Mad Men 1.03: "Marriage of Figaro"

My apologies this didn’t get up sooner. I’ve been somewhat distracted of late – not that that’s any excuse. However, I will say this: writing a weekly amusing fantasy football column for a very restless league of people is not as easy as it looks. Sometimes you even have to use math! But, back to TV. Hopefully the Emmy post served as a nice replacement, and it’s my intention to do a quick rundown later tonight or more likely tomorrow of the major Thursday night comedies, including The Big Bang Theory, Community, Parks and Recreation, and The Office.

I don’t plan to do much about the new shows, since, frankly, most of the new shows are getting reviews that makes the Transformers trilogy sound critically adored. I will be checking out The New Girl either online or on-demand (Zooey Deschanel is unfairly cute) as well as two dramas. First, Pan Am, because, well, it looks half-decent and it’s directed by Tommy Schlamme (he of The West Wing). Second, I’ll be checking out Terra Nova. I don’t expect that to be good, but I want to see dinosaurs or a train wreck of a show; it sounds like I might get lucky and see both!

But you’re not here for comedies or dinosaurs right now. You’re here for the enigma that is DickDon DraperWhitman. So grab a mint julep, shove the kids outside with a BB gun and let’s rehash episode three.

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“Interesting crowd in there.” “Same crowd out here.” – Helen Bishop and Don Draper

The Marriage of Figaro is, you guessed it, all about marriage or – perhaps more accurately – all about the strength of marriage and the nature of that bond and that love.

Let’s start the same way the episode started, with a look at that famous Volkswagen ad. Today using humor to market and advertise products is commonplace, but the ads of Volkswagen in the 60s paved the way. They were often brutally honest to the point of wry chuckles, and at a time when everyone wanted the next new, shiny thing, VW was offering a product the Germans drove during WWII, and it was doing it with honest evaluation and a wink and a smile.

But Don Draper’s not a huge fan of honesty, and he saves his winks and smiles for select ladies only. And he certainly doesn’t enjoy being approached by good ol’ war buddy Larry and being addressed as Dick Whitman. Gee, wonder why that is? The episode only touches on this point briefly later, but the subtext runs deep, and this is definitely the point where most people realized Mad Men wasn’t just a cute wink at the 60s or an analysis of marketing through the eye of history. Mad Men is very much a literary character journey, and its main character is as enigmatic and multi-faceted as any novel protagonist. Bravo, TV.

However, we don’t linger long with Don looking lost and concerned. A quick scene change and... YAY, Pete’s back. Pete’s an asshole. I love Pete. And of course the guys continue to be the frat boys, and I had completely forgotten the extent to which they acted like this early on. There’s nothing wrong with it, and it certainly drives home what a man’s world the industry seemed to be, but there’s an awful lot of it in these first three episodes.

In this instance, we get some wonderful sex-related banter before Pete stumbles upon a family of “orientals” (hoo boy) set up in his office, complete with animals. The set-up is great, and it’s saying something that Pete’s ego leads him to believe everyone’s waiting just to see him back with no ulterior motive. Plus, it gives us a bunch of great lines I’ve listed below.

But the real reason it’s fun to see Pete back are his interactions with Peggy and Don. Poor Peggy may be trying to make it sound like she’s completely copacetic with Pete being married now, but the girl is in way over her head here. And Pete’s attempts to gracefully handle the matter come off stilted, distant, and painfully awkward. Speaking of painfully awkward, Pete still cannot get in with his idol. His new marriage should be both a point of interest and a potential new connection between himself and the aloof creative master, but Don casually mocks Pete (“Couldn’t have been much of a honeymoon then.”) and then offers a half-hearted apology and vague promise very similar to the one Pete just offered Peggy. Oh, Pete.

Rachel Menken swaggers into the building for a very entertaining meeting with the staff of Sterling Cooper,  and Don’s recalcitrant cufflinks (I have NEVER had that much problem with cufflinks. What is wrong with you, Don? Are those magical flirty cufflinks? Where can I get some?) launch a renewed level of flirtation between the mysterious charmer and the rich Jewish hottie. A flirtation Pete immediately gets all squirmy about.

See, Pete’s all total conversion with this marriage deal, but Harry – he of the great misogynistic joke #1! – reminds him that extra-marital flirtation is totally ok! Pete points out that Don’s actions seemed like more than that, and Harry just sucks on his lollipop and shrugs. After all, Don Draper is Don Draper. And Harry Crane, well... Harry Crane has a lollipop. Beside the point, I’m sure Harry, who is just delighted to have another married man to pal around with in the office, won’t let Pete take his advice too far. Say, with a certain secretary, for example.

At this point the episode leaves the office behind entirely. First up is a promised stop to Menken’s Department Store. Let me just say as a poor guy who’s rarely if ever dragged into expensive boutiques, Menken’s looks FANCY! How is this place not already drawing the Saks customers?

