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KellHound posted:While Peggy's the hero making her own way, the other important character besides her and Don is Pete. And a lot of his unhappiness can be chalked up to him being forced into a role. His parents are disappointed with him not fitting into what they want him to be. Trudy wants them to start on a family that he's clearly not ready for. He says his woods fantasy with a woman cooking the animal he hunted but a big part of that fantasy is there is no society telling him what to do and be. Nice analysis! I feel like they're daring us to sympathize with him. He's so privileged and such an rear end in a top hat, but we are shown how he ended up so emotionally disturbed. The thing is, though, he could have gotten away if he really wanted to. Just left New York and got a job somewhere not using his connections, and then he would have been his own man. The less privileged characters have fewer options. Shageletic posted:Yeah Don's an emotional guy, even a sentimental one, but its really only honed to make himself more money. I think this is a bit of an overstatement. For example, when Don visits Peggy in the hospital, I don't think that's about money. Or when Sally is afraid of baby Gene because he has her dead grandfather's name, Don is the one who coaxes her into overcoming that fear in a very warm parenting moment. But I think see what you mean about his ambition sort of withering some of his personality. He seems to need to make a deliberate effort to pull his head out of his rear end before he can use his emotional communication skills for good.
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Jan 7, 2021 05:48
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Yoshi Wins posted:Nice analysis! I feel like they're daring us to sympathize with him. He's so privileged and such an rear end in a top hat, but we are shown how he ended up so emotionally disturbed. The thing is, though, he could have gotten away if he really wanted to. Just left New York and got a job somewhere not using his connections, and then he would have been his own man. The less privileged characters have fewer options. He is so happy in California after his mom died! Then he comes back to New York and it all falls apart. Also, I do think in the end him moving to Kansas with Trudy is him finally realizing to let go of what makes him unhappy and move on from it.
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Jan 7, 2021 09:48
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Shageletic posted:Yeah Don's an emotional guy, even a sentimental one, but its really only honed to make himself more money. Like Pete's ability to read tea leaves. These people's gifts or what have you are honed to their business. Everything Don does is him escaping his past. Making women whores to own the woman that raised him and the woman who birthed him. Being better at being counter-cultural while effortlessly succeeding in the culture. Earning fat stacks of cash is part of that but money is really just part of the class identity he is seeking. Because Jimmy is fundamentally right: Don is garbage. And he knows it. So he asserts himself by putting others down. He's Trumpian in that way: holding the higher ground doesn't matter if the other party is willing to drag you down into the mud.
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Jan 10, 2021 04:02
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Season 2, Episode 9 - Six Month Leave Written by Andre & Maria Jacquemetton and Matthew Weiner, Directed by Michael Uppendahl Freddy Rumsen posted:If I don't go into that office every day, who am I? Don Draper is not living his best life. Early morning finds him sitting on the edge of his bed, coughing in his underwear as he "enjoys" his morning cigarette. Unfinished plates of room service sit on the desk, shirts are hanging from the backs of chairs, a bottle of booze on the dresser. He is staying at a hotel, a nice one for sure, but far from the pleasures of home that he so long took for granted. Interestingly he's using a twin room, the second bed still made up - why do this? Purely for the extra space? Surely he doesn't intend to have the kids stay there at any point? Most likely is that it is so he can pretend (the hotel staff won't care) it's booked out as a business thing and a colleague might use the extra bed? After all, this is Don Draper we're talking about, and to Don, image is everything. He opens the door to collect his freshly shined shoes and his newspaper, and reads some very unpleasant news. It is August 6th of 1962, and Marilyn Monroe is dead. The headline asks if it was an accident or suicide (60 years later you can add conspiracy theories about murder and the Kennedys to the mix), but to Don the way she died is irrelevant, it's the fact she died that matters. His face falls, it is a sad start to a day already made miserable by his own (of his own making) domestic/marital situation. Similar to Don, Betty Draper sits on the edge of her bed in her nightwear. The double bed isn't all that much larger than the one at Don's hotel, but it must seem cavernous in size to her now that it isn't shared. Downstairs she hears Carla calling to the children it is time to go, and she leaves the bedroom to walk to the top of the stairs and watch as they leave. None of them notice her as they chat away happily about nothing. She doesn't call out and greet them herself, just stands and watches them leave, then returns silently to her room. Her empty, loveless room.   Peggy arrives at Sterling Cooper, joined in the lift by Don who she greets by his first name. Hollis, the lift operator, asks if they heard about Marilyn, the three - a white man, a black man, and a white woman - united in the shared experience of shock over the death of somebody who seemed larger than life. Peggy notes that she never thought that somebody like Marilyn - who she only knew via the public image - could ever be lonely, while Don says that based on what he knew about her - alleging a deeper inside knowledge than he really had, but again, image is everything - he wasn't all that surprised. It's Hollis though who gets to the heart of the matter, saying that some people hide in plain sight. He'd know better than anybody, a black man in 1962 working in a service capacity on Madison Avenue. He's also the one who demonstrates the most empathy, as he remarks that his thoughts have also been with Joe DiMaggio, the beloved baseball player who was once married to Marilyn Monroe. As Peggy and Don make their way through reception, she surprises Don when she comments that they lucked out by Playtex deciding not to go with the Jackie/Marilyn campaign they suggested, since Sterling Cooper would be frantically pulling all their advertising this morning otherwise. Don agrees this is true, and as Peggy heads away to her own office, Don can't help but look after her. He's surprised, like all the other women in the office Peggy was clearly upset, but she's also thinking in the broader context of how it would affect business. She's also far more held together than the other women, most of whom are weeping at their desks or huddled together poring over the newspaper. Peggy herself is dry-eyed, the rock whose mother and sister have been calling to share their own grief with her over the death of an American Icon. Hildy and Jane are huddled together with two other secretaries, dabbing at their eyes and noses, Hildy remarking that she doesn't even dare to take pills when she has a headache. One of them spots Don coming and taps Jane to let her know, and they disperse as Jane waits to greet her boss, taking his hat, coat and briefcase, and reminding him of his conference room meeting where the others are already waiting. Spotting her tears, Don asks if she needs to go home and she forces a smile and tells him of course not, and with a nod he moves on. Harry, Paul, Ken and Saul are in the Conference Room, where the order of the day is business of a different sort: the office blood drive. Ken is baffled by the whole thing, every department in Sterling Cooper is competing to give the most blood and he doesn't get what the ultimate end goal is. It isn't till Don arrives that he actually gets given an answer.... they "win" helping mankind! Even though Don clearly finds having to chair a meeting about the drive tedious, he also understands it is a good way to generate some fun inter-department competition. He's also far from above engaging in an even more extreme version of Harry's bribery of a mailroom boy, instructing Paul to offer $1 a head for every elevator operator, switchboard operator etc he can find to "be a copywriter for a day" and give the Creative Department a leg up. Ken can't believe it, that's cheating, but Sal laughs that considering he is in Accounts he really should have thought of it first. They run through the actual details of how the blood collection will happen, and in spite of Don's declaration that this drive is to help mankind, he's pleased to hear that Harry has organized a photographer, since they've been promised a write-up in the Times if they can get up to 100% participation. Satisfied, Don calls the meeting to a close, which unfortunately leads to an unpleasant surprise. Harry inquires hopefully that he'd like to be able to rely on Don and Betty attending the Mitch Miller concert at NBC this week, to "show them off" and help raise the Agency's profile with the Network. Don coughs, explains that he can't due to one of the kids being sick, and even improvises a friendly "You'll understand what that means soon enough" aside to father-to-be Harry to soften the blow of the rejection. He leaves the room, more concerned about having to cover on the fly for his current marital strife, while the others enjoy mocking Harry for being shot down. All of them very clearly understand that, as sensible as the offer was, getting the Drapers to attend would be a feather in Harry's cap... and he's already a "threat" to them given his recent successes and the attention it has gotten him from Roger Sterling. Also interesting to note, once it was only men alone in a room, there was not a single word about Marilyn Monroe, even when they were joined by Don. The biggest news story of the day, the death of a woman often referred to as the ultimate male fantasy, and yet after the initial shock has worn off the men have seemingly already moved on to business as usual while it is the women who are left to grieve the passing of one of their own.  