At the conclusion of this week’s episode of Mad Men, a friend of mine turned to me and said sarcastically, “Well, we found out that Sterling-Cooper is being sold…again.” While I don’t think this week’s episode was completely devoid of interesting events, it definitely felt a little deflated. But this episode certainly wasn’t pointless, as it did feature Betty finally learning about Don’s past as Dick Whitman.
Don’s affair with Sally’s teacher Miss Farrell, which began at the end of last week’s episode, moved ahead full steam this week. With her long curly hair and inclination to be vocal during sex, Miss Farrell is Betty’s opposite. She even cares for her younger brother! Unfortunately for Don, there seems to be a little bit of Alex Forrest in Miss Farrell. Her presence on the train during Don’s morning commute was pretty jarring for him and left me thinking that there might be a bunny boiling in the Draper kitchen by season’s end. I’m really not a fan of Miss Farrell: for all her smug insights into Don, she falls even harder for him than any of Don’s other flings. What a hypocrite.
I also didn’t love the subplot involving the competition between Peggy and Paul Kinsey. After Peggy delivered some much-needed edits to Paul’s ad idea for Aquanet, Paul lashed out at her, saying that she was around only because she was a woman and “Don’s favorite.” Paul had to eat his words at the next meeting with Don when Peggy once again saved the day by taking Paul’s aphorism regarding his lost work and morphing it into a stellar new slogan. With its pat completeness and cute irony, this whole subplot felt like it belonged in a sitcom and was therefore beneath Mad Men. Peggy’s retort to Don after he scolded Paul (“Don’t yell at him,”) almost made the plot worth it; I really love how Peggy is gradually removing Don from this pedestal and seeing him for the very flawed human that he is.
The centerpiece of this episode was Betty’s discovery of Don’s past existence as Dick Whitman. Though we only hear about Don’s past life on occasion, it is one of the moments that the whole series has been building up to. Betty was shocked and then furious. The episode’s closing shot was of Betty glaring at Don as he spoke at Sterling-Cooper’s 40th anniversary; unlike Betty’s past looks of disappointment, this face had both menace and rage in it. I am so ready for Betty to unleash her fury.
The other big plot point in the episode involved the Brits’ plans to sell out Sterling-Cooper. Admittedly I did not follow this plotline too closely because every time Sterling-Cooper’s British owners come onto the scene, I am always astonished that the creative forces behind Mad Men know how to perfectly capture the image of British stuffiness.
The episode’s best moment by far was the hilarious exchange between Roger Sterling and his Mummy in the limo. As Mummy mistook Roger’s wife Jane for his daughter Margaret, Roger had to correct her. Mummy’s reaction was unexpected and priceless: “Does Mona know?” Brilliant.