Welcome to this week’s post-mortem.
Warning: This post will contain spoilers. If you haven’t watched this week’s episode and don’t want to be spoiled, then don’t come in here.
Here are the recaps Jon Hamm is reading this morning: Alan Sepinwall, Maureen Ryan, and A.V. Club.
We were all hoping they would address the death of Martin Luther King Jr. in a big way. They did and it was kind of awkward. Peggy and Don’s reactions rang as the most genuine and understanding. Poor Joan, though. She tried. She’s just not that motherly figure in the office. Once again Sneaky Pete ended up on the right side of an issue but in a way that belied his privileged background that allows him to view the world in black and white, right or wrong.
Betty’s husband Henry Francis accompanied Mayor Lindsay as he toured the city attempting to address the turmoil following the news. This New York Times’ article from the day following the assassination delves into further detail of the city’s reaction and below is footage of Mayor Lindsay speaking of the events himself.
The episode also revealed some new dynamics in the characters’ relationships. Megan apparently married her father while Betty finally married someone who seems to be supportive and it’s having a positive affect on her as a mother and human being. Old Betty would have at least locked Bobby in his closet for the night for peeling that wallpaper off.
Poor Kenya Peggy seems to be projecting things she wants to hear onto Abe. He didn’t say he wanted to have children with you. He said if you had children he would want to raise them a certain way. Big difference that could lead to big issues in the relationship.
At the same time Pete’s relationship with Trudy doesn’t seem to be just done- it’s done done. Perhaps clearing the way for some more Pete and Peggy interaction? That may be wishful thinking on the part of the author who loved watching their dynamics. Only the future episodes will tell.
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[John V. Lindsay speaks about the events following the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., April 5 and April 10, 1968 (excerpts) from Museum of the City of New York on Vimeo]
