Smoke-Worthy Moments in Mad Men: Episode 307

I wish Don Draper was Jon Gosselin. At least I wouldn't feel bad when he gets donkey punched.

Right from the "Previously, on Mad Men" and subsequent clips, I was fearing for my undies on this one. Creepy womb toucher, Unstable Miss Farrell popping up, Conrad saying ominous things - all of it was pointing towards bad news. I guess after a lawn mower episode, the next one's going to smart. And smart it did.

Top Moments of Episode 307: Seven Twenty Three

Betty is the new Don
Like some superhero that can absorb powers, it seems Betty is destined to live up to the Draper name. Sure she's flirted with guys in the past and even cheated (who's Gene Jr's daddy anyway?) in the past. But she's asserting herself in new and exciting ways. She's leaving the house to be a part of the Junior League (Good work Francine). She's taking clandestine calls in Don's double secret office (Betty trying one more time to open the locked drawer was a hilarious nod to last season). She's putting Roger in his place, just like Papa Draper ("Don wouldn't appreciate you calling and I find it offensive." Bap!). And of course, she's disguising business trips as opportunities for sexy time (or free pie!).

But can she pull it off? My guess is no and here's why: she doesn't know how to stare directly into the sun. It's pretty clear that the eclipse was metaphoric - light and dark, night and day, good and bad. Don has walked the line for almost three seasons and his entire life. Sure, the last few episodes are denting his armor / ego - Don's been called out by his daughter's slightly demented school teacher (she still totally wanted him), questioned about career moves by his housewife, donkey-punched by a hippy draft-dodger, and put in his place by a shoeless Colonel. But at the end of the day, when idiots are wearing boxes on their heads and Betty is burning her retinas, Don's looking directly at sun. And might I say, he looks pretty cool doing it.

Roger is the Bad Guy
Roger has always been the comic foil. Even when he's hitting on Betty or cheating on his wife, he's doing it with enough dry wit that make it hard to hate him. So whatever Weiner and co. have cooked up for this season already appears a bit harsh. At first it just seemed that Don had a stick up his ass ever since Roger left Mona (since when did Don give a shit about the piety of marriage? Oh, right, jealously). And even though Don refuses to express his gratitude, as Roger was hoping, it seemed like the hot shave was going to help put this mess behind them.

But then there was that contract.

Apparently Don is afraid of commitment (who knew?) and reacted negatively to the news of a three year lock-in. What I don't get is why Don blames Roger alone. He merely one third of the messenger, and given his backseat role as of late, probably less. And again, it was Don being unreasonable and treating Roger as a scapegoat for all Don's problems.

But then there was that phone call to Betty.

Raising old reminders of Roger's season 1 house call, Don was understandably pissed. And so was I, but not just at Roger. Weiner, why the fuck are you writing Roger into a corner? He's now actually acting like an idiot that will only piss off Don and the viewers. I want to like Roger and have him to succeed. He's one of my favorite characters (caricatures?). It'll be hard to laugh at his wise-cracks if I'm too busy hissing when he comes onscreen.

Mentoring revisited
Woa, Daddy Issues much? Last week I mentioned Pete and Peggy's mutual aspiration to achieve Don-like status and this week we see some deep-seated issues popping up with them as a result. This week we also see Don also (finally) succumbing to his own issues of the past. I've addressed them in increasing order of disfunctionality.

Pete: Who would have guessed that Pete was the sane one this episode? He laid low in this episode but the moments he popped up were pretty level-headed. He gave Peggy sound advice ("I'm not worried about you. I'm worried about Duck. Send it back."). He pushes Don to be on the Hilton account, but backs off when told. All in all, a pretty healthy learning experience for our boy Humps.

Peggy: Oh Peggy, you were doing so well. Our last few posts have been an ode to your accomplishments and now you're sleeping with Duck? Duck? Why did she sleep with him? As Slate points out, Peggy was not the man-eater that she was in earlier episodes - she gives in completely to Duck's charm(?). I also agree more with MM blog, Basket of Kisses, which compares Peggy with the dead Bond girl in Goldfinger. This is probably supposed to be Peggy's hubristic fall, but to me it feels like a writers' cop out. I consider her overly ambitious, not overly acquiescent. For this episode, she reverted to her Season One neediness, and not maintained her Season Three strength. Hopefully this is a recoverable mental lapse.



Don: Don's been brushing off his daddy issues for a while - dismissing Betty's problems with Gene Sr. and agreeing with Prison Guard Dennis that blaming your parents for your issues was "bullshit." But we all know Don hasn't dealt with how his father has, for better or worse, made him who he is now. Like his dad, Don is a philandering drunk, albeit a highly functional one. Don treats his kids well because he doesn't want to be anything like his father but he can't commit emotionally; he always wants an 'out' because his dad never wanted him. Don's trying to prove himself to his dead father, but is never quite able to come out of his shadow. Don, next time you're high on reds in a motel with some teenagers, just remember you're not in Heroes, Lost, Rescue Me or [insert chick flick / ghost romantic comedy] and it's not advisable to talk to a ghost that way. It's a good way to get DP'd.

It was good for me, was it good for you?

Fedora Tip: The BMar for the last minute editing