Don painting over a water-stained wall in Anna’s house is a device used in “The Good News” to advance the storyline of his visit to California and (apparently) close that chapter of his life. Ostensibly, the discoloration is the result of a leaky roof. Anna tells Don that she has fixed the roof but not gotten around to removing the stain.
The morning after finding out that Anna is dying, Don starts to paint over the stain. Anna correctly points out that covering just that small corner, rather than the entire room, with fresh paint isn’t really going to solve the problem (the newer paint won’t completely match). However, the act serves both as a metaphor for Don’s feelings of helplessness in dealing with Anna’s illness as well his coming to terms (albeit perhaps temporarily) with his former identity.
It’s not made explicitly clear whether or not Anna really knows her true condition. As with the repair to the leaky roof, she appears to think that the cast on her leg fixes the problem. But has Anna chosen to ignore the direness of her situation and, like the water-stain, opted instead to let nature take its course? I tend to think Anna is more aware that something is going on with her than she acknowledges. “Que Sera, Sera,” Dr. Emerson’s advice to Joan in the first scene, would seem to sum up Anna’s outlook as well.
When Don argues with Anna’s sister Patty over not telling Anna about her illness, Patty fires right back that Don is nothing more than “a man in a room with a checkbook.” While his bluster about wanting to take a more active role in Anna’s crisis is sincere, it is coming rather late in the game. Just as Don doesn’t have the time to properly repaint Anna’s entire living room, it’s not likely that he will be sticking around for the duration of her malady either.
Seeing what Don has done inspires Anna to add some designs of her own to the freshly painted wall. Significantly, she asks Don to sign his work. At the foot of the wall, Don paints “DICK + ANNA ’64.” I would argue that this echoes a previous episode which shows Don affixing a dated signature to a very different “document.” In Season 3’s “Seven Twenty Three,” Don was pressured into signing a five-year three-year contract with Sterling-Cooper. At first, he did not want to do so because such symbols of permanence felt like an encumbrance to the man who wanted to maintain control of his destiny. In the end, events unfolded which forced Don to reluctantly reconsider that position.
Anna’s leaky roof perhaps represents the fact that her and Dick’s secret has gotten out (Pete, Bert and Betty now know) and the damage that revelation has caused (with Betty in particular). Dick/Don seeks out Anna to help him deal emotionally with that damage (getting smacked around by a prostitute certainly hasn’t). His paint job, imperfect as it is, demonstrates an initial attempt at some sort of a resolution. And Anna’s expression of unconditional love for Dick/Don in spite of his flaws goes a long way toward achieving that resolution.
Dick/Don overcomes his initial reluctance to “sign” the wall much more easily then signing the contract in “Seven Twenty Three.” Including Anna’s name in the signature is evidence of her role in his coming to terms with that identity. Yet, while signing the Sterling-Cooper contract was a different situation, the chain of events which lead up to inscribing his signature in “The Good News” carries with it, for Don, another equally devastating sense of permanent loss.
21 Responses to “DICK + ANNA ’64”
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Great post. I've been thinking about the Dick/ Don divide and especially Bert's reaction. Is the divide on some level arbitrary? I mean what would happen if everyone knew, everybody in the office? Would it make Don any less of a creative talent? Would they start calling him Dick? Most likely they wouldn't because they are used to the "Don" they know and aside from his name what's the difference? He didn't fabricate a past for his co-workers; he simply left it murky, unspoken as much as possible. In some ways, at work at least, this seems like a positive quality. So many of Don's colleagues can't seem to keep the personal life and work life separate, which leads to trouble.
I know Don has issues and I'm not trying to minimize those; rather I'm just exploring the ideas of secrecy, privacy, and identity. I think there may be some subtexts in MM that argue that identity is a very personal construct, one that is always inscrutable to outsiders, at least on some level.
Matt, when I initially posted my comment about this on "Not So Good News," my take on it was a little different. First of all, I believe it was Anna, who was the one who initially made a design on the wall and then invited Don to do so. I think it's significant instead of making a mere design, he wrote "Dick+ Anna, 1964. So you see, despite his initial reluctance, he's actually putting his birth name, not his assumed identity to his handiwork. AND dated it.
