|
Shimrra Jamaane posted:END OF SERIES SPOILERS I always interpreted that as once Pete gave up the dream and obligation of being a successful and handsome New York or Los Angeles playboy he would be more at peace with his life. Too bad he’s a rapist though.
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 00:08
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 23, 2024 23:59 |
|
|
Yeah I just can't see this as anything other than rape, and even if Gudrun had kissed Pete back it still would have been rape but the fact she didn't REALLY cements that fact. He makes a pass at her, she declines, and he goes away, gets drunk, then returns and demands to be let in and see her in the dress, then closes the door behind her, backs her up so she has no exit and then forces a kiss on her. Even if you take Weiner at his word that it was meant to be something else, there were any number of steps that could have been taken once it became clear that it was coming across as rape. They could have removed Pete's return to the Lawrence apartment and still kept Gudrun being upset and confessing what happened so that Ed realized what was going on warned him away from her purely out of a selfish desire to keep his own life simple. They could have kept Pete feeling guilty when with the benefit of hindsight he realizes what an rear end in a top hat he was being after sharing the elevator ride with Trudy and Gudrun leading to he and Trudy's own issues and reconciliation. Hell, if the actress wasn't kissing him back they could have got a stand-in shot from behind to be more enthusiastic to fill in the gap. They could have done basically anything other than what they did do, and they only have themselves to blame for writing what was obviously a rape. It's a failure on their part to have written, shot and edited that episode the way they did. Now I will say this: this whole thing seems perfectly in keeping with Pete's character. The entitlement, the mindset of the time, the sense that women "owed" you something sexual if you did something nice for them. He wouldn't think of this as rape, and even Ed would probably at worst use the euphemism "taking advantage". It's a horrible and monstrous mindset but sadly not out of place for the time or the type of person Pete was. It just makes him a character I now find reprehensible, even if he remains fascinating and his storylines can be compelling. I really think it will be near impossible for me to get over the hump of remembering that on top of every other bad thing about him, he's also now a rapist.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 00:12
|
|
|
Shimrra Jamaane posted:END OF SERIES SPOILERS That's a good question. I also read Pete's ending as "happy," and feel very ambivalent about him getting that. My reading on it is that you're supposed to see Pete's revelation with Trudy as genuine. From the first season, Pete's been swimming in Don's wake, chasing power and respect and status he never quite seems to catch, and poisoning the things he already has because he always wants More. But that motivation is obviously a trap because it's endless...there's always More to want, always some reason to think your current life is inadequate and something out there is better. So, I view Pete's ending as a perhaps unexpected character actually realizing that BEFORE it's too late. Don can't possibly reconcile things with Betty (or Megan, most likely), nor can he undo the damage he's done to Sally. But maybe Pete, despite himself, actually can? Whether he actually deserves a second chance...eh, I don't know.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 00:43
|
|
|
JethroMcB posted:
Am I conflating multiple people together? I thought Pete was involved in getting her into that treatment.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 01:00
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:Now I will say this: this whole thing seems perfectly in keeping with Pete's character. The entitlement, the mindset of the time, the sense that women "owed" you something sexual if you did something nice for them. He wouldn't think of this as rape, and even Ed would probably at worst use the euphemism "taking advantage". It's a horrible and monstrous mindset but sadly not out of place for the time or the type of person Pete was. It just makes him a character I now find reprehensible, even if he remains fascinating and his storylines can be compelling. I really think it will be near impossible for me to get over the hump of remembering that on top of every other bad thing about him, he's also now a rapist. Would you hold Don in the same regard, given how he grabbed Bobbie Barrett in season 2? Or does the context of that make it different?
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 01:24
|
|
|
Shimrra Jamaane posted:Oh I absolutely believe he grew as a person and I actually think he’ll be ok going forward. Remember the series ends in 1970 and it’s still just 1963 so a lot of time is still to pass. But my main point is whether a rapist deserves to grow as a person and live happily ever after as a better man without once being held accountable for what he did. Probably not right? But that’s what happens and IMO the show makes it pretty clear you should feel happy for him. Yeah, the fact that he's not held accountable is an issue. I definitely think that a rapist or a murderer can have redemption, but it would feel wrong without serious atonement for those serious crimes. GoutPatrol posted:Am I conflating multiple people together? I thought Pete was involved in getting her into that treatment. Yes, you're conflating Pete with her husband. He is the one who wants her to just get ECT every time she gets sad about her life with that terrible man. Although it's worth noting that she is fine with the ECT part because it's consistently worked at improving her depression. The messed up part is that her depression is obviously at least exacerbated if not completely caused by her husband's terrible behavior, and he is completely unrepentant.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 01:37
|
|
|
The Klowner posted:Would you hold Don in the same regard, given how he grabbed Bobbie Barrett in season 2? Or does the context of that make it different? Man I forgot about that. When I first binged the show early last year that really freaked me out.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 02:54
|
|
|
Shimrra Jamaane posted:Man I forgot about that. When I first binged the show early last year that really freaked me out. She did it to him first, though of course the power relationships aren't the same.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 04:04
|
|
|
sebmojo posted:She did it to him first, though of course the power relationships aren't the same. I can’t recall her doing that to him. It probably didn’t even register with me. Which is probably telling.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 06:57
|
|
|
Shimrra Jamaane posted:I can’t recall her doing that to him. It probably didn’t even register with me. Which is probably telling. their whole dynamic is hosed to hell I'm ready for Season four and the show finally gets out of the growing pains and hits it's stride
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 06:58
|
|
|
In just the last decade we’ve had movie stars like Brendan Frashier and Terry Crews be subject to some men in power over them grabbing their genitals and in Frashiers case speaking up about it internally helped end his career. And that’s in the 2000s. I can’t imagine how in 1962 or whenever if a man ever even hinted that he was uncomfortable with someone, especially a gorgeous looking woman, grabbing their genitalia without permission how that’d be received. They’d likely be labeled as a queer and ostracized. I don’t know if Don cared but maybe he did. And if he did he knew there’s sure as hell nothing he could say about it. I don’t mean to equate the abusive situations then men experienced back then with that of what women went through because of the day to day power imbalance but it existed.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 07:15
|
|
|
Shimrra Jamaane posted:In just the last decade we’ve had movie stars like Brendan Frashier and Terry Crews be subject to some men in power over them grabbing their genitals and in Frashiers case speaking up about it internally helped end his career. And that’s in the 2000s. I can’t imagine how in 1962 or whenever if a man ever even hinted that he was uncomfortable with someone, especially a gorgeous looking woman, grabbing their genitalia without permission how that’d be received. They’d likely be labeled as a queer and ostracized. I don’t know if Don cared but maybe he did. And if he did he knew there’s sure as hell nothing he could say about it. I'm too drunk to remember where Jerusalem is at. Are we at Sal's firing yet. Cause that poo poo is the exact same, Even today, I've been groped in "Jest" by my female managers. That poo poo wouldn't fly if the roles were reversed but you're just supposed to take it as a man.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 07:19
|
|
|
Gaius Marius posted:I'm too drunk to remember where Jerusalem is at. Are we at Sal's firing yet. Cause that poo poo is the exact same, Even today, I've been groped in "Jest" by my female managers. That poo poo wouldn't fly if the roles were reversed but you're just supposed to take it as a man. We are not there yet. I am both excited for and dreading that write up.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 07:27
|
|
|
Shimrra Jamaane posted:We are not there yet. I am both excited for and dreading that write up. I wonder how hes gonna take it, Some peeps have been taking it really negative towards don which I just don't see, at least not towards their reasoning. Don's got sucha hosed up transactional view of sex, Sal loving Cigarette man seems absolutely natrual to him if it means not losing their golden goose, hell he'd do it himself if he was gay. I don't think the dude is judging Sal at all for his Homosexuality but rather for his instability to gently caress a client to keep them It's hosed but it's wrapped up in the same hosed up swamp of sexual feelings he's had since he grew up in the Brothel, I really think analyzing that aspect of his character brings a lot more understanding to don than just saying he's a bad lad.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 07:37
|
|
|
Gaius Marius posted:I wonder how hes gonna take it, Some peeps have been taking it really negative towards don which I just don't see, at least not towards their reasoning. Don's got sucha hosed up transactional view of sex, Sal loving Cigarette man seems absolutely natrual to him if it means not losing their golden goose, hell he'd do it himself if he was gay. I think understanding that Don would view it as transactional, vs. view it as gay people constantly coming onto eachother (from Don's hosed up 1960's Prejudice perspective), is tricky though, since we haven't seen that Don himself got raped in the brothel yet. From Jerusalem's perspective, it'll seem like Don's very much just homophobic and angry, vs. homophobic and not understanding sex for the job. (Which, granted, isn't much better, but at least.. creates a modern understanding of him.)
