Mad Men has really been experimenting with its own formula lately. Last weekend found the show adopting a nonlinear formula; this week saw almost every major character on the show (yes, even Don Draper to a certain extent) pushed to the periphery to make way for a focus on Betty and Pete. Furthermore, the show relocated itself from the Sterling-Cooper office to a Hilton Hotel in Rome. Between last season’s fantastic L.A.-set episode and this week’s show, the Mad Men vacation episodes have been pretty solid. I’d love to see the Drapers continue to jet-set around the world, but not too much. This show does not need to turn into The Simpsons.
Summary
Don Draper was set to fly to Dallas until a call from “Connie” Hilton changed his trajectory to Rome. Betty was present for this flight change, but she was too busy dealing with her Junior League’s big meeting with the mayor to pay attention to Don’s schedule. If anyone needed proof that Betty could not care less about the reservoir she was trying to protect and was really after the attention of governor’s aide Henry Francis, he or she only needed to view Betty meticulously put on makeup in front of the mirror.
The meeting with the mayor was pretty predictable: the old boys’ club that was the city council did not take the Junior League’s issue seriously until Francis walked in with a letter from the governor calling for a more thorough inspection of the reservoir’s water quality. The Junior League won and Betty managed to steal a kiss from Francis.
Rather than taking the opportunity to commit adultery, Betty decided to join Don on his trip to Rome. We witnessed a playful spirit in Betty that I, at least, did not know she possessed. The brief Roman holiday found the Drapers making little contact with Connie and, as Francine would later hilariously observe, getting even less sleep.
After getting in a fight with her brother, we see Betty have a poignant talk with daughter Sally. Betty advised Sally to take her first kiss seriously and to not go around kissing random men. The parallels between mother and daughter here were pretty apparent; Betty might as well have been talking to herself. But it wasn’t Betty’s uncharacteristic kindness that made this scene so moving. Rather, this scene offered us a deeper view into Betty Draper’s desires. Here is a woman who holds an incredibly strong belief in true, binding love. It is this belief that prevents her from engaging in prolonged love affairs. Never has Betty Draper been more sympathetic.
Alas, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Betty was in complete bitch mode during the episode’s closing scene. After complaining to Don that she hated everything about her current life, Betty tossed aside Don’s gift of a Roman charm bracelet (at least I think it was a charm bracelet. I need to learn more about trinkets). The episode ended with some good old-fashioned Betty Draper passive-aggressiveness. I guess it’s a little too soon for anyone to be cheering that the witch is dead.
I can’t end this recap without mentioning the episode’s main subplot, which followed Pete’s adventures while Trudy was out of town. Basically, Pete got to be the hero when he helped the au pair next door salvage a dress she had stained while wearing it at a party. Pete managed to replace the dress thanks to some connections at Hermes (Joan!), and eventually got to have his way with the au pair.
Pity that Pete’s guilty conscience (who knew he even had one?) got the best of him for a moment; his remorseful, teary-eyed look communicated his betrayal to Trudy. During the final commercial break, I actually thought that Trudy and Pete were done. Of course a broken marriage would be predicated on Trudy’s own strength, and Trudy is definitely not a strong person. Pete’s story ended at the dinner table, when he asked Trudy not to leave home without him ever again. Trudy interpreted this neediness as a wonderful change in Pete, and all was forgiven. Ugh, and I thought the Draper marriage was claustrophobic.
So readers, what did you think about tonight’s episode? Do you think that Betty has evolved into the most interesting character on the show? Where should the Drapers travel next? And what were your reactions to Joan’s unexpected appearance at Hermes?