A Few Observations of "MAD MEN": (3.11) "The Gypsy and the Hobo"
After a recent viewing of the Season Three episode of "MAD MEN" called (3.11) "The Gypsy and the Hobo", I came up with the following observations:
A FEW OBSERVATIONS OF "MAD MEN": (3.11) "The Gypsy and the Hobo"
*Ever since his affair with Suzanne Farrell began in (3.09) “Wee Small Hours”, Don Draper had been increasingly dismissive of Betty’s presence. In some ways, he seemed to be in a great hurry to get her and the kids out of the house. And that is understandable, considering that he had proposed to Suzanne; a trip to Mystic, Connecticut during Betty’s absence in order to continue their romantic interlude.
*The scene in which Betty asked Don for more money before her departure reminded me at how women were (and probably still are) regarded as children by their husband. I could not help but wonder if the $200 dollars in Betty’s bank account was regarded as nothing more than allowance by both of them.
*Annabelle Mathis seemed to be the first woman since Mona Sterling who had to have a real romantic connection to Roger Sterling. She must have hurt him a great deal when she dumped him to marry another man to run her father’s dog food company, Caldecott Farms. Some fans had suggested that Annabelle’s earlier rejection of Roger may have led to his cavalier attitude toward women. I have no answer in regard to that suggestion. But I could sense that the attraction between them had remained strong.
*Like many of the series’ fans and Don in (3.03) “My Kentucky Home”, Annabelle seemed dismissive of Roger’s second marriage to the 20-something Jane. And they were right to be dismissive. However, Don ended up making a similar mistake. Judging from his conversation with Joan Harris over her request to find additional work, it was obvious that Roger had continued to harbor feelings for the red-haired former office manager. But he had rejected Annabelle’s overtures on Jane’s behalf.
*I am still a little confused over the situation regarding Gene Hofstadt’s house. Correct me if I am wrong, but did he give 50/50 ownership of the house to both Betty and William? What were the exact terms regarding the inheritance? Does anyone know?
*I never had any idea that the divorce laws for New York State were so stringent that the Hofstadts’ attorney, Milton Lowell, would advise Betty to remain married to Don. Was this only the case for women? Or did men who longed for a divorce from their wives also faced difficulties? Are these laws still on the books for the State of New York? Or have they become less stringent?
*I find it interesting that Annabelle Mathis seemed very reluctant to follow Don and Roger’s advice about changing the brand name of her product. Were they right? After all, Caldecott Farms was one of the companies reeling from the horse meat/dog food expose. If Don had been the only one advising Annabelle to do this, I would have sympathized more with her. I might as well be honest. Don had a history of not only following this advice himself - a tactic he had used to escape from Korea - but he had advised Peggy to forget the reason why she had ended up in the hospital and pregnant back in the Season One finale. Perhaps Don’s past history in this particular area may have led me to be a little prejudiced against his advice. But Roger had offered the same advice. And considering that the topic is dog food, I really do not see why Annabelle would have ignored such advice.
*How did Joan Harris’ husband, Greg, expect to transfer from the field of medical surgery to psychiatry so easily? Would that have required his return to school . . . even in 1963?
*After Joan’s encounter with Sally Draper in Season Two’s (2.04) “Three Sundays”, I had believed that she was not the maternal type. I changed my mind. Having her own child proved that she could be maternal. But I had first changed my mind after watching Joan help Greg practice with his job interview. I now realized that she could be the maternal type . . . not only with children, but also with grown men.
*I might as well be frank. I found nothing to cheer about Joan’s assault upon Greg. I found it childish and violent. I realize Joan was weary of Greg’s self-pity act and childish whining. But Joan proved that she could be just as violent and childish as her husband, when she struck him on the head with that vase, out of her own frustration and anger. And Greg’s reaction to Joan’s assault was similar to Joan’s reaction to Greg’s rape. Greg caved in and begged her forgiveness for being whiny. I found it just as disgusting, as I had found Joan’s decision to go ahead with their marriage back in late Season Two. But what really disgusted me was how many fans had condoned Joan’s violent act.
