Don kicks in the door
There was a quality of Shut the Door. Have a Seat that felt like, They’re getting the old gang back together. Out with PPL and back to being independent. Don and Roger renew their friendship. And finally, Roger says he’ll “make a phone call.”
I watched the episode with 150 of my dearest friends. When Roger said that, a huge cheer went up; we knew he was calling Joan, and we were so happy.
When {whoever} said that the art department door was locked, another (not quite as boisterous) cheer went up. There was the feeling that Salvatore would surely have that key. There was a feeling, I think, that what was happening was contrivance, a series of events designed to bring that old gang back together.
And then Don kicked in the door.
To a certain extent, I feel that Don was kicking in the fourth wall; he (or Matt) was telling us that our dreams would not all come true; this was still Mad Men, where happily ever after is definitely beside the point. It was a forceful reminder that, as thrilling as the adventure of this episode was, and as gratifying as it felt to take back the Sterling Cooper reins, we couldn’t just erase the past: This ain’t Dallas and it wasn’t all a dream.
In addition, it reminds us of exactly how and why Salvatore is gone. Don fired him. Don. Because he was disgusted and unwilling, in that moment, to be loyal. That hasn’t changed. Don Draper is someone we tend to sympathize with, and often for good reason, but when he kicked in that door, he reminded us that he’s also the person who called a gay man “you people” and his wife a “whore.”
November 10th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Oh I got so excited when that door was locked and I thought they would call Sal… but in hindsight it would have seemed contrived and unrealistic. Roger and Joan have been in touch so it was logical for him to think of her and to call her. Sal on the other hand has been M.I.A. since his phone call from the park. No one has been keeping in touch with him and nobody thought of him… well except us of course!
November 10th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Yes, I too was holding out hope that Sal would make an appearance. He is my favorite character. Surely, though, they’re going to catch up with his character at one point, right?, right??
November 10th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Deb- I hate I missed all the cheers at the party. I hate I missed the party.
With Don doing all his reflection this episode on relationships and repairing them, I took that kick at the door to mean three things:
1) Damn PPL to be so short-sighted not to hire an art director -BAM!
2) Take that PPL… we’re leaving you with nothing- BAM! and finally,
3) I’m responsible for why Sal’s not here, and I can’t fix it- BAM!
With all the lung cancer foreshadowing, I’m hoping it’s who Lee Jr. hurries and aquires some malady, so we won’t have to worry about his sorry ass, and Sal can come back!
November 10th, 2009 at 10:30 am
The question seems to be one of what greater story MW wants to tell. When the show started, each character seemed to be an archetype of someone of that generation.
* Peggy the eager beaver single girl who’d become the working woman of tomorrow.
* Roger the ultimate example of a “member of the Lucky Sperm Club”, second generation trust fund baby who never quite grew up, but who’s charm has served him well. Relic of WWII as well.
* Joan the can-do woman. Helen Gurley Brown’s girl. But truly of the 50’s generation.
* Bert the wise and quirky sage.
* Don the mysterious, dark haired man in the Grey Flannel Suit.
* Pete the Trust Fund kid who gets no respect and has a bit of villain in him.
* Betty the icy Hitchcock blonde who’s miserable in the suburbs waiting for Betty Friedan to free her.
* Sal the closeted homosexual.
* Midge the beatnik.
* Henry, Paul, Ken a the Greek Chorus.
* Hollis/Carla the African Americans.
Each of these people represented a type of life back in this generation and there’s a real story to what happened to them. But I’m not sure MW’s as committed to making as much social commentary as he used to be. So will Sal return, or not? Stonewall isn’t for a few more years. I suppose he could be working as a commercial director and get hired from time to time, but the fact that SCD&P is founded on Lucky Strike precludes Sal from ever working there. And I’m highly doubtful he could ever work for Don again.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I loved this season finale! To me, it had a great Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland “Hey! I’ve got a barn!”
“I’ve got a piano!”
“Let’s put on a show to save the town/orphanage/mom & pop!”