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 07:39
|
|
|
Beamed posted:I think understanding that Don would view it as transactional, vs. view it as gay people constantly coming onto eachother (from Don's hosed up 1960's Prejudice perspective), is tricky though, since we haven't seen that Don himself got raped in the brothel yet. From Jerusalem's perspective, it'll seem like Don's very much just homophobic and angry, vs. homophobic and not understanding sex for the job. (Which, granted, isn't much better, but at least.. creates a modern understanding of him.) It's the reason I haven't been commenting as much, His experince there backfils so much of the plot and reasoning in the previous seasons it's absurd Jerusalem has taken a pretty negative turn towards don, that while not unsupported is not in line with my own views. The dude is a total mess from his upbringing, the fact that he's managed to make anything of himself is almost amazing. I'm really interested to see how much the latter revelations change his opinions and understand the why of his "Persona"
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 07:47
|
|
|
Gaius Marius posted:I'm ready for Season four and the show finally gets out of the growing pains and hits it's stride lmao what the gently caress are you talking about? The show owns pretty much from minute one in my view. It always knows exactly what kind of show it is. Also re: Don's childhood abuse, I always felt like that was an ex post facto justification for all his heinous behavior. I really wish it was something that was portrayed much earlier because its placement in season 7 kind of feels like Weiner is trying to retroactively invalidate criticism of the character. Maybe I'm reading too much into it and maybe my opinion will change once the thread gets there but it never sat right with me. We spend too much time with Don and develop too much of an understanding of his shittiness for the show to just expect the audience to hand wave it. Also also, re: Don's reaction to Sal, he specifically mutters "You people" after he fires him. It's pretty unambiguously the case that he's a product of his time and, despite perhaps not having so much a problem with it in an abstract sense, he has the same preconceptions about gay people as anyone else of the time. The Klowner fucked around with this message at 14:17 on Apr 3, 2021 |
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 14:14
|
|
|
Re: Sal's firing: I believe homophobia played a role in it, because Don says, with contempt, "You people..." He also clearly thinks that Sal is lying from the very beginning, in a way that strongly suggests to me that he believes gay men are all degenerate sluts. And now I see The Klowner also pointing this out. But yeah. The perception we get from S3S1 that Don is okay with Sal being gay is probably not correct. He probably DID have a problem with it, but he was willing to overlook it for an employee who'd been great for so long, as long as Don didn't catch him at it again. Gaius Marius posted:It's the reason I haven't been commenting as much, His experince there backfils so much of the plot and reasoning in the previous seasons it's absurd Dude he is SO HARSH on Don. lol. I mean, I think Don only becomes a decent person in season 7, and he's at best "a jerk" in every other season, and he's kind of a monster in season 1 and maybe season 6. But man, every write up there's like 3 or 4 places where I'm surprised at how negative his interpretation of Don's behavior is. In the write up for Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency he was giving Don quite a lot of poo poo for thinking that he deserved to be promoted to creative director of all of PPL. I was like, "What? Is it a sign of bad character to think you deserve a promotion?" But I don't usually jump in with defense of Don partially for the reason you mention but also partially because if I posted every thought I had on every episode it'd be 10 billion words (and I'm sure the same is true for other posters in here) and no one would read it all, so I try to just post things I think are important. I recall one professional critic criticizing the backstory stuff from season 6 by saying that it seemed more like the backstory of a serial killer than an ad executive. And that's true! But I like that we end up being able to trace so much of Don's abusive and damaging behavior to his past traumas. I think it makes the show more compassionate, and that's a good quality for literature to have. The Klowner posted:
If I believed that Weiner didn't have it in mind from much earlier, I'd probably feel the same way. But he had many vital story beats planned from season 1. He had the Coke ad ending in mind during season 1. He told Bryan Batt while they were filming the pilot that there would be an episode where he and Don went on a business trip and Don would find out he was gay but wouldn't do anything about it. And I feel like it's clear that info was deliberately held back about Adam and Dick's living circumstances when they meet in season 1. Don saying something like, "I just couldn't go back to that place..." and just leaving it there. It always seemed to me like there was more story there. And, as Gaius Marius observes, there are so many times when the backstory we get in season 6 makes earlier scenes make more sense. I can't think of ANY scenes that make LESS sense with the new info from season 6. That's enormously hard to do if you're just making it up as you go along. For a show as detailed as Mad Men that strives as hard as it does for emotional authenticity, it's virtually impossible.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 14:41
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:$2 is probably more than he earns in a week, and apparently for her that means it is more appropriate to give him what... a loving quarter as a tip? It's $2, Don's almost a loving millionaire. To be fair, remember inflation is a thing. I generally multiply the cost of anything on Mad Men by about 7 to get to modern US dollars, and then remember Italy may well have had a pretty lovely exchange rate at the time. 'More than he earns in a week' seems high, but a like $20 tip for a bellhop? It's extravagant (and why Europeans love American tourists ;p)
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 21:13
|
|
|
Don didn't want the bellhop to piss in their suitcases.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 22:01
|
|
|
Also Betty has literally no idea how much it costs for some working class stiff to live in Rome.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2021 22:24
|
|
|
The Klowner posted:
I don't think that's fair, The show doesn't show the extent of Don's abusive childhood because it's the thing that Don himself is trying his goddamnedest to hide. Once you get the full story in Season Six a ton of the pieces from earlier seasons fall right into place. Think for example of Don's reticence to physically punish Bobby after he spills his drink, Or how Don deep in his cups Admits Suckerpunching Jimmy was a real Archibald Whitman move, Or how he treats the elder Gene another paternal figure that treats him like absolute poo poo and thinks Don's a fraud. Don's childhood informs a ton of his decisions in the series even in places that people don't usually realize. Don grew up with a strict domineering mother that showed him little love even if she provided for him, In tommorrowland seeing Meghan being able to mother his kids is the thing that trips the wire in his head that makes him drop Faye and rush into marriage. When he sees Meghan at the pool he see's the thing he never got to experience, compared to how awkward Faye was with Sally. If it was out of Selfishness of wanting to see that motherly love, or Selflessness of hoping his kids would turn out better than him, or my view both. It's the reason he chose Meghan feedmegin posted:To be fair, remember inflation is a thing. I generally multiply the cost of anything on Mad Men by about 7 to get to modern US dollars, and then remember Italy may well have had a pretty lovely exchange rate at the time. 'More than he earns in a week' seems high, but a like $20 tip for a bellhop? It's extravagant (and why Europeans love American tourists ;p) Italy was having a pretty rough time of it at that point, a quarter is probably about right
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2021 02:41
|
|
|
Xealot posted:I hadn't heard this. The episode works so much better the way it is, because obviously this au pair doesn't want to gently caress this weird 30-something neighbor. And it completely tracks as something Pete would do, his entitlement and frustration playing out viciously onto some powerless girl who has no recourse. "I'm a Nice Guy! I did her a favor! What a grand, romantic overture that was, and how rude this brat of a girl is being by rebuffing me!" Feel like Weiner thinking that in any way this isnt rapey is an indictment of his own mindset and inner biases, which honestly depending on how true is the scuttlebutt regarding him and some of the women writers on Mad Men tracks.
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2021 03:21
|
|
|
JethroMcB posted:Yeah, in that telling it still only goes from outright rape to "Pete Campbell merely exercising a position of extreme power to 'seduce' a hesitant young woman." It's no longer explicitly a criminal act, but it's still morally repugnant. E;fb
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2021 03:22
|
|
|
Xealot posted:That's a good question. I also read Pete's ending as "happy," and feel very ambivalent about him getting that. Thinking about it, this ep was once again Pete trying to mimic his more suave counterparts, following their behaviors without the ability to obsfucate or grounding to hold back. Don chasing a woman who is already his, Henry chasing a woman who saya no but might be into him. And Pete, as usual, the faded carbon copy of more confident personalities, doing everything the same but so much worse. E: Pete is also much more honest about it too.
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2021 03:30
|
|
|
Pete definitely tries and fails to be a more charismatic man than he actually is, but I also think his goals are uniquely odious and off-putting and women can usually tell. It’s not just that he’s less attractive or smooth than Don, he’s also shittier. Don’s affairs always seem to be about intimacy and connection, indulging a sort of emotional honesty or vulnerability he doesn’t feel he can have in “real life.” It’s dysfunctional, but it usually offers the women involved *something*. Pete’s affairs (or at least his attempted ones) are just self-gratification. They’re usually about power, or vanity. In the first episode, he shows up at Peggy’s to feel adored and attractive after feeling snubbed by women on the town. His entire “hunting story” is a transparent power fantasy. And this situation with the au pair is that same drive playing out in reality. [S5] His affair with Beth has him voice his feelings directly: “why do they get to decide what happens?! It’s not the way it should be!” What Pete wants from women is power and control and he’s furious when he doesn’t have it. Unsurprising that this man is a rapist.
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2021 07:16
|
|
|
Nice post, Xealot. That all seems spot-on to me. Yes, I think there's something fundamentally antagonistic about Pete. He has some of the Daniel Plainview-esque revulsion to people. He shows very little interest in them beyond what they can do to get him what he wants. [S5]What's interesting and sad about the Beth storyline is that he feels more intense feelings for her than anyone else ever on the show, because for about 5-20 minutes Beth had a strong emotional need for him. No one else has ever needed him the way she needed him in that moment. Trudy loves him (you can do better, Trudy!), but she'd be able to get along without him. Beth was on the verge of emotional collapse when she initiated sex with him. He craves being wanted like that so desperately. It's a drug he's never had before. Which makes sense, because how would someone ever become emotionally dependent on the support of Pete Campbell? Loving and supporting people for a long time is how they come to rely on you. Does Pete even comprehend the concept of selfless love? And it's all so pathetic, because Beth didn't need him. Anyone who knew what a jerk her husband was would have done. There was no quality of Pete's "soul" that reached her. He was just available.
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2021 16:24
|
|
|
@jerusalem in case you were wondering about those suspiciously labeled spoiler tags, nothing actually happens in season 5, it's all a ruse. at the end of season 4 Pete teleports a psychic squid to New York and kills off most of the main cast, except for Don and Betty who are on Mars at the time. Season 5 is mostly just a dream sequence that takes place inside Don's head, it's basically fanfiction that gets retconned later anyway
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2021 17:11
|
|
|
Oh man that reminds me What episode does Don have the fever dream of murdering a woman? That’ll be interesting.
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2021 18:43
|
|
|
The Klowner posted:@jerusalem in case you were wondering about those suspiciously labeled spoiler tags, nothing actually happens in season 5, it's all a ruse. at the end of season 4 Pete teleports a psychic squid to New York and kills off most of the main cast, except for Don and Betty who are on Mars at the time. Season 5 is mostly just a dream sequence that takes place inside Don's head, it's basically fanfiction that gets retconned later anyway yeah, not many concrete developments happen, but I think it does a good job setting up Sally joining the Manson Family and killing Sharon Tate Shimrra Jamaane posted:Oh man that reminds me The appropriately titled Mystery Date S5E4.
