Summary: All the stars, thumbs, and lips money can buy
I have a jillion posts that I’ve written about this and that aspect of Out of Town. Before posting any of them, here’s the overall review: Yowza. This review will have spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the episode yet, stop reading.
Out of Town
What this season opener does beautifully is weave together the characters and their arcs and lets us know where they are today. Where For Those Who Think Young failed, in my opinion, was in trying to be All Things to All Viewers. Here we focus fairly narrowly on Don, Salvatore, and Pete, as well as the “character” of Sterling Cooper. Yes there is more than that; yes we see where Joan is at, what’s going on for her at the office, and a bit of Peggy at the office as well. Yes we see Betty, deep in a haze of unrealistic expectations, and of course we spend time with Ken. But structurally it is not artificially balanced the way television can sometimes be (you ever watch a show and think, ‘this guy clearly has a contract that requires his face on-screen for 4 minutes of every episode’? ” yeah, me too). After Out of Town, we know little of Peggy and Joan, and nothing of Harry or Paul. Yet we are satisfied. New viewers are engaged, old viewers are on-board, and everyone is GASPING because SALVATORE OMGZ!
So, yes, I have been struggling for weeks not to tell you 1963, not to tell you pregnant, not to tell you SALVATORE and TEH SEX.
How much do we love Bryan Batt’s performance? Is that not the “Holy cow I’m having sex for the first time” face? Is that not a face that says “Holy wow this is what I’ve always wanted”?
Because there wasn’t a struggle to introduce, introduce, introduce, the episode could artfully tie the stories together thematically: Deception, rebirth, distance and intimacy, the more things change the more they stay the same.
Consider: Dick Whitman’s conception was a deception; Dick’s assumption of the identy of Don is a deception, Salvatore’s life is a deception; one that Don can accept because he knows how that goes. Ultimately, it resolves into an ad campaign of a flasher; concealing and revealing is what we’re all about. Limit your exposure. Don can give Sal two ideas in one with the campaign; he can talk about the personal through a tag line.
Don says to the stew, “I don’t know. I keep going a lot of places and ending up somewhere I’ve already been.” Distance and intimacy, goodbye and hello as embodied by air travel. The stew fears that marriage will change her, Don knows it won’t. Nothing changes, he believes, and what could be more sad?
And yet…change. Change as in the takeover of Sterling Cooper. Change that will bring about a whole lotta interesting plots for the next 12 episodes. Everything I thought I might see for Don, Betty, and Salvatore (among others) changes as a result of tonight.
157 Responses to “Review: Out of Town”
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"Nothing changes, he believes, and what could be more sad?"
When he told her she would have more chances while married…I was like, how depressing! If I was her, I would've been stunned by that comment.
And I don't what's next for Don & Betty, but that perfect happy ending can't be a good omen.
I was so surprised to see Pete and Trudy in (what seemed to be) a functional relationship! He was so open and honest with her, unlike in the past where he felt they were near strangers. I wonder if he's kind of given up on Peggy and decided to really make a go of it with Trudy? It seems doubtful, but I don't think I've ever seen the two of them like that.
I can't wait to see how Pete interacts with Peggy. We got a couple of hints… Also can't wait until Peggy puts her secretary in her place. Is Don doing his own secretarial work now? I don't recall ever seeing him pecking away on a typewriter before!
Ha, found Sal with bellhop to be super sexy — that's right, because that's the way I roll.
Good episode!
Sepinwall has posted his review and an interview with Matt Weiner that really deserves its own post (but I didn't want to upstage our fab hostesses).
Is it just me or was Sal's make-out sesh very Tennessee Williams?
Just watched it for the second time, and now I doubly love the "Limit your exposure" line.
Bryan Batt is amazing. But honestly, I really missed Peggy. Just need to see the fallout with her and Pete. Otherwise, brilliance as always. The music broke my heart. Something about it…
And though I was born long after 1963, I was pretty shocked at Betty's "little lesbian" comment as well. Seemed so jarring. As homosexuality is practically unspoken of before, it didn't really make any sense for her to just joke like that.
Looking forward to the random midnight and 3:30 AM showings this week…it's wonderful to actually be watching the show while it's airing, as I'm such a latecomer of a fan.
bryan batt was sublime. what a phenomenal night for him – and what a way to start the season! that whole sequence with his face telling the whole story, and then the reveal during the fire alarm. we were all quite literally yelling at the tv! what a night.
i was watching it with 3 1st timers and it felt like i was translating a foreign language in real time. i can’t wait to see it on iTunes so i can catch everything i missed.
it’s basketime! woo-hoo!
Sal’s bellhop scene was the show stopper tonight. Loved Pete’s victory dance.
Two things I can’t believe. 1. Betty would not refer to her daughter as a “little lesbian” in that day would have said “tomboy” 2. An executive like Don would not have a typewritter at his desk. no way.
over all, good show.
@Gingere — Betty is pretty brutal when it comes to her kids, possibly remnants from her own mother. Tomboy is possibly too innocuous for Betty to use.
I so adamantly agree about the contrasting hot/cold of the straight/gay sex scenes. Maybe the point was that Don's affairs just cover him in more deceit and emptiness while Sal was having his first genuine, authentically enjoyable sexual encounter with another person?
And I also agree about Betty not being quite naive enough to not know the term lesbian. It does seem to be used with contempt regarding her daughter. Betty seems more relaxed, more able to let loose with Don. She's not walking on eggshells anymore.
I loved this episode so much. Especially the Peggy and Joan interaction! Finally there is mutual respect, understanding, and a bit of friendliness too! I do hope they grow to be stronger allies in the office.
Hey, I was right! I predicted that Salvatore would fall off the rails in Balmer (although I guessed a sailor instead of a bell boy — both in uniform — close enough.)
“Betty would not refer to her daughter as a “little lesbian†in that day would have said “tomboy” — absolutely right!
My sister, who asked for trucks instead of dolls for Christmas, was a “tomboy,” even after she requested a set of bar bells at 9, and my father compromised by giving her a punching bag.
Everybody thought it was cute she was so much of a “tomboy.” Our aunt who had been a tomboy, too, married and had a child (more the Salvatore type) so…
The even more boyish next door neighbor’s daughter who, after boarding school, went to work in a factory doing something mechanical, was referred to as a tomboy — at least, before the early ’70s when she began living with a woman old enough to be her mother.
Of course, both my sister and the neighbor grew up to be lesbians, but the word was never used in a family situations.
I was surprised that Betty would even know what a lesbian was, given that she wasn’t sure about a “party girl” last season, much less jokingly (if bitingly) refer to her daughter as one.
I was moved by Sally’s rationale for trying to damage her father’s luggage. Anything to keep Daddy from leaving again. Poor girl.
I felt Don's character had become very boring in the premiere. In the past his cheating felt different, with all of his various issues that might be prompting it. But last night I felt ho hum, here we go again. Just a person who lacks integrity and cheats every chance he gets just because he can't or doesn't care to control himself. And then goes home and pretends to be a good husband. I hope it gets better. The bloom was totally off the rose for me with Don Draper.
Loved Sal's exploded pen in his pocket as a metaphor for premature ejaculation.
And just a note about the industry: Actors' contracts guarantee them numbers of shooting days rather than number of minutes on screen.
So the writers can use the actors as the stories require and they'll generally try to utilize the performers to get the production's money's worth.
How great is it that this show is back!? I feel a wonderful sense of contentment, with more than enough sub-text to discuss in S3 Ep1 to fill in the time before the next ep.
The premiere got such good reviews that I didn't LOVE it the way the Lipp sisters did, but in retrospect – what a great episode. Pete's happy dance – absolute perfection, as was Trudy's hat (she's sooooo trying to be Jackie Kennedy and just not quite getting it). I also love that she and Pete do seem to be connecting in a new way – her work with the Met seems to be a suitable fill-in for her lack of a child.
And did anyone else notice the almost total lack of hats on the men? That's the JFK influence for you. I loved the look on Don's face when the London Fog guy suggested branching out into accessories, including hats – it said "you want to talk about an item no one's going to buy again, let's talk hats." The wonderful twist on that scene, though, is that branching out and expanding your brand is a very modern and successful strategy, but Don, as always, can't quite see that (btw, my London Fog umbrella just died after 5 noble years of service).
But Sal, Sal, Sal – how completely, incredibly, stupendously fantastic was that scene?!!!! The only issue is that, with the fire alarm going off right after Sal invoked both God and Jesus, will he retreat even further into the closet because he'll take the alarm as a sign from God? And poor Kitty, poor, poor, totally clueless Kitty. (for those of you with Sirius/XM radios, Bryan Batt will be on Frank DeCaro's show between 11 – 2, on OutQ, the gay channel. It's Sirius 109/XM 98).
On a related note, I was shocked at Betty's use of the term "lesbian," but then I remembered both Bryn Mawr and the movies we've been discussing here that were popular at the time. Both The Children's Hour and The Haunting were around at that time and both dealt with lesbianism pretty frankly, as did the novel The Group which looked at a group of 1933 graduates of Vassar, including a lesbian (the movie wouldn't be made until 1966, but the book was published in 1963). Certainly lesbianism would have been a topic of conversation in college, and it seemed like she was trying to shock Don a little. It also speaks to her love/hate relationship with Sally to be that nasty (and of course, by calling the gay guy Sal and the tool-loving daughter Sally, is Matt trying to hint about Miss Draper's future lifestyle choices?).
