If you’re not at our Season Finale party, take part in the virtual party here. And who knows? Legends has wifi, one or more of us may pop in and say hi (but I doubt it).
Although this is our last Open Thread of the year, please be assured that Basket of Kisses is open year-round. We will be writing about all three seasons of Mad Men, speculating about Season 4, posting Mad News, running Mad Gossip, following our cast and crew in their other ventures, discussing the time period, the fashion, the deep insights available from repeated viewing, and so much more. Believe me, Season 4 premiere is just around the corner, and there’s the awards season to consider.
So don’t leave after tomorrow, and in the meantime, enjoy tonight! I can hardly wait.
449 Responses to “Open Thread: Shut the Door. Have a Seat”
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Not sure if this means anything, but I noticed when I rewatched tonight that Joan addressed Don as "Don", and not "Mr. Draper", as she usually did in a business setting. I thought it was interesting that there was a new informal tone there, at least between those two.
#391 — What if Henry Francis, knowing that Rockefeller will be running for President in 1964, wants to strike out on his own and run for public office? A single man at that time would be unfit — and Betty is the image of the perfect political wife — and given the back story of Happy Rockefeller, Betty would seem less shocking as Henry's spouse. In that case, it would be a marriage of convenience for both of them.
It have been said many times before that Betty does not really know Henry and I agree. Does she even know why he got divorced. Was he like Don, a serial cheater? It's clear Henry wants Betty dependent on him. She should be getting money from Don afterall she will be bringing up his 3 children on a daily basis. While he gets to do the fun stuff like taking them to the zoo every two weeks.
It's frustrating to watch Betty make the same mistakes but that's what makes Mad Men so wonderful. The writing is real.
It have been said many times before that Betty does not really know Henry and I agree. Does she even know why he got divorced.? Was he like Don, a serial cheater?
It's clear Henry wants Betty dependent on him. She should be getting money from Don afterall she will be bringing up his 3 children on a daily basis. While he gets to do the fun stuff like taking them to the zoo every two weeks.
It's frustrating to watch Betty make the same mistakes but that's what makes Mad Men so wonderful. The writing is real.
People hate Betty leaving Don because he’s GAWJUS. If it was Harry pulling all that stuff on Jennifer for 10 years, they’d tell her to throw the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica at him. But since Don is HAWT, they imagine that they’d forgive him anything.
"People" luuuuuv Desperate Barbie and excuse her every. single. behavior and every single… let's call it personality flaw because she's a spoiled wittle pwincess they identify with. I know this because I personally know every single Betty apologist and am therefore in a position to make such a judgment about all of them. Bow before my omniscience!
Same goes for "viewers" who "hated" Peggy in season 1 and berated EM's acting. Call Nielsen! Tell them to pack up and retire since WE know what "viewers" want: they're all just putting a good woman down.
I'm sure those of us who are bored watching paint dry are also not enjoying the subtle quality of this Mother Earth-sanctioned process because of our deep seated anti-feminism and rooting for the most oppressing oppressor that ever oppressed. Nevermind those who were just as bored and fed up with him. They don't fit the narrative. Because we say so.
Betty will find herself thinking of Don and her old life and by the end of the series they will be reunited, unless other major events (death or the like) intervenes. Her life with Henry (whom she doesn't love) will be a pathetic farce that she will want out of in a matter of weeks. As others have said here, she does not have the wherewithal to be on her own, especially while the comforts and status of her old life remain retrievable.
While he gets to do the fun stuff like taking them to the zoo every two weeks.
Yes, having your children taken away from you is literally a walk in the park.
Sterling, Cooper, Draper & Pryce has a nice ring to it.
Even though we saw what may be the end of the Draper marriage, the overall tone of the finale was upbeat and hopeful. You want to root for these people!
Was this episode an epiphany for Don ? If so, there were 2 lessons for him: The flashbacks showed not only how Archie died, but also the circumstances; Archie died when he agreed to compromise his principles. Through the breakup of his marriage, Don lost the relationship that he held most dear. By trying the reassemble SC and “Make things as they were†Don tries to create an environment where his principles determine the outcome. However, each time Don sought to enlist a potential ally in his cause, each responded in so many words with what Roger flatly stated “You don’t value relationshipsâ€. For Don to succeed, he also had to demonstrate that he valued the people he wanted to be gathered around him. Even though his name is third in the pecking order, by the time of the celebratory scene in the Pierre suite, we know that this is Don’s company- he is leader. The question remaining, is Don still the person who says things he doesn’t mean because the words fit his agenda or has the new Don realized he needed people around him to be happy ? If the latter than this echoes what Anna Draper told him in the penultimate episode to the S2 finale.