I also hope Sal gets to come back, but I could live without Mistah Hookah and his super short suit jacket sleeves. I’m sure Dumbledore’s son would rather have a “skirt” than Mistah Hookah any day.
My only prediction for next season: Betty will be even unhappier with Henry than she was with Don. Hm. Is Henry a closet wife beater? We know nothing about the first Mrs., do we? I can just see a black and blue Betty calling Don and Don beating the shit out of Henry.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I thought that kicking-in the door was kind of indicating that Sal was “out of closet” or foreshadowing that he would be coming out. Also perhaps indicating that the barrier had been knocked down. Perhaps it was sort of a non-verbal groveling (as was a verbal one to Roger, Pete, Peggy) towards Sal. Maybe Don’s way of breaking the barrier between he and Sal, indicating that they’d openly acknowledge (Sal’s sexuality) in the future.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:43 am
I thought it might be referring to how Don’s actions effectively kicked in Sal’s closet door.
I wanted (and want) him back, too. Sometimes this show has too much realism. I’d be willing to suspend disbelief for Sal.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:47 am
The “F” on the Art Department door to me represents the absence of leadership in there since the departure of Sal. No way Sal allows that on his watch.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:52 am
JvJ, the thing is, Don doesn’t want Sal back. “You people” is disgust and contempt. Lee Garner Jr. could drop dead tomorrow, Don isn’t motivated to change his mind.
It would be cool if SCDP hired a new art director and he turned out to be gay, wouldn’t it? Forcing Don to get over his damn self.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Yeah I think it would have been fanficcish for Sal to be brought back so easily. There are many reasons why Sal should be part of the new agency. They need an Art Department rep. Sal is forward thinking and a risk taker. And thematically Sal fits the pattern of relationships that Don has devalued or taken for granted (along with Peggy, Pete and Roger).
But it can’t be ignored how hurtful Sal’s dismissal was. Don would need a whole episode to make amends, if that is still possible. And who says that Don wants to apologise? Does Don still judge Sal badly? Maybe Don needs to see some behaviour from Lee that convinces him that Sal was the wronged party. I think the only way Don could reverse the situation and get Sal back is by confronting Lee. Which he could possibly do without losing the account. I’m sure Lee doesn’t want his homosexuality exposing either.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Kurt “I sleep with the man” was openly gay. Don didn’t fire him, and he worked for Don too.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I still think that if Harry had gone directly to Don, he might have been able to do something for Sal, but as it was his hands were tied by the public confrontation and Roger’s knowledge of what had gone down – Don hates to be the last one to know or cut out of the loop, and while he’s certainly no PFLAG member, if it weren’t for Lucky Strike being one of their main clients I think he would have reached out to Sal as well.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:08 am
The other side of the question is: Would Sal want to come back? Our last view of him showed him desperate and alone, but surely he has recovered to some degree by now, at least professionally (His marriage is a different question). We know he has talent and standing in his profession. If he has a new job, why would he want to come back to work with people who treated him so badly? Roger didn’t care to even hear his side of the story, and Don didn’t care whether or not it was true after he heard it.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:15 am
#11. Don didn’t fire Sal specifically for being gay. Don had known Sal was gay for months beforehand and had kept it secret. But I think Don’s words “Limit your exposure” was not just advice, but an order. Don can accept people having dark secrets as long as they hide them, like he hides his dark secrets. I don’t think Don believed that Sal was unwilling. He believed Sal’s sexuality had jepadised their business. That’s when it became a problem. If Don can realise that Lee is the real problem and not stigmatise that all gay men are those “people”, we might get some progress.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Of the one main character and three supporting characters whose futures hang in the balance (Betty, Sal, Kinsey and Cosgrove) I would say Sal’s return would be most credible. After all, SCD&P has no Art department and will presumably need one. Betty, i’m sure, we’ll pop up from time to time, but any reconciliation between her and Don would seem redundant, if not contrived. (As would a H. Francis as the “evil” new man storyline — sorry, we’ve already seen that plot device with Joanie’s surgeon). And in terms of Cosgrove and Kinsey who at the new firm would want them?