Finally, I have to say I HATE the Ken/Pete competition, but it does seem exactly like what a home office that treats the new acquisition a bit like a shiny new toy might do.
Don't have much else to add, other than, as a fan of The Wire, I appreciated the Baltimore accent on the older gentleman from London Fog.
I think Betty probably reads the paper, and watches the local news, and either or both would have reported on raids in New York gay bars. She also went to Bryn Mawr, didn’t she? I don’t think it strains credibility that she would have heard of “lesbians,” and that she would have thought of them in exactly that way, as androgynous freaks. “Tomboy” wouldn’t have been angry enough for what she was trying to convey; tomboys were thought of as cute.
But yeah, as great as it all was, Sal (and Bryan Batt!) pretty much stole the episode. It’s never been made clear until now that Sal is a “virgin” when it comes to men, but contrast his encounter with Don’s and it becomes obvious. Don goes into his seduction bit with Shelly like he’s already swallowed the canary; if this one doesn’t put out, he can find another one who will in five minutes at the hotel bar, and he knows it. Sal, on the other hand, has that look on his face like, “OH MY GOD IT’S REALLY HAPPENING FINALLY.” I thought he might splooge into his pants when he has to put them back on!
Raincoat references, there were lots of them. In the flashback, the whore asks the john if he brought a sheath. The exploding milk/pen. Don keeps his clothes on with the stewardess but has barefeet all over the place. What was the line? there will always be rain?
Beyond that, London Fog is/was a Baltimore company with British pretensions. A point made explicit in the episode. "Limit your exposure" suggests corporate risk-taking in the boardroom as well, tying in the Pete/Ken plot and Moneypenny rifling "through their pockets" — a definite allusion to hands in the pants.
Oh… and Trudy's hat!
As usual loved the details even if anachronistically … the undergarments of the Stew, Donny Boy pounding away on his Selectric II and I'm always blown away by that faux Rothko in what used to be Cooper's office … I think. Many of us look forward to the sex … not to be disappointed … the petting in the hallway and the strip tease were OK … but when the Bell Hop went for it … well 5 Stars all the way. The somewhat neurotic relationships of the marrieds continues unabated … Don and Betty as vulnerable as ever … Peter waiting for enough stress so he can find refuge in Peggy's arms or apartment … and Joan (whazzup with her cooky husband?) Seeds of tension are planted by the cold-hearted emotionless overlords from across the pond and this is bound to errupt in perhaps another revolution soon. Great opening to the new season …
Yes, Sal’s sex scene is hot enough to set off the fire alarm; Don’s is cold-blooded.
About as romantic as the night of his 85 cent conception.
#21 Jan Leslie Hat?
Lesbian with tools: Betty has shown much more awareness of the 'swing' than her June Cleaver can hide. Season 2 she feigns shock at her 'party girl' friend to Don, but knows her way around a hotel room service menu, and did accept a fur coat. Ivy League Girl becomes NY 'model'? Hmmmm.
Fire safety. Early 60's saw some horrible high rise hotel fires.
IBM Selectric: The MAC Book of the day, and the Head of Creative would graduate from bar napkins to typewriter with his noodling great catch phrases. Also, under the Brits, he might have to provide informal reports, not trusted to his 'girl', about peers and minions. As we can see, there is still blood in the water from the merge.
What did you bring me, Daddy? I just knew Sallie was going to pull out something more revealing than a pin from Don's plaid zipper suitcase, but it's too soon in the season to reveal that Betty and Don 'have an understanding' about Don's sexual addiction.
Season 3: The game's afoot, Watson!
Wow. That was a brilliant episode.
Some general thoughts:
1) That Stare of Death Pete was giving Ken during that incredibly uncomfortable meeting dividing up accounts was really something. Harry's moved up in the world too, no? The Pete-Ken rivalry is going to be a study in styles: Pete as the aggressive, antagonistic type, Ken as the roll-with-it type. Why do I suspect Ken's going to lose this fight?
2) What a raw, fascinating sequence at the start. Seeing Dick/Don's origins was powerful stuff. Incredibly well-shot, too.
3) Sal! Wow. That was an amazing scene. I think Don's expression staring into the window was priceless.
That was a fine season premiere. Can't wait for the next episode already. Looks like Gloria may have left Gene…
One thing my husband kept wondering about aloud…where is Duck? In a "fog" in London perhaps?
Duck's probably out selling insurance.
Oh, did anyone else find themselves shocked by Cooper's desire for brandy? I was floored (and, apparently, so was Don and Roger).
Also, there's some unmistakable tension between Don and Roger now. When Roger came in with the Soviet contraband after coming back from Greece, offering gifts to Don that he then casually helped himself to (shades of Pete), Don looked rather peeved.
The entire episode was brilliant, loved Sal’s experience with the bellhop and Don’s expression when he saw them. Pete’s moment of joy celebrating the promotion made me really happy for him and then worried for him when they called Ken in and made the same offer. I tell ya though that last scene really got me, like the Carousal it was poignant and moving. My dad’s gone now but always liked to tell me my birth story, it was raining then too when he drove my mom to the hospital and the barn got hit with lightening and burned down.
@Signed D.C. I assume Duck was fired in the season 2 finale – it seemed implied in the scene where he tried to push Don out, but it turned out Don didn't have a contract and Duck freaked out.
Is Ken being jovial or just enjoying letting Pete stew? Since his interests lie beyond the office (publishing short fiction, for example) his promotion isn't nearly as big a deal to him as it is to Pete. On the other hand, he knows it would be everything to Pete, so the fact that they are sharing the title must fill him with glee.
Trudy seemed much more confident and in charge, and Joan seemed also willing to exert herself. Joan must have been going through an enormous amount of office upheaval with the arrival of the newcomers, firings. Just ordering new door plaques must be time consuming.
@CPT_Doom # 18: gay Sal / lesbian Sally
Oooh, good catch! I hadn't picked up on that.
I was a bit taken aback by Betty's casual use of the word lesbian, but it is in keeping with her educational background and history of ragging on poor Sally. I'm not sure if I share Betty's hope for a little girl as their third child if she's going to treat her so poorly. Then again, she treats Bobby just as badly. Maybe I should just hope that Don gives up his philandering to spend more time with all three kids so that Betty's not their sole primary influence.
@Brenda #30: I don't think Ken is being malicious at all. I think he's genuinely pleased to be trusted with the responsibility and happy to share the job with his friend. They do seem to have an awful lot of clients, so going it alone would be pretty daunting. He even says that he sees the game the higher-ups are playing and that he won't wrangle with Pete. It's pretty certain by now that Pete will wrangle with Ken, much in the same way that he has with Don and Duck in the past.
It's just a matter of cooperation* vs. competition, optimist vs. pessimist, glass-half-full vs. glass-half-empty. Ken gets half a promotion and says, "Hey, thanks!" Pete gets the other half and says, "Hey, I wanted the whole thing!"
[* You'd thing they'd bee big on that at Sterling Cooper(ation), no?]
I'm so glad that Mad Men is back. To me, Mad Men is "the sun also rises" until it doesn't. Don confesses to Betty but he still cheats on her. Pete proclaims his love for Peggy but still goes back to his marriage with Trude. And yet, things do change as Bert Cooper is off the throne and now stewing with the boys.
It was better than all other TV out there but I don't think Out of Town will be one of my favorites. The contrasts between the Pete/Ken and Don/Sal sex scenes were more stark and heavy handed than I prefer.
Last, Vincent is SUCH a good actor. When Pete was in his office jumping with glee, I almost imagined him in his pajamas.
Curious: anyone else think there were some Death of a Salesman-esque moments in that episode? That whole sequence in the hotel is very reminiscent of Willy Loman.
Typewriters: Peggy's never had one at her own desk (since graduating from secretary) either. I suspect that the mass layoffs have strained the availability of the secretarial staff, and Creative sometimes writes on their own.
That thing on typewriters was me, not Roberta, I forgot she was logged in on my computer.
It's funny most of the discussion seems to be hung up on the lesbian comment, especially at TWOP. I thought it was surprising but it seemed like something Betty would say…I think people forget that she doesn't have much of a filter or affection for her children, perhaps due to some mental issues.
Great show. I am hooked again. Does anyone know the viewer numbers of last night's episode? Great Stuff!! Hope they were high
@JS #36
My immediate impression on the lesbian comment was that it was a stretch for Betty to say that and that it was foreshadowing Sal more than anything else.
I don't think it was "un-period" for Betty to refer to Sally as a little lesbian at all. She went to a women's college (and I say this as a women's college grad myself, not just speaking from stereotypes) where even back then, she would have known what a lesbian was. A girl of her class may have gone to a girl's high school too where the subject could have arose. There would have been girls or professors whispered about as being "different," and remember when she and Sarah Beth were making disparaging, giggly comments about their riding instructor's sexuality ("Gertie has a crush on you." "She's a sadist.")
Of course, in the company of other people, she probably would have used a less taboo word like "tomboy" but I thought it was appropriate to talk like that when she was alone with Don. Weiner wants us to see them as real people remember, not some white-washed prim and proper 60s stereotypes. As real people, they swear, screw up, and say things in private that they wouldn't talk about (yet) in open society.
#35 Roberta – Good point about the typewriters. And it fits in with Moneypenny's comments about typists.
