(S01E04)
"Direct Marketing. I thought of that. Turns out it already existed, but I arrived at it independently." - Pete Campbell
I think it's quite interesting that the most subversive, edgy show of the year is one set in the Leave It To Beaver days of 1960. Who would have thought that? You can have your Weeds and your Dexter and your Rescue Me. I'll take Mad Men, and I'll take Manhattan.
This episode centers mostly around Pete. We finally meet his wife Trudy, and she wants to get a new apartment on 83rd. Of course, Pete only makes $3500 a year (is that a good wage, even in 1960?), so they have to go to his parents. And now we know why Pete acts the way that he does. His parents are very rich and the family goes way back. His mom seems intense and uppity, and his dad seems like an a-hole who isn't pleased with anything Pete does. He also dresses a little like Angus Young from AC/DC. He tells Pete they're not going to give him the money, and Pete lies to Trudy that he didn't even ask. So she asks her parents, and they say yes, and Pete isn't too thrilled about this. I think he's getting as unhappy in his marriage as Don seems to be getting in his, though he's only been married for a couple of weeks or so.
But Pete has other problems too. He's working with Don and Sal on the Bethlehem Steel ad campaign. Don and Sal come up with a series of posters that show what the company has done for the building of America's cities: "New York City - Brought To You By Bethlehem Steel"... "Detroit - Brought To You By Bethlehem Steel." The owner of the company doesn't like it at all, and Pete says they'll think of something else (stepping on Don's toes yet again). I like what Pete says here about everyone thinking he's an account guy and not an idea guy. He tells Don that before he came to Sterling Cooper he used to keep a notebook of ideas: "And then I get here and everyone tells me how great I am with people. Funny, no one ever said that to me before."
Meanwhile, Betty agrees to babysit for Helen, who has to work at Kennedy headquarters. She tries to bond a bit with Glen who...well, it's like the early years of a serial killer. Glen is one strange dude. He plays the piano with a sullen creepiness, he's really quiet, and, oh yeah, he likes to open the door and watch Betty go to the bathroom on the toilet. Betty scolds him for this and they hug, though I really think that Glen just wanted to touch her boobs with his head. He then asks her for a lock of her hair...and Betty gives it to him. Great Betty, when pets start disappearing around the neighborhood you'll be partly to blame.
Pete sells the steel guy on his idea of "Bethlehem Steel: The Backbone of America." Don isn't happy at all that Pete wined and dined the guy and sold him. Personally, I don't see what Pete did wrong, considering he not only got the account but made sure that Don got the credit for the idea. Don fires him, which freaks Pete out a bit because of the new place.
But never mind, he's staying. Don and Roger go to Burt Cooper about it, and Cooper explains that they need Pete to stay because of his family's wealth and connections (nice to see Robert Morse again). Don and Roger have drinks in Don's office and talk about how Pete's generation is different from Don's and Don's is different from Roger's. Why different generations drink, and why Don shouldn't try to compete with Pete in life (some fantastic writing here).
Pete and Trudy buy the apartment and her parents come over and they all meet the new landlords. Pete looks out the window as "I"ll Take Manhattan" plays.
Next week: looks like a new character shows up that might know Don from his past...
Have any questions for Rich Sommer of Mad Men? Ask them here!
Syfy's Alice -- An early look
The TV Squad Podcast: Surprising shows, decade-end lists, and the Commenter of the Week!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-10-2007 @ 1:48AM
BigTed said...
This show really is terrific. The one thing that bothers me is that it seems as if it was made for a pay-TV channel, without ads. (Which would be kind of ironic.) So the transitions to the commercials seem very sudden, and break the mood of the show.
It was great to see that the staff was listening to "The Buttoned-Down Mind of Bob Newhart." (Still one of the greatest comedy albums of all time.) And every time I see Robert Morse as the big boss, I expect him to burst into a song from "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."
Reply
8-10-2007 @ 6:46AM
Jim said...
The best scene in this very young show was last night when Roger "re-hires" Pete and puts a positive spin on it for Don. Brilliant stuff. I can't wait for each new episode.
Reply
8-10-2007 @ 8:29AM
draper said...
Great episode! I really enjoyed seeing another side of Pete. I couldn't stand before and now I kinda like him.
It's a good thing that every character on this show isn't completely likeable or unlikeable. It makes things so much more interesting.
I was laughing out loud during the scene where Roger tells Pete he is not fired. Great acting and great writing all around.
Those characters have such great dynamics. And this is juste the 4th episode.
Glen freaked me out too. Sure Betty is pretty, very pretty, but that didn't seem to be a simple childish crush. I'm not sure where they're going with the whole Betty/Hellen storyline and I'm not sure I like it either. I guess we'll see soon enough...
