Meet Joan’s new man. #TheMorningAfter #MadMen pic.twitter.com/aSgFNjq2xX
— Mad Men (@MadMen_AMC) April 20, 2015
Welcome to this week’s Mad Men post-mortem. As always, SPOILERS AHEAD.
Don:
- Roger is too busy being rich and getting ready to go on vacation, so he tasks Don with creating the “Gettysburg Address” for SC&P (I wondered if they were going to change the name after Bert died, but I guess not. It would probably cause too much confusion for the clients.). However, Don is too stuck in the past to really look forward to the future
- During the “season premiere” we got nod to Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women” comment and this week it looks like Weiner alluded to the “It gets better” campaign for the LGBT community when Don was on his couch trying to come up with something for his address. Or am I digging too deep on that?
- It felt like kind of a whim when Don mentioned selling his apartment (that $85,000 asking price is $530,000 in 2015 money. NYCers, I ask – is that cheap or expensive for a place like Don’s in that neighborhood? UES?) and it doesn’t look like he thought it would sell anytime soon. It was kind of a sad sight when we got a look at his apartment and saw that he was using his patio furniture in the living room. Even more sad than when he was “on leave” and there were roaches last year.
- So Don is left wondering what’s next at both work and home. He sure did try and get Peggy to write his address when she asked for her review. Good for Peggy for asking the questions she wanted answers and not just giving Don what he wanted. And now Don doesn’t have a lady at home to tell him what’s next for his life. I wonder where he ends up living.
Joan:
- What is Joan doing in Los Angeles? Was she put on an account? Or was she just there to interview people since Pete and Ted are back in New York?
- So, that’s what happened to Lou. He doesn’t seem to be any less miserable in California than he was in New York. And why on earth would Hanna-Barbera want his terrible cartoon?
- Ok, enough about Lou and on to Joan. Red flags all around with Too Tan Man. A. He lies to her right off the bat. B. He’s too tan. C. He wears a neckerchief. D. She has to lie in order to keep him.
- Just like Don told Diana “It’s 3 am you know why you’re here” last week, Joan knows the deal with TTM right away. He doesn’t want anything to do with 4 year old Kevin.
- Ok, hello, biggest red flag – they go on one date and he MOVES ACROSS THE FREAKING COUNTRY.
- Reviews I’ve read and podcasts I’ve listened to have pegged this as Joan’s last major appearance (and with only 4 episodes left, it very well could be), but I hope not. If she was going to end up with someone, I always wanted it to be Roger. He can shave that terrible mustache, but I’m not sure that you can become untan.
- God, and he was such a dick about her having a kid.
Sally/Betty:
- After getting a bit of Betty last week (and that was really more for Don’s storyline than anyone else’s), we get the eldest Draper child. And surprise! We get Glen too!
- I want to find a clip of it, but I really loved the exchange we got at the beginning with Sally and Betty when Sally is signing the traveler’s checks and Betty is warning Sally of her upcoming trip. Looks like they’ve finally figured each other out.
- And yes, I did think that Sally was pregnant.
- Sally gets two awkward scenes where she gets to see her parents flirt with her friends. First, when Glen shows up at the door. I guess I always assumed that Sally and Glen still kept in touch even though we didn’t see him. Betty is surprised to see him at her doorstep, I think more because he looks like a young man than because he and Sally are still friends. Betty is definitely taken aback and Sally has to just sit there and watch her mom awkwardly gawk at her childhood friend.
- So Glen thinks the key to Betty’s heart is stepping up to the plate and joining the military. And for a few seconds, I thought it was.
- I love Don telling Sally she’s just like him and Betty, no matter how hard she tries not to be. I think that’s one thing everyone learns as they get older. No matter how much you try not to be like your parents, you really are.
Everyone and Everything else:
- That scene with Don and Pete and Peggy where Don had to settle an argument between Pete and Peggy (and he really didn’t). Pete and Peggy are pretty much Don’s work kids.
- There was something about that vending machine that struck me. Can’t really put my finger on why.
- Bye Johnny Mathis. He should have known better than to listen to Don. Love it or hate it- people like Don get away with things that people like Mathis cannot. I wonder if this will have any effect on Peggy dating his brother-in-law.
- Did you ever think we would see a content Ted? What does he want to do? Land a pharmaceutical. He looked like he was ready to be the man jumping off the building in the finale of the first half of the season and now he’s cool as a cucumber. I’m sure dealing with all the casting calls helps. I’m still wondering about Nan though.
Thanks for your patience! See you in the OT next week!