But Menken’s the store isn’t our focus here. That’s pretty much devoted to the burgeoning romance between Rachel Menken and Don Draper. A romance he both kindles with just the right words at just the right time (“Don’t tell me you were ever unloved.”) and kills with just the wrong words at just the wrong time (“I’m married.”). It’s a very interesting scene, because while Madge seems fine with being Don’s city girl so long as he leaves his marriage in the suburbs, Rachel clearly wants more and Don can’t give it. Seeing his conscience fight itself even as he’s deeply attracted to this strong, confident woman who forced dog naming onto the bylaws of her father’s store is intriguing. Maybe it’s his encounter on the train, but Don with a conscience is new. And it’s fun.

The second half of the episode is spent at home. Francine’s back! Don’s building a playhouse and coping with that fact by, you guessed it, drinking! And well, Betty is Betty. She still has a weird hang-up about divorcee Helen Bishop that goes beyond the catty bitching of the neighborhood wives’ club, and she’s still very Stepford. Please note, however, no twitchy hands here! Also, we get our first extended look at Kiernan Shipka as Sally Draper here. While Bobby has been played by three different child actors, Kiernan has retained her role, and though you can’t tell it yet, she has a lot of great scenes to come.

With the start of the birthday party, we get our second horribly misogynistic joke of the episode, and now you see how important themes are to writer and creator Matthew Weiner. Very. At the same time, we get a glimpse of a sleazier, somewhat less successful version of Don Draper in Carlton, Francine’s husband. He’s obviously eyeing and hitting on Helen, and I love the moment when he realizes she sees right through him. Better luck next time, Carlton.

After his unsuccessful rooftop rendezvous with Ms. Menken, Don’s feeling awfully morose about marriage. He hears Chet’s horrid joke, watches Carlton leer and sweat, and puts up with the confining pressure (symbolized by that pristine powder room) of a “perfect” wife. Above all these things, though, two moments stood out to me in this episode’s deconstruction of marriage.

First, Don’s filming the party at Betty’s request when he stumbles upon the Darlings sharing a tender moment alone. He puts down the camera and stops to stare; it’s like this moment is so alien to him that he can’t help but marvel. In a party full of attempted adultery, blatant misogyny, and snappy backbiting, this is a moment of real affection between two married people – perhaps the only one at the party.

Second, after seeing this, Don quits filming and goes outside to watch the children. The writers maybe hit the nail on the head a bit too hard here, but the scene still makes its point effectively. The children are playing house in Sally’s new playhouse, and the air is ripe with the sounds of petty disagreements and pretend arguments between pretend husbands and wives. It’s all learned behavior, based on the antagonism these kids have been taught, and it seems to pain Don.

In fact, it pains Don enough that when Betty gets paranoid about him hanging out quietly with Helen Bishop watching the kids and sends him out to get the cake, he just decides not to come back to this party of ill thoughts and feelings, with so much frustration bubbling beneath a pristine surface. Instead, his thoughts turn to Rachel Menken and her dogs, and how she never went unloved.

So when Don stumbles back into the Draper abode late that evening, exhausted or inebriated or likely both, he brings with him a small rebellion against the pressure he feels from his marriage, and a bit of honest, unconditional love for Sally. A dog.

• Loved the research. Hilarious and way too accurate that they'd do so much in-depth research on her competitors but not the client's store itself.
• Don't really know what to say about the Lady Chatterly's Lover scene. Know it was banned. Know why. Know this is the 60s. Tada.
• Boy, the racism against the Jewish people flew fast from characters this episode, huh? Oh, the 60s.
• Betty graduated from Bryn Mawr. She ought to be doing more than being a housewife, don't you think?
• Loved the shots through the lens of the old-timey video camera. Great little moment.
• Oh, hey, in the 60s, you could slap neighbors' kids! Man, some things change too much.

Today's Mad Men quotes:

• “So, what you’re saying is... a lot of missionary?” - Harry Crane, classy manboy.
• “They paid an oriental family to wait in Mr. Campbell’s office.” “Someone’ll finally be working in there.” - Peggy and Don.
• “Sorry about that. I took the Chinese out of the building, but I have a feeling in an hour I’m going to want to take them out again.” - Pete
• “New junior exec.” - Don, referring to the abandoned chicken.
• “You are really putting the junior in junior executive.” - Pete, as Harry pops the lollipop out.
• “Draper? Who knows anything about that guy? No one’s ever lifted that rock. He could be Batman for all we know.” - Harry Crane, classy manboy, bringing the truth.
• “Where the hell is she walking to?” - Francine, incapable of comprehending the concept of a walk.
• “There’s not gonna be a cake. Am I the only one who sees that? Don Draper, you are a first class heel and I salute you.” - Chet, classy manboy.

That'll do it for today. Next up is "New Amsterdam" in which Alison Brie is finally introduced as Trudy Campbell and Matthew Weiner's son is a creepy, creepy child. See you then!