Mad Men: A Little Less Than Perfect

The ladies take center stage on Mad Men this week and they aren’t having an easy time of things.  Betty, still reeling from Jimmy’s revelation of Don’s infidelity, slowly starts to unravel.  She gives Don the cold shoulder and then proceeds to throw back the vino (before 11am, no less) while rifling through his clothes and drawers looking for some confirmation, though you think she’d know Don a bit better than that.  Betty’s dinner party serves its purpose, to show her perfection and push some Heineken (nice product placement).  Betty’s anger only grows and she shuffles off to sleep in her daughter’ s room.

Back at Sterling Cooper, Duck explains how Betty is the target demographic.  She’s “the perfect hostess, the perfect wife.”  The contrast is striking against Betty-her tear-stained face, no makeup, as she steps on her wine glass.  Don’s face carefully conceals how wrong things have gone.

Joan has been lending a hand to Crane with ad placement in the soap operas.  She’s got an eye for this sort of thing and impresses the reps from Maytag with her ideas as much as her assets.  When Sterling calls Crane into his office for a pat on the back, he makes it clear Joan shouldn’t be dividing her attentions.  Her expression when she meets the young, clueless sap taking her place is telling.  This here is a man’s world and she’s just the secretary.

Peggy’s in a similar situation of keeping it together, when Father Gill pays an office visit to pick up some church materials she’s offered to help with.  He hammers on about her relationship with God and asks, “Do you feel you don’t deserve His love?”  From Peggy’s reaction, it’s clear she doesn’t.

Don has made his way home and finds Betty in a state.  At this point, he’s relegated to the couch and Betty pays him a visit.  “Do you hate me?” she barely whispers.  January Jones is stunning in her performance.  Don tells her, “I love you, Bets.  I do.  And I love the children.  I don’t want to lose all this.”  Hmm, he is a salesman.  Betty isn’t buying it.  The next day she pulls it together, the makeup and hair back in place.  The housework continues.  But when she catches Jimmy’s Utz commercial, something snaps and she tells Don, in no uncertain terms, not to bother coming home.

As the episode comes to a close, the characters reveal themselves.  Father Gill taking off the collar and picking up a guitar.  Joan, undressing, rubbing her shoulders where the straps of her bra dig into her skin (a reminder of why she’s not moving up at SC), and Peggy, who sits naked both physically and emotionally in the bathtub, no longer able to hold it all in.  Father Gill strums his guitar.  Don takes a Heineken from the office fridge and sits down, alone.  As Father Gill sings, “I asked the Lord to help find me a way,” we see they could all use a little help from Him.

 

Sundays at 10PM/9C, AMC

Photographs courtesy of AMC

Mad Men garnered four Emmy wins when the 2008 Creative Arts Emmy Awards were handed out last Saturday including Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series for the pilot “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”.  You can check out an in-depth look at how the series remains so authentic:

Inside Mad Men: Production Design  http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid895162757/bclid1672161042/bctid1745050072

Last week‘s Emmy wins make AMC the Emmy-est of any basic cable network so far this year!  The race isn‘t over yet,  Mad Men is up for five awards at Sunday’s Primetime Emmy’s ceremony: Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Jon Hamm as Don Draper), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (John Slattery as Roger Sterling), Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Alan Taylor for “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”) and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Matthew Weiner for “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and Matthew Weiner and Robin Veith for “The Wheel”).

On Sun., Sept. 21, look for Mad Men at this year’s Emmys or check out an encore presentation of Episode 204, “Three Sundays,” at 10PM | 9C.  The next new episode of Mad Men airs Sun., Sept. 28 at 10 PM | 9C.

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For all things Mad Men, check out the official site: http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/