#5: Ms. Darkly. Hahaha.
As I posted last night, I didn't even think about Kitty (as much as Sal didn't) during his "what happens in Baltimore, stays in Baltimore" escapade. It's just nice to see Sal letting go and letting himself experience what he's denied himself for so long. I just think that the bellhop was Sal's version of "Joy", like what happened when Don went to Los Angeles in season 2.
I'm not bothered by Betty's lesbian remark about Sally. As much as she and Don love their kids, she doesn't really like her children, the fact that she's got to take care of them and that she's stuck with raising them and having another child. Sometimes, mothers don't like their kids and it's great that AMC, Matt Weiner, the writers and January Jones are comfortable enough to portray that ugly side of motherhood.
#36 JS It's possible Betty is treating Sally the way her mother treated her. Remember the comments her mother made about Betty working as a model and about Betty's weight? It does not sound like she got much support at home — and also it's clear that she was a daddy's girl.
Even though Betty showed Sally some affection at the end of S2, by buying her the riding boots, that clearly seemed to be a power play in her tussles with Don.
My mom is roughly the same age and educational history as Betty and she would have NEVER used the word "lesbian" in 1963. They euphemized. But I'm not as hung up on historical accuracy as some people. It's more important that the audience gets that Betty is dissing one of her children yet again. If she had said "tomboy," would modern people know that it was a dis? And how disappointing that calling someone a lesbian is still a dis.
Bryan Batt deserves an Emmy for that scene alone. The acting is the best thing about this show. Loved Vinnie as well – the dance was hilarious!
I need more Peggy and Joan.
Lissie, Pete and Trudy stood out to me, too – for the moment, at least, they really seem to be making things work. You never know with this show, of course, but I kept thinking they seemed like a real, functional couple. Hell’s bells!
I don’t think Betty is ignorant of the existence of lesbians, but it didn’t ring true that the word itself would be a part of her casual vocabulary, even if she was thinking it.
LOVED the use of the Appalachian-style music to bookend the episode. I can imagine young Dick Whitman being made to hear the sordid details of his birth so often that he could see them as clearly as if he were a camera.
@ Donny Brook
They used euphemisms with friends, and certainly around their children, but at night, in private with just their spouses?
I think part of the problem is that we have a hard time imagining our mothers or grandmothers saying things like that when we're accustomed to them using more hidden language if they mention "taboo" subjects at all.
But as real people, I don't find it hard to think that Betty would have said lesbian in the company of Don.
My favorite part of the whole thing was when the brits were huddled in Hooker's "office" and Roger, Cooper, Pete and Don were all huddled in Don's office feeling shell shocked. It just shows how tense everything is around SC.
I was also struck how Trudy is now in full repression mode and trying to make everything perfect. She is more assertive than Betty but i could still see the beginnings of perfectionism that Betty practices. Make everything look perfect on the surface. In fact with Pete's parental issues-it's like they are the mirror image of the Drapers. I know Peggy is supposed to be the female Don but i think she is ultimately going to go on a different trajectory.
I'm still hung up on the opening flashback, especially the part about the name. It so speaks to Don's state of mind. Whether he was told it (by the midwife? His father? His stepfather?), overheard it (just the kind of nasty gossip that would be passed around in a small town), or maybe even fantasized it for himself (which bespeaks a hatred of his parents and a level of self-loathing I don't even want to think about), it still appears in his mind when he considers his birth. Which means he still, on some level, believes it. *shudder*
Typewriters: Peggy’s never had one at her own desk (since graduating from secretary) either. I suspect that the mass layoffs have strained the availability of the secretarial staff, and Creative sometimes writes on their own.
I wasn't sure if that was a sign of less secretarial help or just the expansion of technology – electric typewriters being more efficient than hand-writing notes. I also loved the addition of the intercoms – and the fact they don't work very well.
@43: It’s possible Betty is treating Sally the way her mother treated her. Remember the comments her mother made about Betty working as a model and about Betty’s weight? It does not sound like she got much support at home — and also it’s clear that she was a daddy’s girl.
Oh, I think that lesbian comment was definately part of Betty's continuing disappointment with Sally – remember the comment she made (can't rememebr if it were S1 or S2) about Sally playing a fat character in the school play and how appropriate it was? Is it any wonder Sally didn't want her father to leave, what with her mother constantly harping on her? I wonder how much Betty's happiness at the new baby, and her certainty it will be a girl, is about getting a fresh start with the daughter she really wanted, versus the one she got?
Betty's remark about Sally being a "little lesbian" jarred me too, until I remembered wasn't Mary McCarthy's "The Group" published in 1963? It was a huge bestseller and it not only openly discussed lesbianism but also used the L-word as well. So it would make sense Betty would have read the book. That, and the fact that as others pointed out earlier, she graduated from Bryn Mawr and would have been familiar with the milieu "The Group" was about ( a fictitious recreation of another "Seven Sisters" school, Vassar, which McCarthy attended during the Depression).
Unlike many Basket Cases, I actually loved FTWTY; however, I also loved "Out of Town." In one way they are completely different–FTHWTY was more of a mood piece or tone poem, which I liked, although I realized others didn't , that in retrospect laid out all the themes for the second season, whereas "Out of Town" was more like home run out of the ballpark, very action oriented, pulling no punches. Change has happened and if there was any doubt about it we have Bryan Batt's fabulous coming out enactment to prove it. And yet… the more things change the more they stay the same? We shall see.
As a West Coast Basket case, it always takes me a little longer to digest MM, seeing as we're the last people to view the episodes, but I'm sure I'll have more to write later today or in the week. One haunting thought I'm still left with is how Don was conceived for 85 cents and because his old man was too cheap to supply a "sheath" which was 25 cents. (Although I realize this was the Depression and 25 cents bought much, much more than it does today). Still, seems like that 25 cents would have been much cheaper than the price of an unwanted, unloved child….poor Don/Dick.
#45 In the case of my parents, yes. My dad would have reacted much the same way Don did to Betty wearing a bikini if Mom had used certain words in his presence, even in private. But everyone is different. My dad was pretty buttoned up and religious, which Don certainly is not! Like I said, it's not a big deal to me either way, but it did stick out to me given my limited knowledge of the period (I was 2 in 1963).
@49: Still, seems like that 25 cents would have been much cheaper than the price of an unwanted, unloved child….poor Don/Dick.
I think back to the episode from season 1 (The Hobo Code), in which the hobo describes the signs that are found on folks posts. Someone realized years back that Dick's father was a no good cheap bastard.
#31 Robin D.
On the other hand, Sally might enjoy having a female in the house she could have a closer bond with than she does with Betty. It could be good for both sisters.
#16: "I felt Don’s character had become very boring in the premiere. In the past his cheating felt different, with all of his various issues that might be prompting it. But last night I felt ho hum, here we go again. Just a person who lacks integrity and cheats every chance he gets just because he can’t or doesn’t care to control himself."
I'm surprised no one has commented on it being Don's birthday, and that "it wouldn't matter" if he showed the stewardess his driver's license. Every year Dick Whitman's birthday rolls past, and the only person Don Draper can celebrate with is a stranger.
"I think back to the episode from season 1 (The Hobo Code), in which the hobo describes the signs that are found on folks posts. Someone realized years back that Dick’s father was a no good cheap bastard."
Speaking of "The Hobo Code," Archie's refusal to give the hobo the quarter he earned takes on a new resonance now that we know that, at least in Don mind, he was conceived because dear old dad refused to spend a quarter on sheepskin.
The hotel fire alarm scene is so much like the police raid scenes of gay bars in the 1960s. This idea, that one's passions/ambitions are being thwarted is echoed in Pete's comment along the lines of "why can't I have everything good all at once?" Coitus interruptus. The hooker who can't have a child or Mr. Hooker who can't have his office. For Don, it represents the tension between flight (the stewardess pin) and family obligations.
I love that the Brits interpret the office as a gynocracy when all along we've been seeing the power of mad men in this system…
@55: You know, I thought the hotel fire alarm was cliched and the clunker in an otherwise great episode, but it makes perfect thematic sense given the issues I think Matt is going to explore this season. I'm sure he must have realized he was taking a dramatic risk including it in the episode; I'm glad he had the courage to stick to his guns because ultimately it's in the service in the overall grand design of the season.
My oh my was I in a flutter over yesterday's goings on at Sterling Cooper.
It was very distressing to see such uncouth emotional outbursts as displayed by Burt. I only shudder to think what our neighbors across the pond must think of us. Especially if Mr. Hooker turns out to be the office chatterbox.
Always stay calm and collected and express your anger with a sweet smile, emotional outbreaks should never under any circumstances be tolerated in the office.
I was also dissapointed with Pete's behavior, even if you feel you have been treated unfairly by promotions at work, you must never let the others in the stenopool know of your jealousy, green is not a pretty color for your face. Try nude instead.
As always Don knows just how to behave, he keeps to his own business, and why shouldn't he, as if he'd be interested in that which shall not be mentioned behavior. Though he should be careful with bringing home souvenirs of his extra curricular activities. He did of course redeem himself by giving his daughter a kind gift.
I am happy to see that Don still does not have a secretary, this is wonderful news! I can't wait to reapply to the heads of Human resources at Sterling Cooper; Laura Schiff and Carrie Audino to be Don Draper's secretary.