At home, Betty is keeping busy, emptying out the fridge and defrosting it with boiled water, a towel placed on the floor to catch any run-off. She recuts liners for the drawers, tidying the house and putting things to right to make up for her inability to fix the problems in her marriage. Don returns to his office, followed by Jane who goes through the rest of his day. It isn't particularly busy, he has a traffic meeting with Joan at 10am, a client meeting at 4pm and then another at 5pm (rescheduled by Roger to allow it to bleed into cocktail hour, Don opines with a grin). Jane isn't done though, asking if she can sit. He allows it, and she explains nervously that she fears she made a bad mistake: his daughter called yesterday to ask when he would be back from his business trip, since her mother had said she wasn't sure. Disappointed but not surprised that something like this has finally happened, Don quietly stands and closes the door to the office. Jane assures him that he has no obligation to tell her anything if he doesn't want to, she only wanted to make him aware of what had happened, and that she had foolishly thrown out Wednesday as a possible return day instead of just saying she didn't know either. Returning to his desk, Don claims that "Mrs Draper is working some things out", putting the onus and blame on Betty rather than himself. He admits that he had hoped things would blow over by now and there would be no need for anybody else to have known anything happened at all. It's too late for that now though, so he simply tells her politely but firmly that this is a personal matter and not to be discussed with ANYBODY else. She is quick to declare that she hopes he has realized she can be discreet, but he shuts down any hopes she might have of a compliment or being taken into his confidence with his sharp reminder that he doesn't know her at all. It's a personal matter, that is how it will stay, and that is the end of the matter. She nods, stands and prepares to depart. As she goes though he does offer her one bit of information, if there is an emergency and she does need to reach him, she can call him at the Roosevelt Hotel. That is all she will be getting from him, however. She goes, and he is left to fume, his personal life now bleeding into his professional life. That he and he alone is to blame for this probably doesn't occur to him. Betty has finished cleaning and poured herself a nice early morning wine to go with a book. She puts on the record player but the news is on the radio, a discussion of Marilyn Monroe's death and her conflicts with management. Not keen to listen to such talk, she switches on music and settles down on the couch to read Ship of Fools, a story about people seeking happiness and purpose but simply not knowing what to do next. In other words, the perfect book for her current situation. At Sterling Cooper, Freddy Rumsen is reading the newspaper and enjoying far from his first drink of the day in his office. Pete, Peggy and Sal enter for a meeting, and Pete immediately casts a look at the drink on the table. Freddy "explains" the drinking - something everybody knows he does - as his way of dealing with an upsetting situation involving his daughter, who has just turned 30 and suffered through a string of bad boyfriends. He offers them a drink too, Pete and Peggy declining while Sal sees no harm in a little drink. That's not what he gets though, as Freddy pours him a more than generous serving that threatens to spill over the top of the glass. The meeting is a dress rehearsal for clients who are currently on their way over. They'll be presenting their pitch for the Samsonite Silhouette, with Peggy reminding them they have strict instructions from Don not to discuss or bring up Volkswagen (the car or the popular advertising campaigns they ran?) unless the Samsonite people don't like the initial pitch they've come up with. Freddy runs through his part of the routine, suddenly turning on the charm as he smoothly runs through the role of the happy customer who loves their Samsonite suitcase. Next up is Sal, who simply holds up his art and mumbles,"Blah blah blah", obviously running on the mindset that a picture tells 1000 words. Freddy points out the art should probably precede the pitch, then turns to pour another drink as Pete ponders whether they reveal the art through an unveiling to wow the clients. Freddy doesn't respond though. In fact Freddy doesn't do anything. He simply stands with his back to them, not moving, not talking, just motionless. A sound catches their attention and leads their gaze down, staring in shock as piss runs down Freddy's pants leg and into and over his shoe, pooling on the carpet. Pete is revolted, Sal is shocked but then bursts out laughing, while Peggy stands and asks Freddy - who has finally snapped back to reality but seems unaware of what has just happened - if he has a spare pair of pants? Confused, he asks why and looks down at his pants, so buzzed from the alcohol that he only realizes now that he has pissed his pants. He's horrified of course, but like many functional drunks he tries to roll with things, taking Sal's laughter as a guide and forcing out chuckles himself like he's in on the joke. He promises he can fix this, he simply needs a moment to think, and stumbles to his desk and back into his chair. Resting a hand against his head, he ponders what to do... and passes out right there at the desk. Now Sal's laughter stops, as the unsettling speed with which Freddy simply lost consciousness sucks all the humor out of the room. "Is he dead?" he asks, and a disgusted Pete insists he isn't... before stepping over and putting a hand in front of his face to confirm to himself that Freddy really is still breathing. The intercom squawks to life, Freddy's secretary informing them that the Hartungs from Samsonite have arrived. Pete is aghast, agreeing with Sal that Freddy absolutely cannot leave the office and he certainly can't see their clients. Pete is also aghast though at Peggy's suggestion they go tell Don, insisting that he can manage this. He has no actual ideas though, beyond asking the Hartungs if they would like to put off the meeting till tomorrow and stay another night at the Carlyle at Sterling Cooper's expense. Sal isn't having it though, Freddy is unlikely to be in much better shape tomorrow in any case, and it's "only" a suitcase... Peggy can do the presentation! A desperate Pete doesn't balk at this idea like he once did at Don putting her onto Clearasil. It's not only because she has long since proven herself as a copywriter, but because he has no other options and he knows it. He tells them to slip their way into the Conference Room so it looks like they've been waiting, agreeing with Peggy's cover story that Freddy is sick, and he'll lead the Hartungs in to see them. The last thing that needs to be sorted though is making sure Freddy's secretary knows not to let Freddy out of his office until the Hartungs are gone. They all make their exits, though not before Pete casts a look back at Freddy and sneers at how disgusting it is. Peggy chides him, there is no need to openly insult an already humiliated (and now unconscious) man. They leave, Sal pausing in consideration outside of passing on the news to the secretary before Peggy gives him the nod that she will handle this. With relief he makes his escape, while Peggy figures out the most diplomatic approach to take.   Betty has had some wine and she's asleep on the couch, but she's not passed out like Freddy, just having a nap which she is woken from by the doorbell. She coughs and calls for Carla, forgetting she's out with the kids, so goes to answer the door herself, pulling aside the curtain and seeing Sarah Beth Carson waving a happy hello. She answers, explaining that she had forgotten she was coming around, excusing her bleary eyes and hoping to cut things short by explaining she isn't feeling well. She leads Sarah Beth upstairs to lend her the black chiffon dress she promised, like Don offering her own lie when asked if they will still becoming to a party tomorrow, claiming to be too unwell. Sarah Beth mistakes the unmade bed as meaning that Betty was still in bed when she rang the doorbell, and apologizes for getting her up. It is fine, Betty promises, refusing to simply hand over the black dress without showing her others first, trying to work up some enthusiasm, even claiming to be looking forward to their lunch date on Thursday. It isn't made easy when Sarah Beth starts talking warmly about her own husband, how he's so easy to please and how she doesn't deserve him. Betty surely remembers the days when she felt the same way, and the parallels don't end there, it seems that Sarah Beth has been going to a psychiatrist much like Betty once did, and her diagnosis has finally come through: she's bored. She admits that she has even started to "dream" about Arthur since she saw him arguing with Tara recently, and sighs that she misses Betty being at the stables since it took the pressure off being around Arthur. Betty shrugs and reminds her she can turn those kinds of feelings off if she really wants to, and an impressed Sarah Beth puts this down to Don being so perfect. That's about all that Betty can manage though, really not wanting to have to pretend to still idolize her husband, so she begs off continuing this discussion, saying she really isn't feeling well and telling Sarah Beth to just take all the dresses with her. She only takes two, giving her options to use, and says her goodbyes, leaving Betty free at last to, if not enjoy, at least have some peace and quiet. Freddy comes to on the couch in his office, having apparently gotten up the energy to stumble from his desk at some point. He clearly has either none or at best hazy memory of what happened, but what he does know is that his pants are damp and clearly smell of urine, and it's far, far later in the afternoon than it should be. Collecting his things and carefully placing coat and briefcase over his crotch and pants leg, he leaves the office, telling his secretary he's done for the day and quickly making for the lifts. As he walks, his feet squelch, urine still soaking his socks, observed by everybody he passes who can easily guess exactly what has happened to him. Roger Sterling returns to his office ahead of his 5pm "meeting", and is surprised to find it occupied. Joan Holloway is laid out on his couch, a pleasant but very unexpected surprise. She's surprised to see him too, actually complaining that he shouldn't be here in his own office! He's amused by this, and she reminds him that it is 4:30 so he should be in a bar ahead of his 5pm meeting. That isn't the point though, this clearly isn't the first time she sneaked in... particularly amusing considering her treatment of Jane for doing the same thing with Cooper's office. She admits she has, though not often, and he realizes to his surprise that she has been crying. He settles down on a chair and asks what is wrong, jokingly(?) asking if she misses him, and is even more surprised when she comments that "she was so young". Immediately he grasps who "she" is, and he can't quite believe it, of all people Joan Holloway is having a cry over Marilyn Monroe dying? Joan forces a sarcastic smile and admits that yes, in the end it turns out she is just another "frivolous" secretary. Roger admits it is sad, but points out that Marilyn was a stranger, though he claims it was fine for him to be saddened by Roosevelt's death because he felt like he knew him. A little of that steel coming back in her spine, Joan reminds him that people felt like they knew Marilyn too, and warns him that he should be more sensitive about that. As she makes to leave, however, he takes her by the arm, promising her that she is nothing like Marilyn Monroe, then tries to joke that maybe a little physically but that is nothing to cry about. Joan's impenetrable mask is back on now though, and she glowers down at him, declaring that the world destroyed Marilyn Monroe. Roger, who seemingly never learned from Joan's anger over Shirley MacLaine's treatment in he Apartment, has a colder take on it: Marilyn was a star who had everything and everybody, and she threw it all away.. but hey, if she wants to be sad then just go ahead. Joan, in no mood for his patronizing tone, warns him him that one day he will lose somebody that he loves and realize how painful it is. She walks away, her mood stabilized, her dignity restored. She got caught in a vulnerable moment, but she also got her emotions out and is the healthier for it. Roger (and Don, and most of the other men of Sterling Cooper) meanwhile continue to be buttoned up, mistaking their unwillingness to openly express their emotions for strength or stoicism.   