Anyway, I’m hoping Weiner avoids the usual audience expectation stuff and sticks to the harsh truths of serious drama. Dallas, as the article suggested, this ain’t.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:20 am
#13. I agree with this. Didn’t Sal say at the start of ‘Old Kentucky Home’ that he had been working at the company SIX years longer than all of the chipmunk gang? That means he was a SC employee for about 10 years. To be thrown out so heartlessly after all that time is really unforgiveable.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Sal was not fired for being gay, but for not whoring himself to Lee Gardner, Jr. Don expected Sal to do so because he witnessed the scene with the bellhop, and assumed Sal regularly went cruising, and that disgusted him (not that this makes him less close minded). Don said if it had been a woman, he would treat the situation differently depending on the woman. He chastised Pete in the pilot for harassing a virginal Peggy. But he would be less supportive if someone did the same thing to Jane or even Joan.
I don’t think Sal’s coming back. It’s not realistic. However, I don’t think he’ll be completely gone from the show. He might have joined another agency (Don might have at least given him a good reference) and we get insight into “how the other half works.” But more likely, he becomes involved in the counterculture…and somehow gets Sally into it when she rebels against Betty!!!! Just a thought from my wild imagination.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Don was willing to put Kurt on board if Peggy said no. He was angry with Sal for making a mess that he, Don, had just that minute been assigned to clean up. And firing Sal was the way to clean the mess. Don is obviously not above hurling slurs when he’s pissed, I mean he called his own wife a whore. The whole thing was really Harry’s fault, anyway, but firing Harry wouldn’t have solved the problem.
Lucky Strike is still a client, still their biggest client and that’s the real reason Sal won’t get hired back full time. Don’s homophobia really isn’t the issue.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:45 am
#9- Deb: You are right of course. Don’s “you people.” I like your version better!
November 10th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
The last we saw of Sal he was on the phone lying to his wife and it looked like he was going to troll the park.
He is bound to divorce poor Kitty and come to grips with his real identity.
As for Don how bout his accusation to Betty for building a life raft? He has been building a life raft for years as evidenced by his stash of cash in the drawer. He knows all about building life rafts.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
On the bigger picture of how contrived having the band back together was…well, it *is* contrived, and certainly a convention of TV that the main cast be together. But I’m willing to accept that. These actors are so good together, and these characters have such a strong dynamic working off each other that I’m willing to suspend belief. There were some moments this season where the manipulations of the writers were evident; others have noted that why would they set up the whole PPL situation from last season and not fully exploit it.
Part of that is the inherent problem of writing a TV series without knowing whether you’ll be renewed or not. Writers have to create circumstances that make for a satisfying close if the series isn’t renewed, that tie up major plot threads, but that also create new story possibilities if the series is renewed. It’s a balancing act. (I believe MW got a two-year contract for seasons 3-4, right? So it gave him the freedom to leave more loose ends open this year.) In the case of PPL, probably between seasons the story took a different shape, and so what could have been a more detailed look at the new dynamic of a PPL-owned Sterling Cooper was abandoned for the Don/Betty end-of-the-marriage drama.
As novelistic as Mad Men aspires to be, they are bound by some of the practical and aesthetic demands of being a serial. It’ll be interesting to see how MW solves some of the situations he’s set up, and how main cast members like Sal, Paul, and Ken are folded into the fourth season if they’re not brought into SCDP.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Don was willing to put Kurt on board if Peggy said no. He was angry with Sal for making a mess that he, Don, had just that minute been assigned to clean up.
But Sal didn’t make that mess. Lee Garner Jr. did. The only “mess” that Sal had made was his refusal to sleep with Garner. I’m certain that Don knew this. Does Don really believe that Sal should have caved in?
November 10th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
The only “mess” that Sal had made was his refusal to sleep with Garner. I’m certain that Don knew this. Does Don really believe that Sal should have caved in?