The only thing I didn't like about this episode was that there was no Midge or Joan.
http://www.mad-men-tv.com
Reply
8-10-2007 @ 10:33AM
khamel said...
the reason don was upset was because pete was out of line (in his mind). pete is a 'people person' in the eyes of Sterling Cooper BECAUSE he has access to all the clubs and social circles that Cooper mentioned. That and you don't get to be an ideas man right away.
Try and go over your bosses head on a big account at work and see what happens. Not saying you'd be fired every time but even now, its not a good idea. Getting credit for something he didn't do isn't Don's idea of a job well done (which is ironic since i think hes assuming a dead war buddies identity).
Reply
8-10-2007 @ 1:07PM
Busty said...
Just for kicks, $3500 in 1960 is worth about $23- $24,000 today. Either way it's not a heck of a lot, especially for Manhatten.
Reply
8-10-2007 @ 8:42PM
Steven Rubio said...
Re: commercial interruptions. Not sure who this applies to, but Comcast is running the series OnDemand, and there are no ads there. Plus, it's in HD, which is nice since we don't get AMC-HD where I live. You have to wait an extra day to watch, though ... it comes out on Fridays.
Reply
8-10-2007 @ 8:48PM
Rodney said...
My mom told me that in 1960, working a clerical job at a University Medical Library, she made $57 every two weeks, after taxes. So I guess that would be about how much one of the secretaries would make on the show, although Manhattan has always been more expensive.
She and my Dad bought a house that year; they wanted a slightly different one, but it cost $500 more, and they couldn't get approved for a loan for the extra amount.
Crazy.
Reply
8-11-2007 @ 3:38AM
Jon said...
Dear Bob,
I am so glad that it is you reviewing this show. I have always found your reviews thoughtful and on-target. No hate mail from me. I absolutely adore Mad Men, and I have turned several people onto it, including my parents.
I am finding that Vincent Kartheiser (sp?) is an incredible talent. The scene after Don fired him and he was walking to his office was amazing. The tics and facial expressions as he was slowly melting down were amazing. I loved his work on Angel, and the film he did with Melanie Griffith where they were all junkies.
The haircutting scene with the little boy was amazing. It seemed to me that the only reason she agreed is because Don isn't showing her attention, and she is starved for attention from a man. Brilliant writing. I also have the feeling that their marriage is sexless, given her response to finding BC pills in her neighbor's bathroom drawer and the fact that he needs "an hour of absolute quiet". It also seemed to show her as someone who only asks questions in secret.
I am starting to think that this is the best show on TV. It skewers the idea that "everything was simpler then".
Reply
8-11-2007 @ 12:55PM
Roberta said...
This show blows my mind. Every nuance... everyone has a surprise. And not like the Don Draper might just have a secret identity surprise, but the subtle twists of good and evil and brilliance and innocence and compassion and insensitivity that lie within umm... humans.
Betty is SO complicated. Her style of speech is distinctly childlike. She succumbed to Glen's weirdness for two reasons. One is, as was mentioned, she likes the sexual attention, but I think she likes it in what she perceives as an innocent way; hearkening back to her school days, when being pretty was enough to keep her from feeling vapid. He may be creepy, but yay, he thinks I'm pretty!
But the other reason is one that was illustrated in Figaro; the children are so intensely separated from the grownups, no one quite registers that they are people. All that food prepared for the party, and the kids just got pb&j sandwiches, because what do they care. So Betty has no concept that this is a boy with any rising virility, and she does not sense a threat. He was just a bad boy who misbehaved, and the rest, she couldn't process beyond his loneliness from bad mothering.
And I loved what she says to her therapist. She is convinced that Helen is jealous of her, but "But I don't know what i can do. I mean I can't just disappear. I live there."
And then, re Glen, "The person taking care of him isn't giving him what he needs."
PROJECT ONTO YOURSELF MUCH?
I agree that little Connor is all grown up... the sequence of his reactions to being fired; the first time EVER his life almost got sucked away from him was incredible. And I always thought he was bloody awful on Angel.
Reply
8-11-2007 @ 2:01PM
Bob Sassone said...
Thanks for the nice words Jon.
Reply
8-13-2007 @ 5:31PM
Jean said...
I'm thrilled that we're finally scratching below the surface with some characters. Supposedly Don is hiding his poor, orphaned (and possibly Jewish) background. Does anyone else read these "attention deficit theater" recaps? Always funny. The exchange between Betty and Glen alone is priceless:
http://www.unboundedition.com/content/view/1954/50/
Reply
9-05-2007 @ 3:00PM
R. Reed said...
I agree that the salary math is off. This inflation calculator http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi says $3500 is today's equivalent of $23,383.
No junior executive, let alone one in Manahattan, could be hired for that. Business college grads in my area of Florida start out at $55-65K. Video store clerks make $23K. i
Reply