Sally has gotten her wish, though not quite as she wanted it. Don has taken her and Bobby out for ice-cream and a drive in the car, returning them home in time for bed. They're greeted at the door by Betty, who just continued the same lie she offered Sarah Beth by telling the kids she was too unwell to join them, promising she'll come next time. She notices the chocolate around Bobby's mouth and remarks that she is surprised daddy let him into the car like that, which is both a dig at Don but also a reminder to Bobby that he needs to clean up after himself. Bobby races upstairs to brush his teeth as told, but Sally wants to wait around a little longer, upset that her father has returned from his "trip" only to be on his way again already. He promises her it won't be much longer, gives her a hug, then sends her upstairs, leaving him alone at last with his wife. Carefully he explains that Sally called the office which is why he made the point of taking them out, and is exasperated when she tells him Sally was probably upset that he wasn't home over the weekend. Does Betty want him at home or not? What does she want him to do? How can they fix this and move on with their lives together? In one sense he's right to be upset by mixed messages, but on the other he's asking her questions that HE has the answer to. After all, he still hasn't admitted to his infidelity, he's still tried to deny everything and make it all out to be Betty's own fault that this split has happened. Even now when he asks these questions, he's putting the onus on her, making it out to be HER fault that they're not together, HER problem that requires a solution etc. Since she won't just forgive him and welcome him back, he asks what they should tell the kids in the meantime, and when she admits she isn't sure he ponders for a moment and then suggests they claim he is being put up for work in Philadelphia but will be home on the weekends. This quick thinking on his feet is part of his job, but where once she might have been awestruck now she is uneasy, asking him with disgust if he just came up with this on the spot, implying that he is a natural liar to whom bullshit cover stories are as natural as breathing... and further proof that she can't believe his protests that he didn't cheat on her with Bobbie. Retreating once again to a false high ground, Don refuses to be drawn into an argument (because it would involve more lies, because he's guilty!), because if her mind is made up he won't be able to talk her into it. Her response is petty, but extremely accurate, as she grunts that she thought he could talk anybody into anything. Stunned by this reproach, he lets her get the last word in as she wishes him a good night she clearly doesn't mean, as clear a demand for him to gently caress off as she can offer without literally telling him that.   The next morning, Don is followed into his office by Jane who asks if he'd like coffee. He would, and a bear claw, but he's sidetracked when he spots a bag on the floor by his desk. Picking it up, he's surprised to see it is a Menken's bag, and even more surprised when Jane explains that she decided to pick him up some spare shirts since he is currently staying at a hotel and not at home. He ponders this for a moment, then thanks her and reminds her to submit a receipt so she can be paid back. As she leaves she reminds him that Paul Kinsey needs him to attend the blood drive. She's delighted when he cracks a joke, asking if she is a fainter, and with a broad smile she heads off to get him his breakfast. Left alone, he considers her some more, but the smile drops. The bag itself is a reminder of another infidelity (though Don would probably consider it as a personal heartache after a woman he loved rejected him), but more than that the shirts inside are a step too far. Jane is make assumptions, demonstrating more familiarity than he is comfortable with, but not enough to warrant chiding her or dumping her as his secretary. Plus there is the additional entanglement of her knowing somewhat about his private problems with Betty. He has never shown any interest in a secretary before (he actively rejected Peggy's timid, almost obligatory-feeling come-on) despite his reputation, but he now also has to consider whether she is mistaking his politeness or their shared knowledge as a sign of a possible deeper intimacy. Coupled with that, of course, is the fact that he's probably also flattered that an exceptionally beautiful young woman bought him a gift, especially given his wife's rejection of him the night before. It's a minefield, in short, and not one Don Draper wants to be walking through when he's already got more than enough problems in his life. Peggy is typing in her office when Freddy Rumsen awkwardly makes his way in past a secretary at the photocopier. Sober now, or at least more in control of his faculties, he greets her then carefully asks how the pitch with Samsonite went. She assures him that it was a triumph, and with relief he declares that he was actually thinking of letting her present anyway. She lets him have this little lie for his dignity's sake, and lets him know they told the clients he was sick. Relieved, he carefully offers an apology for putting her into the situation in the first place she is quick to assure him that the matter is over with and there is no need for EITHER of them to think of it again. He agrees that the best thing would be for him to simply call the clients next Monday when they return to Colorado to apologize for missing them, and she agrees, clearly hoping he'll leave so neither of them have to suffer this awkwardness much longer. Realizing at last that he can go, he says his goodbyes and heads out the door, while the secretary at the photocopier casts a quick glance Peggy's way but gets no indication or encouragement that she wants to gossip. Indeed, Peggy simply sits at her typewriter, lets her nerves settle, then goes right back to work. A professional. At the Draper Residence, Betty is once again seeking evidence of Don's infidelity, perhaps spurred on by his brief return to the house the previous night. She attempts to break into his locked draw in his office, the scissors she is using shooting out of her hands as she fails to get leverage. Carla hears the sound of the scissors hitting the ground and bursts into the study with a frown, calling out a warning to Bobby for playing where he shouldn't... and realizes the naughty little boy she expected to find is actually her employer, a grown rear end woman who looks for all the world like a guilty kid right at this moment. Carla asks if it is all right for her to take the children out to enjoy the beautiful day, and Betty is happy for her to do so. Carla hesitates and then asks if there is anything she can do for Betty herself, no fool and clearly able to see that things are NOT going well at the Draper household, especially with Don Draper nowhere to be seen. Betty says things are fine, and after another hesitation Carla takes the risk and points out that she herself has been married for 20 years and maybe... but that's as far as she can get, as Betty - horrified at this presumption - tells her she doesn't want to talk about it. Carla quickly apologizes and starts to leave, but Betty calls her back to offer an apology of her own. After all, Carla was simply offering genuine support out of kindness, and she's not so wrapped up in her own poo poo to see it. She offers that she hasn't been sleeping well, and Carla offers her a safe but sensible piece of advice: splash some cold water on your face and take a walk outside, you'll quickly realize that everything is exactly as you left it. In other words, the world keeps on turning, and things are never quite as bad as they might seem in your head. What is bad is Don walking into a meeting with Roger Sterling only to find that Duck and Pete are already in there waiting, an experience Don is usually on the opposite side of. Roger assures him everything is being done in the appropriate manner, and Duck gives Pete the go-ahead to speak. Enjoying his part in this all just a little too much, Pete "regretfully" tells the story of what happened with Freddy before the Samsonite meeting the previous day, pulling no punches. Don is shocked but also a little amused, especially after learning that Peggy was there to handle the actual meeting (Duck gives the credit to Pete for that decision, Sal's name is never mentioned) and it went well. Pete does credit Peggy for being part of a "deep bench" and wowing the clients with her presentation, though of course this also reflects well on him for being the one who "sent her in". What Don doesn't understand is why this has to be a big deal. They all know that Freddy is a drunk, but it's never interfered in his actual work, and while pissing his pants in his office is obviously pretty awful, it DIDN'T happen in front of a client so why can't they just keep this in-house and treat it as a lesson learned? Pete isn't outright gunning for blood himself, simply saying they should just leave Peggy on Samsonite, but Duck is more adamant: as Head of Account Services he doesn't want Freddy on ANY of his accounts. Roger agrees that it is conduct unbecoming, and when he sees that Don is fixing for a fight with Duck over this he quickly calls the meeting to an end, not wanting all the hard work of putting them both on the same page undone over Freddy Rumsen. Duck can't resist a final aside as he goes though, telling Don it does Freddy no favors to keep him on. He's speaking from experience there, he was a drunk who had a spectacular and public fall from grace himself, and he clearly doesn't resent the fact he was fired: if anything he is probably grateful for the wake-up call that got him to stop drinking. Left alone with Roger so they can "discuss" this as Partners, the rest of the meeting is clearly about Roger having made the decision and Don having to come to terms with it. Don throws out what arguments he can, including Duck's own status as a teetotaler making him inclined to dislike Freddy. Roger isn't to be shaken on this though, the situation is bad enough that he can't even let Cooper get wind of it for fear of how badly he'll react considering his Germaphobia. When Don complains it isn't in his contract that Duck can fire people in DON'S department, Roger can't help but get some small satisfaction out of reminding him he doesn't have a contract. But the joking aside, it is imperative that they get Freddy out as smoothly and quietly as possible. Other Agencies will laugh about it, but they know Freddy and others like him... it is the Clients they have to fear, because they won't understand and it will simply confirm all their worst suspicions about the culture of Advertising Agencies. So they'll handle it quickly and without fanfare, let Freddy take part in the blood drive then take him out to dinner and offer him "six month leave", a diplomatic way of paying him off to go quietly and just never come back. Don is still resistant, but that disappears when Roger muses in only a half-joking manner that Don's loyalty is beginning to be a liability, which is the last thing you want to hear from your "boss". He agrees to attend the dinner, deftly side-stepping Roger asking if he'll need to clear it with Betty first. It's to be a night out on the town then, but not a particularly pleasant one.  
Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 13:59 on Jan 12, 2021 |
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Jan 12, 2021 13:37
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With the kids out and the day as beautiful as Carla said, Betty has decided to somewhat follow her advice and go outside. Dressed up, she's gone out to the stables to ride and clear her head. As she packs her things to leave, she notices that Arthur Case has arrived, stopping by his car to smoke his cigarette as Tara heads inside. Seeing an opportunity, Betty approaches and greets him, and he is pleased to see her, even remembering to ask after her children that frightened him off on Memorial Day. Surprisingly, she asks after Sarah Beth and whether she has been around recently, despite knowing from Sarah Beth's visit the previous day she's still been going riding. Arthur says he believes he saw her on Monday, and Betty is relieved, quietly letting him know that just between the two of them, she's been down a bit lately. Arthur of course is concerned, is she all right? Hopefully Betty agrees, noting that she enjoys riding with him and will be happy his thoughts were with her. In fact... wouldn't it be fun if the three of them went out to lunch one day? Arthur of course agrees happily, and Betty suggests they meet at Cafe Soleil on Thursday as if the idea just came to her rather than being an already arranged appointment. Arthur happily agrees, even promising to pick up the bill, and Betty promises him that Sarah Beth will be delighted. With that, Arthur moves on to have his unwanted riding lesson, having not even considered asking if Tara could come. With him gone though, Betty's smiling face drops to a frown and she walks away with no apparent pleasure. What on earth is she doing? What is she thinking? Sal has had his blood collected and steps outside to join the Harry, Ken and Paul. Ken notes that he smoked a cigarette against instructions and felt like he was going to faint, joking he almost pulled a "Freddie Rumsen". Everybody laughs, Harry even impersonating Freddy's exclamation of,"JESUS!", indicating the details of the story have already quickly spread. Don comes by to sign in and Paul lets him know they're in the lead, joking (or maybe not) that Hollis the lift operator even has a novel. They go back to making jokes about Freddy again, and Don barks at them to stop, demanding to know what they're doing and what business it is of theirs. Surprised at his anger, Paul mumbles that it is funny, and a disgusted Don snaps back that it's just a man's name they turning into a joke. He joins the rest of the line to give blood, leaving the others standing unsure how to react or act now, having just been chewed out by one of the Agency's partners who has never had any problem joining in on their juvenile humor before. That evening Roger and Don take Freddy out to dinner as planned, where Roger doesn't mince words as he TELLS Freddy that it has been decided he will take a six-month leave of absence. As Don warned, Freddy knows exactly what that means, and he defends his job with near desperation, assuring them that the embarrassment should be punishment enough. Both Don and Roger assure him that the door will be open and he just needs to dry out and come back to open arms, but all of them know that's bullshit, that it is purely a face-saving gesture that will also prevent him making a scene. He makes one last push, reminding them that the clients like to go out drinking and he is a great drinking buddy, but Roger will not be moved. Freddy laughs when Roger cracks a joke (Don, who ripped into the others earlier, also laughs) but tries to use this as another defense, reminding them of another executive who was a mean drunk as opposed to the happy drunk he is. Roger dismisses this, and even notes that his own father would have fired Freddy for something like this. Freddy jumps on the memory of Roger's father, reminding him that he drank more than Roger and Don put together, even showing up to work with his shirts turned inside out every so often. Roger laughs at that memory too, but now he is into the nostalgic memory stages which should be telling Freddy beyond any shadow of a doubt that their working relationship is now a thing of the past. Roger admits that while his father admired Freddy, Roger himself did not at first. Freddy isn't shocked, it's something he already knew, explaining to Don that Roger thought he was in the Signal Corps during World War 2, a pencil pusher who didn't actively take part in combat. When he found out this was purely the last 6 months of his deployment, and that he'd actually personally killed 15 Germans in combat, he respected Freddy as a man and a war hero. Don admits this is impressive, clearly having never thought of Freddy as a young fighter before. Freddy of course, like many soldiers who had to kill to stay alive, really doesn't want to dwell on those memories. It is probably too much to claim that Freddy's drinking was as a result of the trauma of killing so many, but it does remind that like in all well-written shows, characters have a deeper history and backstory than the simplistic character beats we see on the surface. Freddy came out of the war a "hero", into a generation who respected or outright worshiped men like him, and over the next 17 years drank himself to the point he was pissing his pants at work. If he did experience trauma, he wouldn't have been able to speak about it, and men like Roger deify their deeds in the war and won't ever let him forget his own. Freddy tries one last time, shoving his drink away and promising that he can control his drinking as necessary. Roger won't be moved though, and gives Don the look to make it clear it is time for him to present a united front. Don does so, telling Freddy this is the best thing for him even though he clearly doesn't believe it. With that, Freddy knows it is over, and with a sigh considers how best to extricate himself with some dignity on top of the transparent narrative they're going to feed everybody else. Choosing to look on the bright side, he acknowledges that his "book" is impressive after such a long career with Sterling Cooper, and he can take it to places that don't have the talent pool of New York. Boston, Philadelphia, cities that are desperate to do what New York does and he can show them how. In other words, he's more than aware that there is no open door waiting for him after six months getting dry. Don quickly promises him he'll give him a glowing reference, and Roger agrees that this is going to turn out to be a good thing for Freddy. The man himself still hasn't quite convinced himself, remembering out loud a childhood spent moving around with a traveling salesman father. Not wanting to see the mood turn maudlin, Roger raises a toast to New York and suggests they make an evening out of experiencing it. Don - who of course has nowhere to go anyway - agrees and raises his own glass, and a thrilled Freddy is genuinely touched: they took him out to dinner to let him go because that was a professional obligation, but the offer to spend a night on the town together is a demonstration of genuine friendship. They raise their glasses, Roger telling the approaching waiter they'll have another round of drinks before they order their meals. It's time for one last Freddy Rumsen bender together.  Sometime later, the very drunk trio stumble their way into the back room of what looks like an industrial warehouse where an extremely large man is standing by a grimy elevator. Roger demands $5 from Freddy, thinks better of it when he remembers he has fired him, and gets it from Don instead. He passes the money over with the codeword,"Swordfish", but when the enormous bouncer asks who he is here to see, Roger can't remember the secondary code and tries to make a joke of it, introducing himself as Dick Dollars, Freddy as Mike Moneybags and Don is.... "Tilden Katz" replies Don with a smile, getting laughs from the others who have no idea that Tilden is the name of the man who married Rachel Menken. Even now, drunk and goofing around, Don wishes he was somebody else, married to another woman, living another life. The bouncer is unmoved by the humor though, or Roger's insistence they're not cops, so with a sigh Roger forks over $20. Now the bouncer is all smiles, leading them into the lift and setting it to move down into the basement. As it lowers, Roger's memory finally burps up a name and he asks if the name was,"Milwaukee"? "It is," agrees the bouncer, getting a,"Son of a bitch!" from Roger who just forked over $20 unnecessarily, while Freddy and Don giggle with glee at his mistake. It is, of course, an underground gambling club, the type of place Roger has been many times before but both Don and Freddy have never encountered... at least not such a high-end one. Blackjack, roulette, drinks, pretty women, it's all there. They take a seat at a table and lay their money down, Don a little stiff in this situation and Freddy of all people encouraging him to relax, even pointing out that World Champion Floyd Patterson is there. Roger grumbles that he'll only be champion for a few months more, making Freddy scoff since NOBODY can beat the Champ. Roger of course would be proven right, as Patterson would be KOed in spectacular fashion by Sonny Liston - funnily enough, there were rumors that Patterson took a dive, so Roger's comments can either be looked at as correctly guessing Liston would be too much for Patterson, or some inside knowledge of a fix being in. Freddy muses as they wait for their drinks, having learned a bit more about the circumstances that lead to his being fired. He's surprised it was Pete Campbell who took it to Duck, correctly guessing he did so in hopes of improving his own position in the Agency... Pete Campbell was NOT somebody Freddy thought saw him as an obstacle. Don of course has had his own issues with Pete in the past, but tonight isn't a night to dwell on such things. Sometime later, Roger is of course up on the evening while Don hasn't had much luck. They've taken a break from gambling to drink, while Freddy is having a blast at the tables and proving his earlier point that he makes a great drinking buddy, delighting all the other gamblers there with him. Roger warns Don that he doesn't gamble properly, failing to push forward when he is winning. Roger of course speaks with the ease and confidence of somebody for whom money was always simply just there, while Don grew up in utter poverty and is still getting used to the fact that he's, if not rich, getting drat close. One of the girls approaches and asks if they're winners or losers tonight, and Roger jokes they're losers tonight but winners in general. With that said, they go back to chatting business, discussing the fact BBDO just hired a colored "kid". As they talk though, they realize the woman is still just standing there, and Roger raises an eyebrow and asks if she wants them to buy a drink. Quickly realizing there is no interest here she says no and moves on, and Roger casts a look Don's way and asks if he was actually interested in the woman (clearly a prostitute whose job is to pick up guys at the bar). Don wasn't, of course, his cheating has always been with women who intellectually stimulate him or challenge