Dutifully Yours,
The Perfect Secretary
I was surprised by Peggy's cattiness in the elevator scene with Joan. In the past, she would never have been nasty about employees. She tried to keep her distance from Joan….Now she is gossiping and expressing negative feelings.
Well, #58…remember, Peggy has been at SC for years now. She probably feels more comfortable.
Anyone else notice that while we only gained a brief glimpse of him, Harry's stature seems to have increased a bit. He just seemed to have a different presence in the meeting with Pryce, Pete and Ken than in the past…more authoritative.
Makes sense, since TV would truly be increasing in importance, and Harry is the Director of TV.
The presence of Baby Crane may also have had a maturing effect on Harry.
I am a huge MM fan and have watched Seasons 1 and 2 many times. I was actually disappointed by a key part of the premier: I found the fire escape scene to be very contrived for a show that stands out precisely because it avoids cliches. What are the chances of Don actually spotting Sal's bell boy in the room at the exact same moment he is running down the escape. That being said, I think we'll have some great moments with the evil Brits.
#48–I think you are confusing Sally with Sarabeth Carson's fat daughter Becky who "outgrew" her leotard. However, Betty did note at the dinner party that Sally was playing Piglet in her ballet production of "Winne The Pooh".
I suspect that something else is going on in the Sally/Betty dynamic.
I just took a small peak (I know, I'm just an incredibly curious person) at a very short synopsis of a few upcoming episodes. I think, in light of the fact Betty's father Gene is coming to visit in the next episode, I wonder if Sally's close relationship to her father is reminding Betty of something she doesn't want to remember or even think about when it comes to her *own* father. Maybe it's jealousy over Don's ability to provide attention to Betty and how Betty longs for that kind of devotion again. Or perhaps it's something else…
"On a related note, I was shocked at Betty’s use of the term “lesbian,†but then I remembered both Bryn Mawr and the movies we’ve been discussing here that were popular at the time."
Sorry, but still doubt Betty would use that word instead of "tomboy."
Back in the day, our neighbors with the "tomboy" daughter were Ivy League graduates, but the husband also was a raging alcoholic.
In the summer, when all the windows were open and he'd be lit he would berate his wife endlessly, using every curse word imaginable — and yet, I never heard the word "lesbian" once.
Didn't berate his wife for the "lesbian" daughter — believe me, he hit every other note imaginable for berating one's wife, but that word never came up.
I know the anachronism people will imagine an excuse for any Mad Men slip, but it was jarring when I heard it, and not just because Betty was attacking her daughter.
Yes we see Betty, deep in a haze of unrealistic expectations . . .
Why? Because she wants another girl? Many parents tend to express their desire for a specific gender a lot. It's nothing new.
I know the anachronism people will imagine an excuse for any Mad Men slip, but it was jarring when I heard it, and not just because Betty was attacking her daughter.
Don seemed amused by "the attack".
As a West Coast Basket case, it always takes me a little longer to digest MM, seeing as we’re the last people to view the episodes, but I’m sure I’ll have more to write later today or in the week. One haunting thought I’m still left with is how Don was conceived for 85 cents and because his old man was too cheap to supply a “sheath†which was 25 cents. (Although I realize this was the Depression and 25 cents bought much, much more than it does today). Still, seems like that 25 cents would have been much cheaper than the price of an unwanted, unloved child….poor Don/Dick.
Are we supposed to accept that entire sequence as fact? Especially since it was from Don's point of view?
I echo most of the comments above.
Betty saying lesbian didn't seem right, unless the writers are really trying to show her antagonism towards her kids. Other episodes show this, so it should be interesting to see how she treats the next (preggers) kid.
Sal's scene was truly sexy, even to this 100% hetero guy.
Did anybody else notice how Finch (Robert Morse) now doesn't seem to have such OCD rules regarding his office? People are smoking in it, drinking in it, etc. It probably has something to do with the British takeover and Finch no longer having control over things.
BTW#1: I've been a fan since before Episode 1 aired. I am old enough to recognize the early 60's lifestyle, as Don's son and I are pretty much exactly the same age.
BTW#2: Am I the only one to see that setting the Draper home in Ossining is symbolism for the "prison" of their suburban lives? (Ossining = Sing Sing prison)
Peggy and Ken seem to be the happiest, and I love how his easy-going attitude grated Pete.
BTW#2: Am I the only one to see that setting the Draper home in Ossining is symbolism for the “prison†of their suburban lives? (Ossining = Sing Sing prison)
It's also, and this is interesting, the home of John Cheever (after 1960 – 1961), famous for writing about the real world and real feelings of the typical, perfect suburbanites like Don and Betty. He is also now known for his bisexuality (my read on it is that he was a closeted homosexual who faked his relationships with women, including his wife), although it was not known then.
I loved this episode. It was very rich and the pacing was very quick – very different from the S2 opener. Some quick thoughts – a non-exhaustive list:
Overall, this whole episode was rife with themes of bareness and peeling off skin/layers – of identity and otherwise. Don's feet, skimming the milk, his double false identity to the stewardess, wanting to see the stewardess undress bit by bit, closeted Sal finally getting to peel off a layer…as Don says, he keeps "going to a lot of places" but "ends up somewhere he's already been." It's painful, isn't it? No wonder Don tells Sal to "limit your exposure."
I thought Betty's use of "lesbian" was fine – especially the way January Jones uttered the line. Tomboy is too innocuous a term to convey how the character feels about her daughter, so it seemed OK to me.
Props to Ken Cosgrove, the published writer, for the Dylan Thomas reference.
Don was extremely indifferent about cheating with the stewardess. His line about being married for a long time and having plenty of chances was heartbreaking. Wonderful contrast to Sal having (or least about to have) hot bellboy sex.
Pete's petulance is a joy to watch.
That Japanese painting doesn't portend well for the women in the SC office.
"It’s also, and this is interesting, the home of John Cheever (after 1960 – 1961), famous for writing about the real world and real feelings of the typical, perfect suburbanites like Don and Betty. He is also now known for his bisexuality (my read on it is that he was a closeted homosexual who faked his relationships with women, including his wife), although it was not known then."
I think Seinfeld did an episode about him having an affair with someone's father.
The little lesbian line cracked me up and JJ delivered it well. The word seemed out of place for me also, however I took it as a sign that Betty has become a little more grown up and part of the current world. She's a graduate of a progressive University, always done a lot of reading and maybe she's aware of the changing culture of the early 60's. Maybe this will give her insight into who she is. Hopefully she'll eventually get some insight into her parenting.
In the live blogging thread, someone asked why they didn't take the train to Baltimore. That would have involved Penn Station…
Bert Cooper mentions something Penn Station in Don's office. 1963 was the year that demolition of this NYC landmark began (in the fall). Its destruction of was a sentinel event in the history of New York, associated with many other social trends at the time (urban sprawl, car culture, white flight, gays in the Village, landmarks preservation). Of course this is only seen in hindsight.
I know Weiner doesn't like to get bogged down in current events, but the Penn Station story is so rich with ideas (and hasn't been overdone by narrative television), that I hope we learn more about how this event was perceived by the locals working in Midtown at that time. Iconic marble columns and statues from Penn Station were ignominiously dumped in the Meadowlands…
BTW, Ossining is reached through Grand Central Station, which is still standing and was featured in the promotional poster for Season 2.
I have a question. Why are Roger and Cooper still at the firm, considering that they had sold the company? Or do they still own a percentage of Sterling-Cooper?
Am I the only big fan of the show who literally HATED this episode? Lines were coming out of the wrong mouths and everything was cheap and beneath every character in the show.
The show became aware of its self and started to write for a wide audience rather than leading us where they wanted to take us.
Don Draper would have torn this episode to shreds if someone from creative had pitched it to him.
#75, I didn't hate it, but I was disappointed. I'm tired of Pete's whining, of Don's practically sleep-walking infidelity. I thought "Limit your exposure" was forced & cheap, not something Don would have approved if someone else had proposed it. The only good thing was Sal's awakening. That was great!
Some fine moments, but not the subtle greatness of past seasons. I totally agree on the stupid ad copy. That ad would go against Don's "We sell products, not ads…" motto.
I didn't see Betty's lesbian comment as an "attack;" although she was stern with Sally when she got in the room, she seemed almost amused when she was telling Don about it.
I just find it hard to imagine that Gene Hofstadt's daughter, who grew up being fined for small talk and who always seems to measure her words as if she's being graded on them, would have chosen that particular word at that particular time. Chacun a sa gout.
Short answer for why MW chose a flight to Baltimore rather than a train? Stewardesses.
Right #78, because "if you are going to go somewhere, go up her skirt!"
Had to watch it half asleep this morning before class, so I missed the 'lesbian' comment! Sal was beautiful in his joy…rare to really see it on the face of a man that age, isn't it? Joan was stunning as usual in the clever way she set up Mr Moneypenny, she had to know he was gonna get a smackdown from his boss for suggesting he have his own office. Reminds me of Peggy sharing her space with the office copier. Well, unless she was really trying to be supernice to him because she's getting tired of her boring husband to be. Joanie is so smart and clever and it never seems to occur to her to be anything other than what she does for a living and the upward social trajectory she wants to marry into..Hope AMC takes Itunes and torrent site numbers into account when they think about viewership numbers for this show. Torrent users may not like cable, but we do buy DVDs for the commentaries. Yay, its Mad Men time, my favorite time of the year!