The cliché of the 60’s is that the young wanted to overthrow the establishment. Isn’t that what happened last night? The principles of SC were tired of being treated as pawns, were no longer company men (particularly Pryce), so they decided to stick it to “The Man†as they struck out on their own, led by Don.
Don is an Alpha Male Badass again. He was shocked and hurt when he left Connie’s suite. By the time he met with Cooper he was energized. His impassioned appeal to Cooper could have been delivered by Howard Roark and it was just what Cooper wanted to hear before he agreed.
Connie’s tip off reminded me of Pete’s tip off to Don last year, and approaching Pete before Ken was repayment of that debt. Don doesn’t care for Pete but he recognizes his value. The future of SCD&P may hinge on how much Don believes what he said about Pete’s abilities.
When a call was made to bring in someone with “discretion†my spouse and I both exclaimed “Joanâ€! In addition to the individual talents of the principles, she is the vital link that assures success. Bringing in Harry without an assistant creates a chance for Joan to take on some of the media responsibilities she enjoyed so much in S2. Joan will be able to carve out a life distinct from ‘ Nam bound Dr. Harris.
An Ad firm without an Art Department ? Not possible unless they outsource by contract, creating security and communication issues. They will need an in house staff. What a perfect way to bring Sal back. Now that Don has been freed to do what he instinctively feels is right, it is entirely plausible that he tells Garner Jr. that either he accepts that Sal will be a part of the company and working on his account or there will be a blunt conversation with Garner Sr. Emasculated Don with a contract could not risk having this conversation. Don the free agent can.
Don could have approached Hilton and probably gotten his business. But what Don learned in his last meeting with Connie is that Connie only respects equals. With SCD&P just starting, a client like Hilton would make or break the firm. He and Connie will ultimately do business again, but it will not be until the new company has enough leverage to negotiate terms instead of accepting them.
By realizing that Pryce had the power to fire them all, not only were the principles liberated, but they get to keep their powder dry. Pryce is a good manager and administrator who will keep them financially grounded. By breaking off, the money they were going to spend to buy the company can be more efficiently spent to build the company. While they are initially operating out of the Pierre Hotel , if they can bring in the approximately $30mm in billings they discussed, things will change quickly. There will be start up costs, including a move to a permanent office, but without the overhead of everything they left behind, the new firm will be lean, mean and potentially very profitable.
Don and Roger are like jilted lovers who still care for each other. Don’s fear is that he will end up like Roger and Roger wants to know what went wrong. After the scene at the bar, they are mostly even. Roger knew exactly what he was doing when he brought up Henry Francis- it was his form of revenge and it set up Don’s confrontation with Betty, which irrevocably damaged their marriage.
Don and Betty’s confrontation was shocking. He was drunk and were it not for the baby’s cry, he may have become violent. His words to her were damaging enough but so were hers to him. It is finally out in the open that Betty thinks she is superior to him. No matter how close they could become in the future, this may be a chasm that is ultimately too wide to heal because it so closely mirrors the contempt he felt from his father and step mother. The interesting thing is that Henry Francis also comes from a blue collar background. While he may have “Peopleâ€, they were not Main Line . While he may be a better husband to Betty, and may move in more rarefied circles due to his affiliation with Rockefeller, Betty is ultimately his superior. Betty disliked how much time Don spent away from home. How will she react when Henry travels across the country during the ’64 Primary season? How will she react when Rockefeller does not get the nomination and is sent back to Albany , along with Henry? Since we know Henry and Roger are something between acquaintances and friends, what is the potential for SCD&P to be asked to work on the Rockefeller campaign? Wouldn’t this bring Don and Henry into direct contact?
Don and Peggy were amazing. Interpret the scene from another perspective however and Don could have been talking to Betty. Is it just me or were the cadences and word choices Don used with Peggy reminiscent of the letter Don wrote to Betty in the finale of S2 ? As it played out, in the space of a few min Peggy went from despising Don to realizing that they will be professionally tied together for a long time. Peggy knows that Don is correct in saying that the two of them are unique in how they view themselves and the world. This is their bond and why she agrees to follow him.
