Obviously, I’m overwhelmed”we all are”by the Don storyline, but the overall theme, I think, is played out by Roger Sterling. And I’m a little bit annoyed, with so much going on, that Marti Noxon, Cathryn Humphris, and Matt Weiner together couldn’t come up with a better way to articulate that theme than with a Guest of the Week Whom We Will Never See Again.
I think we see two major themes here. First, Old Love/New Love: the past, its regrets, and the marriage you have today. Roger is as kind as possible to two old loves (Annabelle and Joan) while staying surprisingly loyal to his new one, who was herself a replacement for an old one. Joan has every reason to regret the new one, but stays loyal to him while reaching out to the old one. And Don leaves the new one behind, or, y’know, out front, while giving his undivided attention to the new one (who admittedly forced his hand).
The other theme is, of course, the gypsy and the hobo. What are you called? Who are you? “What’s your name?” “Donald Draper, but it used to be Dick Whitman.” An assertion; I am the name I use. The room I’m standing in. Find a new name for horse meat. “It’s a label on a can. And it will be true because it will promise the quality of the product that’s inside.”
Carlton Hanson: And who are you supposed to be?
61 Responses to “Do we have a theme?”
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my netbook played a trick on me. Do you really want the Hollywood ending? I doubt it. Men and women cheated in this decade…Betty reading The Group…is she more pure than Don? Don's self-centered nature? not mentioned much. He got caught and no way out, no escape, but he does want to escape..he is not crazy about his job, but it is lucrative. How many work at crappy jobs? for money?? we all do in some degree. Roger thinks he has achieved something and he is not ready to toss it away like Mona. Don and Roget both want the same thing…to rescue a young hot woman and to be admired by her. when you stop admiring them, it is time for the eye to wander. who wants to come home to a COLD atmosphere everyday? He married Betts b/c she was a beauty queen and he uses her as that–always needs to show her off when needed, but he is not free to be open with her….will be good to see if their relationship changes. Walter Mitty said, "Men live lives of quiet desperation." if women only knew this. Betty is not always warm to him and he has kept her in the dark for long time. he was heartbroken to lose the weekend of frivolous-ness with the skool teacher. he is self-centered. now for all those ppl downtrodden over the season's end, take heart, Br Bad will be back soon and you can catch up with the chemistry teacher….who would probably not cheat on his wife, but then again, how do we know?? MM is best TV show in my opinion.
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation."
– Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), "Walden" (1854)
This is sometimes reported as: "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Walden
Betty has decided she is no longer willing to hold on to Don no matter what. That's what has allowed her to confront him like that. If he turns his back on her and walks out, she calls the locksmith to make it permanent. She's made her decision.
I think Roger definitely believes Jane is "the one." Whether or not she actually is remains to be seen. I know he's not really one of the show's main characters, the way Don and Betty are, but I wish we knew more of Roger's history. Did he believe Annabelle and Mona were both "the one" at some point? (I'm assuming he thought Mona was "the one" when he married her.) Is he constantly searching for his ideal, perfect woman, and do all real women eventually fall short?
Another twist on the old love/new love theme: what you wanted vs. what you got.
Kids want to be an astronaut and Minnie Mouse (best laid plans of mice and men?). They turned out to be a hobo and a gypsy. Joan wanted to marry a doctor to support her; she got a loser to support. Roger/Annabelle wanted and didn't want each other by turns.
Jane is "the one" for Roger because after his heart troubles he's realized he's got a limited amount of time left. Roger wants to be with someone who is fun, for whom all the trappings of wealth are exciting and new, and who doesn't challenge him, just lets him be. Joan, Mona, Annabelle and any number of others may have been "the one" at different life stages.
1. Am I the only one not buying in to Jane being "the one"? I can see Roger staying loyal because he's not attracted to Annabelle. She's not as attractive as his wife is. And the "newlywed" comment? IOW, he won't cheat because he's still getting a lot at home. Either the writers are not letting us see enough about their relationship, or there really isn't much of one.
I don't think it's honor, I don't think it's scruples. He goes for the pretty young things with clear faces unblemished by thought.
2. Am I the only one who thinks Annabelle's question about the "window" between Mona and Jane is anachronistic? I can't find a source but I don't remember hearing this usage ("window of opportunity" etc.) until much later.
3. While it makes a killer scene, I thought it strange to see both Drapers accompanying the children on trick-or-treat. In the 60s I thought kids were on their own. I remember I was. Besides, who's handing out candy at the Draper's house then? If the house is unattended, what if Ms Farrell comes by? Could she be psycho enough to trick-or-treat at their doorstep?
@40 Valley Road
I'm sorry I'm only responding to this now. Yay for registering, and I'm so sorry about Phoenix Park. When I only got one response (and I'd already switched gears) I just didn't get it together. I live in NJ and I get up early so it's a pain for me, but a fun pain. Maaaybe this Sunday? I'll post again, take a pulse. Maybe on Saturday I'll post. It is a wonderful, warm room and they are entirely accommodating.
And OMG your sighting!!! How fun!
#59 WTJB, you're not alone on (1.) — and I agree, without knowing a lot more about their relationship it's hard to gauge how much depth is there.
We haven't seen Jane and Roger like we've seen Pete and Trudy (or, goes w/o saying, Don and Betty) but I'm struck by things like the contrast of Roger slow dancing with a drunken Jane after Pete and Trudy's look-how-happy-we-are "So You Think You Can Dance" performance … and then Don's walk across the grass, taking the very pregnant Betty into his arms off in the distance, as handbag and coat fall to the ground. A physical show of the difference between any of Roger's self-proclaimed happiness vs. the foolishness Don calls it.
From S1, "Ladies Room" …
Roger Sterling: You know what? I am very comfortable with my mind. Thoughts clean and unclean, loving and… the opposite of that. But I am not a woman. And I think it behooves any man to toss all female troubles into the hands of a stranger.
Roger doesn't do complicated. But uncomplicated does not equal vapid. So I disagree that all he goes for is "clear faces unblemished by thought."
Annabelle is not uncomplicated. Mona may not have been, but as Margaret matured and her issues made her complicated, the must have bled over into the marriage and made the lovely and uncomplicated Jane seem irresistible.
Enough that even after bashing the institution of marriage (remember Joan's reaction that she thought it was just Mona, not the whole concept of marriage), Roger was happy to marry Jane.
Joan was not complicated either, nor were the twins, and all of his single-encounter women are easily accessible.
Point (2.), I don't know, but a phrase etymology resource book or site might help nail it down.
Point (3.), agreed it's odd for both of them to go. I trick-or-treated with a pack of neighborhood friends without supervision too. But there were times when for some reason both parents were away (like my dad not being home from work in time) and my mom would leave the porch light on with a big bowl of candy on a stool and a sign asking kids to, "Please take two or three but not the whole bowl!" So maybe we can hope Betty was such a Halloween hostess.