him in some way. But Roger knows that despite the lack of interest in this woman, something is up. Enjoying himself, he plays Sherlock Holmes, explaining that he's picked up on Don coming in too early considering his commute, he has dry cleaning coming in and out of his office, and tonight aside he almost never goes out on the spur of the moment anymore. Don doesn't want to go down this line of talk, but Roger won't stop, insisting that he's been in exactly this position himself before and can offer his experience. He asks where Don is staying since it clearly isn't at home, telling him that he'll need to capitulate and offer Betty a grand gesture to be taken back but that'll be easy for a creative like him. Don tries to protest again but Roger is on a roll, explaining that while marriage isn't a natural state you do it anyway. When Don actually listens to this and asks why that is, Roger finds he doesn't actually have an answer, finally just mumbling,"For the kids?" as if he isn't entirely sure himself. Don's attention however has been taken away by something. A shout of triumph from Freddy made him turn his head, and he's spotted one of the other gamblers celebrating alongside him... Jimmy Barrett. He considers for a moment, and then is off his stool and heading straight for the table, moving with such suddenness that Roger doesn't even notice for a moment. Freddy sees him coming though, but not the fixed look on his face. He calls out to come see how he is doing, and when Jimmy hears Don's name he turns around with a big grin to proclaim,"It's the man in the grey flannel suit!", confident as always that he can say whatever he wants whenever he wants and get away with it. Don returns a big cheery smile of his own... and then decks him with a single punch right to the face. https://i.imgur.com/oPArLd9.mp4 Freddy leaps up in shock, the other gamblers recoil, Don winces and shakes his hand due to the pain, and only too late does Roger realize what has happened and rush to get to Don before the bouncer does, assuring him that they're leaving. Freddy quickly passes a crumpled note to the bouncer from his own winnings, promising him that this is probably not the first time that Jimmy has been punched in the face. They beat a quick retreat, while Jimmy - who seemed to be out cold for a least a few seconds - is helped back to his feet and, in true Jimmy Barrett fashion, immediately calls out to Floyd Patterson and asks him,"How'd I do?" The trio escape out into the alley, where Roger admits that there are probably 20 people who would like to thank Don for doing that. Don knows it is time for him to call it a night, and Freddy figures it is best he does too - he's a heavy drinker, but he doesn't spend his nights out drinking, why would he? He does most of it during the day! As Don makes sure to grab a cab dropping off some other hopeful gamblers, Roger quietly tells Freddy that he's taking Don to the East Side so Freddy can take the cab. They say their final goodbye, sharing a hug and a few crude jokes before walking away from a long standing working relationship. Freddy seems happy, but as he says his goodbyes to Don as well with a handshake, he admits that he will miss him, talking up his talent. Don kind of shrugs off talk of his own talent, but offers a genuine thanks for Freddy saying it, because it means a lot to him. He didn't just back Freddy to oppose Duck, despite Freddy's obvious drinking problems he had legitimate talent as a Creative and was extremely useful to Don as a reliable, experienced Ad Man. So he's slightly alarmed to hear Freddy admit that he has no idea what to do now, what to tell his wife, where to go next now that he no longer works for Sterling Cooper. Don reminds him he had a plan to take his work to Philly or Boston, but that brave talk from the start of the night is gone, replaced by an overweight old drunk closer to retirement age than middle-age who doesn't know what to do with his life anymore. Don, who has done it before and sometimes yearns to do it again, stresses that he should look at a fresh start as an opportunity to leave an old life behind for something better. Freddy clearly fears the unknown though, and when Don tells him goodnight, his reply is a simple,"Good bye", because he knows this is it. The cab departs, and Don and Roger make their way to a quiet bar to wrap up the night with a quiet talk between just the two of them. Roger is curious as to WHY Don punched Jimmy, noting that he sticks to the clear liquors to keep his faculties, and asking Don if it was the whiskey that made him angry? All Don will note is that it was a real Archibald Whitman maneuver, telling a confused Roger that Archibald was just a mean old drunk he once knew, of course not explaining it was his father and that Don's real name is Dick Whitman. Roger isn't concerned about Jimmy though, he's a weasel, but what he really wants to know is what is actually going on in Don's life. Don finally admits that he's staying at the Roosevelt, amusing Roger who had guessed a series of different hotels earlier. But the question is why is he staying there? Has he fallen in love with another girl? Don is confused and a little disdainful of the notion, dismissing it immediately but admitting his situation would actually be easier if that was the case. So what then? Roger asks, does he feel bad about what he has done and the position he's in? Surprisingly Don says no, admitting that sometimes he does but mostly he's just relieved that he largely doesn't have to deal with marriage/family responsibilities at the moment. That surprises Roger, and Don starts thinking in generalities out loud, musing that it's your life and you have to know what makes you happy. Roger considers this, reminding him that he's been through all this himself before with Mona. Don is risking losing a beautiful woman because she sure as hell won't stay single for long. Again though, Don isn't concerned, stressing once more that you need to think about yourself and what makes you happy, move forward if that is necessary. Roger considers and ends up agreeing, it is his life and he does need to move forward. Don is pleased, pointing out that their current situation can't be ALL there is to life, and Roger laughs and declares they're in it together and gives him a playful - but forceful - punch. That makes Don laugh, smiling at Roger as he goes back to drinking. They've had their problems in the past (including Roger hitting on Betty in their home!) but the night out together with Freddy was fun, and they've ended it not with a lecture about marital responsibility but simply a friend offering a listening ear and a supporting shoulder. A night he dreaded has ended up being a good night.   The next morning, with a glass of water and aspirin to deal with his hangover (Hildy wouldn't approve), Don has Peggy come see him in his office. He instructs her to close the door and waits for her to take a seat before he compliments her on the Samsonite presentation and informs her that they have requested she become the copywriter for their account. She immediately asks what about Freddy, given that this is his client, and Don gives her the company line: Freddy has "decided" take a few months off. She's surprised and still naive enough not to grasp what this really means, and asks when he'll be back. With surprising coldness, Don tells her this doesn't matter and that she'll be taking on ALL of Freddy's business. That REALLY confuses her, is he sure about this? Freddy after all was one of the senior copywriters (if not THE most senior), a trusted man who spearheaded a LOT of very important clients. In answer to that, Don warns her that he doesn't appreciate walking into an ambush from Duck and Pete Campbell. Catching on at last, she mutters that she doesn't understand why anybody had to know about that situation, a bad mistake since Don asks if that includes himself. Of course not she insists, trapped between the fact she didn't tell him and not wanting to look like she's passing the buck by letting him know that Pete Campbell ordered her not to tell Don. "I love Freddy!" she finally blurts out, a genuine statement given that it was Freddy who got her a start as a copywriter in the first place. But Don, still cold, grunts that she shouldn't feel bad for being good at her job. All she can offer back is that she wishes it hadn't happened this way, so Don stands and reminds her that it did before offering his hand and finally a congratulations. She shakes his hand and then leaves his office in a daze, not entirely sure what just happened, has she been torn a new one or given a promotion? The one thing she does know is that Pete Campbell hosed over her mentor, and regardless of the way she benefited from it, she's not about to put up with this kind of bullshit. She storms into his office right past a surprised Hildy, surprising him napping on his couch as she demands to know why he couldn't keep his mouth shut. He leaps to his feet and insists what he did to Freddy was just cause, and a surprised Hildy asks if he really told on Mr. Rumsen, causing an angry Pete to yell at her to go back to her desk. She leaves, closing the door behind her, and Pete - a little cooler now - points out that the story would have gotten around anyway. Peggy isn't disputing that, but if it had happened that way he would have just ended up one of those legends in a dumb story that gets brought up every so often: do you remember the guy who wet his pants before a big meeting? etc. Pete refuses to accept blame or feel bad though, complaining that "those people" always blame others for their lack of self-control and she shouldn't feel bad for him. Furious, Peggy reminds Pete that Freddy Rumsen is the man who got her out of being a secretary, and he shoots back that HE is the reason that she isn't still a junior copywriter. He probably genuinely believes this too, that his talking her up in the meeting wasn't just echoing the way he knew Don already thought highly of her talents. That his words had any impact or bearing on Don or Roger's decisions. "We're going to get raises," he smirks,"You could get his office!" before placing a hand on his shoulder and telling her he'll go first, offering her his congratulations. Shocked and appalled, but also savvy enough to know that now she's vented it's time to move on from this piece of poo poo, a man she seems to finally realize holds a COMPLETELY alien set of values to her own. She mumbles her own congratulations back to him and beats a quick exit out of the office.   