@255
I also wondered if Peggy is pregnant again. Her face looked fuller during the apology scene.
Forgive me if someone else has already mentioned this, and it may have no significance at all….. BUT…
During the breaking the divorce news scene, did anyone notice Don's crisp, white collared shirt w his black sweater against the white chair w the black design? It just jumped out at me. Everyone here seems so in tune w the symbolism of colors and patterns, and I, on the other hand, am not.
Thought I'd throw that out there and see what I get!
Thanks Basket Cases for making this season the best one yet for me!
@407 Mike says… Betty will find herself thinking of Don and her old life and by the end of the series they will be reunited, unless other major events (death or the like) intervenes.
Not according to Matt Weiner, as per this interview in The Daily Beast.
"It’s so unambiguous to me that this marriage is over, but the audience seems to cling to the idea that they should be together because we want to believe in those things. The marriage was not good."
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@407 Mike says… Betty will find herself thinking of Don and her old life and by the end of the series they will be reunited, unless other major events (death or the like) intervenes.
Not according to Matt Weiner, as per this interview in The Daily Beast.
"It’s so unambiguous to me that this marriage is over, but the audience seems to cling to the idea that they should be together because we want to believe in those things. The marriage was not good."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/20…
Thank you, Mr. Weiner. No, I don't want to believe in those things. I want to believe in the show being great again like it was on it high end note.
I also noticed that Peggy's face looked full in the apartment scene – much as it did when she was pregnant. It was the first time I've noticed that since mid/late S1. I doubt she's pregnant….surely not?!?!?
Yeah, I've been noticing over the past couple (?) of episodes that Peggy is starting to look pregnant again, especially in the last few scenes in STDHAS. Ducklings? Good god, I hope MW isn't taking us down that path again. What would be the point?
As far as I know, Duck is the only one Peggy's been sleeping with.
One funny thing struck me – Peggy was dressed in skirt & heels when Don came to visit her in her apt. Does she never wear casual clothes, even on the weekend?
They say a change is gonna come, well it came, winding up a really enjoyable season of MM – Betty had to make changes, so she did,
Don knew change would happen sooner later and he's dealing with it,
I hope Joan's around as a permanent fixture at the new firm and yes Peggy's face did seem a little fuller. Hmmmm? Sorry but to me Trudy's a little annoying ,kinda poodle -yappy-whiny but that's good acting from her to make me feel that about the character. Pete, I like him one minute and not the next,so well see what we see next year. We all like to speculate.I really do enjoy the show and everyone in it. aside from some youtube vids now and then MM is the only TV show I watch and that came about by being curious about the set design. How about a spring episode and two in the summer to hold us over /move the story along until next fall?
Not according to Matt Weiner, as per this interview in The Daily Beast.
And I'm supposed to trust what Weiner says, why? Like he's just going to say, "Yeah, of course this divorce thing is just a dramatic twist to help them see they love each other and need to make the adjustments necessary to be together!"?
Every writer of every popular show fucks with his audience — including, as we have all seen, most especially Mr. Weiner.
Divorce is nothing to applaud (the tendency to do that here makes me ill), especially when there are children and the two still love each other, as these two do. They've been very, very bad spouses, but in ways that are absolutely can be worked on and adressed, and will be when they each realize it is what they want. Come season 6, you'll see.
And if she is or becomes pregnant in real life how do the MM writers deal with that?
If EM, or any of the actresses were to become pregnant in real life, I'd guess they'd just hide it unless it fit into the storyline in some way that made sense with Matt's vision for the show.
#416 Mike – Do you really believe they love each other? I have not, from the very beginning, believed that they were in love. Don's serial cheating, Betty's iciness and contempt . . . not in love with each other.
From the thoughts expressed in this thread and others (and I've read them all,) it's beginning to feel like we, the viewers, were Bobby and Sally on that couch. Mom and Dad are getting divorced. We don't like it. We don't want it to happen and we're acting out against Henry, and previously, Suzanne.
My husband's parents divorced in the mid 60's when he was eight. That scene in the living room cut him like a knife. Since the finale, he's vocalized several scenarios in which Don and Betty could and should stay together.
My parents have been married for nearly 50 years. I say Don and Betts are SO over and need to move forward and find the happiness that clearly does not reside in the Draper household, for themselves and the children.