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2021 18:53
|
|
|
Xealot does a make good point about Pete's malevolence. But I'd still argue Pete's especially odious actions still are influenced by a toxic view of swinging and domineering masculinity, that he feels everyone is getting to fulfil except himself. Let's note the time period. Early 1960s, NYC, center of a million movies about young men about town getting with any number of disposable attractive women. That is the ideal. There's a hole in the center of that dude, and he's looking to fill it in with whatever is around. And I think that contributes to his sexual assault personally
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2021 19:56
|
|
|
I often find myself thinking about that model he picked up from casting one night, and his reaction after he gets home. On the surface it's exactly like a scene from one of those movies and the image he wants in his own head: he's a on-the-up executive, she's a pretty model, he chats her up in an elevator, they go back to her place and have guilt-free casual sex and then he goes home and preens in the mirror about what a big man he is. Except, of course, beyond the fact he's cheating on his wife the setting of the apartment is about as far from "sexy" and "swinging" as you can get. The place is a mess, she lives with her elderly mother who she puts to bed in the very next room with only a door between them before coming back and having sex with this strange man. It's squalid, unpleasant and kind of sad but when Pete looks in the mirror upon returning home he smiles, because in his mind he's an alpha male who got to bang a hot girl and that makes him feel good about himself (temporarily of course, as Shageletic says, there's an emptiness inside of Pete he's trying desperately to fill).
|
|
#
?
Apr 5, 2021 00:44
|
|
|
I saw Jerusalem in another thread shamefully admitting he was consuming some media unrelated to Mad Men recently, no need for a search party.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2021 10:39
|
|
|
Perhaps a gulag would be more appropriate.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2021 10:43
|
|
|
I'm actually literally writing up the episode right now. I am currently very angry about something that happens in it!
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2021 10:48
|
|
|
That one's a bummer, man. No doubt.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2021 10:55
|
|
|
Season 3, Episode 9 - Wee Small Hours Written by Dahvi Waller & Matthew Weiner, Directed by Scott Hornbacher Conrad Hilton posted:I want the moon. Betty Draper lays down on her fainting couch, breathing heavily with a mixture of desire and fear as a man unbuttons her dress and trails a finger down past hungering lips and over her chest. He leans forward to kiss her and it is NOT Don Draper, but the brief flash of Henry Francis' face is gone almost before it registers as she is woken from her dream/fantasy by the ringing phone. Is it the wee small hours of the night, the phone has woken little Gene who is bawling his eyes out, and the man looming over her now isn't the object of her fantasy but her husband - normally dapper and immaculately put together, now bedraggled and half-asleep - reaching past her to answer the ringing phone. The man on the other end is, of course, Conrad Hilton. He doesn't apologize for calling late, or ask if he woke Don, he just launches straight into what is on his mind, telling an exhausted Don that after praying he has had a revelation: New York is not like Dallas! Betty stumbles out of bed herself to attend to little Gene, while Don pulls his wits together and pulls out a notepad: clearly this is not his first late night phone-call from the eccentric (when you're a billionaire, this kind of thoughtless, rear end in a top hat behavior is labeled eccentric). He smokes a cigarette and scribbles notes as Connie circles around to his point: the Waldorf as the shining star of his hotel business has made Hiltons in other parts of America seem more prestigious, because New York (unlike Dallas, despite its airport) is considered an International City. However, owning the Waldorf hasn't had that same impact on his international business where glorious old hotels like the Waldorf Astoria don't stand out as strongly... so he wants Don to help him to sell his brand internationally. NOW Don is awake, as he asks the most pertinent question: is Conrad giving him his International Business in addition to the few domestic hotels he started him with? It's not that simple, of course, Connie wants him to "earn" the International Business by "wowing" him. In other words, he wants another freebie akin to the one he asked for on their first (second) meeting, with the promise of enormous benefit to come should he do a good job (when you're a billionaire, not paying somebody for doing their job for you is labeled "opportunity"). Connie is into a good middle-of-the-night ramble now though, his bible is on the coffee table in front of him but so is a generous serving of scotch. He talks about how he sees his Hiltons as akin to Church Missions, and he wants to spread them all over the world... hell, he wants one on the moon since that is where humanity is going to next. He waxes lyrical about America, about how it is wherever we look and wherever we're going to be. Don is impressed by that line until Connie points out that it is Don who told HIM that once before, and he admits that maybe the line isn't all that memorable after all. Back to business, Connie instructs (not asks) Don to send him over a proposal on using the Hiltons as Convention Centers before noon and hangs up without so much as a goodbye. Don takes a moment to register the call has ended, then rolls back into bed beside a returning Betty, who is cradling a quieted Gene in her arms. He apologizes for them being woken but she's fine, as a new mother she is entirely too used to being woken in the middle of the night by the demands of a human being who insists on their every need being met without thought for how it impacts on anybody else. "I want what I want when I want it," Betty tells Gene affectionately,"And you don't care what it does to the rest of us." She smiles at Don and mentions it reminds her or somebody else, and Don assumes that she means Connie. She does, but it could just as easily be referring to him, and he makes the point that Gene is up every 3 hours... at least Connie only calls every 4. Betty is right though when she suggests that Don actually likes the attention: one of the world's richest and most successful men keeps calling him for advice or to share his thoughts with him. It is too early to get up but also too late to go back to sleep, so Don hauls himself out of bed which catches Betty by surprise. He can't get back to sleep, so he might as well get up and go into the office early. He lumbers into the bathroom to shower, it never occurring to him that maybe he could have spent the extra time being up early just being with his wife and new son. Sure he has work to get done for Connie before noon, but would an extra 30-60 minutes bonding time have killed him?   As Don drives through the empty suburban streets of Ossining, he spots an unexpected sight. A woman is running along the side of the road, not being pursued or in terror or fleeing something, she's just... running. For... fun? He slows and pulls alongside her, and of course it's Miss Farrell. If he remembers Carlton telling him about this he gives no sign, certainly if he remembers Carlton saying the appeal of running is being left alone he ignores it. Instead he calls out to her, asking what she is doing, and with a smile she points out the obvious: she's running. Don doesn't understand why she'd be doing this and offers to give her a lift, and she has to point out that this kind of defeats the purpose of running in the first place. But he insists that he at least take her part of the way, and now she has to face the decision of whether to tell this guy intruding on HER private time and activities to gently caress off and leave her alone, or to play nice and let him make this meaningless and counter-productive gesture to massage HIS ego. There must surely also be a portion of,"A relative stranger is offering you a lift in the middle of the night with nobody around, don't do it!" going through her head too, but in the end her mental calculation is that it will be less trouble just to let him drive her a couple of miles to her street. As she hops into the car, the news is discussing some Reverend who made a speech or something and he moves to turn it off, but she tells him to leave it on. They listen in silence for a few moments to the Reverend talking about judging people by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, and then a clearly moved Miss Farrell tells Don she is going to read the speech to the kids in her class on the first day back at school. Don doesn't object to the idea, rather he questions whether the kids will understand what is being said. She holds them in higher regard than Don does, it seems, as she responds that she believes the kids already KNOW the concepts that Dr. King longs for and it would just be nice if they could hear it from an adult. Don is impressed by this, or rather impressed by her, commenting seemingly more to himself that he doesn't know who she is... is she pure or just dumb? Miss Farrell isn't offended by that question, but she's also not fooled by Don speaking out loud: his intention was clearly to express fascination with her in the hopes she would be charmed, and she smoothly moves the conversation instead onto him and why HE is out at this time of the night/morning. He simply says he couldn't sleep, and they arrive at her street. She doesn't tell him which house is hers, but he takes a good look at the nearest place regardless and compliments it, and with amused exasperation she explains she is only renting the apartment above that nice place's garage. He takes this bit of information as encouragement, of course, and asks if he can come in for coffee. Not fooled in the slightest (but also not entirely put off by his obvious flirting) she points out that coffee might be the reason he can't sleep at night, then closes the door and jogs the rest of the way to her apartment unaccompanied. A little later (but still very early) that morning at Sterling Cooper, Allison brings Don's mail into his office to leave at the desk. Don is lying on his couch, unseen, and mumbles good morning which causes her to leap up in a fright, she had no idea he was there (he's NEVER there before 9am). He apologizes but then asks her to get him some coffee and type up what he has dictated into the tape recorder and get it sent to Hilton before he leaves for Europe. On that front at least Allison in in the know, updating him that Conrad is actually going to California now instead, he has left two messages on the service. She asks if he wants her to get him in touch with Hilton now, but a barely awake Don wants to get himself together first, and he changes up the order of his requests. First she needs to get that dictation typed up, then she can get him the coffee he desperately needs.... and THEN she can get Connie on the line so he can speak with him. She collects the recorder and heads out, and he lays back down on the couch to try and get at least some rest. Carla arrives at the Draper Residence carrying the newspaper, handing it to Betty who is sitting at the breakfast table with Sally and Bobby, remarking that usually Don brings it in. Betty explains he left for work early, and reminds the kids it is raining when Sally asks if they can go play outside, telling them to play upstairs instead. They race out of the kitchen, while Betty skims the paper and spots that Roger Sterling was right about at least one thing: Rockefeller's hopes of winning the Republican Presidential nomination are all but dead, and Barry Goldwater seems the likely nominee now to run against Kennedy. There's also a story in there about school integration but Betty pays that no mind, instead the mention of Rockefeller has her thinking of Henry Francis and their last encounter together. She mentions to Carla she got no sleep last night, and Carla quickly assures her she can go take a nap while Carla handles everything here. Instead, Betty goes straight to Don's study and pulls out a sheet of paper, writing a short but enormously important note to Henry Francis: does anybody else read his mail? She signs it only "B", and uses his office address from her Junior League documents rather than making the mistake of sending it to his home address. This way, the letter could come from anyone for any reason to do with the variety of political/business interests he has... and she can find out if she has a direct and unseen line to communicate with him.   