Well, I think it’s safe to say that this week’s Mad Men was the episode of the season … so far, at least. After last week’s episode I was sure that things were going to be dragged out over a couple episodes, but I was happily wrong. Just about everything between Don and Betty came to a head in this installment, and with fantastic results.
It’s episodes like this that keep netting Mad Men award after award. The interplay between Don and Betty was stupendous, both spoken and silent. The last half of the episode, particularly Betty’s confrontation was brilliantly written and acted. Jon Hamm impressed, showing a vulnerability that we haven’t really seen from Don Draper before, at least not to that extent. I think January Jones is underrated as Betty. She had a great performance in this episode, doing more with her steely glares than her words in my opinion. Enough fawning over the production, though, let’s talk about what happened.
Don did the only thing that he could when confronted with the facts: he told the truth to Betty about his past. The whole truth. I was surprised that he was as honest as he was and there was more than one point that I thought for sure he was going to bolt out the door (he did stare longingly at it a couple times). I think it’s a testament to how much he loves his family (and children in particular) that he didn’t. I mean, heck, he even had a young woman waiting for him in the car if he did decide to run away and start his life over again.
I’m curious to see where the events of this is episode are going to leave Don and Betty. At first glance it would appear that their relationship is stronger because of the revelations. Betty knows everything about Don now, and even though she has lost a lot of trust in him (if there was any to lose in the first place after the events of last season), I think that some of the nagging questions in her mind have been answered. For so long she has just wanted to feel close to her husband, and I think that for the first time in their relationship, she probably does. Don also seems to be done with his extramarital affairs for the time being, although he left the door open for a reunion with Suzanne. It seems odd that Don would be willing to risk his relationship by sleeping around, but he was afraid of jeopardizing his marriage by telling Betty about his past. I would think she’d be a whole lot more pissed about the infidelity.
In any case, there are only two episodes of Mad Men left this season, and I’m still banking on one of the most important events in American history (JFK’s assassination) to play a big part in the finale.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Oct 26, 2009 @ 20:05 EST5EDT
I think that the season will end with reports coming in from Dallas about the president being shot.