So I wonder if our own life experiences are coloring what we think and feel is best for these characters? Do you dislike Henry because you witnessed your mom "replacing" your dad as a child? My husband is squarely in that camp. The beauty of this show is be it 1963 or 2009, we can all relate. These are characters created for our entertainment, but they spring from the life experiences of real people and, in many instances for me personally, mirror my own. And that's what I LOVE about it. It feels so real.
Even Weiner acknowledges that he's aware of how many of the audience really "ship" Betty and Don and want them to work it out. Jon Hamm said much the same in his wonderful interview with Roberta, but both Hamm and Weiner have said it isn't meant to be. Weiner was capable of having Pete have a baby with another woman, refuse to have a baby with his wife, and sexually assault a neighbor's Au Pair to bring Pete/Trudy closer. Surely he could have made the writing choice to have the reveal of Don's identity bring Don and Betty together. But he didn't.
Basically the Season Finale has burnt the show down. Sterling Cooper is gone. Out of those ashes has risen SCD&P and it's new team. Don, Bert, Lane, Roger, Harry, Peggy, Pete and Joan have a new beginning. Ken, Paul, etc. may have a new beginning, but it might be offscreen. The show isn't the Mad Men it was 2 seasons ago.
As for Betty, I really don't see how she'll fit into the future of the show. Betty fled to a new Daddy figure to be taken care of. I give up on her because it's clear she isn't meant to grow into anything more substantial no matter how much I, as a viewer, want it to happen. I don't like Henry because he's boring and the depth of his feeling for and commitment to a woman he's only spent about an hour with, and exchanged a few letters with is completely unbelievable. Betty didn't flee her marriage for passion, there is none between the characters. And Christopher Stanley, while a perfectly fine character actor, sure isn't leading man or even secondary lead material. I highly doubt we'll see the show switching from Manhattan for the SCD&P stories to Albany for Betty as political hostess. And if the show jumps ahead a few years, Kiernan Shipka isn't old enough to play teenager. So the Draper family seems to be a casualty of the new beginning as well.
On a romantic front Don will be searching for the perfect brunette to "complete" him. And unfortunately, based on that bedroom scene, it's not likely that he and Betty will have the kind of warm relationship that he and Anna shared.
@Gladwoman 393, Good points, I see where you are coming from and I think we are on the same page.
@419, Laura Lynn, I think you have a point that we all feel a like kids rejecting a step parent and I agree with someone else who furthered that point who said that many of us are Bobby and Sally on the couch and are projecting lots of our own experiences with parents divorcing, our own divorces.
@rl1855 399, you are so money. I co-sign with pretty much all you said 110%
The reason I don't like Betty is because she's a bitch. Plain and simple. I cannot stand her princess like persona and how she looks down her nose at everyone who is not in the same league as her. Don is better off without her and I am thrilled that they are getting divorced. I want the Betty character off of my screen.
To whomever said that their wife thinks Betty is a beard for Henry – wow! I said the exact same thing! That would be so damn funny if he turned out to be gay. What would the blonde little narcisstic princess do then?
And another thing – who leaves their kids for six weeks around Christmas time? If I were Don, I would have put my foot down on that one. Wait until after the holidays for God's sake. Betty is a selfish, self-centered little twerp.
This is without a doubt the highest concentration of Betty haters on one thread. Haters to the left, guys.
Betty does not need the reason of 'passion' to leave Don. Don is a pathological liar, Don is a habitual cheater. He'll take a stewardess just because she's there. He'll spitefully fingerblast Bobbie approximately five metres from his wife and Jimmy Barrett. He'll sneer at his underlings for seven months just because he finally met a man more self-made than he is.
In what universe is Don a catch? You can find Don a compelling character, because he is. You can find him a man who is master in his professional field, because he is. You can find him a repressed, insecure, spiteful WASP with daddy issues and still like him.
See what I did there?
All of these fans, crowing over what they think is the end of Elizabeth Hofstadt? She's a stone cold fox, a fierce bitch. What I feel for her isn't the 'You go Joanie' equivalent. Do I think Henry's a bore and a total mistake? Of course– but that decision is no more stifling or damning than staying Mrs. Don Draper.
Betty needs to use more tools than her sledgehammer from her feminist toolbox, as Joan needs more than her eye-daggers and stilettos and Peggy needs more than her pen–but as she maintains, people have more skills than they use. People who want her to stay one more minute where she's not happy so she can continue to lie to her children and neighbours?