At Cafe Soleil, Sarah Beth is waiting for Betty when Arthur suddenly appears with a greeting and tells the waiter this is his table. She's pleased to see him but confused, asking what he is doing here, and he explains Betty invited him, though he's surprised himself to see only two place settings. Sarah Beth considers for a moment and then asks the waiter for a third, before inviting him to sit. She lets him know the truth, that Betty didn't actually tell her Arthur would be coming. Surprised, he tells her he doesn't want to intrude but she insists it will be fine... better than fine, it will be fun. Seeing her in a whole new light, he decides to drink the same she is having, and right now she is the furthest thing from bored in the world... and certainly not thinking of her loving husband. At the Draper residence, Sally is helping Batty make a baking mixture in a bowl, watching hungrily by Bobby who is probably hopeful of getting to scrape whatever is left in the bowl for himself. Betty checks her watch then instructs Bobby to get a couple of spoons so the kids can share whatever is left. As he does, she moves to the phone and deliberately takes the receiver off so neither Sarah Beth or Arthur will be able to call her. She has no intention of joining them, she never did, this was simply her decision to put the two of them together. Why? Because SHE was bored? To remove Arthur as a potential temptation to herself? To give Sarah Beth a thrill? Or maybe even from a more cynical point of view to get "revenge" for Sarah Beth speaking so lovingly of her own husband? Whatever the case, it's something the old Betty would never have considered... but that old Betty is long gone now. Pete, Sal, Paul and Peggy attend a meeting with Duck, where Paul is pitching a new turtle mascot for Indian Point and pushing any safety record they can cobble together to keep people distracted until they move on to protest whatever new power plant is being built. It's all standard stuff, the difference being that Duck listens to this presentation and then looks to make sure Creative is clearing the idea... by asking Peggy. She's momentarily startled, but then nods and gives a quiet yes, and that's good enough for Duck who tells them to provide him a schedule for delivery and some mock-ups of the turtle. The meeting over, they all pack their things and start heading out. Peggy, in spite of herself, has a little smile on her face as she does: she didn't want the role the way she got it, but she got it, and she's already realizing how much she enjoys being asked instead of told. Don lays out on his couch in his office, still hungover from the night before despite the aspirin. He hears Jane's voice raised from her desk, warning that he doesn't want to be disturbed, but the visitor pays that no mind. His door is flung open and Mona Sterling launches into the room. Confused, tired and red-eyed, he waves a concerned Jane off and waits for her to leave the room before making to stand. Mona stops him though, she doesn't want a greeting, glaring at him and warning him not to act innocent when he tells her he has no idea why she's here or what she has come to say. "He's leaving me for his secretary," she snarls, knocking Don for a loop. More than that, he's doing it because, according to him, Don told him that if he was in love he should move forward, because it's his life. Don is horrified, because yes he said all those things but he was speaking in generalities about his own situation. Suddenly every repeated statement that Roger echoed takes on a whole new meaning, suddenly he realizes they were having two entirely different conversations in that bar last night. "25 years of marriage" she whispers as a shocked Don tries to explain he didn't mean it that way. She walks out the door and finds Roger standing there, and warns him not to make her make a scene when he tries to tell her to calm down. He wants to talk about his seemingly out-of-nowhere decision, but her devastation is turning into rage, and so with savage satisfaction she tells him he can talk.... to Margaret. Roger's eyes widen, as perhaps for the first time he realizes that, oh yeah, he's gonna have to tell his daughter he's leaving her mother... just as she herself is either set to be or just recently married. He watches her go, and then turns to look down at a cringing Jane sitting at the desk beside him. He reaches out and places a hand on her back, and she flinches away, openly crying as she rushes from the desk. Don is standing framed in the doorway watching all this, and it suddenly all clicks into place. Not just Roger's side of the conversation in the bar, but the fact he knew about Don's marital problems (those little clues he bragged about putting together were surely all bullshit), how Jane had the money to go to Menken's and buy him multiple shirts, why she has been so keen to ingratiate herself with him - not because he's her boss or she was aiming for him herself, but because of his friendship with Roger. With the realization comes something else: anger. He actually opened himself somewhat up to Roger when he's been such a closed book otherwise. He has been named by Roger as the instigator of this break-up when he has no knowledge of it at all. Despite himself he was even half-appreciating Jane as a secretary only to learn she was hiding this from him, and now he knows whatever the ulterior motive he might have suspected actually was. Jane told him she could be discreet, and she was... about her and Roger, but apparently not about to Roger about Don himself. When Roger turns to look at Don, perhaps for support or least a supporting shoulder like he provided the previous night, when Roger tries to explain what has happened, Don has only one thing to say to him about the perhaps future Mrs. Sterling:  Don closes the door on his friend, and the credits roll as a particularly appropriate song plays - I'm Through With Love, sung by Marilyn Monroe from the superb Billy Wilder comedy Some Like It Hot. It's a song by a woman fed up with being used and thrown aside, of being forever exploited, discarded or cheated. The character in that film had a happy ending, the real life Marilyn Monroe did not. It's a song that could apply to so many women in this episode: Sarah Beth contemplating an affair; Betty Draper losing (or having taken from her) her reverance for the sanctity of marriage; Peggy Olson once again seeing what a monster Pete Campbell can be; Mona Sterling's quarter-century marriage destroyed; Jane's affair with Roger exposed and herself branded as "the other woman"; Joan Holloway's despair at the poor treatment of women by men who continue to get away with doing as they please etc. But while the line "I'm through with love" stands out, there is one other particular line from the film itself that I can't help but think of. Many women cry in this episode, and a particular line by Tony Curtis' character rings very true regarding the men who directly or indirectly cause it... "No guy's worth it." Episode Index
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Jan 12, 2021 13:37
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Rest in piss Freddie Been waiting weeks to say this
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Jan 12, 2021 14:55
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Love this episode. The night out with Freddy is such a fun sequence. Joel Murray is really great as Freddy. Don kind of gives Jane crap about crying for Marilyn, but he genuinely seems upset about it too when it comes up in the elevator. His expression is quite grim when he says "suicide is disturbing." Suicide haunts Don, not just because of Adam. Don experiences suicidal ideation. I think I may have mentioned this in this thread before, but I believe that in The Marriage of Figaro (S1:E3) he's thinking about driving onto the train tracks near where he parks to hide out from Sally's birthday party. Jerusalem posted:As Peggy and Don make their way through reception, she surprises Don when she comments that they lucked out by Playtex deciding not to go with the Jackie/Marilyn campaign they suggested, since Sterling Cooper would be frantically pulling all their advertising this morning otherwise. Don agrees this is true, and as Peggy heads away to her own office, Don can't help but look after her. He's surprised, like all the other women in the office Peggy was clearly upset, but she's also thinking in the broader context of how it would affect business. She's also far more held together than the other women, most of whom are weeping at their desks or huddled together poring over the newspaper. Peggy herself is dry-eyed, the rock whose mother and sister have been calling to share their own grief with her over the death of an American Icon. Peggy is right, of course, that they were fortunate here, but I think she is also happy they didn't use Paul's idea for Playtex because she wasn't involved with it. That was her account and Paul almost scooped the creative responsibility from her (with what was admittedly a clever idea for a campaign). I think Don's look at Peggy when she says it's good they didn't use that idea is him realizing that she's keeping score and trying to be the best copywriter at Sterling Cooper, and this is probably part of why he gives ALL of Freddy's accounts to Peggy. Paul doesn't even get a crumb! I think Don recognizes that the fire of ambition that burns in him also burns in Peggy. Something I didn't think about for a long time: Don pissed his pants in Korea right before accidentally killing the real Donald Draper. I think that makes him extra sympathetic to Freddy's humiliation. Don's reaction to Roger bringing up that BBDO hired a Black employee is interesting. Don says, “I'm glad I'm not that kid.” We haven't gotten a lot of information about his stance on the civil rights movement, but I think this statement is illuminating. He acknowledges that Black people have it tough, but he also doesn't sound all that sympathetic in my opinion. I think that Don thinks, “Well, I had it tough and I pulled myself out, so they can too.” It seems to me that he doesn't want to “waste” his time or energy on sympathy for others, even in the case of major systemic injustice. It looks like the medicine Don takes to relieve his hangover is an Alka-Seltzer. It's amusing and notable that it's one Alka-Seltzer tablet. Alka-Seltzer nearly doubled their sales with their brilliant and simple “Plop plop fizz fizz” ad campaign, which subtly influenced their customers to use two tablets instead of one, as people used to take. I can't find a source that definitively states when "plop plop fizz fizz" debuted, but it seems like it was probably after 1962. Living in a world where this campaign has probably not yet debuted, Don takes one tablet. Would he be immune to that campaign's power of suggestion? Jerusalem posted:Pete refuses to accept blame or feel bad though, complaining that "those people" always blame others for their lack of self-control and she shouldn't feel bad for him. Furious, Peggy reminds Pete that Freddy Rumsen is the man who got her out of being a secretary, and he shoots back that HE is the reason that she isn't still a junior copywriter. Yeah, “those people” definitely belongs in quotes here. Who are we talking about Pete? The conversation is about Freddy Rumsen, who never, ever blamed anyone else for what happened. Freddy just asked for clemency. Pete's justification is completely inapplicable here. To me, it suggests that he holds other people in contempt by default. So my hard-hitting analysis is: Pete's a jerk. GoutPatrol posted:Rest in piss Freddie RIP to a real one
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Jan 12, 2021 16:53
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Yoshi Wins posted:I can't find a source that definitively states when "plop plop fizz fizz" debuted, but it seems like it was probably after 1962. 99.99% it was 1976, because it was the joke theme of my mom's 16th birthday party (she had a weird sense of humor) and she said the jingle had just come out.