Think back to Don’s first encounter with Bobbie Barrett — he’s not asking Sal to do anything he wouldn’t do himself.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
I was thinking that McCann Erickson is the company with their own gay art director from Betty’s photo shoot. Maybe that guy will hire Sal, and give him some sort of positive support. I’d like to see Sal with an understanding platonic gay friend.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Eh. I didn’t read all that subtext into it. To me, their only goal that weekend was to put together a skeleton staff for their immediate needs, and an art department wasn’t one of them. The ART, on the other hand, was necessary for continuity of service for their clients.
Every single person pulled together for the Sterling Coup was mission critical. You could argue that even Peggy wasn’t critical, but Don knew he needed her as the perfect foil & partner for himself to direct Creative. Copy directs art, not the other way around.
To me, the door kick was just Don displaying his power, and if there was subtext, it related to the flashback: Don exerts control over his destiny, symbolically “taking back” the horse kick that killed his father and changed his own childhood destiny. (Does that make sense?)
November 10th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
This may be neither here nor there but didn’t Sal at some point wistfully say that he’d like to set up shop somewhere on his own and I don’t know freelance or something?
I’m not real big on speculation so, I’ll let you all run where you want to with that. Prefer to be carried along with the story.
Add me to the “I’d be willing to suspend disbelief for the return of Sal” camp though. I don’t think it’s all that farfetched.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
You know, I didn’t understand why Don was so disgusted by Sal, until I read another writer saying it was “obvious” that Don didn’t believe Sal’s story; he believed it was Sal who made the pass, and Lee Garner who turned it down, and that’s why Garner wanted Sal fired.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
You can hire a freelance art director, and unless Sal has joined another agency, that may be what he has become. Or, he has set up shop as a director of commercials and commercial films. Plenty of work like that to be had, at places like Jam Handy that did all the work for the car companies. I think Sal will return in some fashion, only not initially as SCD&P’s art director.
On the first weekend, though, Don was more concerned with getting everything the firm needed to set up shop at the Pierre. Busting down the door made perfect sense, since his adrenalin must have been flooding through his veins.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I agree that Don probably assumed Sal was lying about it being Lee, Jr. making the pass. Also, let’s not forget that Don got into hot water with the brass about Rachel, so he may have some underlying resentment about the whole sleeping with clients issue.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
If you look back at the episode, Don didn’t fire Sal; Roger already had. Sal was appealing to Don to allow him to “lay low for awhile” like he’d done with Paul on the Madison Square Garden fiasco. Don, knowing the importance of their biggest account Lucky Strike, knew that he couldn’t even consider taking that risk. (“They can turn off our lights…”)
Don’s not the bad guy here, just caught in an impossible, painful situation. He knew Sal was a goner, but had to play the cold-hearted prick to break ties with a man who was almost an old friend. He did end it with a handshake and a “you’ll do fine…”.
I’m sure Sal will resurface, maybe with his own little agency. I learned in the 80’s that “real life ain’t fair” and Mad Men emulates real life so well.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
I think the whole Don/Sal thing is a lot simpler. Don doesn’t care that Sal is gay. He DID care that he was mired in a mess that came to his desk while he was in the middle of his own crises. I don’t think Don stopped to consider who was guilty or innocent. Sal was somehow a part of the problem, the client decreed that Sal should be fired, and firing Sal fixed the problem. At that moment, Don was all about fixing the problem fast and that’s what he did. He didn’t consider his feelings for or against Sal, because that’s not how he rolls. I am with others who thought Don’s “you people” was more along the lines of you people who bring me problems, rather than you people who are gay.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
I think Sal will have made the necessary platonic gay connections to get work as a freelance commercial tv director. He will be back on the show. It would be great if SCDP hired another director who Lee Jr. hits upon. Maybe he’ll hit on Smith and have his teeth bashed in.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
If SCDP comes calling, Sal should refuse (but hear the offer so he can learn what they think he is worth) and maintain his self-respect. I view Sal as a “lifer” – he’d be at Sterling Coo forever because it was a steady job. I never thought of him as happy in his work, rather I thought he was limited artistically (“no one wants illustrations anymore”). In other words, his work life was as inhibited as his home life. This was a rotten way for it to happen, but he would not have been stuck as a “cog in the wheel” at McCann Erickson and he is not living with the mess at PPL/Sterling Coo.