Don and Carla'll be there. Those kids were barely raised by her in the first place. If Sally knew just what a liar her father was, she'd want him gone too.
I can't even imagine how much Henry's adult daughter will love having Betty around. No one is crueler than adult female stepchildren. If Henry's wife died, the daughter will not want Betty to touch anything that was her mom's. If he's divorced, the daughter and ex-wife will plot against Betty. At least that's how it is in real life.
I remember the Junior League woman alluding to the fact that Henry Francis liked pretty women. So, he must have a reputation. And, how much can Betty trust a man who pursued a married woman? Apparently he doesn't respect the institution of marriage. Betty is also afraid of getting older (scenes in the psychiatrist's office and talking to someone about her mom being a "handsome" woman.) There is always a prettier girl around the corner for Henry to become infatuated with.
It was interesting that Don's new apartment is in the Village. That opens up new doors for him.
Mike (#173) – you are SO right!
427 RetroGirl – The AMC recap just says that Don was dropped off at an apartment building in the Village.
I can’t even imagine how much Henry’s adult daughter will love having Betty around. No one is crueler than adult female stepchildren. If Henry’s wife died, the daughter will not want Betty to touch anything that was her mom’s.
Ha ha. Betty as Henry's Gloria. Don't touch the jardinieres, Bets!
I was just rewatching the episode.
Does Roger look like he has jaundice to any one else?
I mean it is New York in December, 1963. Were bad spray on tans even available?
I mean, it really has to be liver trouble.
His tan upsets me for some reason.
The AMC recap just says that Don was dropped off at an apartment building in the Village.
Sally and Bobby are really going to dig living in the Village with Dad in the 1960s. Awesome. Hope Bets relinquishes custody- she really only loves baby Gene anyway.
The Weiner interview: Matt may certainly feel one way about the Drapers now, but as we all now know, he reserves the right to change his mind at a given time, like he did with his plans for Kennedy. So he may have an entirely different perspective in mind by the time he goes back to work.
Don has new digs in the Village?
Maybe he'll cross paths with Midge Daniels in Season Four.
@391 Helen Bishop- I love loved the scene with Pete in his pajama’s too. He can be such a little kid sometimes.
@ 399 rl1856- I totally agree that Don was telling Peggy what he wished he could day to Betty.
@417 hannibal Finn- You can hide a pregnancy. Elizabeth Montogomery hid a pregnancy during the first season of “Bewitched,” and the actress who played Claire Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” hide one. Basically, you have a lot of scenes of the actress sitting behind a desk/something in front of her, and only film her from certain angles.
@425 Maria-Where is Don’s new apartment? I totally missed that.
I was watching '723' again today and I noticed that Duck and Peggy's first 'go around' (and probably subsequent ones as well) was at the Pierre, where Duck said he was taking meetings, because Grey wasn't up to snuff. I wonder if SCDP was set up there to precipitate a run in in season four, perhaps Don inadvertently stealing one of Ducks clients while at the hotel bar?
It certainly sets up an awkward moment if Peggy and someone else (Pete?) run in to Duck.
I've read about 1/2 way through the comments. Just had to say that in this season finale, Roger Sterling became my favorite character on this show. He had the best lines ever. And now that Joan is back on board? Oh, let the fun begin.
I've read about 1/2 way through the comments. Just had to say that in this season finale, Roger Sterling became my favorite character on this show. He had the best lines ever. And now that Joan is back on board? Oh, let the fun begin.
John Slattery delivered.
Surely he could have made the writing choice to have the reveal of Don’s identity bring Don and Betty together. But he didn’t.
Yet. On what world can we be sure that what happened in the very last episode we have seen is done and final, for all time? Is this the first television show you have ever watched? If you think your beloved Matt Weiner is above playing such games, I feel for you.
#337 Melissa:
I can’t help thinking, if Betty really was the whore and snob Don called her, and the narcissist she’s sometimes painted as, she could have gotten out of the marriage simply by exposing Don. There would have been some sort of scandal, but she and the children would have been seen as the innocent victims of a con man, objects of pity and public goodwill.
That's a great point. A coincident possibility (ie, consistent with her not being the whore and snob that Don out of hurt and fear called her) might be that
she might have made use of that knowledge if she truly wanted out of the marriage for good and had no interest in preserving the possibility of a reconciliation!
Do you really believe they love each other? I have not, from the very beginning, believed that they were in love. Don’s serial cheating, Betty’s iciness and contempt . . . not in love with each other.