Despite Don's bitter rebuke of Peggy a couple of episodes ago, it turns out... well, she really is his best copywriter and she made it onto the Hilton Account after all! She and the two Smiths presents art mock-ups of suggested advertising for Hilton Hotels, using the tagline "Your window to the world. Hilton" and showing off Greek ruins through a window frame. Don is unimpressed though, pointing out that the windows in the art aren't the same as the windows used by the Athens Hilton, and not accepting Peggy's explanation that the sliding doors they do use don't "read" as windows. He makes a very good (if laughable by most advertising standards) point: they can't just pretend that things are what they're not. Don's other objection is that the tagline is flat, and when Peggy gently reminds him that it is HIS tagline, he somehow turns him insulting his own work into a criticism on her: just because HE said it doesn't make it good, and if the tagline is bad then SHE shouldn't use it. Tired, irritable, clearly not a morning person in the slightest, he asks to see what else this dream team have come up with and is treated to Kurt and Smitty's vision: an incredibly dull and paint-by-numbers presentation of 16 Hiltons in a grid above the tagline "Go. We'll meet you anywhere." Peggy and Smitty mistake Don's line about finally being able to understand Kurt and being less impressed as a result as a joke, but he's being deadly serious. Slumped in his chair, he grunts at Smitty that it is his work too, and complains about the use of "we" being unclear, especially in conjunction with the tininess of the hotels due to 16 being crammed into the poster. He's being a surly little poo poo this morning, but he's also making a point he wants to hammer into their heads: they don't have a (hard) deadline for this project, which means they have time to explore lots of ideas rather than just focusing on one. That means he wants them to bring him whatever they can think of, more ideas for him to reject (with the unspoken understanding it'll help them all narrow down what WON'T be rejected) because he can't do the entire Account all by himself. Chastened, dressed down and far from inspired, the three exit Don's office, leaving him to brood some more as the coffee fights to take hold and get him back to his usual controlled and exquisitely presented self. It's not just the Hilton Account causing problems though. Lee Garner Jr. is in town for the filming of the latest Lucky Strike commercial, and Pete Campbell is discovering the negative side of having what is the Crown Jewel of Sterling Cooper's portfolio in his half of the Head of Accounts. Because like Conrad, Lee Jr. is also used to getting what he wants, and what he wants is for Pete to smoke a Lucky Strike cigarette with him. For 9 out of 10 Account Executives this wouldn't even cause a blink, but non-smoker Pete is desperately trying to figure a way out of his predicament, insisting that smoking is bad for him. That is, of course, exactly the wrong thing to say to a tobacco company owner in the early 1960s, Lee Jr. scowling and asking exactly what that is supposed to mean. Knowing he hosed up, Pete timidly places the cigarette in his mouth and takes the barest puff before breaking down into uncontrollable coughing. Harry winces, but luckily they're saved by the ringing of the bell and director Sal's pronouncement that they have the take in the bag. Lee Jr. forgets all about Pete (still hacking and coughing) to remind Sal that he had it on the first take if the way he directed the shot is REALLY the way he wants it. Sal of course is diplomatic (and far smoother than Pete), agreeing that he wants whatever it is that Lee Jr. wants. Between coughs, Pete reminds Lee Jr. that this is what his father signed off on for the commercial, appealing to a reminder of the one person Lee Jr. can't throw his weight around with. Again it is Sal who plays the diplomat, offering Lee Jr. the chance to view another (unfilmed) take through the eyepiece of the camera so he can see the actual frame. The show is standard and unexciting... but there really isn't all that much scope to play around with it. Unfortunately, like many who have never actually been involved in film, Lee Jr. assumes that he can do it as well if not better, and he has an idea.... and unfortunately it's bullshit. He wants a direct connection with the audience, so he wants the sailor to look DIRECTLY into the camera as he smokes. This is, of course, a gigantic no-no for actors/directors/anybody in any way involved with film or television. Sal tries to gently explain this, but Lee Jr. turns to Harry and asks what HE thinks, and finding no support from Pete (hacking and coughing still over by a wall), Harry chickens out entirely and declares that as Lee Jr. is the client they'll do whatever HE wants. Sal bites his tongue and keeps his smile, making one last effort as he points out that barreling the camera makes the viewer feel uncomfortable. Betraying that he has no idea what he is talking about, Lee Jr. grins that Walter Cronkite does it every night, as if a sailor in an ad and a news anchor reporting the news have any similarity whatsoever. He suggests to "Sally" that they take a risk together, and with a fake grin plastered on his face Sal tells the actor they're going to do it one more time with him looking directly into the camera. The actor, Nathaniel, simply nods and does as hes told: he'll know this is wrong too, but he also knows you don't want to gently caress up any commercial gig you can get by arguing with the client.   A week after their initial chance meeting, Don Draper heads to work early yet again and slowly drives down the same road hoping to "accidentally" pass Miss Farrell out running. She's nowhere to be seen though, so he speeds up and continues along, having gotten up early for no reason (presumably Connie rang in the middle of the night again?) and sure to be a moody prick at work again as a result. Betty brings Bobby and Sally home from their first day back in school, Sally insisting she needs a pencil case now while Betty half-jokes to Carla she wishes she had a camera so she could have gotten photos of the difference in enthusiasm on Bobby's face BEFORE going to school and now. It's not exactly what you might think though, Bobby is beaming, he clearly has a crush on his teacher Mrs. Patton, though Betty suspects that might be because all she makes her students do is draw pictures all day. She gets distracted when she notices the mail, which includes a letter from Henry Francis. Carla leaves to check on the crying Gene and Betty opens the letter, which includes a short message from Henry that nobody checks his mail.... any more. Included is another address (presumably the one Betty had was for a postal box?), and a smile crosses over Betty's face not too far from the one on Bobby's... she has a crush too. Her face quickly falls though as she catches hold of herself, and she tucks the letter away in her purse before noticing how quiet Sally is being. Is she tired? No, Sally insists that she REALLY wants a pencil case, and Betty agrees that they'll "see" about getting her one. It is the first day of school after all, one can only assume that one or more of Sally's friends have pencil cases now and she is horrified at the thought of being left out. At Sterling Cooper, the film has been processed and Sal is joined by Lee Jr. to look through the rough edit, the long-suffering editor passive-aggressively reminding Sal that the scratch track audio is not up to snuff because he had no idea they would be showing this rough cut to a client. Lee Jr. is fascinated though by the process, especially the idea that the commercial is edited to have a rhythm to the cuts. That's why he came in today despite clients usually only seeing the finished product, he'd like to know more about how everything works. Sal jokingly asks if he is intending to get out of cigarettes and into the movies, and Lee Jr. laughs with just a tinge of bitterness that this won't be happening while his father is alive (remember Lee Sr. once complaining his son wanted to run an aluminum company instead of a tobacco company?). Sal sends the editor off to get the sound sorted, and sits down to look through the edit himself when he's surprised by Lee Jr. quietly asking him to please forget the nonsense he just said about his father and the movies. It wasn't anything that Sal had even registered, but he quickly assures Lee Jr. he has already forgotten it, though of course Lee Jr. feels the need to keep explaining what for him was an enormous faux pas and for Sal was... nothing. He had a wet lunch, you see, too much to drink as well as "other things". He chuckles that secretaries nowadays "don't give you a choice", a horrific line when you consider the power dynamic and the far more likely scenario that some poor secretary got forced into something she absolutely had no interest in. Sal sidesteps this by noting he doesn't have a secretary, and is relieved when the subject turns to the safer realm of Lee Jr's desired camera barreling shot. Cuing it up, Sal says he still thinks it will look strange and certainly doesn't fit the usual Lucky Strike way of doing things, but offers to show it to Lee Jr. He leans in over Sal's shoulder, watching Nathaniel staring into the camera, and points out that he doesn't think it is so bad... and then gently places one hand on Sal's chest and caresses it as the other hand grabs at his shoulder. Shocked, Sal reacts immediately not with rage but with action, standing up out of his seat moving several steps away to make it as clear as possible that he is not interested. Beyond that though he is inexperienced, his usual smooth diplomacy when dealing with clients has no grounding here, and his actual homosexual encounters have been exceedingly rare and never (at least never seen to be) fully consummated so he isn't sure how to approach this. So he simply stands and stares, and Lee Jr. just shrugs and tells him not to worry, the editor - Jerry - won't be back for awhile. "I'm married," offers Sal, up until this moment the most effective defense he has had to muster, and is left stunned by Lee Jr's amused response that he is too.... who cares? So Sal jumps back to his secondary line of defense, the one used before his marriage, claiming there has been a misunderstanding. Lee Jr. is unmoved by that too, insisting with the quiet confidence of somebody used to getting everything their own way that he knows what he knows. Sal now is facing the same scenario one of these secretaries may have faced (provided Lee Jr. is an omnisexual predator and wasn't just bullshitting about secretaries to present a "macho" image), a rich and powerful person insisting that they have a sexual encounter and probably telling himself that the object of their "affection" wants it just as much if not more. Sal's final response is the best thing he can come up with, walking to the door and turning on the lights, pretending none of this ever happened and simply declaring that Lee Jr. can see the full thing tomorrow or when it is done. Realizing he's not getting his little thrill in the Edit Room after all, Lee Jr. again simply shrugs and states that he'll be busy tomorrow, then makes his exit, though not before calmly telling Sal he understands this is due to being at work, but it's a pity they won't get to enjoy themselves. He leaves, supremely confident that this was the only reason he could have been rejected (even if Sal is gay, that doesn't automatically mean that Lee Jr. gets to gently caress him!). Once he's gone, Sal is left alone and finally gets to take out his frustrations, grabbing a film canister and hurling it across the room in a rage. He's gone to such great lengths his whole life to suppress or hide away his sexual orientation, and now this rear end in a top hat shows up and tries to force himself on him and acts like SAL is the one with the problem for not reciprocating? And what can Sal do about it? He's one of the top executives of Sterling Cooper's BIGGEST Account, even bigger than Hilton Hotels (for now), it's not like you can punch him or call him a predatory rear end in a top hat or a presumptuous prick. Sal has to live a very careful double life, Lee Jr. gets to just do whatever he wants and put Sal's own safety and career at enormous risk purely for his own gratification? To just ignore who Sal is? Sal's fears and concerns? To put aside Sal as a person and consider him simply as a warm body to get his jollies with? It's simply not fair.... and he knows as surely as any secretary that it's also unfortunately the way things are in September of 1963.  