly, but I always read this as complaining about Sally. She's bitterly noting to the other secretary that sure, Sally came in on a Sunday (as a joke I think I wondered if Sally was the subject with Joan's complaints being half-joke (and half serious envy/jealousy) but thought I might just be conflating her watching Sally while talking. This was probably a case of me overthinking something and talking myself out of what actually happened And yes, Pete's tennis whites are loving incredible.
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Dec 5, 2020 23:31
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I also like to see the ups and downs of Duck this season. He's one of the more fascinating characters to me. because every time you see him again after s2 you see such wild ups and downs
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Dec 6, 2020 08:28
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Also I'm pretty sure the gum that Bert stepped in came from Sally, we see her chewing gum a few scenes prior. Or am I just parsing that completely incorrectly
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Dec 6, 2020 15:57
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The Klowner posted:Also I'm pretty sure the gum that Bert stepped in came from Sally, we see her chewing gum a few scenes prior. Or am I just parsing that completely incorrectly No, I'm pretty sure it came from Sally.
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Dec 6, 2020 17:16
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The Klowner posted:Also I'm pretty sure the gum that Bert stepped in came from Sally, we see her chewing gum a few scenes prior. Or am I just parsing that completely incorrectly This is 100% what happened
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Dec 6, 2020 17:59
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"...my gum is in my mouth!"
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Dec 6, 2020 18:47
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Oh my god I'm so happy this thread exists. So sad I found it so late but glad to be on the ride now. I discovered Mad Men relatively late (I think around season four or five) and used to read the SA threads religiously, including going back and finding the old threads while I caught up on the earlier series. Hands down the best show I have ever seen and I'm so glad to have people to (re) watch it with. I probably rewatch the whole thing every year. This is a great excuse to start again! I can't wait to see what you think of some of the characters and their progression as the show moves on. One in particular!
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Dec 6, 2020 21:01
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The Klowner posted:Also I'm pretty sure the gum that Bert stepped in came from Sally, we see her chewing gum a few scenes prior. Or am I just parsing that completely incorrectly Oh my God that is perfect  Also I'm fairly certain the woman Bert "fires" is the one who informs Duck that American Airlines has arrived, and just as Duck promised Bert doesn't recognize her/remember that he fired her
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Dec 6, 2020 22:46
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Chedranian Girl posted:Oh my god I'm so happy this thread exists. So sad I found it so late but glad to be on the ride now. I discovered Mad Men relatively late (I think around season four or five) and used to read the SA threads religiously, including going back and finding the old threads while I caught up on the earlier series. Hands down the best show I have ever seen and I'm so glad to have people to (re) watch it with. I probably rewatch the whole thing every year. This is a great excuse to start again! I can't wait to see what you think of some of the characters and their progression as the show moves on. One in particular! Welcome to the thread!
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Dec 7, 2020 04:41
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Yoshi Wins posted:Welcome to the thread! Hell yeah, the more the merrier
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Dec 7, 2020 05:14
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Man, Bert got pretty mad
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Dec 7, 2020 17:33
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I'm almost done with season 5 and drat, I forgot how good this show is. Hurry up Jerusalem!!
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Dec 7, 2020 22:53
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