In the context of the day and each of their expectations going in, yes I believe they love(d) each other. I especially believe they each have voids in their soul that, if they could have moved beyond the icy exterior each had to erect to create the picture of the life they each thought they had provide each other, and allowed the other to see and understand, that each could have gone some way to filling those voids for the other.
It may well be too late for that (I should fess up that I'm certainly playing up my certainty of a reconciliation here somewhat just to counterbalance all the preposterous certainty here that these two episodes constitute an obvious final end to the relationship: that doesn't even track with the way relationships, much less marriages actually end today, to say nothing of the early 1960s). I think Matt Weiner left Don Draper's future utterly up-for-grabs in this hour, except for one point on which one of the Mss. Lipp and at least I agree: Don loves Betty. if you want an explanation for his cheating, look to Jon Hamm's observations; I think they're pretty astute. Broadly, I think Don himself has not accepted the reality of his life to this point, because it was so utterly his own creation and thus contingent. In his world, what he does that is not seen by others cannot be real to them, and is compartmentalized for him. This may very well make him an unlovable person, and he obviously will need to face this fundamental problem before anything along the lines of an authentic life with any other person is possible for him. I have no idea if that will happen. I do know this: Betty is one of three(?) people in the world who know Don's secret, and as long as she chooses to keep that secret, she is choosing to preserve an exclusive connection to Don beyond the one (their children) that they will always have.
I don't know what is going to happen, but I do believe that, based just on what we have seen so far, and given the conventions of television dramas (and spare me the notion that Mad Men is beyond convention: in its dramatic structure this show is UTTERLY conventional), the conclusion that Don and Betty Draper are conclusively history is wildly premature. Indeed, if the present situation indicates any outcome to be more probable than others, a reconciliation of the romantic leads would be far and away the most likely one based on conventional expectations, which again, this show has exhibited no tendency to avoid.
My husband’s parents divorced in the mid 60’s when he was eight. That scene in the living room cut him like a knife. Since the finale, he’s vocalized several scenarios in which Don and Betty could and should stay together.
My parents divorced in the mid-1980s when I was approximately eight. But that doesn't make me (or your husband) wrong. I know for a fact that my parents loved each other and had a deep connection, and I also know that their divorce was necessary. They knoew each other completely and found out they couldn't live with each other. What I see in Don and Betty are two people who have never explored the depth of what their relationship could be, because nether of them truly knows him/herself. That seems to be an almost perfect condition for the growth of a powerful marriage — each person evolving withing a life-long bond. The construction "that marriage is X" is itself a recipe for failure. A working marriage is of necessity a changing, living thing, because people need to be able to change. In my view, that could still happen in this marriage because the person who had the most to hide as far as I can tell is the most committed to preserving the marriage, albeit while believing his relationships outside the marriage are not of consequence. But to this point he has not faced the choice between accepting that they have been destructive and losing the marriage. Now the marriage appears over even though he still never faced that choice. To me, it is obvious that if these two want this marriage to be saved, they can save it. I believe at least one of them does, though I don't know if he can change himself enough to make it work. As for the other, I don't know if she knows what she wants, but I believe in the direction she is heading, she is not going to find it.
As an aside, you should not discount what your husband says merely because of his past experiences (indeed, that experience should cause you to take it more seriously rather than dismissing it and simple cause-and-effect), and you should definitely not take for granted the gravity of that experience nad its effect on him or doubt the effect a realistic portrayal of similar experiences might have on him, or see it as merely an interesting footnote to a discussion of a television program. Divorce (or worse) is a formative experience for a child; why do you think Matt Weiner gives us so many glimpses of Dick Whitman's childhood?
I'm not gonna read through 400+ comments again so I did a "find" search here–has no one brought up Joan's use of "It's perfectly clear" when Roger asked her to translate something she'd written? Same words she used last season when she found out Roger had undermined her authority and put Jane back on the desk!
I really don't think Peggy's pregnant — remember when she asked the college boy if had protection? Peggy is determined to be an ad(wo)man and she must be on birth control.
Peggy and Duck, yech.
You just know that the Pete/Peggy angle will surface again with them sharing a desk. Pete or Don are likely to run into Duck.
Yet at this time, I truly think that Pete is making a commitment to 'Lovely' Trudy, they are closer than any other couple on the show. Pete and Peggy both have a new beginning, they're not going to screw it up with an affair, this opportunity means too much to them, although I'm sure they'll be tempted.
