It creates the impression that an episode aired every week since the third season finale and we just didn’t see them. This is actually something they handle much better than The Sopranos did, as that series usually opened a season with an info-dump, often in the form of a musical montage. Here, they don’t give us an awkward introduction to Joey – we’ll get his backstory when we need it. (But how great is it that Peggy Olsen has a sidekick?) This is how you start a season, folks. With the Drapers and Peggy getting most of the air time, we’re working with little nuggets of information for the supporting players. No information as to Joan Harris‘s husband (here’s hoping something ate him) or Pete Campbell’s mercurial marriage. A couple of Roger Sterling’s comments might indicate that he’s sobered up a little regarding Jane, though. And he and Don seem at ease with each other once again. Somehow, Peggy and Pete are comfortable together again, which I didn’t think we’d ever see after Peggy served up his manhood on a plate not so long ago. (And wasn’t that the best ham-related plot since Kids in the Hall?) It’s important to remember that Betty Draper-Francis has her problems. Yes, her various diagnoses in Season One were based at least partly in sexism and partly in being married to Don. But even if you write off all of her therapy scenes, she’s still the woman who perpetrated the Great Pigeon Slaughter of 1961. She’s still the woman who gave a young boy a lock of her hair. Betty’s the one who gets a little bit excited whenever she thinks somebody is going to offer her goods and services in exchange for sex. And the thing is, Betty can pull it together. She can cut an impressive figure, but she can’t maintain it. Henry was smitten with the Betty who has strong opinions on city planning issues, and he didn’t realize that he would also get the Betty who sort of wants to be a prostitute, has massive father issues, and forces food into her daughter’s mouth at Thanksgiving. Me, I think that’s the reason for their tryst in the car – if Henry can turn it into something secretive and naughty, he can forget the horrible domestic realities. Poor Sally Draper. I actually think Bobby has the better end of the deal, because Betty tends to forget that he exists. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see her horror when Betty threatened to tell Don about her “misbehavior”. The poor kid goes through life knowing that one parent is deeply, deeply disappointed in her, and all she wants is to make sure that the other one keeps loving her. And then Don is too busy with work to actually spend time with them when he gets his weekend. (How sad is it to see the kids watch TV with the sound turned down while Don works in the background? Especially when you know that this is their good weekend?) And the thing is, Don doesn’t treat his weekend like it’s a chore – he seems to want the kids around, but he can’t find the time to do anything with them. So why is it that only now does Don think he needs to be punished? He hasn’t shown a propensity for rough sex before, except when he was the aggressor. Is he punishing himself for what he’s lost, or for his guilt in dragging all these people to SCPD without any clear plan? I tend to think it’s the latter – Don tries to move through life without leaving anything behind, and suddenly he’s got an office full of people who are depending on his vision. As we see in the first scene, Don’s not comfortable selling himself, at least in a business sense. He wants to sell you on his work, but he isn’t comfortable talking about himself. That’s something he’s avoided ever since he became Don Draper – there’s nothing he wants to do less than tell you about himself. He wants to tell you about Kodak or Lucky Strike. He wants to tell you about your customers or about yourself, but he does not want to tell you about Don Draper. It’ll be interesting to see whether his candor in that second interview works out, or if it comes back to bite him in the ass – it seems like his only two interview modes are “no comment” or “blabbermouth”. Two last thoughts before I go: First, I love the Jantzen ad which claims “We can’t show you the second floor”, while SCPD claims to have a second floor which they can’t show people because it doesn’t exist. Don Draper is writing what he knows. Second, the first interviewer has a prosthetic leg. You know who else does? Anna Draper. (Although I can’t remember if her character suffers from a handicap that affects her mobility, or if the character is supposed to have a prosthesis. I know the actress does, because of her role on The Sopranos.) When Betty left immediately after learning about Don’s secret, it confirmed his worst suspicions. Granted, that wasn’t the sole reason Betty left, but when you spend your life hiding who you are, you secretly hope that if somebody ever knew the truth, they’d accept you. Anna is the only person who knows Dick Whitman and accepts him. At this point, there’s nobody in the world with whom Don can let down his guard. And I have to think that seeing the reporter’s wooden leg made Don think about her, his only honest relationship, at least a little bit. By the way, Aaron (Ken Cosgrove) Staton is still in the opening credits – I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the old Sterling Cooper yet. Myndi What a difference a year makes! Don is officially divorced; SCDP has an actual office space, including an actual office for Joan; Harry Crane is still a schlub, but now sports an unfortunate sunburn from his trips to the Left Coast (and uses the word “tsuris” when referencing his pals Lucy & Desi); and Peggy has a new hair helmet and creative partner, cute young Joey. She’s also got a much less tense rapport with old flame Pete, which adds a nice undercurrent to all of their scenes. As with everything on Mad Men, we find ourselves rooting for the strangest, most damaged relationships to somehow succeed. Their subplot with the small ham company was sort of “wacky”, right? It showed us the infancy of PR stunts in an industry where they are now carefully orchestrated, and was just the kind of revolutionary stuff that these two will someday be known as pioneers of, much like when Pete dared to suggest Jet magazine as part of a media mix to a client who did well with the “negro” market. At this point, these people have all been in each other’s lives for several years and that makes each interaction more rewarding for viewers. I think one of my favorite lines (aside from anything Roger said) was from Joan after Harry Crane announced that he’d gotten ABC to buy Ho Ho’s stupid Jai alai special. Harry wanted to break the good news to the partners himself and made Joan promise not to spill the beans. “I won’t even tell anyone after it’s aired,” she said dryly. You think Joan’s ever forgotten the way she saved Harry’s ass years ago and never got credit–or a well-deserved promotion– for it? No way. It is fascinating to watch the way the business world is changing in 1964. As we knew they would, the rules are changing for women (still fairly slowly) and social mores are about to evolve in a big way, but not for everyone. How can you tell Don Draper is on the edge? His purposely subversive pitch to the prudish Jantzen swimwear execs and subsequent tantrum, that’s how. Don is known for being effortlessly cool, and he’s losing it these days. I think he liked being the golden boy when there was a framework in place at the old agency; now that he’s everyone’s reason for being at SCDP just as his personal life is also crumbling around him, he’s not the suave and debonair guy we have all come to know. Plus, who would have ever thought we’d see an episode of this show where not one but two women were not utterly beguiled by Don? His date with Jane’s friend, Bethenny, ended with a kiss in the cab rather than a roll in the hay. She was interested, sure, but not willing to submit to the Draper charms as easily as most have before. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of this one.
