The band is back together!
WARNING: SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP
Last night was a pretty dense episode. My thoughts in no particular order.
- The show opened with Pete and his lady friend joining the Mile High Club (I’m sure some of you are going to need some brain bleach on that one) while, entirely apropos, Shirley MacLaine sang “If They Could See Me Now” in the in-flight movie. The theme of the episode seemed to follow the themes of Sweet Charity pretty closely. Down on her luck showgirl, Charity Hope Valentine (prostitute in the source material and we know how Weiner loves his prostitutes) has several brushes with true happiness before having her hopes dashed but not her spirit. She ends the movie, alone for the time being, living “…hopefully … ever after” just as almost every single character does in the episode this week. Two weeks ago we had an episode that pulled heavily from the themes of another popular movie of the time. Makes me feel compelled to go back and see if there were more movie homages this season that I missed.
- So, basically, Megan left Don, right? It was a little subtle but there was definitely the feeling that we were watching her slip through his fingers. Between all of the unspoken cues, the Sweet Charity theme, and the symbolism of she and Bonnie sharing a flight back to the West Coast, I think we can conclude the end is nigh if not past.
- Yes, Pete was a jackass to Trudy but, to be fair, she has been jerking his chain around for quite some time now.
- Bob Benson’s swan song went off without any short shorts. Huge disappointment. Fingers crossed they bring him back for at least one more episode and deliver on that. Last season he skirted around the topic of his sexuality but this episode it came out in dramatic fashion (You go, Joanie! You do deserve more than settling.). I’m glad they’re addressing the struggles faced by the LBGT community during that era but it definitely has felt like they’ve been bringing in token gays as vehicles for that discussion. Isn’t there room for more than one gay character? We want more Sal!
- Don and Peggy are back together! They finally put their pride aside to celebrate each other’s strengths. The shark was circling during the scene where they danced to “My Way” but they just barely avoided jumping over it. That was fatherly affection, right? It almost felt like it maybe could have been something else but I can’t ever imagine them going there.
- Harry’s going to be partner. Couldn’t have happened to a
bigger assholenicer guy. Poor Stan. Of everyone he started with he’s the only one who’s not even close to making partner yet except for, maybe, Paul Kinsey. Whatever happened to that guy? Last time we saw him he was on a plane to L.A., right? I wonder if they’ll ever bump into him out there. - The episode ends with Pete, Peggy, and Don coming together to eat dinner as a “family”; each of them alone but… hopeful.
- And if you’re wondering where Burger Chef actually went with their 1969 ad campaign, it’s… not dissimilar to what the folks at SC&P proposed.