I just confirmed with my mom that she never would have used the word "lesbian" in any context back in 1963, FWIW.
I worked at a private girls' school in the late '70's where quite a few of the administrators were middle-aged, unmarried, Vassar, Smith, Bryn Mawr, etc. grads. Even among the highly-educated women there, the word lesbian was just never used. McCarthy's book was published in 1963, years after Betty graduated, and was shocking and talked quietly about at the time by those people who were sympathetic to homosexuals (or were themselves). Homosexuality was never openly spoken about and even intimate friends spoke of a woman "not liking men", spending all their time with a fellow female, etc. I don't believe that Betty would have said this at all, especially so casually, and especially not to Don, who would have surely found it crass and vulgar and a stinging insult to his daughter. People of Betty's background and social class just didn't speak about other people's problems, flaws, race, lower status or income, etc. – and homosexuality was considered a major social problem because it was – only suicidal or independently wealthy people would have dared to come out of the closet. A blind eye and the less said the better was considered the polite way to behave. Working class people (invariably men) may have called people they perceived of as homosexuals cruder names, but that was rare also. It just wasn't a topic that was discussed. Very different times.
Betty is jealous of of Don's devotion to Sally.
I liked the season opener more on the second viewing, but here's the thing: I kinda like Pete, despite his flaws, and I like Don, despite his flaws. And Pete was an annoying baby whiner in this episode, as though he hadn't learned anything in season 2, and Don hadn't moved at all forward in his attempts to be faithful. What good was his visit to CA if he didn't learn anything? He cheated (AGAIN) because he was called by another name, his brother in law's. I'm sure that if the stewardess had called him Mr. Draper, he wouldn't have cheated. At least I hope not!
It's difficult to be happy for Sal, knowing what he is doing to Kitty.
Same as how Don's charms wear thinner and thinner the more he
"disrespects" Betty. I thought it was a sad opener, so much bad
behavior and ill will. Missed the fizz.
No, James #75, you're not. I thought most of it fell flat, ad seemed like they were trying too hard. I thought Sal's big scene was done really well and the big highlight of the episode. The rest of it seemed contrived. Don always shrugged off women like that stewardess before. He turned down lots of women of the bimbo type in 26 episodes, maybe most notably the other twin from Roger's heart attack. I could barely sit through the talk at the dinner table the second time through. It was so banal and Don and Sal didn't even have any quips about the stupid things being said like they normally would. There was no sparkle in that scene at all and it dragged on the second time around, since the first time, what kept me going was wondering where all of that nothing was going.
Did anyone else get thrown off balance by Betty's reference to a stuffed Eeyore? Did they make stuffed replica toys like that in the early 60s? I was born in 1970 and it seemed like a lot of the stuffed animals were pretty generic until closer to the 80s. In this time period, I think of Raggedy Ann & Andy and the plain kind of teddy bears that I saw in pics of my older brothers and sisters. Any thoughts on this? Stuffed animal memories from the times?
thanks for your comments 82Annabelllee, you stated what I was trying to convey earlier about Betty's comment. No matter how educated she was, and no matter that she knew what a lesbian was, she would never call her own daughter that not even in jest. That would interfere with her "image of the perfect family" that would have been a reflection on her. It was totally taboo, I was 11 in 1963, and I was brought up in an upper mid class educated family. Things like that were not discussed. The writers missed that one.
As far as Don's recreating his birth scene. He was going by what he was told. His mindless trysts are a bit ho hum at this pointy, even for a fine actor like Hamm. Where are they going with this??? It would be interesting to find out that his mother is not dead, she surfaces and he finds out that the horrible man was not his real father after all. Just a thought. to be continued. All in all I loved the show.
Enough with the Dick jokes! (Actually, I was quite amused).
Don Draper/TWA Stewardess: Reversion to the mean.
"We need to get you a new Bobby" – A moment of silence to recognize Aaron Hart. He delivered one of the best lines of S2 and I cry every time I see it.
#87 Frank, I thougt he said "we need to get you a new daddy" I was touched by the scene also.
@13/Meowser — see my "Ah! Sweet Mystery" post for other comments to your post.
We seem to be on the same page about a lot of stuff, not just about Sal but Betty. I don't know if Betty using "lesbian" was an anachronism or technically unlikely, but it felt emotionally true to her character. Tomboy can be used disparagingly, but it's usually a somewhat loving term. I don't think that Betty was trying to be bitchy, but her word choice is consistent with a woman who holds her children up to high standards and is disappointed when they don't reach those standards. It's also consistent that a woman raised by someone who didn't want her to be a model and who called her child stout would end up being a mother who has a controlling streak.
And, the word choice can't be dismissed in an episode where a gay man is prominently featured.
Don always shrugged off women like that stewardess before. He turned down lots of women of the bimbo type in 26 episodes, maybe most notably the other twin from Roger’s heart attack.
But I had a completely different take on Don's dalliance with the stewardess, because she was just a bimbo throwing herself at him. We saw, with the twin and with the waitress at the Japanese restaurant, that Don was not really interested in a one-night stand. He pursued Rachel, was pursued by Bobbie – God only knows what happened with Midge – but in all three cases he didn't cheat, he had affairs. And he had affairs on the child-like doll he had at home, the perfect stereotype of the perfect wife, with women who seemed far more interesting and real.
Now we see him interacting with that wife on a much more grown-up level. Betty still wants the perfect life, and Don still wants it as well, if only because of the contrast between where he came from and where he is. I really think there is growth between the two of them. In the beginning of S2, Don was trying to be "good" for Betty, and suffered in the bedroom as a result. In the beginning of S3, it seems like he is really trying to recommit to his family, not to please anyone else but because he realized by the end of S2 how important it was, not matter how flimsy the original foundation may have been.
Now we see him with someone who can only be a one-night-stand, who doesn't know his real name – the very creation of the fake FBI/accountant aliases proves Don doesn't take her seriously and even Sal notices that she is throwing herself at him. We've never seen him use a fake identity with the other women – other than the Don Draper facade of course. It's clear his heart is not really in this conquest – he's going through the motions. I really wondered, up until the alarm went off, whether he would actually go through with it. That's another great contrast between Sal and Don – the alarm may have saved Don from a dumb mistake while it stole from Sal the first moment of truth he's known.
Matt has said in recent interviews (that I read today to ensure no spoilers for me) that the image of Don's feet is really important for S3 – it's about seeing the real flesh and bones beneath the facade. I think the moment at the end, when he could not finish the story of Sally's birth, was a real moment of reckoning for him. He is realizing how cavalierly he treated his family back in the day, even at what should have been one of the highlights of his life (suitable for a slide in a Kodak projector even), and how cavalierly he was ready to treat them again.
Aside: isn't it interesting that Don might have missed his daughter's birth (had he not come home that night), and his own father didn't even know he was being born?
I'm never going to make it through the comments — so good! From the pen as euphemism for finishing early, to the comment on lack of hats, to raincoat as slang for rubber — damn! how did I miss those?
And I still have a billion comments to read.
#31 – notice how longingly Betty speaks of the bun in the oven? The baby is keeping her up, but she laughs it off as an indication that her possible daughter has a mind of her own. I think the baby is all possibility, a blank slate still, while Sally — a girl who clearly does have a mind of her own — has already begin to disappoint.
@58/Mary.
Hmmmm. See, I remember Peggy dismissing the woman from the Relaxicisor account, what did Ken say? — you could have went in there and told her that — and other acts of outspokeness, and think that it's in character. Mr. Hooker makes the comment that it's a gynocracy, but Peggy is doing a guy's job, and can't get her secretary to snap to it. Peggy doesn't have the power, again, and it frustrates her.
@90: CPT, you took the words right off my keyboard! I think that those of us who get disappointed with the opening episodes may be expecting everything to be revealed all at once and also to follow the kind of straightforward trajectory of spoon=fed character development tv and late20-century movies have conditioned us to expect, when in fact we should realize by now that what MW is doing in these openers is exactly that–laying the groundwork rather than making any ultimate pronouncements. He's also one of the most elliptical writers/thinkers on the block, which, I think is one of the reasons we all love him so much, because his story- telling truly is art imitating life, at least IMHO.
His ethos seems to be the same as the sentiment behind an old Simon and Garfunkel song, "The Boxer:–"After changes upon changes we are more or less the same."So it doesn't bother me that much to see characters like Pete and Don changing but still reverting back to type, at least not in the opener. I mean, my experience has been that most of life is two steps forward and one step back So it didn't surprise me in the least that Don is back to his philandering ways, while, at the same time finding that they don't work so well for him any more. He's changed, he really wants to connect with his family, but he can't escape where he's come from. I don't think it's any coincidence that the stewardess is actually a parody of Betty with a Southern accent. She even, like Betty used to be a model. As CPT pointed out much more eloquently than I did, Don's actually de-volving into having the kind of "cheap dalliances" Rachael accused him of in Season 1, because he can't escape his past ways, but he still trying on a new way of living and it hasn't quite jelled yet. Plus, I don't think you can ever really escape the past. That's the paradox MW does so well, I think; we DO change, but at the same time we are who we are.
Also, I think it's no accident that MW is comparing and contrasting Don's and Sal's trysts in this episodes. Whereas for Don it's been there-done-that, you can just tell that despite the circumstances it's truly an awakening for Sal. Bryan Batt's performance was a masterwork–and I'm a straight breeder girl, LOL.