Bye bye Birdie! Fly high on your own…be a freelance commerical director and give Kitty her freedom. All the MM characters can say “did you hear…” when you win your first CLIO. And be astonished when you head to Hollywood and your first feature film is an art-house success. Thus concludes my Sal fantasy.
Thanks all who pointed “(f)Art”!
November 10th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
As much I love Sal and would choose him first, someone on another forum pointed out that Don could possibly approach Midge to be their new Head of Art. I’d love to see a few more girls in the mix at the new agency and Midge was always my favourite of Don’s many mistresses.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Sal, Sal, Sal. I kept wanting Freddy Rumsen to walk in some scene. I would have also liked Freddy to kindly tell Peggy to get off her high horse and realize what all she has gotten and just get on board.
November 10th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Don kicking down the door was cool, like he was an action-hero.
@4 Aran and 17 Empress Rouge -Sal’s too old for Stonewall/counter-culture. The Stonewall attracted teenagers and those in their twenties. Sal is going to be too old to be going to Stonewall. He would be the 50 year old at the 20 club for twentysomethings. The counter-culture was those in their twenties and thirties. He will watch the parade pass him by and wonder what might have been.
@ 11 Aran- It has been said before, but it’s worth saying again. Kurt’s social life didn’t affect the office. Don doesn’t care if Kurt has sex with another man any more than if Ken goes to see a party-girl. As long as it doesn’t impact the office, “who cares?” Once it affects work, it becomes an issue.
November 10th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Oh man, I wish I had been there to see and hear the cheers.
I loved it when Don kicked down the door. Effin’ A.
November 10th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
At some point, one of the Mad Men says something to the effect that they’d be starting their own agency with a “skeleton” staff.
Talk about leaving the door open for any and every character we love to come waltzing over to the Pierre.
Including Sal on every account, but Lucky Strike.
November 10th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
I took the kicking in of the door to be a sort of response to the horse kicking Archie. Don was going to be successful where his father hadn’t; instead of being kicked when he tried to strike out on his own, he was going to do the kicking.
The fact that it was the door to Sal’s old department may have had no more significance that the fact it’s the only door they needed, that none of them would have had a key to.
Anyway, if I was Sal I’d have to get pretty damn hungry before I’d agree to work for Don and Roger again.
November 10th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Melissa, that’s what I was trying to get at in #25 about the horse kick. You said it better.
November 10th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
The fact that it was the door to Sal’s old department may have had no more significance that the fact it’s the only door they needed, that none of them would have had a key to.
But if it could’ve been any door anywhere in the building, why did the writers choose to make it the door to the art department? I agree with Deborah that the moment was specifically designed to set up and then immediately dash the expectation of “Sal to the rescue!”
Particularly considering that the title of the episode was “Shut the Door. Have a Seat,” and scene after scene involved one character exhorting another to shut the door and sit down so that they could have a conversation in confidence. This was the one case in which Don decided not to take someone else into his confidence; instead of shutting Sal’s door, he kicked it in.
You know, I didn’t understand why Don was so disgusted by Sal, until I read another writer saying it was “obvious” that Don didn’t believe Sal’s story; he believed it was Sal who made the pass, and Lee Garner who turned it down, and that’s why Garner wanted Sal fired.
This I disagree with, though. I never got the sense that Don disbelieves Sal; he wouldn’t have gotten drawn into the whole “What if it was some girl?” argument if he thought the entire scenario was a fabrication.
He simply resents the fact that Sal, one of “those people,” who as far as he’s concerned must go around screwing bellhops and random other men any chance he gets, would choose to say no the one time it actually matters to Don’s business.
November 10th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
#27, #29 –
That’s definitely how I read the scene when I first saw it. Don didn’t believe Sal, based on the stereotype that still exists (though certainly more back then) that gay men are predators that can’t control their urges. In this reading, “you people” refers to all gays.
Granted, you can interpret it how you’d like, and I see it through my lens, with my own personal experiences.
November 10th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Don could possibly approach Midge to be their new Head of Art.
