Mad Men Roundtable: “Christmas Comes But Once a Year”

And this brings us to the women in Don’s life, for this week at least. First off, there’s hallway neighbor Nurse Phoebe. It’s hard to tell what she feels for Don – she seemed attracted to him, and it seemed very important that he was attracted to her. But later she helps him into bed, implies he’s a drunk, and compares him to her father. That would not have happened to Don a year ago. It’s like being single is messing with his game! Still, I think Phoebe is looking for something – remember that one of Weiner’s favorite tricks is to gradually flesh out a background character, giving them a history and a dignity that they didn’t have when they first appeared. And often, once we know their story, we never see them again.