I know, I know, I’ve been a bit absent these past few weeks with the Mad Men recaps, I just needed to take a little break from writing about the show, but of course this week’s episode was just too big to not write something…
…so, now that Betty knows about Don, not only should we be asking “who are you supposed to be?” but also “just what the heck is going to happen now?”
Will Betty forgive Don, or will she seek a divorce? Yes, he has lied to her every day as she pointed out, but is it enough for her to now know the truth? And for Don, once again his past has collided with his present. He knows he can’t really run again, but his alternative escape, other women, will have to end, and more than just an episode or two. He knows he has to be on his absolute best behavior if he wants to salvage his marriage.
Jon Hamm and January Jones both put in knock-out performances—and the added suspense with Suzanne waiting in the car was just one more example of why this show will go down as one of the best in TV history. The production was phenomenal, from the minute Don walked through the front door and was startled by his family’s unexpected early return home—it took me back to previous sequences where Don came home and imagined being greeted by his family—to all the movement through out the house, each location establishing the mood. The altercation in the office, to the sit down at the table, and finally the intimacy of the bedroom, going through the photos.
I imagine with JFK’s assassination coming, the writers are setting up the parallel “end of an era” in Mad Men land…Sterling Cooper’s up for sale; Don finally told Betty the truth; Betty might now have the upper hand; Roger Sterling doesn’t feel the need to stray; and Joan’s husband will probably be shipped off to Vietnam.
I think Peggy’s quote during the focus group summed up all the tension quite nicely: “I can’t turn it off, it’s actually happening.”
So, two more episodes to go…I’ll definitely write post-finale, and of course do an overall wrap up about the season.