This is no mere "contract" but so much more. It's about Dick/Don and Anna's profound mutual love,(the "Dick + Anna" mimicking the way teens put their initials inside a heart or carve them on a tree ); their headstone for their collective, tacit realization their "lives" together have passed, and a mute reference that says "We were here."
Remember how at the beginning of Season 1 ("Nixon vs Kennedy," I think) when Harry, stripped down to his underwear, told Don about his early attempts at art (photography) and how he used to photograph imprints of hands on frosty windowpanes? He also mentioned how he was fascinated with the early cave paintings. This is very, very similar. At its most primal, drawing and art go back to the earliest of our attempts to communicate. Along with running from wild beasts, I believe drawing is one of those things hardwired into our 2,500 years + of civilized history. At its most fundamental, art exists both to tell a story and to communicate.
That is what I believe is going on here. Now, like Harry, it's Don, stripped down to his shorts, who's painting Anna's wall. That wall is fulfilling those two initial functions of art because it's communicating something (the writing and the date) AND it contains art (Anna's flower). Unlike "7-23" I think Don can go ahead and put his (real) name to it without as much agonizing as he did then, because he realizes the woman who helped him give shape to a new life has needs which far exceed his. For once, he can, however, inpefectly, give something instead of always taking. And, as you've said above, this, unlike a mere business contract, which can ultimately be reshaped or broken, is a devastating, permanent loss. Dick now has to be Don Draper forever, whether he likes it or not; when Anna dies, there won't be any turning back. Trying to be an authentic person in a manufactured identity–that's going to be a doozy!
"a man *in a room* with a checkbook" is a little interesting. Why not just "man with a checkbook?"
The 2nd thought about that line is that it describes many divorced fathers, and this might have crossed Don's mind when she said it. Don is not going to stay in California, he can't stay in California because he has kids back home, and doesn't want to become a distant checkbook for them. Don was kidding himself, sister knew he wasn't going to stick around for Anna. Sister was not going to let Don hurt Anna.
Sister knows. Many people say Anna brings out the best in Dick/Don, well it's easier to be relaxed and charming when you are on vacation from responsibilities. I think in Dick Whitman's mind (and his father's) at least, Dick is a hobo, a bum. Who would leave the wall half-painted if not pushed. Bums can make promises, they just fail a lot. And move on, run away.
"Dick + Anna 1964"
Anna is in a large way responsible for the creation of "Don Draper." From the day they met Anna was a check that needed to be written by Don, not an escape hatch for Dick to run to.
#3 " a man in a room"
echoes Bert stating that there is a Japanese expression about a man being defined by the room he is in (or something like that).
I choose to see that statement as hopeful; Dick/Don is as good as he is at any given moment.
#2 SFCaramis I believe it was Anna, who was the one who initially made a design on the wall and then invited Don to do so
Yes, that's how I remembered it as well. I also seem to remember that Anna invites Don to sign his work which immediately made me think of "723".
he’s actually putting his birth name, not his assumed identity to his handiwork Yes. It's THAT identity he's struggling with (the one Betty rejected) which Anna has helped him come to terms with (for 1964 anyway since everyone is a continuous work in progress).
#3 bob mcmanus: despite how we may not like Patty's approach to dealing with Anna's illness, I agree that her heart is indeed in the right place. And could you imagine how uglier the encounter would have been had Patty known about Stephanie's ride home the previous night?!
@SFCaramia
I tend to agree–I think "Dick + Anna" is the signature of the artist, mentioned by Don in his discussion with Harry about the cave paintings. The Don Draper mask Dick Whitman wears is really a product of Dick + Anna.
Interesting tid-bit for the obsessed like me: in the draft of the teleplay for The Wheel on file at the Writer's Guild, Weiner wrote "signature of the shaman" instead of "artist." In Christmas Comes But Once A Year, Dr. Faye Miller calls Don a "the creative shaman around here."
BTW @SFCaramia… I too love the allusion back to “Nixon vs Kennedy” – nice catch.
The Harry-Don conversation about hand prints and photographs takes place in The Wheel and not in Nixon vs. Kennedy.
Nit picking: The contract was for three years, not five.
Also, #3, Dick/Don is a hobo, NOT a bum. There are many subtle differences in between, and the show has been keen on defining a hobo as an embodiment of certain values that include decency and (an unorthodox) work ethics.