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Jan 12, 2021 17:15
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Well there you have it. Thanks!
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Jan 12, 2021 17:16
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Jerusalem, without spoiling anything, I can't wait for you to get to Margret's wedding episode.
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Jan 12, 2021 17:34
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I think we learn little things about a lot of characters this episode. Obviously Freddie's backstory and probable trauma, but you have Jimmy living it up with Roger's crowd, Don learning too many lessons about loyalty and friendship, Peggy's own professionalism and loyalty.
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Jan 13, 2021 00:46
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Yoshi Wins posted:Love this episode. The night out with Freddy is such a fun sequence. Joel Murray is really great as Freddy. I have to say that this isn't my particular read on that scene. I think when Don looks at the trains, he's thinking more about the freedom of just abandoning his family and starting a new life (again). It was a train where Don Draper was "born", and it represents the potential of escape, or going somewhere new and leaving all his old problems and troubles behind just like he did once before. We frequently see Don's first reaction to a problem is to run away, and there are at least two occasions where he seemingly on the spur of the moment tries to convince other women to run away with him and become somebody new. He doesn't like to deal with things, but I also think he's far too egotistical to contemplate suicide, because he really does think of himself as the center of the world. In relation to this episode, he allows just the barest flicker of sadness/anguish when he learns of Marilyn's death, but he does it in private before locking away his feelings behind the facade of the strong, stoic man that society declares males are supposed to be. That inability to really engage with emotional trauma just in the general sense for all the male characters in the show is really brought into focus by Freddy's clear uneasiness about talking about the fact he has killed 15 men, something that Roger clearly thinks should be lauded while Freddy would obviously prefer to never think of it again. He hides not just that trauma but his own humiliation at pissing his pants/being the office joke behind the mask of a jovial drunk. Yoshi Wins posted:Peggy is right, of course, that they were fortunate here, but I think she is also happy they didn't use Paul's idea for Playtex because she wasn't involved with it. That was her account and Paul almost scooped the creative responsibility from her (with what was admittedly a clever idea for a campaign). I think Don's look at Peggy when she says it's good they didn't use that idea is him realizing that she's keeping score and trying to be the best copywriter at Sterling Cooper, and this is probably part of why he gives ALL of Freddy's accounts to Peggy. Paul doesn't even get a crumb! I think Don recognizes that the fire of ambition that burns in him also burns in Peggy. That's a really good point, I kinda like that you don't even get to see Paul's reaction to learning yet another person has been promoted ahead of him, and this time a former secretary! At this point I kinda feel like he's just gotten used to it  Yoshi Wins posted:Something I didn't think about for a long time: Don pissed his pants in Korea right before accidentally killing the real Donald Draper. I think that makes him extra sympathetic to Freddy's humiliation. Goddammit, I didn't even think about that  Yoshi Wins posted:So my hard-hitting analysis is: Pete's a jerk. 
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Jan 13, 2021 00:55
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Like, how drunk would you have to be for that to happen? Like, I've gotten backsplash when wall leaning almost blackout, but peeing yourself then passing out seems a totally different ballpark. Maybe he was just real good at it? But still struck me as potentially neurological Edit: wait, one time when blackout I evidently opened a window and peed while singing "God Bless America" at like 3 in the morning, then fell out the window. But cutting lose in your own pants seems nuts Edit 2: pissing your pants when you get shot at is normal, happened to me and seen it happen to others BrotherJayne fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Jan 13, 2021 |
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Jan 13, 2021 01:03
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KellHound posted:Jerusalem, without spoiling anything, I can't wait for you to get to Margret's wedding episode. Jerru, this maze is not for you is that the blackface incident?
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Jan 13, 2021 01:09
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BrotherJayne posted:Jerru, this maze is not for you nope that's Jane and rogers wedding, Margaret's is the Kennedy assassination
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Jan 13, 2021 01:12
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With Freddy you gotta remember it's not just a guy getting REALLY drunk and pissing his pants, it's a guy getting REALLY drunk for close to 20 years straight and pissing his pants.
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Jan 13, 2021 01:24
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Freddy forgot to play Mozart this time
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Jan 13, 2021 01:35
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Gaius Marius posted:nope that's Jane and rogers wedding, Margaret's is the Kennedy assassination That's not Jane and Roger's wedding. It's Roger just having a party the day of the Kentucky Derby, it's refered to as a "derby day party"
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Jan 13, 2021 01:58
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Yoshi Wins posted:RIP to a real one Here's where I would say "I'm pouring one out for Freddie," except that after the events of this episode it's probably Freddie who'll be doing the pouring out
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Jan 13, 2021 02:19
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I just noticed that there are a lot of odd parallels between this episode and "The Suitcase." Jerusalem mentions Floyd Patterson was beaten by Sonny Liston... who was then beaten by Muhammad Ali two years later. Both episodes are centered around a Samsonite pitch. In both episodes, Don goes out drinking with a friend, then has a physical altercation with someone who hates his guts. Both episodes feature drunk ex-employees of the company whose body counts in war are explicitly referenced, and who relieve themselves in the office. A blonde woman's death affects Don deeply. Maybe I'm reaching a bit with the last one, but this has to be more than a coincidence right? Is there any confirmed connection between these two episodes?
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Jan 13, 2021 02:43
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The Klowner posted:I just noticed that there are a lot of odd parallels between this episode and "The Suitcase." Jerusalem mentions Floyd Patterson was beaten by Sonny Liston... who was then beaten by Muhammad Ali two years later. Both episodes are centered around a Samsonite pitch. In both episodes, Don goes out drinking with a friend, then has a physical altercation with someone who hates his guts. Both episodes feature drunk ex-employees of the company whose body counts in war are explicitly referenced, and who relieve themselves in the office. A blonde woman's death affects Don deeply. Maybe I'm reaching a bit with the last one, but this has to be more than a coincidence right? Is there any confirmed connection between these two episodes? I think its not intentionally trying to make a connection, but I'm guessing when writing The Suitcase they went back to some familiar ideas to expand upon the ideas here. I would also say it is always nice when Freddie comes back for episodes. Mad Men was always good at keeping side characters moving in and out, or making references to them. The only big character who I think leaves one day and never comes back is Sal, and that always led to rumors about disagreements between Bryan Batt and Matt Weiner, which don't appear to be true. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a34980/mad-men-salvatore-romano-bryan-batt/
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Jan 13, 2021 03:06
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BrotherJayne posted:Like, how drunk would you have to be for that to happen? Like, I've gotten backsplash when wall leaning almost blackout, but peeing yourself then passing out seems a totally different ballpark. freddy pissing himself was a prelude to the blackout as his mind shut down as a response to the continual escalation of toxins in his body. the show portrays him as a serious, career alcoholic. since it was broadly acceptable to get drunk (and smoke!) at work in this time period if you were white collar, and professional drunks can be heavily intoxicated while still functional, freddy could be seriously intoxicated before the work day is even over, depending on how early he gets started. i've known people to pass out/piss themselves late into the night at parties, but freddy could be having his first drinks with breakfast and continuing all day, rather than starting in the evening and continuing all night. freddy is used to a certain level of day-drinking but either the damage he has done to his body is catching up with him, or his drinking is steadily increasing and passed some threshold his body can handle, or both. regardless, freddy needs to fix this event as his rock bottom or else he is headed for a premature grave
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Jan 13, 2021 03:19
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The similarities between Marilyn Monroe and Don are obvious, but for anyone who doesn’t know, iirc Marilyn aka Norma Jean Mortenson had an abusive childhood, escaped her old family and name by going to Holllywood, and completely changing herself. Well, tried to anyway. The other thing I’d note about the ep is that Mad Men is the only show where Checkov’s Gun is a verbose, life loving millionaire boss, and the gun shooting off is him running away with a secretary. Perfectly makes sense in hindsight, an inevitability.
