MAD MEN 3.12 - "The Grown Ups"
WRITERS: Brett Johnson & Matthew Weiner[SPOILERS] There are iconic moments of the '60s that spring to most people's minds (Beatlemania, the Summer of Love, Vietnam, the Moon Landing, JFK's assassination), so it's only natural to expect Mad Men to touch on these historical events. Up until now, creator Matthew Weiner always claimed he wouldn't be so predictable and confront JFK's murder head-on (maybe it was going to happen between seasons), but I guess the topic was too too enticing to resist. Fittingly, Mad Men gave us a dramatized look at most ordinary people's response to that fateful day in Dallas through the media, shellshocked and glued to their TV screens...
DIRECTOR: Barbet Schroeder
GUEST CAST: Robert Morse, Jared Harris, Kiernan Shipka, Mark Moses, Elizabeth Rice, Alison Brie, Peyton List, Laura Regan, Carla Gallo, Christopher Stanley, Ivo Nandi, Judy Kain, Alexa Alemanni, Jared S. Gilmore, Anthony Burch, Deborah Lacey, Julie McNiven, Shannon Welles, Edid Gali, Derek Ray, Jennifer Dawson, Sewell Whitney, Patrick John Hurley & Veronica Taylor
But first, there was time for some office developments: Lane (Jared Harris) crushed Pete's (Vincent Karthesier) dreams by informing him that rival Ken (Aaron Staton) had been promoted to Senior Vice President in charge of Account Services, the job they were in competition for, because he "has the rare gift of making [clients] feel as if they haven't any needs." This bad news resulted in Pete giving more serious consideration to Duck's (Mark Moses) of a job at his rival firm. But is it too late?Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) and Paul (Michael Gladis) appear to be getting on better now, as Paul's realized Peggy's genuinely gifted at her job, and he even noticed when she received a call from a lover (Duck) halfway through their meeting. Interestingly, Peggy's roomate Karen (Carla Gallo) is confused about why Peggy's seeing Duck, as he's unmarried, which spoke volumes about how Peggy's contempories view the world. You only get with a middle-aged guy if he's married and you're his mistress, usually for financial perks, right? Well, not in Peggy's world. She loves Duck. I hope Duck loves Peggy, but there's probably going to be a cruel twist. Duck's unplugging of the TV so there'd be no chance the JFK news would get in the way of their sex, was perhaps an indicator that he's only in this for cheap thrills. Does he even value Peggy as a copywriter, or does he just want her in his pocket for some quickies at work if she accepts his job offer?
After a premable, "The Grown Ups" hit a turning point with the news that President John F. Kennedy had been shot dead in Dallas, which sent a shockwave through Sterling Cooper and had the workforce crammed into Harry's (Rich Sommer) office to see the news unfold on live TV. It was actually very interesting to see how everyday people must have reacted to the news; with modern eyes it felt like the emotional punch of Princess Diana's tragic death merged with the television fixation of 9/11. Speaking as a naturally cynical British perspective born in '79, I'm not sure any politician's death would have had any of my own countrymen in flooods of tears (as happened here), but it was a different time and involved a different national psyche.
The Kennedy's were as close to royalty as you can get without the crowns, and symbols of a glistening future (civil rights, the space race), so JFK's death was something of a psychological rape for every American. It's a cliché, but it's often considered to be the moment the United States lost its innocence, too. The world's a cruel place; the Amerian Dream might not always come true. Don (Jon Hamm) made that discovery more personally here, as JFK's death coincided with the beginning of the end for his marriage to Betty (January Jones), ironically on the day that Roger's (John Slattery) daughter Margaret (Elizabeth Rice) had her nuptuals.
The wedding was inevitably going to clash with JFK's death, ever since we learned its date in the premiere, but it was still a fun way to mix conflicting emotions. The happiest day of your life on the saddest day in the nation's history. Margaret's wedding didn’t go so badly, although there were a lot of no-shows (including Peter and Trudy), and most who did attend skulked off to watch the news on a TV in the kitchens. I also enjoyed seeing Betty's reaction to Henry (Christopher Stanley), the man she's seeing behind Don's back, when he arrived at the wedding with a glamorous young woman in tow, only to realize it's his daughter. I guess, like Betty, I'm still uncertain about Henry and wondering if he's just using her as a plaything, so felt equal relief about that. Also interesting to note that if Betty ever married Henry, she'd be in a similar position to Roger's young wife Jane (Peyton List) in having a daughter-in-law of comparative age.
But maybe Henry's really a genuinely good person? It seems that way, as they meet in secret shortly after the wedding, under the pretense that Betty's gone for a drive to clear her head about JFK and the shooting of prime suspect Lee Harvey Oswald. The gunshots that have reverberated around the country appear to be the wakeup call Betty needs, to embrace life and be happy because you never know what's around the corner, and after Henry proposes to her... well, I get the impression she's accepted, as she tells Don she's fallen out of love with him. Don retired to sit in his bedroom alone in the dark, believing his lies about his identity are to blame, when that's only part of the problem. Will he run off to be with his schoolteacher mistress now? Will he fight to save his marriage? Will he perhaps be able to prove Betty's infidelity with Henry soon, and legally take the kids off her? I'm guessing that won't happen, because what Betty knows about him could send Don to jail for fraud.
Finally, there was more evidence that Roger's really in love with Joanie (Christina Hendricks), whom he calls after the wedding while Jane's asleep and drunk beside him in bed. I used to think Roger and Joan's affair in season 1 was a little unsavoury (the boss taking advantage of a buxom employee), but there's a real sweetness between them. They seem equally matched; both strong, funny people, desperate to find true love but not managing it and making do with the situation they're in -- which to outsiders looks perfect.
"The Grown Ups" (so-named because JFK's death marked a point when America, the naïve child nation, started to mature?), ended with Don going to the office on the national day of mourning; the only place he has to go, as all the bars are closed and time spent in Betty's company would be too uncomfortable. Peggy's the only other person there, as she's fed up with all the public grieving, and working hard to change a campaign for Aquanet that now has connotations with JFK's death (it would have featured well-attired people in a convertible.)Overall, another good episode with some big developments for the Draper marriage (in that, like JFK, it's been shot with a fatal blow), but it lost a few points because the buildup to Margarat's wedding hasn't been handled that well (did anyone care about it, or remember it was happening?), and a lot of the story boiled down to watching people on TV watch other people on TV. It gave the episode something of a passive feel to it, which wasn't ideal. I'm at a loss to think of a better way of tackling JFK within Mad Men, which is perhaps why Weiner wasn't so sure about involving it in the narrative to begin with.
Asides
- I'm confused by the lack of Sal. I'm beginning to think he really won't be back now! Here, Don is upset with Lane because Sal hasn't been replaced yet (it would be too expensive), so maybe he'll have to get Sal his job back -- with a salary cut to keep Lane happy -- just to ensure Sal's department doesn't crumble?
- Don's calming words to his kids about the JFK situation ("everyone will be sad for a while, but it will all be okay") felt like a rehearsal for what he'll have to tell them if Betty divorces.