Sally lies on the living room carpet doing her homework in the evening while Bobby watches television. Betty is seated drinking wine and looking content, but it isn't domestic bliss or maternal love making her smile, but the secret thrill of writing another letter to Henry Francis. As the kids brush their teeth and she puts them to bed, her voice-over tells us the content of her letter: somehow both chaste and powerfully erotically charged as she talks about how she finds herself looking forward to getting the mail, how she longs to have a clearer picture of him in her mind, how it stuns her to think they've only actually ever met in person 3 times before. She is dozing in the chair, wine still clasped in hand when Don returns home that evening. He gently removes the glass and stares down at her, considering. He doesn't suspect her emotional infidelity, he never would, as always Don is forever in his own head and considering himself: his wife and the mother of his three children, the woman he begged to take him back only a year ago, he stares at her asleep in the couch with a glass of wine in one hand and what does he think? Does he feel love? Does he feel guilt? Or is he irritated she isn't waiting up to greet him? That there is no dinner waiting or adoring gaze as she asks him about his day? Or is he simply comparing her unfavorably to the "new model" in Miss Farrell, who like many of the women he has had affairs with he finds intellectually stimulating? Who like the others he judges Betty for failing to live up to their standard, even though he himself went out of his way to prevent her from being anything other than his perfect model wife/mother? Harry isn't going home though, and never is Paul. They're in Harry's office watching television, Paul pissed off that Harry won't let him flip channels during the commercials. The entire point IS the commercials, Harry has this television set up in here so he can watch and make sure all the clients who placed commercials in particular time-slots are getting their money's worth. They can at least eat, they have sandwiches and cokes, and chow down as the commercials extol the cleaning power of Clorox. The phone rings and Harry answers, surprised to discover it is Lee Garner Jr. on the other line. He's calling from his hotel, declaring with some satisfaction that he knew Harry would still be in the office because he's a hard worker. "For you? You bet!" boot-licks Harry as he quickly turns down the volume on the television, but what comes next is far from welcome. It seems Lee Jr. has a bit of a problem... Sal Romano. An almost empty bottle of whiskey on the side table tells us what we need to know, but Harry can hear it plain in Lee Jr's slurred voice too: he's drunk as a skunk and calling to bitch about the director of his latest TV commercial. He doesn't want Sal on the Account anymore, he's no good. Taken aback, Harry immediately blurts out the exact wrong thing to say even if it is the truth: he can't remove Sal. Lee Jr. offered back a dangerous,"What?" and Harry stumbles over himself to remind Garner that Pete Campbell and Roger Sterling are the ones who handle his Account. Hearing that catches Paul's attention, he leaps up and moves to switch off the television though Harry signals to him not to. In any case, Lee Jr. isn't having it: he's told Harry what he wants him to do and he wants Harry and ONLY Harry to deal with it... and to keep it between them. Erring on the side of caution, Harry doesn't agree to do anything but also doesn't disagree with the order either, simply declaring that the commercial is turning out great and crediting Lee Jr's eye as the reason why. He asks how he is enjoying the city, and takes Lee's happy response as a good sign. When Lee apologizes for bothering him and hangs up, Harry is relieved, feeling like he may have come through this okay... except now he has to deal with a fascinated Paul who wants to know what is going on. His insistence that he can't tell lasts all of a few seconds before he caves and admits that Lee Jr. wants him to fire Sal, though he has no idea why and wasn't about to ask considering how drunk he was. But that's why he also feels confident in doing nothing, because it isn't his place to remove anybody and he never actually agreed to do it and Lee Jr. will probably forget even making the call in the first place. He insists that he usually panics and does something stupid, so this time he's going to do nothing and just stick with his actual job. They notice that Perry Mason has come back on, turn the sound back up and go back to eating and watching, Harry's only concern now that he didn't see if the commercials that were supposed to air actually aired.   Blissfully unaware of what is going on with the biggest Account at Sterling Cooper, Don is lying in bed at 11:30 at night beside Betty unable to sleep when the phone rings. He picks it up before the second ring, meaning Betty only rolls over in bed rather than being woken, and Gene doesn't burst into tears down the corridor. It's Connie, of course, a trifle irritated when he hears the irritation in Don's voice and warning him that he doesn't feel he has abused the privilege of calling Don at home. Ironically, despite often complaining that Don comes to work too late, he's now surprised that Don was in bed (with his wife in his family home, which Connie also purports to be value!) so early. He wants a drinking partner for tonight, assuring Don that he can say no if he wants because believe it or not that IS a word that Connie has heard before, and Don may not be the first person he called tonight anyway. Don couldn't sleep anyway so he agrees to come out, asking for an hour to freshen up and get to the hotel (presumably the Waldorf), figuring if he can't sleep he might as well do something productive like spend time with the second biggest client (and potentially capable of becoming one of the biggest clients in the world of advertising) Sterling Cooper has. An hour later he's there in the suite with Connie, drinking prohibition "hair tonic" (it's a charming idea in 1963 that Connie made illegal liquor during prohibition, because when you're incredibly rich the fact part of what made your fortune was criminal enterprise isn't a big deal at all... just ask the Kennedys!) that has a hell of a kick to it. Don remarks that it takes him back, amusing Connie who knows he was born after prohibition... except of course Don grew up the poor son of a farmer and probably had plenty of experience with moonshine. Connie admits that he is in a "bit of a crisis", explaining he thinks about his business day and night and he is a harsh critic not only of others but himself. What he's describing, of course, is Depression, and not the one where he lost his fortune and slowly gained it back... but that was a largely alien concept in the 1960s, especially among men like Don who hold psychiatry in contempt (apart from when they can get information about their wives from immoral chauvinist doctors). So when Connie says he sometimes "feels bad", that he feels it is the cause of why he feels "lonesome", he is coming so close to identifying a problem that needs fixing but can't quite make the jump to figure out that this is a problem that requires a solution beyond late night drinks with a buddy/work colleague. All Don can offer is that he might be working too much, but Connie rejects that, the problem is that he doesn't work enough! His purpose is to bring America to the world... whether they like it or not (sounds pretty American!), because he is absolutely adamant in his own mind that America is a force for good, and it's because they "have" God and Communists don't. He is convinced that Godlessness is the most important belief of the Communist, Don politely replying that he himself isn't an expert which saves him from noting (if he in fact cares enough to know) that this is probably far from the top concern of most Communists. But what Don finds fascinating is Connie's next rambling thought, that the Marshall Plan's generosity showed the world what America had, and now the rest of the world wants it too. He believes that American prosperity is somehow tied to religion and some kind of manifest destiny, and the only way other countries can truly prosper is to share in American values (America coming out of the war with a shitload of money and very little infrastructure damage might have had a smaaaaaalllll part to play in the PostWar Boom!). But the wording he uses, the ideas he espouses, those give Don ideas, this has him scribbling notes, because even if he doesn't agree or fully concur with Conrad's beliefs, they give him an insight into the man himself that will help Don to craft advertising that appeals to him. Connie has no issue with making it clear what that is too, noting that despite his talk about Communists, Khrushchev and Disneyland, he doesn't want politics in his campaign... but he does want something "good". Don nods his agreement, and then business takes a backseat for a moment when Connie, feeling "lonesome" and particularly vulnerable, thanks Don sincerely for listening to him and tells him that he is like a son to him. More than a son, in fact, because Don has what Conrad's sons didn't, and as a result he understands Connie in a way they never can. Surprised by the words as well as his own reaction to them, Don is momentarily choked up. Finally he offers all he can offer, a sincere thank you and a promise that he means it. He does too, because though he would resist psychiatry if it was offered it is plain as day that Don's life has been absent a proper father-figure, his own father dying when he was young but also far from a supportive role model or figure of emulation when he was alive. To hear Conrad Hilton - the definition in Don's mind of a "winner" and somebody "special" - speak so highly of Don must be a salve to a wound on his soul he wasn't even aware he had. Don has always considered himself special, thought of himself as somehow standing apart and above others in his life because he made something of himself (with just the minor assist of stealing the identity of another man!). Conrad Hilton is one of the few people in his life who not only did the same but to a far higher degree of success than Don did. To be praised and considered a son of a man like that? It strokes Don's ego in a way that few things ever could. In that moment, just the two of them alone in this hotel suite, he must feel like he has truly made it, that he has finally achieved the recognition he has always believed he was due. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2021 13:11
|
|
|
The next day Betty is bringing laundry down the stairs when the doorbell chimes. Putting down the laundry she goes and checks through the window who is there... then quickly opens the door and lets the visitor in as quickly as possible, because of course it's Henry Francis. He talks in a rush, explaining he came down to collect his mail and then drove back and forth by the highway exit arguing with himself whether he should visit her in person or not. She cuts him off quickly, telling him "my girl" will be back soon, and he acknowledges that he knows he shouldn't have come... but he simply couldn't stay away. He takes her by the hand and she doesn't pull away... until she hears the back door close and realizes Carla is back even sooner than expected. She hurriedly whispers to ask what she should say, but before Henry can answer Carla is walking into the room and saying hello. Henry makes as if he was just leaving and pauses when Betty introduces them, simply saying that Henry works for Governor Rockefeller, wisely deciding that selectively speaking the truth is the best option for now. Henry is the one who comes up with a cover story, adding with affected casualness that he thinks the home is an excellent venue for a fundraiser. Betty quickly agrees but reminds him she'll need to clear this with Don first, then asks Carla to show him out as she is concerned she left the bath running. She heads upstairs and Carla lets Henry out, saying a friendly goodbye before closing the door and frowning as she looks upstairs. She collects the forgotten laundry basket and carries it away, no fool at all and clearly understanding there was something more going on here than the rather obvious lie about the fundraiser. The screening for the new Lucky Strike commercial is ready to go, and Sal is all fingers and thumbs trying to load the projector, eventually giving it up and asking the secretary taking minutes to do it instead. Roger is present, casually smoking and reviewing the Account while Harry nervously hovers by the food hoping with all his heart that his inaction was the right action. Roger gets annoyed by Harry's obvious nervousness, complaining that there is nothing to be worried about since it's a Lucky Strike commercial and those have "3 cuts": in other words, Lee Garner Sr. knows