Okay, I’m not going to lie to you guys. I don’t know if it is lack of sleep or what,
but I’ve literally sat here all day staring at a blank word document trying to
figure out how to start talking about this episode of Mad Men. Almost twelve hours now. I don’t have a decent in, so I’m just going
to be honest with you because I want to move on and go to sleep. I’m tired as hell. SO!
Peggy finally gets some recognition for her talents at
writing advertisements when her pitch for the lipstick company is accepted, in
no small part to Don’s skills as a salesman but the victory is still Peggy’s. This sudden popularity and acceptance puts
more strain on her already awkward relationship with Pete, which was
complicated earlier in this episode when they had impromptu sex in Pete’s
office, unexpectedly giving a free show to the custodial staff. Pete doesn’t like her new found confidence
with the staff and instead of celebrating her achievement instead ruins her
celebration at the bar after work.
Don gets a bonus check and decides to take Midge to
Paris, but she has friends over. They’re
general hippy types, who are put off by Don who seems like quite a square to
them. As Don smokes with them he has
flashbacks to his childhood. A homeless
man came by their house asking if they could spare any goods. Don(at that time Dick)’s mother offers to let
him stay for the night and do some work around the house for money the next
day. He eats dinner with the Whitman’s
where we see that the husband doesn’t really care for the vagabond and would
rather send him out on his ass without anything. That night Dick(Don) goes to visit the hobo
in the barn and learns about the hobo code, including the code that signifies
an untrustworthy man. The next day,
after a hard day’s work, Dick’s father refuses to pay the Hobo and sends him on
his way with nothing. Dick finds the symbol
for an untrustworthy man on a fence post.
With this memory fresh in his mind, Don messes with Midge’s
camera and snaps a picture of her and her friend. As he watches the photo develop he notices
that the two are in love. He notices
that Midge is living a lie, so he confronts her. This starts a debate about how he lies to the
public everyday by creating ads that claim the purchaser’s life will be
bettered with the whatever product he’s selling. Don doesn’t like being compared to his dad so
he leaves. At home he wakes his son and
tells his son to ask him anything. He
swears never to lie to his son.
I really liked this episode. It’s a pity I couldn’t do a better review of
it, but after twelve hours I had to verbal vomit on my keyboard and live with
it. Tomorrow I’ll do a duel post for The
Following and Hannibal.
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