Don moves in only one direction: Foreward. I can’t see him digging up old girlfriends, and Midge is freelance because she likes the lifestyle.
November 10th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Besides, Midge is drawing puppy art for a greeting card company. Not necessarily Advertising Art Director skills.
I actually used that “She only moves in one direction. Forward.” line today at work (yes, I slip in a little bit of work now and then between BoK comments) One person got it. She’s a MM fan too.
November 10th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Whoah. Midge.
Deb, I hear ya. But someone brought it up earlier–freelancers for art for awhile. That is sometimes how a startup works. I disagree with one of the earlier posts–sometimes it is one creative director, and if that CD is from the copy side, than freelance art is the way to go.
November 10th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
As much as I hate to say it, I think we need to accept the fact that Don might actually just be a closed-minded homophobe. Yes, he was “understanding” after the season premiere, but in my mind the “you people” said it all. And the “it depends what I knew about that girl”, comparing his homosexuality to being a “loose woman”.
We can all try to believe that Don is at heart a good man, but the truth is most people back then were extremely closed-minded. Sadly most people today are too.
November 10th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Don also called Peter “a little shit” in the bar scene w/Roger right after they visited Pete at his apartment. I think the exact words were something like: “I can’t believe that little shit was going to leave.” This statement comes very shortly after their visit w/Pete where Don so sincerely tells Pete that he values him. Don maybe learning (very much still learning) how to value relationships- but he has not completely turned the corner- he is still very much Don, the man who called his wife a “whore” when it is he who is the “whore.”
November 10th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Don also called Peter “a little shit” in the bar scene w/Roger right after they visited Pete at his apartment. I think the exact words were something like: “I can’t believe that little shit was going to leave.”
I thought it was said with a kind of joking, amused warmth. I didn’t take anything bad from it. They both know Pete’s value.
November 10th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
#48 Roger first called Pete “that little shit” right after Don fired Pete for pitching his own copy in “New Amsterdam.”
November 10th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
#48 gypsy howell. Both Roger and Don may know Pete’s value to them- but they don’t respect him. I value you is not the same as I respect you. I respect you is really what Pete wants from Don-maybe even really what he hears. I think the term “little shit” speaks for itself.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I’m amazed that no one’s picked up on the new SCDP and how firmly it is based in the actual history of ad agencies in that period, albeit a little early–the new creatively oriented shops of “stars” literally starting in hotel suites and growing from there. It was the era of the breakaway agency–Wells Rich Greene broke from DDB in 1966, Scali McCabe Sloves from Carl Ally (and others) in 1967, Ammirati & Puris from Carl Ally in 1965, Chiat/Day….So Weiner’s pointing to the future in this as well. It may feel like a device, but it’s absolutely rooted in history.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
This may not be the correct place to ask but I did not see a place that did look fitting. Here goes, in the finale, when Don goes to Peggy’s messy apartment and makes his speach, he says something like, “Something terrible happened and the person does not see himself as he used to be…” Can someone please explain that speach? It did not make sense to me, is he referring to her past pregnancy or his damaged past? And what does that have to do with working with him? Sorry, it was too subtle for me.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Susan, he was pitching Peggy to get back into working for him. Great as the speech was, it wasn’t all that different from his speech to Betty when he said that she’d find someone else, but he’d be all alone forever. Don wants to win the pitch.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
My take on why Don said “you people” to Sal. Don thought that Sal knew what he was doing and that he jerked (no pun intended) the customer around and now they could lose the customer. The bottom line is Sal almost lost a massive customer over a romantic entanglement, however innocent, and that will get anyone fired, straight or not.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Susan, he was saying that they are kindred spirits, because of their imperfect backgrounds, and have to stick together.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
#55 – I also think he was telling Peggy that their experiences gave them insight into how to sell things to a public that didn’t even know it had changed yet since the Kennedy assassination.
…and of course, selling things is not just selling things. it’s how to define Americans to themselves, in the same way that love is something Don invented to sell… himself on that notion.