One other note before I close off: it seems Don and Betty are really trying to make a fresh start and looking for the baby to bring them together. To paraphrase the mentally disturbed son in "Revolutionary Road" I really feel sorry for that kid. So often when couples are looking for a child to bring them together, the opposite is the result. And actually, to my way of thinking, it's Betty, not Don who really hasn't learned as much as she might have from the last six months–she's still focusing on things being "perfect", when you would have thought the last six months would have taught her life is anything but. Not a good sign…
#85
I think a plush Eeyore is possible, they definitely existed in the 60s, but not positive of the 50s.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Eeyore-vintage-plush-Gund-Sea…
I know, and am aware this is farther away from the appropriate era, that Sears sold tons of Winnie the Pooh stuff in the 70s — I remember vividly being taken for school clothes and tons of bins of Winnies. I also had a red dress with little Winnies.
Does anyone think that Betty's child will be born stillborn like the dream Don had?
#96 I was thinking today that that baby won't make it to the end of the season. Maybe SIDS?
If Betty had used a word other than Lesbian, would we she have conveighed the same meaning ? I think the choice of the word was deliberate, because most contemporary viewers would not have correctly interpreted a more period appropriate word.
Much better overall than FTWTY, though there are definately parts that fell flat.
For me, the tryst with the stewardess sounded a false note. In the previous seasons, Don was always careful to hide his affairs from his underlings. In the first season, Joan expresses surprise when Peggy says that she thinks Don was with his mistress when Betty came to the office. The guys have scenes where they talk about how Don doesn't consort with the secretaries and how nobody knows much about him. I didn't find it believable that Don would carry on with a stewardess in the way that he did in front of a subordinate. It violates what I understood to be his code of office behavior.
#59: Harry's authoritativeness, in my opinion, is also the beginning of his eventual total conservatism. I predict he'll react poorly to the social changes of the decade, doing the mirror opposite of Paul. We saw a little hint of this in last season's finale, where Harry wants to protect his own neck and fit in, and Paul asks him "What's wrong with you? Aren't you loyal to anything?". Harry wears the bowtie, Paul grows the beard.
Mary,
I sorta feel what you're saying. I think there's truth there that he did something that Season 1 or 2 Don would not have done. But if Don were in his prime today, I think he would might be sitting next to David Duchovny at a Sex Addict meeting.
Freddy Rumsen probably did not start out as the office drunk. He didn't have a history of pissing himself at the office. Addictive behavior escalates over time.
Don realized at the end of Season 1 that his marriage was important to him, and all indications are that Betty's doctor told him she suspected him of cheating. In season 2, Betty confronts him and his marriage only survived by luck. Now Betty, who took him back, is well along in carrying his third child, and yet he cheats again. I don't see his actions last night as being sloppy writing, but proof that he's addicted and that, like most addictions, the behavior gets more out of control over time.
Don again and again shows ethical behavior — with his kids, Peggy, Sal, older women on elevators, the Mohawk account, etc. He knows right from wrong, but he continues to cheat. I don't think this is a product of lack or morals or thinking Betty was bluffing before, but rather a compulsive need.
Another clue is that he cheated casually in season 1, but there were also standards in place — he seemed to respect the women he was with. He probably even loved Rachel. Season 2 showed him with Bobbi, and he seemed to hold her in a fair amount of contempt — probably because she was in some ways the female him! Season 3 shows him with a woman who seemed to fill him with apathy — there was no real passion in it, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a compulsion.
Yeah, that WAS an interesting statement.
Hello again Lipp Sisters and all,
Been a very long break – work has pulled me away but of course I have to visit for the new season. Hope you are all well.
Many great insights and comments abound on the big thread and I have little to add. A couple of observations better said in earlier posts. First I agree with everyone on the feet thing – there is something there but I'm not sure yet what it is.
Mostly my take on the opener is that it makes more sense when I view it in light of Mr. Weiner’s statements about dealing with change. Some characters go their comfort zone – become almost caricatures: Betty proudly wrangles a confession out of her nemesis Sally – nothing new there; Pete cries and runs to Don for “comfort†only to find that Roger has beaten him to the punch (priceless scene by the way). Even Bert C stops by for a brandy. The guys go where they are comfortable – Pete is so comfortable he calls Bert "Bert" – not so fast Pete! They hole-up where their General is – that is what you do when under attack.
As for Don, he is dealing with change whether he likes it or not with a new one on the way. While he is definitely taking some lessons from S2 (would the old Don make warm milk for Betty?) he also has to follow through with the stewardess almost against his will because that is what he knows and is good at and it helps him make snese of things. The “good Don†is naturally a classy guy in dealing with his new knowledge about Sal. Times are changing – easier to go back to what is familiar – for now.
I was touched by the full circle on the birth stories and found it interesting that is Betty who finishes the story for Sally. Was there some guilt mixed with Don’s remembrance?
Finally I loved the music which tied the ends together nicely and were (to me) reminiscent of the Coen Bros amazing score in Miller’s Crossing.
Frankly I found the opening episode a bit flat – but there was a lot of ground to cover and I’m too experienced to doubt Mr. Wiener. I re-watched the last 4 episodes of S2 to get ready and I’m convinced they are as good as TV gets.
Good to be back!
I really liked this episode. Definately rooting for Sal's big moment and then was waiting to see what would come of Don's discovery.
Glad to see Ken got some air time that didn't involve pimping some girls to clients. Pete is definately going to try to get the whole title. I saw some others also liked the contrast in personality styles during the showdown.
I wonder if Betty keeps hoping for a girl so she won't have another "little liar" on her hands.
Saber,
Reiterating comments I posted elsewhere, because I actually enjoy repeating myself.
Betty's loving smile when talking about her unborn-possible-daughter knowing her mind was in interesting contrast to her attitude towards Sally. The baby is still all possibility in a way that Sally is not.
Eesh, I'm in no way comparing the two — well, a little — but there is a woman named Diane Downs (Ann Rule wrote a book about her called Small Sacrifices and Farrah played her in the miniseries) who shot her three children in order to be with her married lover who didn't want kids. The interesting thing about Diane Downs is she loved being pregnant and was even a surrogate once or twice. It was the actual being a mother that was the problem. I believe Betty loves her kids, and yet I think the pregnancy might be the best part of the experience for her.
I also wrote that Don might very well be a sex addict. Sure, he was out of town, but he used his brother-in-law's name — that's sort of close to home. It takes one call from the stewardess to say "remember me?" to have the real "Bill" call his sister. I'm not at all saying that MW will go there, just saying that Don took more of a risk than it might seem at first glance.
saber2185,
I also caught myself thinking about the stewardess. Don did not seem as interested as he usually is, to me it came across as if he really didn't care one way or the other if he slept with her. I am wondering if he is getting bored with sleeping around.
I agree with #45. I wasn't too shocked at Betty using that word. She was in the company of Don. I say things to my boyfriend which I'd probably never say in front of my parents or family (not just naughty things).
It would be a shocking thing if Betty would have said it amongst her friends or in front of her father and his wife.
Does Joan have a very, very vague sense of Pete and Peggy's relationship? Because Joan is extremely observant and well…very smart. But, she could very well not have a sense of it at all.
I know that it is not a coincidence that John Hooker resembles Pete. But, I have no idea why.
Awww Sally. That moment made me think of my own dad going away for business trips for long periods of time, and how I felt that way sometimes. (Even though my dad is about 5 years younger than sally, I think it rings true for many kids in any time period)
I was disappointed (thought not surprised, of course) in the lack of Pete and Peggy interaction in the premiere. However, the second time I watched it I picked up on what Pete says in reference to Peggy during the Heads of Accounts meeting: “She’s all over the place.”
I spent all day mulling over that sentence.
Oh! I forgot to mention my thoughts on Don’s cheap escapade with the stewardess. I think he was going for a meaningless, one night stand because he can’t afford to get into another relationship that would destroy his marriage and kids.
His heart is at home while his dick still gets some play.
Oh, Sal. That scene was great, and I was so happy for him. I was watching it with a group of friends, and we all cheered. On the other hand, poor Kitty! It’s not the (almost?) cheating that worries me really, it’s the whole situation. If I’m not mistaken, there’s a shot of Sal and Kitty in their bedroom in the previews for Season 3. I really hope we see more of their marriage.
Do you think that maybe now, after Kurt’s coming out in Season 2 and Don’s lack of condemnation/ridicule after seeing Sal with the bellhop, Sal is realizing that being gay is not as catastrophic as he once imagined? It’s certainly not easy, as the guy’s reactions to Kurt showed him, but it’s possible.
So, we have to break the code of feet and the Pete/Hooker resemblance. Hooker also reminds me a little of Wesley on Buffy/Angel — before he went all badass.