what he likes and they know how to give it to him. Unfortunately it's Lee Garner Jr. at this meeting, and his laughter and good humor as he walks through the door as Pete Campbell tells him a joke disappear in a second when he spots Sal seated at the table. He ignores Roger's extended hand, glares at Sal and then storms out of the room, ignoring Pete's startled calls after him. Pete gives chase, while a bewildered Roger demands Sal explain what the hell just happened. Sal of course is clueless, sure Lee Jr. made a pass at him and poo poo got deeply uncomfortable, but Sal was the injured party in that situation and he's heard nothing since to indicate Lee Jr. didn't want to see him. Harry finally has to admit the truth, that he knows what happened because Lee Jr. contacted him a few days ago and demanded Sal be removed from the commercial. This just confuses Roger even more, why the hell did Lee Jr. call him? And even if he did, why didn't Harry immediately tell Pete or Roger himself? Harry must know himself that his answer to that is absurd, as he explains that he didn't say anything because Lee Jr. told him not to. Infuriated, and for once justifiably so, Roger demands to know what exactly he thinks Accounts are here for? Their job is to handle clients, if Harry gets brought a problem by a client then he runs to "Mommy and Daddy", he goes to Accounts and he lets them sort it out. Pete returns breathless (he didn't even have to smoke a cigarette this time!) saying Lee wouldn't tell him everything, and is surprised as everyone else when Roger starts the process of "handling" this... by firing Sal. Sal gapes in astonishment, as does Harry, but Roger is adamant: Lee Jr. wanted him gone so now he is gone. Harry must truly be kicking himself now, by trying to avoid doing something stupid he did something incredible stupid: he could have quietly told Sal and convinced him just not to be there for the screening, and life would have continued as normal. Instead, what was "I don't want him on the commercial" has become "Sal is fired", Roger opting for aggressive surgery rather than gentle treatment to remove what he perceives to be a tumor on the Agency. Still, for as understandable (if heartless) as Roger's actions might be, now he gets to indulge in a little of that Roger Sterling brand pettiness: this whole disaster was caused by a problem with Creative? That makes it Creative's problem, which means he is passing over smoothing things over with Lee Garner Jr., instead he wants Harry (who he makes it clear may still get fired if that is what Lee Jr. wants) to go and tell Don everything and get HIM to fix it. After all, he adds with savage satisfaction,"He does it all now anyway."   Sal strides out of the room with what little dignity he can muster, Harry scuttling after him in a panic, while Pete is left still none-the-wiser for what the gently caress is going on. Once out of the conference room though a nervous Sal waits for Harry and demands to know what Lee said to him, trying to figure out how much of his secret is out there. Harry though doesn't want to discuss this, he just wants to do as he was told and hope like hell it doesn't ruin him. He walks to Allison's desk, Sal close behind, and asks if he can see him. The door is open and Don is staring directly at them from his desk, snapping at them that he can both see and hear them so what do they want? They enter the office, closing the door behind them, and to his credit Harry immediately owns up: he screwed up, this is all his fault. WHAT is his fault though? Sal explains that Lee Jr. told Harry to fire him, which just raises further questions for Don, not helped when Harry says he didn't but Roger did. Roger did what? Fire Sal, of course! It is all a lot to take in, compounded by Harry giving Don Roger's EXACT words: he wants Don to fix it. Sighing, Don glares at Harry and reminds him of what he surely already knows: he stuck his nose into a $25million dollar Account. He tells him to get out and Harry goes, still scared but grateful to have ripped off the bandaid... now he need only wait to find out if HE is fired too, but the decision is at least out of his hand and he can go back to what he truly wants: being passive and letting things just happen. There is still the problem of Sal though, who again closes the door so that now it is just him and Don. Now Don is hopeful to get clearer answers than he got from Harry, starting with the most obvious: what happened? Sal's attempts to gloss over details by simply saying Lee Jr. got drunk and told Harry to fire him, insisting that if he just gets clear of Lucky Strike and keeps out of Roger's sight for a couple of days, the whole thing will blow over and he doesn't need to be fired. But Don isn't accepting this glossed over account, something must have triggered that call in the first place and he assumes it was something to do with the cut of the commercial? Sal promises the commercial is fine, but finally Don gets through to him with a rather obvious statement: he can't help Sal unless he knows what actually happened. When it becomes clear Don won't accept a bullshit cover story, Sal decides - probably because of what happened in Birmingham - that Don will understand and tells him the truth: Lee Jr. made a pass at him, Sal turned him down, and Lee tried to get him dumped off the commercial in retaliation. Don takes this in quietly, then with barely restrained contempt asks if it is true nothing happened. Sal insists, and with that same contempt Don points out that nothing could have happened because Sal is married. Finally Sal grasps what is happening, what Don believes, that Sal somehow lead him on or was an active and enthusiastic participant. Shocked, Sal swears on his own mother that nothing happened, and is horrified when Don doesn't even believe that. Getting angry himself now, Sal asks exactly what he was meant to do, just lie back and let Lee Jr. do whatever he wanted to him? Would Don feel the same way if it was some girl who got cornered by Lee Jr? Don's answer revolts him, claiming that it would depend on what girl and what he knows about her, and then comes the coup-de-grace, as Don quietly shakes his head in revulsion and mutters,"You people..." That is when it all falls in place for Sal, when he realizes the understanding and support he thought he had from Don after Birmingham was purely about Don making sure his own life didn't get complicated. Don doesn't commiserate with him or understand him or hold him in any high regard... at least not beyond the point where that regard/understanding might impact on Don himself. The easy camaraderie between the two, the ease of conversation, the mutual respect for each other's work... all of it is thrown aside in a moment by Don immediately assuming the worst about Sal. Every individual quality the person Sal Romano might have is passed over in favor of the label "homosexual" which for Don seemingly also doubles as "uncontrolled pervert". That Sal has maintained a faithfulness to his wife in spite of his sexual orientation makes no difference, the fact he has exhibited astonishing self-control over his own desires (certainly in contrast to Don's own ease in cheating on Betty)... all of that means nothing. He's gay, that makes him a "you people", that makes him a pervert and a deviant who has committed the ultimate crime.... he has caused Don Draper inconvenience. "I didn't do anything but turn him down," gasps Sal at last,"He's a bully." But Don isn't moved, simply stating that losing Lucky Strike could shut the entire Agency down. He stands, marking an unspoken end to the meeting, and Sal at last realizes that there is no last second salvation: he's fired through absolutely no fault of his own and nothing is going to change that. Sal manages to stand at least, and now Don is the respectful friend again, offering a sad look and a handshake that belies the contempt on his face and in his voice only 30 seconds earlier. He assures Sal he will do fine but they both know this is the way it HAS to be. Sal shakes his hand and, unsteadily, walks out the door. This morning he was a successful commercial director enjoying the start of a burgeoning second career in the advertising industry. Now he's fired. All because of what he DIDN'T do. Don watches him go, his face hard again, steeling himself for the next unpleasant task. Allison, no fool and clearly understanding something major has just happened, turns back to look at him and he instructs her to get Lee Garner Jr. on the phone. It's time for Don to do his least favorite part of his job, something that is mostly supposed to be the job of other people: make nice with some rear end in a top hat client who is the source of the problem they have to resolve. But hey... at least he still has a job.  That evening Carla brings dinner to the children at the table, and Betty sharply scolds Bobby for complaining about getting salad, reminding him that Carla works for her and not for him. Carla smiles (though she probably could have done without the reminder she's just an employee) at that but does offer to get Bobby something else instead. She's a little surprised, and also a little suspicious, when Betty tells her she can go home early. Betty has also been keeping an eye on Carla, and both must be thinking the same thing: what is going to be said when Don Draper gets home? Don arrives right then, going straight for a drink and admitting that his day was "not good" (Sal's was a lot worse!), but Betty is more focused on Carla collecting her things. Betty's mind races, does she casually bring up the fundraiser while Carla is here so it doesn't look like she is hiding things? Or does bringing it up make her more suspicious? She errs on the side of paranoia, blurting out far too breezily that "that man from the Government" popped by and Carla met him, he was sent over by Francine. Carla can tell this is all just a little too forced but says nothing (it's certainly not her place) while Betty continues telling an indifferent Don about how he wanted to use the home for a Rockefeller fundraiser. Don admits the truth, he doesn't care so long as HE doesn't have to go, when is it? Now Betty has to come up with details she doesn't have, saying she "thinks" it is next week. Don shrugs, while Carla says her goodbyes and Don decides to go have a lie down. Carla leaves with a final goodbye to Betty, who sits smoking and running through all the scenarios in her mind, trying to figure out if she fooled Carla (she didn't) or if Don suspects (he doesn't). Still at Sterling Cooper, Sal collects up examples of his art, knowing he won't be able to come back for anything he missed: he's going to need this for his portfolio, he's nowhere near Freddy Rumsen's situation but he's also no spring chicken, will a decade plus of art and a couple of commercials be enough to find new work in an industry increasingly using photography to sell products? Among his art is the Popsicle art he did for Peggy, the American Airlines mock-ups for their aborted run at that airline, and of course the sketch of his neighbor from back in the first episode... that was a proposed idea for Lucky Strike, and they sure as hell aren't likely to give him a good reference. Marty Faraday pops his head around the door, saying he was leaving but if Sal is sticking around late does that mean he has to work late too? With a smile Sal tells him he is free to go and Marty thanks his "boss" and says a pleasant good night before leaving. He has no idea that Sal is no longer his boss, and there is no reason to tell him, Sal simply watching him go with a smile and enjoying this last interaction. Then he's left alone, and finally it all comes crashing down on him and he sinks his head into his hand, unable to hold it back any longer... his life is ruined, all because of some rich kid rear end in a top hat pissed off at being turned down. Henry Francis is working late when his phone rings at his desk. He answers and leaps to his feet in delight when he hears Betty on the other line. He's initially confused by her announcing herself by her full name, and her making statements incongruous with what he is telling her as he apologizes for showing up the way he did. Eventually it sinks in though, she's on the phone near Don (who is reading his paper and probably hasn't even noticed she is on the phone) and informing him that they have to have that fundraiser next Tuesday to keep up the pretense. She does manage to get out one under the breath "I had to" but otherwise on her end she keeps up the mask of a polite housewife confirming event plans. But after they say their goodbyes (and Henry enjoys offering her a heartfelt "good night") and she takes her drink into the living room to join Don, there is a little smile on her face. She just spoke with a would-be