*When the Suzanne Farrell character had first appeared, I did not like her. I did not like the idea of Sally Draper’s teacher having an affair with Don. Mind you, my dislike of Suzanne had ended by late Season Three. Actually, I felt rather sorry for her. Despite her past experience with married man, meeting Don had led her to drop her guard and risk encountering further heartache. Watching her climb out of Don’s car and slink away from the Draper residence was rather sad.
*On the other hand, I never felt that Jon Hamm (who portrayed Don) and Abigail Spencer (who portrayed Suzanne) had any screen chemistry. I simply failed to see the magic. Perhaps that was the main reason I found it difficult to buy the Don/Suzanne affair.
*The expression on Don’s face when he realized that Sally, Bobby and Betty had returned from Philadelphia earlier than expected was priceless. He looked as if someone had pulled a rug from underneath him. Actually, this is exactly what Betty was about to do.
*Jon Hamm and January Jones gave superb performances in this episode. Honestly. Both did an excellent job of conveying this moment of truth in the Draper marriage. Watching Hamm convey Don’s transformation from “Master of the Universe” Don Draper to the frightened Dick Whitman was amazing. The man not only deserved an Emmy nomination, he deserved to win the award. It took me a while to get over the Emmys’ failure to nominate January Jones for a Best Actress award for Season Two. After her performance in this episode, I thought it was downright criminal that she was not nominated for this episode alone. At least she managed to garner an Emmy nomination for the following season.
*There was an episode in late Season One that featured a scene of Betty visiting her psychiatrist, Dr. Wayne. He had said something that obviously annoyed her. And she reacted by sitting up and giving him a dark look. That look told me that regardless of any personality flaws that she possessed, Betty could be a formidable woman when a person crossed the line with her. Kicking Don out of the house at the end (2.08) “A Night to Remember” and her confrontation with him in this episode has proven me right.
*So . . . Greg upped and enlisted in the U.S. Army as a surgeon/officer. He claimed that becoming a captain, Joan would not have to work. Regardless of whether he was right or not, Joan never struck me as the type to sit around the apartment and collect Greg’s checks. And Matthew Weiner proved me correct. Some fans had seen Greg’s entry into the Army as an opportunity for his character to end up in Vietnam . . . and dead. And a widowed Joan will be able to seek solace with Roger Sterling. Hmmm. Last year, many had assumed that Joan would not go ahead with her marriage to Greg after the rape. Weiner proved them wrong. And he proved them wrong again - not only in the manner in how the Harris marriage ended, but also with Joan's post-marriage fate.
*I was relieved that Don finally told Betty the truth about his background. However, I was surprised that he had described his stepfather - Uncle Mac - as being kind to him. Yet, in (1.10) “The Long Weekend”, Don had described his stepfather to Rachel Mencken in a different way:
”"You told me your mother died in childbirth. Mine did too. She was a prostitute. I don't know what my father paid her, but when she died they brought me to him, and his wife. And when I was ten years old he died. He was a drunk who got kicked in the face by a horse. She buried him and took up with some other man, and I was raised by...those two sorry people."
Don did not have any kind words to say about his father Archie, his stepmother Abigail or his stepfather Mac. Yet in last Sunday’s episode, he had kind words for Mac. To whom had he told the truth - Rachel or Betty?
*Speaking of Don’s half-truths, I noticed that he had put a twist on his story about how he had left Korea. Audiences know that Dick Whitman had killed the real Don Draper by accidentally dropping a lit match into a puddle of gasoline. Audiences also know that he had deliberately switched dog tags with the officer. Yet, he told Betty that that the real Draper was simply killed and that the Army had mistakenly switched their identities. Even in confession, Don Draper aka Dick Whitman proved incapable of being completely truthful.