For the most part, I love the attention to the detail of accents on this show. So many high points: the accents of the London Fog exec and Shelly the stewardess were so good. I seldom hear a great, classical southern accent that doesn't insult the south, but hers was so wonderful. She really brought out the coy sexiness of southern women in a remarkably honest yet rarely seen way. "I not only throw away newspapers, I read them". Mr. Lucky Strike in the Ep. 101 was just as wonderful; a Carolina gentleman with just the right amount of flint and hickory. And isn't Salvatore Romano from Baltimore–he certainly pronounced the name of the city as a native would. I love Pete's east coast boarding school diction. Some lines are so brilliantly crafted. How great was it to have Roger come up with yet another tremendous zinger: "I told (the Brits) it was a stupid idea. But they don't always get our inflections". The one thing I'd like to hear is a better New York accent: for a show that takes place in Manhattan, there is so little New York in there that it seems to be a conscious choice. I wonder if Matt is a little gun-shy about letting New York become the show–a legitimate concern. You hear a touch of old Brooklyn in Peggy's sister and mother (especially when her mother calls her "Peachy"). But would it kill us to hear a good working class west side accent? I read a book in a single sitting at a Borders Books a few years ago, called "A Cold Case", an account of a retired NY police detective who came across an unsolved murder in NY in the late 1960's, and picked the scent back up. When they finally located the suspect, he had been living in a small town in California for many years, working as a janitor. The author mentioned that the suspect's accent was of a type you simply no longer here in NY. Full of "dese", "dems" and "dose", he had been a member of the Westies, the Irish gang from Hell's Kitchen (now referred to as "Clinton") on the west side in mid-town. He had been, like many other tough Irish hoods of his day, a roustabout at the old New York Coliseum, which was put up in the 1950's under Robert Moses and torn down in 2000. Surely, Matt Weiner would allow a "samwich" delivery guy with a New York accent to infiltrate the Sterling Cooper breakroom!
Speaking of accents (#116):
I haven't seen the ep yet over here in Europe (sob!) but as a half-Brit with an interest in accents i'm curious about the accents of the British characters so far. I've caught a snippet of the Jared Harris who seems to have a clipped, up-tight public school accent which seems pretty convincing (might well be his own). The only odd note about that character for me is his name. Somehow the name Lane Pryce has typically American overtones for me. Anyone else?
Now I am really curious to know how the Monneypenny character comes across…
should be:
the Jared Harris character
Moneypenny
!
@116 – Lord Bottletop – Sal is indeed from B-more and we had a discussion a few weeks ago about his lack of an accent. He certainly said the name correctly for a native in this ep, though, I noticed that too. The consensus back then was that he had deliberately lost as much of his Baldmore accent as he could when he moved to New York. It is a great attention to detail to have him say the name of the town, and with that just perfect inflection that hints at his upbringing.
#116
That's one of the things I love about the show, too. Regional accents seem to be generally less pronounced these days as the world shrinks due to increased communication and non-print media presence in our lives.
Peggy and Sal, no doubt, have deliberately homogenized their speech to aid their upward mobility. My mother had speaking classes in secretarial school, and Peggy probably had the same at Miss Deaver’s.
I loved Jimmy Barrett's Borscht-belt tones, and Archie Whitman sounds eerily like my mountain-man great-uncles.
@119 – CPT_Doom – Yes, they got that one right. But with the exceptions of Pete Campbell's 1950's prep school manner and Bert Cooper's patrician New Yorker, everyone else on Mad Men could be from just about anywhere (and of course the actors are from all over the country). Even John Slattery, who is from Boston, dials it down, even though we know his character had to have grown up in NY, since his father was the Sterling on the company shingle. Of course, coming from a privileged background, Roger might easily have neutralized his accent through a series of eastern prep schools (I imagine him being kicked out of more than one). Peggy could have had a Brooklyn accent, but she doesn't. Even Ken Cosgrove, who grew up tapping maple trees in New England, has no discernible accent. So I think it was a conscious decision by the show's creator to NOT exercise that level of authenticity. I think it probably would have been a distraction to have anyone speaking with a strong accent, and would get in the way of the story and general theme of the program. but I do enjoy how Matt allows many of the non-regular guest characters to have authentic accents, however. Like the tow-truck driver in Season 2 when Betty's car breaks down at night. Or the previously mentioned Lucky Strike and London Fog execs, and Kelly the Stewardess.
@ 117 Diemener: Jared Harris's Lane Price is, I think, supposed to be a charmless bean-counter with a public school accent. Ryan Cartwright ("Moneypenny" John Hooker) is more of an enterprising London hustler. Cartwright was born in Birmingham–I have a very gritty friend named O'Callaghan who grew up there and now teaches school there.
@ 120 – Melissa – Jimmy Barrett's accent is priceless. And Archie Whitman seems to have stepped out of a Cormac McCarthy novel. And Gene Hofstatdt, Betty's father, does have a pretty genuine Philadelphia accent as well.
@73: Makes me think of Trudy saying that line “When are they going to tear down that dinosaur?” about an armory. That was one of my favorite non-sequiturs last season, just because she seemed so goddamned angry at the building.
Don’s bored attitude re the stewardess made me think of his similar attitude toward his work in the Season 2 opener. Remember when he seems about to go into a typical Don Draper riff about airlines, everyone leans forward to catch the pearls,… and instead he trails off by saying “blah blah blah.” His heart wasn’t in it anymore, he began slacking off, going to the movies instead of work, finally just disappearing for weeks at the end.
Now his heart isn’t in chasing other women anymore, which would be a good thing if he still wasn’t doing anyway. If he keeps it up he’s going to turn into Roger.
A thought to challenge our perspectives– there seems to be growing resentment regarding Don's infidelity and yet near-universal support for Sal's encounter. Both men, in the parallel scenes, got something that they wanted which required them to be unfaithful and to limit the societal exposure of their actions. Is Don's behavior more blame-worthy because he could be, hypothetically, sexually satisfied by Betty (can he?)? Is Sal's behavior more redeemable because of his prior societally-imposed lack of self-awareness/ inability to self-express? And if Sal were to keep sleeping with men every episode for the rest of the season, would that change the viewpoint?
@117
**Somehow the name Lane Pryce has typically American overtones for me. Anyone else?**
See, and I thought they picked it because it sounded so British — like Wesley Wyndam-Pryce from Buffy and Angel.
Good point, Bill
I think MW was trying to contrast the different implications of Don's and Sal's out of town escapades. As I mentioned earlier, Don's really come to the end of the line in using sex as an outlet for his double life, the whole thing seems very half hearted on his point, and yet he still acts out. For Sal, the moment is an awakening about his real identity, and I guess that's why we're casting him in a different light. But you're right, in the end they're both going to have to confront the same issue of being unfaithful to a partner regardless of their sexual orientation. Even though it may take months or years, for Sal the genie's now out of the bottle, and I doubt he'll ultimately be able to deny who he is. But he seems far to ethical and caring a person to keep cheating indefinitely on his wife–which is essentially what it is, albeit with a different raison d'etre than Don–and it's going to eat him up. Whereas Don…who knows?
Bill@124 brings up a great point.
I, for one, am sick and tired of Cheating Don, especially because in this episode, it's a one-night stand. Maybe I could respect it more if it was an actual affair with someone he cared about? Maybe. And to answer your last question, for me, yes, if Sal slept around on Kitty for the rest of the season, I would be just as disgusted.
I mean, if Don's a sex addict, as some posters have suggested, what can you do? It wasn't like it was talked about or diagnosed during that era, but gee, he just made it back into his house some months back and now he goes out and does the same thing–and makes careless mistakes like bringing home the stew's pin, ugh.
I know part of the MM excitement is Don as Sexy Personified who can get any woman he wants (and that includes infidelity) but give me a reason to care and/or not be disgusted by his lack of respect for his marriage, after proclaiming in S2 to Betty how much he didn't respect it or her.
BTW, lesbian statement or not, I'm still one of those who's going to defend Betty. Yes, she's messed up in the head but I still sympathize with her.
Some issues:
Betty's unrealistic expectations are not about gender, but about everything being "perfect."
YodaBert has always allowed smoking and drinking in his office, although he has discouraged smoking from time to time.
Sterling Cooper sold controlling interest to PPL with the understanding that most of the staff would stay on (except for "redundancies").
Re accents: I've lived in several different parts of the country, and some people have noticable accents and some don't. I think it's more authentic to have certain people with them (Pete would definitely have that snooty way of speaking) and others only come out in certain situations (Sal's "Ballmer"). As for myself, when I'm agitated or around my sister, I sound like a valley girl, but I try not to as much as possible, especially at the office.
On this thread and in the open thread from the live viewing, there has been a lot of discussion about the contrived nature of the fire alarm, the outdoor fire escape, and Don not only witnessing Sal's transgression, but exposing his own.
What we need to remember, and has been alluded to before, is that Don Draper suffers (even if ever so slightly) from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
After wintenssing the real Don Draper get incinerated in Korea, Don does not react well to emergency situations, especially ones that involve fire.
He was clearly affected by the lecture on nuclear missles in California.
His speedy reaction to the fire alarm, his instinct to go out the window instead of trying the interior hallway fall right in line with his previous experiences and how he would be expected to react.
@128
Oh, I like Betty too, probably more than most people — she's might not be my favorite character, but she's my favorite one to study, and a character that makes me adore the writing on this show. Why? Because she makes sense, really. She is very much the product of a mother we've never seen, but certainly heard about, and she parents like she was parented — as well as vents her issues on her kids. I think it's human.
The think the whole "would she use the word lesbian" discussion is one of the more interesting discussions this week, honestly. I still buy that she would, thinking she was being funny — and I agree that Don seemed amused — but still revealing her anger at thwarted expectations.