lover right in front of her husband, and the thrill of it probably has her feeling the most alive she has since Rome. Finally the big day arrives, it is time for Don to "wow" Conrad Hilton in a bid to win his International Business. All the rejected ideas, development, research, late night drinks and filtering comes down to the part of the work that Don Draper loves best: impressing clients with his incredible ideas. So what has he finally come up with? Well, it should come as no surprise that he's come up with a really simple idea executed extremely well! Forget windows and clever picture grids appeals to the places you can go and the things you can see. Instead, Don turns the focus back around: every Hilton Campaign to date has used the allure of exciting places for the American traveler to visit. His campaign suggests reminding Americans that they can have the thrill of international travel AND the comfort of home. A series of boards of artwork (by Kurt, not Sal) demonstrates ice water, fresh towels, hamburgers, all with the Hilton logo prominently displayed, and all using the word "Hilton" as a catch-all term understood in every language to get the luxury of Kings that the average American takes for granted. That is what Hilton offers, familiarity, and it should not be understated: like Connie, Americans ALSO want what they want, and they want it when they want it. Hilton can give that to them. As promised, Connie is wowed. Don has done it again, he has nailed a campaign that gives him what he asked for in a clever and unique way. Beside him, his lawyers/executives let broad smiles cross their faces, taking the cue from Connie that they can show their approval now. Betty, Smitty and Kurt are pleased, it was rough going for awhile but they've ended up with another winner.... and then it happens:  Don blinks, confused, initially laughing when Connie complains he doesn't see anything about the moon in there. But Connie isn't laughing, and the smiles fade from his underlings when they realize their Boss is doing something sadly all too familiar to them: he's being petulant. He told Don he wanted a Hilton on the moon, so why hasn't Don incorporated that into the campaign? When Don smiles and promises him that they can work something up for that, it's not good enough, and with a hard smile that does anything but reassure. Instead he asks for the room, and everybody else slowly files out uncertainly, Betty last to go and casting a confused look back Don's way. Once they're alone, Don allows himself a little petulance of his own, complaining that he's just delivered Connie not just a good campaign but a great one, one of the best ever made. Maddeningly, Connie doesn't dispute that, but if anything he seems to sneer at the idea that one of the best campaigns ever made is good enough. With either not enough self-awareness or entirely too much, Connie informs Don that he's going to speak openly because he suspects Don rarely gets that from anybody else because they're too intimidated by him. He doesn't care how good the campaign is, and he isn't going to shower Don with love just because he did a good job. He TOLD Don what he wanted and Don didn't give it to him, and that means Don failed. Don can't believe it, Connie mentioned the moon ONCE at 4am in a random call to his house while he was fast asleep, and now he's seemingly going to spike a brilliant campaign because Don didn't write up something about moon men or green cheese? Except... well that's kind of the point. Because Connie is teaching Don a very important if very unwelcome lesson, one that flies in the face of that perceived acknowledgement of Don's special status from their late night drinking session: Connie calls the shots here. Conrad Hilton is a billionaire, in a time where "only" being a millionaire gave you extraordinary social/political status. Don said the average American lives like Kings do in other parts of the world, and millionaires live at a level of status beyond the dreams of the average American. But a billionaire? Well hell, consider just how entrenched in their ways Roger and Cooper can be, and they're "only" millionaires. Consider how privileged Don is and he is "only" worth a half million or so. Cooper and Roger can sometimes be reasoned with, or talked around, or made to understand that they can't have everything their own way ALL the time (even if that rankles Roger). But Conrad Hilton? He might as well have a Squillion-Kajillion dollars, he is wealthy beyond the dreams of all but a tiny handful of men in the world at that time, and what that means is he doesn't have to be reasonable. Ever. Lee Garner Jr. is nothing by comparison, even if Lucky Strike has a bigger Account with Sterling Cooper. Conrad Hilton can say something ludicrous like,"When I say I want the moon, I expect the moon" and Don can laugh but he still wants it, and you can't talk him around. Because he's beyond that, he doesn't have to nor desire to listen to anybody else. For all his folksy charm, his assurance that you can say no to him or that he is a man of God on a mission to bring American ideals to the world... he's like one of those Kings of old: he can do what he wants when he wants and everybody just has to put up with him. Don, Roger and Cooper might be winning at Capitalism, but Connie long since "won" and now just plays for fun. How do you argue with somebody like that? The fact is, you can't, not when you're in Don's game. He's not special in the same way that Connie is, and this is a reminder: he works for him, and when Connie tells him to do something, he has to do what he is told no matter what that is or how impossible it might be. Figuring that out is Don's problem, not Connie's. It's a hell of a wake-up call, and Connie walks out of the room with Don experiencing something for the first time in his career as an ad man: he delivered a near perfect campaign and got chewed out by the client for it. Sure Maidenform or Patio failed, but those were down to the Client changing their minds. Sure American Airlines was a bust, but that was dead before they even had a chance to pitch. No, this is different. The client asked for something, Don gave him just what he wanted, the client loved it... and still considered it a failure on Don's part.   Tuesday night comes and it is time for the fundraiser, which mostly consists of couples from the neighborhood who have come to write checks and listen to Henry Francis talk about Rockefeller. Carla is there serving Hors d'oeuvres of course, because Betty would have made absolutely sure she was there to see the fundraiser was a real thing. Henry Francis hasn't arrived yet and Betty comments that he better be there to talk about Rockefeller since she knows nothing which is the entire reason she held the fundraiser in the first place. It's a good cover unnecessarily applied because nobody else present suspects any ulterior motive. The other housewives admit they aren't sure if they'd vote for Rockefeller anyway, one of them noting she voted for Kennedy last time so she's probably just do that again. They get to talking about segregation, agreeing that it is wrong but mostly using the opportunity to dunk on the South for still being in 1863 rather than 1963. Carla gets to overhear that lovely bit of oversimplification of the Civil Rights Movement as she escorts in the latest arrival, who introduces herself to Betty as Elsa Kittridge, a co-worker of Mr. Francis. Betty is pleased to meet her, asking if Henry has been delayed, and makes absolutely no bones about expressing her disappointment when Elsa tells her she is here on behalf of Henry. Betty's cover is rather bare-bones, complaining that it won't help the fundraiser that they promised Henry Francis only to get somebody else instead. Elsa is all smiles and politeness though she clearly doesn't appreciate being looked down on like this, explaining that she is extremely well-informed and is in fact the person who briefs Henry Francis in the first place. Swallowing her disappointment, Betty introduces everybody around, the fainting couch off to one side being sat on by guests, yet another reminder for Betty of the man who has captured her imagination but once again proved a disappointment. Elsa proves as good as her word, speaking confidently and easily to the attentive attendees, her voice fading away as Betty's interest disappears so she can sulk about not getting to see the object of her affections. The next day she gathers the letters she has exchanged with Henry and puts them into a lockbox. She drives herself to his building and is let into his office by his secretary who leaves them alone in the room. Henry is all warm smiles as he comes around the desk to greet her... and she flings the lockbox right at him, causing him to flinch as it crashes to the ground with a loud enough bang that his secretary buzzes in to ask if he needs anything. He tells her everything is fine, finger barely off the button before Betty is demanding to know where he was, why he didn't come, why he left her watching the door hoping for his late arrival like a sap. He apologizes but explains it was necessary that SHE come to him, and she's revolted at the ego. He didn't mean it that way though, reminding her as gently as possible that he couldn't come to see her because... well, she's married. The anger drains from her as she grasps fully that of course this is so, she got so wrapped up in the fundraiser cover to needlessly fool Carla that she forgot she was expecting Henry to show up and be there surrounded by multiple other people where the risk of a careless word or a lovestruck glance could expose them. But now they are alone in his office, and this time when he leans forward to kiss her she does not sit stock still. She didn't discourage their first kiss but also offered no sign of interest (just disappointment) but this time she kisses back. Passionately. They embrace and kiss long and deep, Betty giving up all pretense and letting herself sink deep into her desire. Her one-night stand during the Cuban Missile Crisis was as much about revenge as it was desire, but here now she commits an arguably worse infidelity: she doesn't just desire Henry physically but emotionally and mentally. She wants him in every way possible, a level of want and intimacy she has only had for the last 10 years for Don Draper. She told Sally that your first kiss was when you truly got to know somebody, but it is this second kiss with Henry where they truly go from strangers to something more. He breaks away only so he can lock the office door and prevent Marjorie from stepping in unexpectedly. But that motion suddenly breaks the spell. When he returns to her, eager for more of what they've just shared, she stops him. He's confused, why? Now it is her turn to point out what should be obvious: this is his office, is there first time together to be on his desk? On the couch? With Marjorie just on the other side of the wall? He mistakes her intent and says they can get a room together, but if anything that would be worse, and she makes her case in simple terms: it would be tawdry. He's confused, moreso when she apologizes for starting this. He admits as much, he doesn't know what she wants. She nods at this, as if this says it all (and it does). So she says goodbye, quietly unlocks the door and makes her exit, Henry awkwardly beginning to reach after her before dropping his arm in defeat. Because he doesn't understand, and that may have been enough to make Betty realize this wasn't going to work. Because unlike that random guy in the bar, this isn't a physical affair, it wasn't just about sex. She desired Henry, she wanted him... but not just his body, and not just his company. She wanted to BE with him. Really be with him. Not in a secret encounter, not tucked away in secret or hiding behind peoples' backs. She wanted to be with Henry Francis, and she realized at last when she finally stopped fighting herself and kissed him back that this wasn't something she could have. Not now, at least, not in her current situation. So she leaves, Henry unfulfilled but her seemingly satisfied. She wanted him, admitting even that was a thrill... but she was also capable of seeing the difference between wanting him and having him. She could have one but not the other, and the one she couldn't have was the one she really wanted.   