Possible insight — The Brits took away the Sterling Cooper staff's Independence Day in 'Guy Walks…' and had worked at eroding their autonomy all season. In 'Shut the Door', the Yanks took it back.
@Del (#326): Did Roger say to Don (once Henry Francis came up) “I was going to tell you. No I wasn’t.†?
Yes, he did. He followed that with "I thought you knew!", which I took to mean that for once Roger was attempting to be tactful and not bring up such a painful subject around a man who was barely speaking to him in the first place. It seems that he'd be in a good position to know how awful that would be for Don, having recently been through it himself.
@Hell's Belle (#332): Alternate title for Epi 13: Sterling Coo-coup.
Nice. It could even be shortened to just "Sterling Coup".
@Federalist (#348): I have always found it errie that Don keeps [his award] around since it prompted the encounter between him and Adam.
To paraphrase the man himself, it's what people do.
I can't imagine Henry staying in Reno over the holidays. He'll be expected to attend several political functions, not to mention spending Christmas itself with his daughter.
Also, even if Betty sticks with her snap decision to not seek alimony (which I'm not sure she will), I have no doubt that Don will try to provide child support.
@DRush76 (#354): Do they dislike Henry that much?
I can't speak for anyone else, but I've felt that there was something off about Henry all season. It's hard to put a label on, but if I had to choose, I'd say that he comes across as oily, arrogant, and more than a little smug. Which, I'll grant, could also be said of most of the characters at some point in the last few years, but we have the benefit of seeing other sides of them. Every interaction between Henry and Betty feels to me like it has an undertone of "Like me. Like me better than your no-good husband, even though I treat you pretty much the same way he does."
That said, I do think it's better for Betty to get out of her mutually abusive relationship with Don. I'm just not sure running off with Henry is the wisest way to go about it. She seemed to do okay last year when she just kicked Don out. In fact, it forced her to grow quite a lot as a person, and I've hating seeing her regress somewhat over this season. It certainly must be appealing to have Henry offer to make everything all better and support her and the kids. Understandable, even, given her limited options at the time. Still, I'd like to see her show more of the backbone she's had occasionally for the last year and a half. Betty can stand on her own two feet, but thanks to Don, Henry, and Gene (and, yes, society in general) she doesn't realize it.
#357 and #314…I hope I am not too late, now that I am obediently reading the Open Thread (having been frustratingly abroad for work during all of this) but, if there is to be a romantic/culminating relationship between Don and Peggy, I would think it would be too soon for Season 4. If the relationship is to be, it might best evolve—smoulderingly an undercurrent—over several seasons to come. On the other hand, if MW sees fit, it could happen right away (as we might satisfyingly crave) but would move ahead with more and more complexity. Love this blog more than I can say…and fear I am too late this time!!
One more thing. Opening scene. Did anyone notice the bottle of Canadian Club on the dresser when Don awakens in — is it Sally's room? the guest room? Then the bottle appears again on the bedside table when, later in the episode, Don walks into observe Sally sleeping. The whiskey is obviously prominent.
Also, I find it hard to believe Betty couldn't find any evidence or corroboration for Don's affairs. Granted, she probably didn't know the extent to which he'd been unfaithful, but would it have been that hard to subpoena Jimmy and/or Bobbie Barrett? Or any of Don's secretaries, all of whom certainly knew plenty? (Hmm, Peggy on the witness stand…)
No, I read that more as, "I don't want to go there," rather than, "I can't possibly find any proof." If Betty really was a piranha, she'd have plenty of places to bite him, but she'd rather have quick and easy.
Alex, I actually jotted down a note about that.
And another note. The bloody scar left on Archie's face by the horse's knockout punch is very reminiscent of the symbol (The Hobo's Code) left on the Whitman's fencepost:— the symbol for a dishonest man.
"The cliché of the 60’s is that the young wanted to overthrow the establishment. Isn’t that what happened last night? The principles of SC were tired of being treated as pawns, were no longer company men (particularly Pryce), so they decided to stick it to “The Man†as they struck out on their own, led by Don."
I don't really see the founders of Sterling, Cooper, Draper and Pryce as "anti-Establishment". They just strike me as a bunch of white men who were in danger of being completely powerless and decided to get their power back in another way. That's it. They're no longer company men. But the people who will work for them, will be exactly that. And they will go back to being what they were at the beginning of the series.