Re #2
Oh yeah! I really liked that moment with Harry. It was so quiet and beautiful. I hope we get more of that sort of thing soon.
Re #3
I agree that it is easier out in Pedro. It is a relationship without expectations. Dick the hobo can come and go as he pleases. And while I don't give Don credit for loosening up out there, I do enjoy watching who he is when he is free of the weight of his lies. I'm happy for him.
Real maturity is getting to where the "expectations of others" are balanced with "being who we are." Any husband/wife/parent instinctively knows this. Dick/Don lives in two extremes but the liar and the hobo aren't going to get him anywhere until he integrates.
I'll get off my soapbox now.
For me, "Dick + Anna '64" also brings to mind the heading on a tombstone. Anna will die; without her, there will be no more "Dick." Don knows that.
And the nature of their artwork is very ephemeral — when that wall gets painted over by the next tenant/owner, it will be lost forever, as will any tangible evidence of Dick and Anna's connection.
# 12 -
I also thought of a tombstone. I also thought of the innocence and poignancy of it. I'm hoping Don can bring some of his "dick" (sorry) back with him to SCDP.
I know some people were upset over the Lane/Don male bonding. I was more surprised at how open Don was with Lane, and in Don's own loss over the news of Anna, he was spending time with someone who too was going through his own loss. The choice may not have been the greatest, but it was a step forward for Don I think.
http://www.cnycentral.com/news/blog_post.aspx?id=…
A short blip on the appeal of Mad Men. It's part of spreading the word about the top quality show.
Interesting. I'm from Syracuse, Matt Mulcahy posts here exactly at the moment I'm not only reading this thread but I'm listening to his station's news broadcast in the other room.
Now back to our regularly scheduled thread…
Judy –
Thanks for watching … and reading. That timing is uncanny.
We've been getting a couple of comments on this question. do you watch Mad Men more for Don Draper and his twists and turns or for the role of women on the show which is so fascinatingly portrayed in a time of critical transition?
Matt, I guess I *started* watching for a number of reasons – the spouse & I own a small ad agency in Syracuse, so that was a draw…then when I heard a favorite actor John Cullum was going to be in the first few episodes, I was drawn in. Having a client of my own whose career heyday was 1934-1954 drew me in due to the time period of the program. Having started working in an ad department as a 17-year-old secretary in the mid70s also piqued my curiosity…..and yes, I'll admit, a strikingly handsome flawed male character is certainly appealing, but I cannot articulate why I continue to watch – I find all the characters, male and female, fascinating – you love them, you hate them, you compare/contrast yourself to their actions and their times.
So, although I've not answered your question I'm sure, I've also confused the heck out of the other BOK posters here…
I started watching Mad Men for various reasons… Yes- Don and yes- the women's roles, however, the interior design and fashion of the times are of special interest to me. I was born in 63, so I remember so much of what is seen on this show design and style wise, and have employed that look personally in my everyday clothing, hair and makeup style and in my home decor for years.
More importantly, like Judy S in post #18 above, I have an "Ad Man" connection in my family too. My grandfather owned an AM radio station in Kalamazoo Michigan (WKMI) which he passed on to his son (my father) in 1965. As a child I was there frequently. My mother was the well dressed home maker/country club wife and my Dad was thin, smart, sharp, wore dark well fitted suits with crisp white shirts and thin black ties, drove a convertible sedan, drank at work, and (I'm sure) had affairs with the young, pretty secretaries. He owned the place and although wry and likeable, he was strong and respected.
The interior of the radio station building was "mid century modern" inside in every way. Later, in the 80's, I too worked at that station, with my father, and wrote creative ad copy, was a disc jockey and newscaster.
My fathers office (which had been his fathers) had a wet bar in it, modern art was everywhere and I can tell that the entire radio station had been a hot bed of scandal like SCDP, back in the mid to late 60's.
Sadly, the station was sold in the late 80's and re decorated by the new owners, and now looks just like everything else- like a generic clone.
I love Mad Men to the point of obsession! Maybe my fathers radio station and his own "Mad Men" days in small town Kalamazoo Michigan make me love the show even more.
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So glad you mentioned Anna's sister's quote "a man in a room with a checkbook." I think that hit Don like a ton of bricks and although he knows he can't stay with Anna, maybe he can be more than "a man in a room with a checkbook" with his children. Here's hoping Don gets his act together.