Mad Men – Just as I suspected, Don isn’t a member of PFLAG
While Don will surely keep Sal’s secret, his help certainly ends at the point where Sal’s homosexuality starts affecting the work.
That’s what I wrote about the season premiere, in which Don and Sal had their awkward adventure in Baltimore. Don knows all about wanting to keep certain aspects of your life private from those you work with, so he certainly wasn’t going to run around outing Sal to the rest of their Sterling Cooper colleagues. However, his willingness to keep Sal’s secret does in no way indicate that he’s down with the gays, as we saw last night.
As a viewer, I have a love/hate relationship with Don Draper. Sure, he’s smooth, charming, enigmatic, wounded, and obviously ridiculously good-looking. But this week’s episode makes it really difficult to overlook his more negative qualities. As I watched him in bed with that floozy teacher, all I could think of was the million different ways I would murder him if I were Betty and I found out my husband was cheating on me again, while I have an infant at home. Plus, when he was talking to Sal, and hit him with the disgusted, “You people,” it was a jarring reminder that Don Draper isn’t the hero we sometimes make him out to be.
Mad Men – Having a baby in the sixties was terrifying
This isn’t a parenting site, so I’ll spare you my birth story. The point is, it did not involve me a) screaming for my husband, b) being forcibly restrained, or c) waking up with a baby in my arms to whom I have no recollection of actually giving birth. WTF.
How terrifying was that scene? I mean, Betty obviously knew that she was going to the hospital to have a baby, so it’s not as if she’s one of those people who thinks she has indigestion and ends up with a kid. Regardless, “in my arms after waking up from a drug-induced haze” isn’t on my list of top ways I want to meet my child.
Mad Men – The all singing, all dancing episode
This week’s episode of Mad Men was quite … enlightening. We saw a different side to many of the characters. In addition to seeing Peggy Olson get high, we learned that Don used to pee in the trunks of rich peoples’ cars. What amused me the most though, was how musically inclined the folks at Sterling Cooper are. Between Joan’s accordion, Pete’s dancing, and Roger and Paul’s singing, these folks could go on the road. Albeit, playing to a very specific crowd: one who enjoys French music and doesn’t mind, you know, super-awkward racism.
More than the performances, I found myself really interested in the story behind them. For instance, Pete and his wife have clearly been taking dancing lessons. Is this a life-long passion for them, or is it something she is using to fill the time that the baby she can’t have would be taking up? Do they dance instead of diaper?
Is Don Draper a homophobe?
Probably, yes. He is a hyper-masculine male in the early 1960s; a time in which gay people were un-ironically called “fairies.” When Don caught Sal with his pants down, and a young, half-dressed bellhop in close proximity, he was clearly taken aback — and truthfully, was probably at least a little repulsed. However, what’s so interesting about the Don Draper character, and how he’s going to relate to Sal in the future, isn’t whether or not he’s a homophobe; it’s whether or not that will actually matter.
Having someone at the office find out he’s gay had to be one of Sal’s biggest fears. Otherwise, why marry Kitty and construct an elaborate fake straight lifestyle? What Sal doesn’t know, and probably never would have suspected, is that Don Draper is the best person in the office to whom he could have revealed his secret (inadvertently, or otherwise). As Peggy Olson can attest, Don can keep a secret from other people in the office. But what’s more, Don surely empathizes with Sal on at least some level.
Things That Didn’t Suck This Week – Jon Hamm, baby
Mad Men, you guys. MAD MEN. Does it make my life sound completely pathetic if I say that tonight’s return is what I have been living for? I mean, yes, my child has still been clothed and fed, but come on … Don effin’ Draper is coming back! Tonight! What’s so great about this isn’t just that one of my favorite shows currently on television is coming back, but Jon Hamm, who plays the aforementioned Don Draper, has been charming his way across the talk shows this week. From Conan, to Jimmy Fallon, to Regis and Kelly, he’s been hitting them all — and staying awesome the whole time. So with that, I present to you this week’s column, completely devoted to Don Draper (AKA Jon Hamm). Read the rest of this entry »
See Jane Clack: Don Draper vs. Steve Douglas
I’ve been catching up on season two of Mad Men, before season three premieres on August 16. I’m absolutely in love with the stylish look of this show, from the smart fedoras to the taffeta dresses. It makes me think of other shows that took place in the 1960s, including one of my all-time favorites, My Three Sons.
Yes, I know these two shows are vastly different, but the characters of Steve Douglas and Don Draper have more in common than you might think at first glance. Let’s compare and pay homage to these two guys in hats…
Suits and Cardigans. Like all professional businessmen in the 1960s, both Steve and Don are quite dapper in their crisp suits, starched shirts, and no-nonsense hats during the work day. During their off-hours, though, they relax in cardigans, sweater vests, and tweeds. I guess the big difference here is that Don is never ruffled or unsettled. Everything is very restrained, never a hair out of place. Steve? Well, he’s got those rambunctious boys and Bub/Uncle Charlie to contend with. He’s bound to get a little flustered at times.
Tragic Pasts. In case anyone hasn’t watched all of Mad Men, I won’t give away too much about Don’s history. Suffice to say it’s filled with grief, much like Steve and the loss of his wife, leaving him to raise three boys on his own. Yet both of these men made the best of their situation and persevered to achieve success in their chosen fields. Speaking of which….
Things that didn’t suck this week – awkward moments, cursing and Keith Olbermann
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“I could have had you in my life forever, if I wanted to.” Peggy tells Pete she’s not perfect on Mad Men
How awesome is Elisabeth Moss? When I’m watching Mad Men, I’m often distracted by the utter hotness of Jon Hamm as Don Draper, but damn, Peggy Olson is a great character. Along with her genteel ambition and mousy exterior, there’s a quiet desperation that runs under everything she says and does. It’s the yearning that I notice the most when I watch Moss play Peggy, but the scene in last Sunday’s season finale in which she finally tells Pete exactly what the result of their affair was, she reveals a strength that is pretty damn impressive.
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