I expect that next season Joan and Roger will accept that they love one another. I would be surprised if either of them got divorced, tho. It would make for some interesting moments with Jane and Joan. Greg will be the wild card.
Pete and Peggy will tap into the youth demographic. I read somewhere that Duck was having his way with Peggy as a way to stick it to Don. Hope Pete does not tell Trudy about Peggy in a jerk-o-matic moment.
don’t know if Smitty and Kurt will be there. Or Paul, tho I hope so (someone has to give Peggy her first acid…j/k) Maybe Pete will go to an Af-Am business man to work with him on accounts. If this is a forward-thinking biz, they could be able to integrate a little bit. It’s not freaking Alabama.
Bill Cosby had already done stand up in NYC by 1962 so one of the changes that I would welcome is a character who has a little more melanin. One of the unique things about Cosby back then was that he was simply a guy, not a guy who embodied all racial issues. His humor wasn’t racial; it was about the things that made us all alike. He bypassed all the cultural war issues and time traveled to some decades later when Americans happily welcomed their first African-American president (well, most welcomed.)
calling Lucky Strike out Jr!
I hope Don has an interesting affair or two.
I hope he watches Ed Sullivan with his kids. I hope they go to Shea Stadium.
I hope Betty and Henry get married and we see her occasionally but not every episode because this season spent too much time in the suburbs, for me. While I understand and think this was the “Betty’s story” season – or the Betty and Don’s marriage dies season, next season needs to be less… grim. Betty is a character that will find the coming decade difficult. Who knows what she’ll do or if her life will change in any way. We had a season to find out and the choice was to leave her in her dollhouse.
I think Don was telling Peggy that he’s grown up enough to try to mentor someone. He made amends to her but couldn’t with Betty because Peggy understands Don’s inner world in ways that Betty never will.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
So I watched this again, and I’m loving Harry Crane. Only barely aware of what is happening, yet he must have mad skilz if they brought him into the inner circle.
Someone said that Harry was the only one who didn’t get a sales pitch. Maybe so, but he got his motivation, which was Bert’s attention.
In MM everything happens for a reason, and there was a reason the guys brought Harry into the fold.
November 11th, 2009 at 12:40 am
I agree with Deborah, Donny Brook and MD Man that Don didn’t believe Sal’s story. That was how I read the scene, too, and was confused when everyone started saying that Don was encouraging Sal to service Lee.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:43 am
Hmm…when I saw the Don/Sal scene, I wasn’t thinking that Don thought Sal had come on to Garner and that Garner was actually straight. I was thinking Don was trying to convey something more like, “Oh, come on, you’ll sleep with anything in pants, I saw you with that bellhop,” not knowing that the bellhop was Sal’s only sexual encounter with a man (and it lasted all of ninety seconds).
But the first scenario is actually worse, in a way, because it says Don thinks Sal is a lying sleazebucket who doesn’t care about anything but getting himself laid and has no discrimination about who he comes on to, instead of simply thinking Sal is a priss who should have been all too happy to give up the booty to satisfy a horny client.
The first explanation would be very believable for 1963, though; it was commonly believed that gay men would sleep with anything in pants and would come on to just about any guy who gave out the time of day. But when Sal said (paraphrasing), “You mean I should have just slept with him? What if it was a girl?” and Don said, “That depends on what kind of girl it was and what I knew about her,” that sort of indicated to me that Don knew Sal was not BS-ing him about what happened, just that he thought Sal should have dropped trou if that was the case.
(So basically, Sal’s choice is say no and get shitcanned, or say yes and get shitcanned, because Garner can always claim the whole thing was Sal’s idea. Nice.)
November 11th, 2009 at 4:11 am
Don had no choice but to fire Sal because if he didn’t they would have lost Lucky Strike which might have bankrupted the agency. Don’s “you people” comment was made more out of anger at the situation. Don does not like being backed into a corner and in this case he was def. backed into a corner in that he had no other option but to fire Sal.