Betty's desire to have the baby come into the home "at its best" struck me as typical nesting instinct; I've known many mothers-to-be who felt the same way. And given everything the family went through in S2, I wouldn't be surprised if her idea of what constituted "at its best" is at least a little different than it used to be. She was a lot more relaxed about Sally's antics than she would have been last year. I doubt she would have found it amusing at all back then.
Speaking of, sometimes I get the idea that the Draper kids aren't exactly head-of-the-class material in the brainular area, if you know what I mean. Isn't eight/nine a bit old to believe that if Daddy's suitcase is broken he won't go on his business trip?
On second watching, it struck me that although she was a brunette, Dick's birth mother sounded and looked an awful lot like Betty. Of course, this is Don's imaginary picture of her; she could have been completely different in reality.
I re-watched this episode this morning and I wondered how many of the products assigned to Ken and Pete are still around. I put a question mark is next to ones I am not sure are real since I could not find any mention of them outside of Mad Men on the Internet.
Ken:
Bacardi
Belle Jolie ?
Birdseye
Cadbury
Campbell Soup International
Cartwright Double-sided Aluminum ?
Chevron Oil
Dunkin’ Donuts
General Foods Europe,
Kodak
Lever Brothers
Martinson’s Coffee
Popsicle
The Relaxiciser (gone)
Rio de Janeiro (dormant- not the city but the account- as Joan points out)
United Fruits (Chiquita Brands International)
Warner Brothers
Pete:
Admiral Television (gone)
Alpine Real Estate ?
Bethlehem Steel (gone)
ConEd
Gillette
Gorton’s Fish
Liberty Capital Savings
Lucky Strike (gone)
Maytag
North American Aviation (gone, merged with Rockwell-Standard in 1967)
P& G's Pampers
Playtex
Samsonite Luggage
Secor Laxative (gone)
Snider's Catsup (gone)
Utz Potato chips
Humm, Pete got more of the ones that no longer exist. Does that mean anything?
Not happy with the plug on Stoli. Yes, they are ripe with product placements but in the past they've stayed true to details of that period. In fact they are applauded for their finicky-ness to remain true to the era.
Sorry folks, but Stoli Vodka was imported into America at the height of the Cold War in 1972 by – gasp – Pepsi Cola. We are in 1963 people!
I will be looking for other sell out product placements in future episodes.
Roger didn't get the Stoli in the US – he brought it back from his honeymoon in Greece along with the Cuban cigars (avoiding the embargo). So they were truly luxury items in 1963.
@124
Yes, it's different. Like others have said, the context is incredibly important. For Don, this is just another meaningless one night stand. For Sal, it's a moment of clarity and relief after years of repression. I can't condemn him for it.
Now if Sal started sleeping around on Kitty like a gay Roger Sterling, I would lose some respect for him.
@Bill (#84) : Several of us, myself included, got the impression that Don didn't really want what was getting. He was doing it because that's what he does, but the stewardess was mostly taking the lead while he just seemed bored. Sal, on the other hand, was finally getting something he'd actively prevented himself from having or even acknowledging that he'd wanted due to societal pressures. It was an epiphany for him as opposed to Don's "same old, same old" attitude. If he does actually take up with more men behind Kitty's back as the season goes on, then I do think audience opinion of him will sour a bit. But the prejudice against homosexuality during that period will also earn him more sympathy than we might instinctively give straight Don.
@ 122
A London hustler type, eh? I'm even more intrigued now. Although it would have been funny in a bizarre way if they'd gone for the actors own Brummy accent…
Oh my…talk about a MAJOR screw-up…
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/mad-…
(Previous comment was actually in response to #124. Dur.)
@Ms. Darkly (#125) : "See, and I thought they picked it because it sounded so British — like Wesley Wyndam-Pryce from Buffy and Angel."
Erm… but Alexis Denisof is American. He grew up in Maryland, New Hampshire, and Seattle. Admittedly, he did attend drama school in the UK and does a brilliant RP accent, but even Wesley ended up with a slightly Americanized accent in the last few seasons. [/pedanticWhedonfan]
It made me think of the British actor Jonathan Pryce.
@131 What we need to remember, and has been alluded to before, is that Don Draper suffers (even if ever so slightly) from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
After wintenssing the real Don Draper get incinerated in Korea, Don does not react well to emergency situations, especially ones that involve fire.
He was clearly affected by the lecture on nuclear missles in California.
His speedy reaction to the fire alarm, his instinct to go out the window instead of trying the interior hallway fall right in line with his previous experiences and how he would be expected to react.
I was thinking of this myself, and wondering whether having Don at Sal's window was a coincidence or intentional – was Don's military training coming back and he ran to get his colleague? That would make him seeing the bellhop a lot less deus ex machina and more in keeping with a Korean War veteran.
About the name Lane Pryce:
I think it was more the first name Lane that was the American-sounding thing about it. But then, maybe this is because I associate last name-first names with the US. And I could be wrong there, because that kind of thing might have been more common in earlier generations of frightfully posh people in the UK.
Or have I got it completely wrong and is his last name Lane Pryce, as in Henry Lane Pryce or something..
@124
Thanks, Bill … it took 20 posts for someone to agree with
me!
@144
Winston Churchill
Kidding, don't know. I suppose I associate the first/last name thing with an upper class thing more than an American thing, at least before recent years when you do just see a lot of kids named Cooper and Miller and, I dunno. Taylor.
Last year we had Saint John Powell, which we would think of as a last name. although it also makes me think of Jane Eyre. And Sinjin is fun to say.
@141 — I meant the name sounded British, not the actor. Not only do I know Alexis Denisof is American, but I follow his wife on Twitter. ::grin::
@146
Yeah, that name always reminds me of Jane Eyre too, and of not knowing it was pronounced that way when I first read it.
My apologies to any mr.sheffield/sinjin fans out there, but I'm kind of glad he decided to stay in London and send mr Pryce. I can't dissasociate him from mr. Sheffield and wow, that character really takes the biscuit when it comes lame British posh stereotypes (he managed to irritate me more than Fran drescher, so hey..)
I guess that's why the name Lane Pryce jarred on me, because it seems to be trying to signal an air of aristocracy. There must have been people around with similar names in this kind of position, but, then again, there wouldn't have been that many. The great thing about MM is that it tends to avoid obvious effects (by giving the same name to different characters for instance).
Hm, got a little carried away on a minor point, here…
It is definitely a Scottish tradition to give surnames as first names. I wonder if any fans will consider the name Campbell…
…for their future offspring
Agree with Bill and Breezy, that Sal's infidelity gets scant notice. Kitty seems to be acceptable collateral damage. But then isn't that what really happens?
It's part of the societal flaw … Sal (and many/most homosexuals of the era)is genuinely expected to conform to traditional relationships, so one cannot fault him for his denial of his sexuality and taking a bride. However that only further represses his biological nature. Add to the mix the slowly changing social environment, where homosexuality is more widely acknowledged, but still not accepted.
So he acts on his true feelings and Kitty (can we not avoid saying "poor Kitty"?) gets hurt.
Don's situation may appear more clear-cut. He's cheating because he's got a loyal wife at home who he hasn't really shared his life with. As much as he's been dealt a poor hand, it is easier to conclude that his unhappiness is self-imposed.
Of course, this being Mad Men, that could all change by Sunday evening.
**I guess that’s why the name Lane Pryce jarred on me, because it seems to be trying to signal an air of aristocracy. There must have been people around with similar names in this kind of position, but, then again, there wouldn’t have been that many. The great thing about MM is that it tends to avoid obvious effects (by giving the same name to different characters for instance).**
I think you're on to something brilliant here. The Brits chance the tone. I'm not sure there will be too many men chasing women down at the office to check undergarment colors under the new guard.
I like the repetition of names too.
@B. Cooper (#150) : "(can we not avoid saying “poor Kitty�)"
I can't avoid it at this point, largely because "poor Kitty" is played by Sarah Drew, who I've liked since Wonderfalls and who does mournfully unrequited so beautifully. After rewatching 'Gold Violin' on the DVDs, it still breaks my heart with how she tries to dote on Sal while he's distracted by Ken. Whether she's realized it or not, she is his beard. She truly loves Sal and it's going to hurt her so much if and when his sexuality becomes irrepressible. I don't think she's "acceptable collateral damage" at all. I think she's an unfortunate victim of 1960s American society.
@Ms. Darkly (#147) : "I meant the name sounded British, not the actor."
Ah. I misunderstood.
"Not only do I know Alexis Denisof is American, but I follow his wife on Twitter. ::grin::"
Yeah, me too. Their little girl is so adorable.
@ 151
I also hope this tea-totalling (ha!) on the part of the British is a calculated move at power play, because to have professional British men of the era who don't drink like fishes, now that WOULD be unrealistic!
Perhaps they just drink tea at the office and then go out for their "liquid lunches"…
Betty’s unrealistic expectations are not about gender, but about everything being “perfect.â€
I think you may have described nearly every character on the show. If you think about it . . . all of them – in their own way – demand what they would consider ideal or perfect in their lives. Come to think of it, I have noticed that a lot of people that I know or encountered in real life or on the Internet, are the same way.
In fact, I believe that one of the major flaws in human nature is this demand or expectations for perfection. And when it doesn't happen, humans either react strongly to this imperfection or pretend that they don't care.
#154 I would assume they drink tea at tea time and gin the rest of the time.
#156
That makes sense: 4 o'clock, tea-time, rest of the clock gin time. That was kind of the rule my grandmother lived by in later years, bless her.