Don is reviewing the Hilton Account when Allison buzzes through to let him know Roger Sterling is here to see him. He isn't thrilled but he's also not going to send him away without reason so he tells her to let him in. Roger saunters in, telling him he heard Conrad Hilton left in a huff the other day. Don doesn't agree or disagrees, simply asks who told him that, and Roger complains that Don won't even let him meet the Billionaire. Echoing his angry complaint to Harry, he asks Don what he thinks Accounts does beside "limit his brilliance", and Don can't help but smile and offer a shadow of their old jokey interplay by saying he probably doesn't want an answer to that question. Roger isn't joking around though, not about this. This is two important clients in a week who have left angry, is that what he wants the Agency to be known for? When Don fails to be intimidated or concerned (he signed the contract but part of the verbal agreement with Cooper was that he didn't have to deal with Roger anymore), Roger of course takes it personally, snapping that he is putting him on notice that he's in danger of screwing everything up. He stalks out, upset that Don seems unperturbed by the threat.... after all, Don doesn't actually work for him anymore, and as long as he does have the Hilton Account he is even more the golden boy than he used to be, contract or not. Of course, Don also just has an exceptional poker face, and after that dressing down by Connie he'll be feeling anything but secure in his position no matter what face he presents to Roger. At the Draper Residence, Carla certainly has far more pressing things on her mind than whether her rich white employer is banging some Governor's aide. She's clearing the table and listening to Dr. King on the radio again. This isn't an inspiring speech but a sad reflection on "one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity". Betty enters the kitchen and Carla turns the radio off, but Betty tells her she can listen if she wants. She demurs, but when Betty asks what it was about she tells her it was regarding the four little girls murdered in Birmingham. Betty grimaces, agreeing that was a tragedy, and asks Carla if she'd like to take the day off. Carla says she'll be fine, though maybe she regrets that when in one of the most tone-deaf things she has ever said, Betty sighs that as much as she hates to think it, this bombing makes her wonder if maybe the time simply isn't now for Civil Rights. Jesus loving Christ. Don arrives home and once again goes straight for a drink, Betty telling him the kids have only just gone to bed and are probably still awake if he wants to go see them. He casts her an odd look as she continues the clearing up with Carla, as if he's irritated that she'd say this to him as soon as he got home... can't she see that he's upset due to all the things he never tells her are happening in his life!?! Sal is also failing to tell his wife something. Making a call from a public telephone, he assures her Chinese takeout has been ordered for him here so she doesn't need to make dinner. He's still in his suit, carrying his briefcase, and as he talks it becomes apparent that he simply hasn't told Kitty that he's been fired. He claims he needs to work late to review Marty's work so she shouldn't stay up, and tells her warmly that he loves her too. Hanging up, he steps out of the booth... he's in a public park, an assortment of people hanging around visual shorthand for a gay cruising scene that has largely been alien to him. All his life, Sal denied who he was. Even when he admitted his own homosexuality, he was careful, fully aware that it would ruin his career and possibly his life to be discovered. He turned down offers of one night stands or even possible longer term relationships for fear of exposure, he kept himself under control and committed to living a lie. The one time he broke (that we saw) was on a work trip to Birmingham far from anybody who knew him, and of course that one (unconsummated) dalliance saw his orientation exposed to Don Draper. He survived that through Don's self-interested discretion, and though the physical intimacy with the bellhop may have roared into fire the deeply repressed lust he felt for other men he still appeared to retain control. So how galling, how deeply unfair for him to be fired because somebody rich and powerful who didn't feel any concern about indulging his own desires got mad at him for not reciprocating his interest. He did everything right and got fired anyway, and so it is really no surprise that in the aftermath of all this Sal would just say,"gently caress it." Why bother to hold himself back any longer? The worst (so far) has already happened, he got punished for doing nothing so why not do everything? It may cost him his marriage, and he can't continue pretending to be employed forever, but for now Sal is going to finally allow himself to indulge in what he always wanted. I don't know if this is the last we will see of Sal, if like Freddy Rumsen appears to be he is simply gone for good from the show now. Whether he is or isn't, it is so sad to see him done dirty like this. A character who felt too broadly written and acted in his first episode became a fascinating and well-realized character across the last three seasons, and whether he's through or not, his firing from Sterling Cooper was just a massive kick in the teeth, made worse by Don's absolutely abhorrent reaction to it all. It is also, sadly, all too true and familiar feeling as something that would have probably happened in the 60s (and 70s, and 80s, and 90s and hell probably to some extent still today). I hope this isn't the last we see of Sal, because unlike the rather one-note (if entertaining) Freddy Rumsen, Sal feels like a character whose surface we have only just scratched.  Don comes to bed, Betty already fast asleep. Sitting on the edge of the bed, tie still on, Don considers things in the dark and comes to a decision. Reaching over, he wakes Betty. Why? Is he finally ready to talk to her? To tell her what is happening in his life? His fears and concerns? Of course not, he lies to her that Hilton just called, and when she sleepily points out she didn't hear the phone he doesn't even bother to concoct a cover, just tells her to go back to sleep (why did he wake her!?!) and heads out. Where to? Is he going to work? Is he going to confront Connie and tell him that moon bullshit was unprofessional and he isn't going to be a punching bag? Of course not. He goes to Miss Farrell's house, uninvited of course, knocking on the door and smirking with the easy confidence of a man who always gets his own way (and is there because he hasn't been, and it drives him wild). She's not pleased to see him, mostly because how the hell does she explain a married man showing up at her door in the middle of the night? Taking advantage of the social dilemma this puts her in, he tells her to let him in if it concerns her, and with irritation she does so. She's been drinking but she's not drunk, and when he tells her he came around because he wanted to talk she scoffs at the idea, saying men say this while they unbuckle their pants: she's under no illusions, she knows he's here because he's decided he wants to have sex with her, and he's far too used to the idea of getting what he wants when he wants it, and not caring what it does to everybody else. Don of course turns it all around on her, saying it's her fault because she's been flirting with him for months. She smirks at this, but she doesn't deny it, rather making a rather valid point: so what? Because of course she is single and he is married, and while society obviously doesn't work this way in 1963, the onus should really be on him to keep control of himself rather than on her to avoid "inflaming his ardor". When he claims he can't stop thinking about her, the line doesn't really impress her, that's just because she's new and different... or maybe exactly the same... whichever it is, he wants her because he doesn't have her. Don continues to exude confidence though, after all this is just another pitch for him, his job is to convince her, and after the humiliation of Connie not being awed by his brilliance he's turned to Miss Farrell instead to prove to himself he can still make people do what he wants. He tells her to admit that for the last two weeks she hasn't been able to run that stretch of highway without thinking about him, without looking about in hope of seeing him. That, of course, is exactly what he has been doing, but she doesn't dispute she has been... but again makes the point, so what? Because she also has the benefit of a last half-mile where her mind can take her to the inevitable conclusion of any affair they might have: and it ends badly. Now Don gets to turn that around on her, so what? She's startled by this, reminding him that he only lives a couple miles away and his daughter used to her student, hell she sees his wife at the supermarket when she does her shopping... they are far too closely connected to have a secret affair. Don scowls now, because he doesn't want to be reminded about his family, he wants to play a flirty game that culminates in her submitting to his brilliance. Her eyes are wide open though, she knows this won't be the first (or last) affair he'll have, but she also suspects he's never tried to have an affair in this way before, with somebody so closely linked to his family. So Don decides to make a last Hail Mary, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close, telling her he doesn't care about all that... and doesn't that matter to "someone like you"? Appealing to what he has pegged as a "free spirit", hoping to overwhelm her with desire enough to discount her very sensible arguments. He kisses her, and she reciprocates, and the pitch is successful, he has "closed the deal". I'll keep this brief and maybe cover it in more detail in the end of season write-up, but it is an interesting thing how on paper this lines up with Pete's actions in the previous episode. Consider: a man has a surprise encounter with a woman he finds desirable, does her a favor, makes a move, gets rejected, shows up unannounced at her house and gives her no choice but to let him in, then has sex with her. What is the difference? Well consent obviously! Pete exploited and mistreated that poor Au Pair, made demands of her, ignored her clear lack of interest and insisted on a "reward" for his "good deed". Suzanne Farrell also turns down Don, but she is attracted to him and admits as much, with her objections more about the inevitable clusterfuck an affair would cause them both rather than Gudrun's weeping plea for Pete to please just leave her be. None of this excuses Don's clearly exploitative behavior, the way he won't take no for an answer or the immorality of the affair in the first place. He's clearly got major issues with women, and like Pete this sex seems built more out of frustration over feelings of inadequacy than desire. But Don doesn't get a pass because he's taller and more handsome and charismatic than Pete, he pursues a woman who is interested if wary of a relationship, and the problems with their affair are all about how inappropriate and stupid and reckless and yes even entitled the whole thing is. On paper he does the same thing as Pete, in reality the two couldn't be any more different, and I cannot see how Matthew Wiener could put these two episodes back to back and NOT see that. Anyway back to THIS episode! Don kisses her and Suzanne reciprocates, and unlike Betty, Don is not put off by the tawdry nature of their affair, of having to be with her in secret. Shortly after the camera dissolves to a post-coital shot of them lying in bed together, Don sleeping better than he has in weeks, free of both his wife and his new baby AND Connie being able to reach him by phone. He has gotten what he wanted, though Miss Farrell (Suzanne) was right: he hasn't thought this through. What if they are seen by people in the neighborhood? What is Carlton spots them as he goes past on a run? What if Connie calls the house during the night and Betty answers when Don has said he's off answering another call? Or maybe he has thought it through and, like he said, just doesn't care. Maybe he wants to be caught, or to have it all come crashing down on him? Unlike Sal, he doesn't control his desires, which makes his contemptuous "You people" sting all the more... it's Don Draper who is a slave to his needs, not Sal Romano. But for now he lies unbothered by all that. Because once again Don Draper has gotten his way, and therefore all is right with the world.  Episode Index
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2021 13:11
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:I'm actually literally writing up the episode right now. I am currently very angry about something that happens in it! We’ve all been dreading this one.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2021 13:43
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 23, 2024 23:59 |
|
|
"You people." The look of betrayal on Batt's face is heartbreaking, he really kills it in this one. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Goodbye, Sal. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2021 13:52
|
|