As Roger said to Don “you are in way over your head”.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:31 am
I could see Sal coming back on a freelance basis. He could work ad hoc on many accounts with the exception of Lucky Strike. That way Sal gets to keep his dignity and call more of his own shots and hopefully grow his own team apart from Don and Cos. new agency.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:25 am
“Don had no choice but to fire Sal because if he didn’t they would have lost Lucky Strike which might have bankrupted the agency. Don’s “you people” comment was made more out of anger at the situation. Don does not like being backed into a corner and in this case he was def. backed into a corner in that he had no other option but to fire Sal.”
I believe it went a bit deeper. During the scene in which Don had fired Sal, he seemed determined to believe that the entire situation was Sal’s fault. He could not fathom why Sal, a homosexual, would not be willing to drop his pants for any man (especially a client) who approached him. I suspect Don believe that Sal was naturally promiscuous because he was gay, and was stumped at why Sal rejected Lee Garner Jr’.s overtures.
November 11th, 2009 at 8:05 am
What about when Paul goes to Peggy’s office door and finds she’s left with Don? That look on his face! I think Paul just lost his reason for coming to work.
November 11th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Someone said that Harry was the only one who didn’t get a sales pitch. Maybe so, but he got his motivation, which was Bert’s attention.
Bert made the sales pitch to Harry – he could join SCDP as Head of Media or go to McCann as a mid-level cog in their machine. Harry already complained to Pete in the last ep that he was going to die unnoticed behind the desk at SC. Bert pushed exactly the right button.
Here’s how I interpreted Don’s conversation with Peggy (YMMV):
He didn’t say they were SELLING things, he said “people BUY things.” As in, people buy a certain vision of themselves in the world, a vision of who they are, of how the world is supposed to work. And then something terrible happens and that image is destroyed. Parts of yourself are lost forever. He and Peggy understand that and know how to tap into that void. They can speak to the deep need inside people to make their world whole again, because they’ve experienced it.
That’s a very rare and very valuable talent.
That was my take on it, anyway. I think the scene could have been written a little better. What’s the point of dialog that leaves so many people saying “WTF was that supposed to mean?”
November 11th, 2009 at 10:51 am
@ Susan #52, (+ 53, 55, 64)
I saw it as a very Don way of seeing the world. His genius as an ad man (one that Peggy shares) is that he can draw from himself and relate it to the world at large. When he talks about the terrible thing that happened to the world i.e. the Kennedy assassination, he knows that only someone who has already experienced such a terrible dislocation in their personal life AND knows how to use it (as Peggy can, and as he can), will be able to communicate in the new world coming.
As for the over-subtlety. that’s a very Mad Men thing, especially in the Don/Peggy relationship. Their secrets are so sensitive to them that, even between each other, they can’t come out and speak them directly.
I have to add that the scene was also the first expression of true affection between the two. I never quite felt any father/daughter-like bond between them before, but when Peggy said “you’ll never speak to me again,” I welled up right along with her.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:54 am
^Ooops, forgot to also cite esme’s comment #56.
November 11th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Dear Gypsy, esme, duane, and Melville, – Thanks for the help. It makes sense now that you guys put the pieces together. I like the aspect that Don sees himself and Peggy as kindered spirits, Melville. That works in my view. Remember the time he compared her to Irene Dunn? And their feelings for each other are deep and unspeakable. Great acting. Thank you for help. Sometimes I need to share a brain! And Gypsy, you crack me up on your take on Henry Frances. Thanks.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Have I missed it our is everybody forgetting about Freddy Rumsen? He and Don have some backstory and I’ll be amazed if he is not back for season four!
November 11th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Have I missed it or is everybody forgetting about Freddy Rumsen? He and Don have some backstory and I’ll be amazed if he is not back for season four!
November 11th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Did anyone else notice what seemed to be a twinge of desire that came over Don after he called Betty a whore? In the moments that the camera lingered on his face after he pushed her away, it appeared that there was a fleeting element of lust. Interesting dynamic.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Ohhhh scot. You must join us at the bottom of the Rude Awakenings thread. Fights are breaking out! Fists are flying! Names are being called!
November 12th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Scot – I noticed that too. For a second, I thought they were going to start passionately kissing!