No, It’s Just My People Are Nordic

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 08:36pm by Michael

Previously on Mad Men, Don’s winky is on the blink, he’s at odds with Duck, something’s brewing at the stables, and Square Peggy (holla, Papercuts!) is an “aunt.”

Enough backstory, ladies.  Sit back, strap on your Relax-icisers, and let’s discuss what happened this week.

The boys at Sterling-Cooper have their hands full when Jimmy Barrett, the shock comedian they’ve hired to shill Utz Potato Chips, savagely insults the company matriarch. Those two would never have been in the same room had Don not skipped work to catch a French film, so naturally he fires his secretary for not “managing expectations about him.” Miss Joan Holloway takes over until a suitable replacement can be found, which I think/hope will take a while. To resolve the Barrett-Utz debacle, Don must broker an apology from Jimmy, and all negotiations will have to go through Bobbie Barrett. Ahem. Never say Don Draper doesn’t have the right bargaining tools. Nothing like a well-placed threat/finger.

Meanwhile, at the stables, Betty continues her flirtation with Arthur Case (so NOT Monty Clift in “A Place in the Sun”), but when he makes his move, she rebuffs him. She’s not profoundly sad, just Nordic, she argues, but she’s visibly shaken as she lights her next ciggie.

The Drapers and the Barretts aren’t the only couples with some interesting dynamics in action. Early in the hour, Harry Crane opens Ken Cosgrove’s paycheck and finds “that mannequin” makes $300/week. After confiding this to his wife, he spends the rest of the episode trying to live up to the story he tells her about himself. He sees an opportunity when he gets wind of some dirt cheap ad time on the infamous abortion episode of “The Defenders,” and tries to sell it to their cosmetics client, Belle Jolie. Belle Jolie doesn’t bite, but Sterling and Cooper are impressed enough by his move to give Harry a small raise.

In the final scene,  Team Draper drives away from their successful business dinner.  Who’s more sad? Don when he sees Betty’s tears of gratitude for being whored out? Or Betty, for whatever she’s really crying about?

On a personal note, can we talk about how PERFECT that blue dress was on Joan Holloway? That blue with her red hair and porcelain complexion? She’s about as delicious a creature as I can imagine. Those curves! That walk! Aspirational. I’m over 30 and single, too, darling, let’s have drinks.

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15 responses for this post

  1. 1.   freakgirl said  ( Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 8:48 pm )

    I loved this episode. Don Draper really reminded me of Tony Soprano here. Such a complicated character who really isn’t a nice guy at all, but somehow you want him to be okay.

    Betty is going to end up in big trouble soon, I think.

  2. 2.   pammysue said  ( Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 1:56 am )

    Loved the recap Michael… especially the flasback nod to Relax-icisers! So much good stuff in this episode… I especially enjoyed the interaction between Harry Crane and Salvatore when Harry was looking for a new envelope… so well acted.

  3. 3.   pammysue said  ( Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 2:18 am )

    Oh and another cool fact that I just found online : The controversial episode of The Defenders was also titled “The Benefactor”.

  4. 4.   Michael said  ( Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 6:51 am )

    Sal: Then you’re worth every penny they’re paying you here.

    Nice!

  5. 5.   Jen said  ( Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 8:17 am )

    “So NOT Monty Clift” Heh. Totally agree. Miscast. More Jordan Catalano, less dork, please. If I was Betty, I would’ve laughed when he tried to kiss me. Of course, I’m neither nordic nor profoundly sad so maybe I should shut up.

  7. 7.   GeekBoy said  ( Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 9:00 am )

    Heh. Yeah, I saw that yesterday and did a double-take.

    Boy, how shitty did Don feel when Betty handed him that engraved watch after he’d just been diddling Bobbie? Are we all agreed that this was Don’s first indiscretion in a long time, and that — based on the way he treated Bobbie later in the bathroom — he regretted it? Or is it just the first one we’ve seen this season?

    Meanwhile, Betty is 0 for 2 at this point. She stepped up to the plate with both the auto mechanic and Arthur, but she hasn’t been brave enough to take a swing yet. It’s just a matter of time, though, right?

  8. 8.   Lisa said  ( Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 9:31 am )

    Well done, Michael. Looking forward to your season of recaps!

    I want to talk about Harry’s raise/promotion meeting with Roger. (LOVE HIM, btw. Silver fox, ROWR!) Harry’s negotiation skills are REALLY weak. You could tell that Roger was baiting him, waiting to see how much of a fight Harry would put up (none.) I thought it was really interesting watching Roger take the measure of the man; obvs, Harry didn’t measure up.

  9. 9.   Jen said  ( Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 10:05 am )

    I thought it was great when Roger said, “no one makes that much here” when Harry knew full well that Cosgrove did.

    And, I don’t know about Don’s fidelity. I sort of think he’s same old, same old. And, yeah, Betty is totally getting her first scarlett letter soon. I just hope it’s not with Arthur!

    Hey, who was Don sending that book to in last week’s ep? The department store heiress?

  10. 10.   freakgirl said  ( Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 10:17 am )

    I think Don’s been waiting for someone to come back and hasn’t been unfaithful. Like, I believe he’s actually been more faithful to the recipient of that book than he has his own wife, do you know what I mean?

    Lisa, I can’t even look at Roger without thinking of him on Sex & the City, asking Carrie to pee on him.

  11. 11.   sandra said  ( Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 12:14 pm )

    When Don grabbed Bobbie in the you-know-what, I was actually shocked! He’s a lonely, sad, simmering pot most of the time, but that was super aggressive, wow. I’m not saying it isn’t something he would do I was just surprised. I never would have expected him to ditch work to watch a foreign film either, but he did. So many layers to this character.

    Sal makes me sad. Roger is by far my favourite character.

  12. 12.   Michael said  ( Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 12:54 pm )

    Sandra, the Belle Jolie guy isn’t giving up on Sal so easy, though, right?

    It’ll be a good episode when the dam breaks.

  13. 13.   Michael said  ( Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 7:35 pm )

    Also, John Slattery…oh hells, yes.

  14. 14.   Gertie said  ( Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 8:37 am )

    Okay……Sorry I’m late to this discussion, but did no one catch what I thought I caught? Boobie was a maaaaaaaaaaaaaan!! Hence the dramatic rinsing of his mouth out with soap when he got home, and when he reached under the Boobers dress and grabbed whatever he said “I will destroy him”. How? Because his Boob is dude?

  15. 15.   Michael said  ( Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 9:36 am )

    A “The Crying Game” moment and I missed it? Holy hell. You think?

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