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Jan 13, 2021 04:57
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Yoshi Wins posted:. Don trying to pass as a wealthy white man born to privilege takes up all his mental space, well his conscious mental space. He doesn’t have the energy to spare for sympathizing with other people on the margins, tho he doesn’t have any spite for them either. There have been occasions, like with Peggy, where he exhibits something like sympathy, but I see it more as spotting an uncut gem, something precious that he can see and other dumber people can’t quote:Yeah, “those people” definitely belongs in quotes here. Who are we talking about Pete? The conversation is about Freddy Rumsen, who never, ever blamed anyone else for what happened. Freddy just asked for clemency. Pete's justification is completely inapplicable here. To me, it suggests that he holds other people in contempt by default. So my hard-hitting analysis is: Pete's a jerk. Feels like Pete is is projecting stuff about his dad, who apparently was just a fortune wasting playboy. Maybe he was a drunk as well?
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Jan 13, 2021 05:02
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Something I forgot to mention regarding the previous episode: seeing Joan and Harry together reminded me of their arcs and how wildly different from their season one selves they ended up becoming. Joan ends up becoming a businesswoman while Harry becomes an utterly disgusting slimeball. In the latter case it hits even harder in the MeToo age. One wonders if Weiner was imagining Weinstein specifically when he wrote Harry.
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Jan 13, 2021 05:21
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Shageletic posted:Don trying to pass as a wealthy white man born to privilege takes up all his mental space, well his conscious mental space. He doesn’t have the energy to spare for sympathizing with other people on the margins, tho he doesn’t have any spite for them either. There have been occasions, like with Peggy, where he exhibits something like sympathy, but I see it more as spotting an uncut gem, something precious that he can see and other dumber people can’t Yeah, this all sounds about right. And with Peggy he sees something of himself in her. What do you make of his homophobia? He seems homophobic when he's firing Sal. That's something I've always taken note of but never felt like I had a particular understanding of why the writers made that decision. There might not be a particular reason, other than that homosexuality was seen as perversion or deviance, but I've always wondered if his time in the whorehouse had anything to do with the fact that he developed more prejudicial attitudes to gay people than to people of other ethnicities. I don't think it had much to do with his stepmother's cold and harsh religious views, because he hated her and he ended up an atheist.
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Jan 13, 2021 05:30
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The Klowner posted:Something I forgot to mention regarding the previous episode: seeing Joan and Harry together reminded me of their arcs and how wildly different from their season one selves they ended up becoming. Joan ends up becoming a businesswoman while Harry becomes an utterly disgusting slimeball. In the latter case it hits even harder in the MeToo age. One wonders if Weiner was imagining Weinstein specifically when he wrote Harry. Yeah, I think about this sometimes. Joan is bitterly disappointed when broadcast ops responsibilities are taken away from her, but honestly, she dodged a bullet. If she transitioned to "a man's job" like Peggy did, Harry Crane would have been her boss. He doesn't seem so terrible as a boss in this episode, although clearly he doesn't adequately appreciate Joan's contributions, but man would he have been terrible for her to work for a few years later.
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Jan 13, 2021 05:35
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Man I need to rewatch the stretch of episodes between Don finding out about Sal in the hotel and Sal turning down Lee Jr. I feel like Don tolerated Sal when he found out, then kicked him out without hesitation when he thought it might impact the business. I think Don is DEFINITELY homophobic, but is not a virulent homophobe. Don takes pride in being dispassionate (in the car with Bobbie saying “I don’t feel anything”) and being passionately anything would remove an essential layer of the shell he’d created around himself. He reminds me of a lot of people of privilege and supposed education, their bigotry comes at you in surprising times, when you are vulnerable and no one else is watching.
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Jan 13, 2021 05:37
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I think Don is, if anything, a product of his time. His homophobia is ingrained in him just like it is ingrained in most people of that era. It's possible he met or knew of gay men in the whorehouse, but to me it always seemed clear that his line "You people" came from a place of untested ignorance instead of active malice. It's important to note that we see Sal and Don's relationship becomes more defined at the start of season 3, even before the hotel incident. They spend a greater amount of time together and we see Don develop a certain subtle appreciation for him. "Our greatest fears lie in anticipation," Don quips at one point, quoting Sal a few episodes prior. So Don's callous dismissal of Sal hits much harder. Batt really sells that look of betrayal in that pivotal scene Can't wait to get to season 3
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Jan 13, 2021 06:13
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on the flight back, Don gives him a "you're chill, keep it to yourself" ad idea delivery on the flight back
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Jan 13, 2021 06:50
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I’ve always thought the huge crowd of sobbing secretaries was performative and kind of silly, and always had more respect for Peggy not playing into it, but back then the whole mass media celebrity culture was just starting to grow legs, so the shock might’ve been real enough, I guess
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Jan 13, 2021 16:00
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Shageletic posted:(Don and Sal stuff) (Don and Sal stuff) Don is absolutely homophobic on a personal level, but I think his attitude about Sal is...weirdly complicated. I might even call it 'progressive,' at least relative to the context, because it's almost tolerant: Don is no stranger to living a secret double-life that society would malign, and perhaps he sees and understands this tension in Sal. Hence why his complaint on the plane isn't actually that Sal is gay, it's that he seems indiscreet about it. "Limit your exposure. Be better about hiding it." Contrast with someone like Pete or Harry, who have no qualms with openly calling gay people degenerates or perverts, and who seem perfectly happy to discard them the second they're outed. The fallout with Lee Garner, Jr. speaks to what I mean, I think. "You people" is Don being a homophobe, but the core of it is, "did you really have to poo poo where you eat?!" The idea that Sal didn't initiate it, that Lee Garner is a predator with men, too, is unfathomable to Don's biases regarding gay men. But his complaint is still that Sal was so incautious...he'd have been perfectly happy working with a gay man as long as he kept that poo poo under wraps, essentially a DADT policy a good 30 years before the 90's. Xealot fucked around with this message at 00:44 on Jan 14, 2021 |
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Jan 14, 2021 00:42
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(don and sal chat) I think it is also interesting how don very casually expects sal to go along with it to keep lucky strike business, but is the one most against joan sleeping with the jaguar guy
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Jan 14, 2021 02:47
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Is it really necessary to label "Don and Sal chat" outside of spoilers? There are people in this thread who haven't seen the whole series and specifically calling out Don and Sal is not a great thing to do when, currently, the thread has not reached a point where their relationship is relevant. I don't like being the spoiler police, I'm not trying to be a pain in the rear end, but it does diminish the experience for new watchers when small things like that are called out.
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Jan 14, 2021 03:21
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They're not gonna know the context and are just gonna glaze over it. Your way overthinking it.
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Jan 14, 2021 03:43
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Yeah, I just want to provide some vague context over the endless black boxes, because otherwise the thread looks like a redacted CIA document. I could say (Don and Paul Kinsey Chat) or (Pete and Hollis Chat) and it doesn't really spoil anything. "These characters have an interaction." Or don't and are merely being compared. I don't think those are spoilers.
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Jan 14, 2021 03:50
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When I am done watching all the episodes, I am gonna come back and click on all the spoiler tags and it's gonna be great because it'll be like reading a whole new thread 
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Jan 14, 2021 04:24
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Gaius Marius posted:They're not gonna know the context and are just gonna glaze over it. Your way overthinking it. Dig up.
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Jan 14, 2021 05:02
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Jerusalem posted:When I am done watching all the episodes, I am gonna come back and click on all the spoiler tags and it's gonna be great because it'll be like reading a whole new thread Hyperthreading, it's the least we can do for you Jerru But for real, good luck with the end of the season
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Jan 14, 2021 06:56
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GoutPatrol posted:(don and sal chat) Possibly Don had some unspoken regret about it that made him think it was a mistake when he did that with Sal and that's one reason why he was the most opposed to Joan being used the same way.
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Jan 14, 2021 21:24
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