Mad Men Roundtable – “The Summer Man”
By contrast, Don and Bethany are getting… frisky on the cab ride home. Don has the most amazingly laissez-faire reaction to a blowjob that has ever been seen on television. It’s an indulgent smile, where clearly he could care less whether she keeps it up or not. So good. This gets Don journaling again – he calls Bethany a “sweet girl”, and then says “People will tell you who they are. But we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be.” I kind of like the pronouns he’s using here – it’s third person for the first clause, second person for the rest. He’s identifying himself with the crowd that wants do define people, rather than with the people who just want to be known. It’s interesting because it really hasn’t been clear how Don feels after he lets personal information slip, as he’s done with Lane and Peggy. Does he want them to get into his head and get to know him? Does he hate himself for slipping up? That’s not clear yet, and I don’t know that Don himself knows how to feel.
I just rewatched this episode during its rerun on AMC Sunday mornings – the first time I saw it, I noted that it was the first time “Mad Men” ended with the credits rolling but no music playing over them. I wondered if there was something particular in the episode that made it special (like the silent clock in “24”). However, I wasn’t certain, so I’d be interested in hearing what you or other readers have to say about the matter.