(S03E01) The more things change, the more they stay the same. Don has returned to Betty, the baby's on the way, but all's not right in Don's world. There's turmoil in the office and a current of unrest thanks to the British takeover of Sterling Cooper.
But if you hoped, or believed, that Don's sojourn to Los Angeles and his contemplation of another life was a wake-up call, think again. Don Draper remains Dick Whitman. A leopard doesn't change his spots.
Birth was on Don's mind as he fixed a cup of warm milk for Betty, and we learned that Dick Whitman was a gift from God, by way of a hooker who died in childbirth. The opening scenes unfolded before Don's eyes as if he was there watching his own creation. In his mind's eye, he's as tawdry as the tableau.
Meanwhile, Betty has moved on from her anger and now seeks perfection, even though she knows the most she can expect from Don is the illusion of perfection. His description of the beach scene, to lull Betty to sleep, is Don Draper, ad man, at his best. Don knows how to sell anything and, for now, while awaiting their third child, Betty's buying. When they're like this, Don and Betty seem like they can make it.
The Brits have moved in on Sterling Cooper and it's not a comfortable fit. One-third of the staff has been cut and those remaining -- like Pete Campbell -- fear what's happening. The firing of Burt Petersen, head of accounts, represents just how much the Americans are bucking under the yoke of the English. He screams bloody murder at being axed. Then, the scene at the end when Roger, Pete, Don and Bert all wind up in Don's office for a drink, underscored just how unhappy they all are with the British.
At the same time, the PPL team of Pryce and Hooker were ill at ease among the Americans. Hooker was above being thought of as a secretary -- Moneypenny -- but Pryce chastised him for taking an office. He put him back in his place. What was striking about the British was their duplicity, setting up Campbell vs. Cosgrove, mixed with their own self-deception. Hooker resents being a secretary, which he is; Pryce doesn't believe that London fog is a real weather condition.
The trip to Baltimore for London Fog, the raincoat company, provided Don with a chance to do what he does best, prevaricate. From the lie about his name -- Bill -- to the type of accountant he was to his claim that it was his birthday so he could get Shelley into his room, Don was his old self on the road and away from Betty.
Sal's moment of sexual joy was fleeting, thanks to the fire alarm, and to make matters more complicated, Don saw him in his room with the bellhop. Armed with the knowledge of Sal's secret, Don used advertising to enlighten his friend about how to keep a secret secret -- "limit your exposure." If there's one person at Sterling Cooper Sal could trust with a secret, it's Don.
Once back in the nest, Don learned that Sally broke his valise to keep him from leaving. Sally couldn't conceive that it would take more than a broken clasp to stop her father's wandering ways. Don's time in Los Angeles has traumatized his daughter, even if he does assure Sally that he will always come home and she'll always be his girl. We know too well that Don has a hobo heart when it comes to home and family.
The theme of birth recurred again when Sally asked Don to tell her about the day she was born. Don had nothing. As vivid as his imagining of his own birth, he had next to no memory of Sally's. He knew Dick Whitman, but Don Draper... not much.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-17-2009 @ 7:32AM
Jimmy said...
I thought the beginning might have turned off first-time viewers, but after that ... whoo boy. Mad Men is back, baby!
I loved the exchange between Sal and Don on the flight to Baltimore.
"I've flown before, but I've never seen a flight attendant so game."
"Really?"
Classic Don.
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8-17-2009 @ 8:32AM
Adam said...
I have to say I'm a little disappointed in Don. At the end of the first season with the Carousel pitch I had the feeling that Don turned a corner with his cheating ways. Then Season 2 nixes that. Again at the end of Season 2 I thought the L.A. trip had cleared the way for a change. Well Season 3 has nixed that again!
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8-17-2009 @ 8:38AM
Lorie said...
Mad Men is back! Poor Sal can't get a break, and he gets busted by his boss, too. I almost felt sorry for Pete until he whined to his wife. I couldn't tell if Joan is already married. I hope not b/c I still want her and Roger to get back together. I don't want him to marry the 20-yr-old gal. In the last scene, did Don pause b/c he got too emotional, or did he really forget all of the details on Sally's birth? I wonder what happened to the original Bobby. I noticed he was played by a different little boy last night. I was disappointed that we got nothing on the Pete/Peggy storyline, but I'll be patient.
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8-17-2009 @ 9:32AM
Craig said...
Ummm it was Don's birthday. Actually it was Dick Whitman's birthday. It didn't show on Don's ID because he's taken over Don Draper's life. And I think Don did have a memory of Sally's birth. There is a line where he says that was the middle of the night and he was just getting home from work. He obviously had a dalliance on the night Sally was born. Nothing about Sal in the hotel room? That was the most shocking and cathartic scene in the series' history.
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8-17-2009 @ 9:34AM
Craig said...
Whoops there is a mention of the Sal scene. I skipped right over it. My apologies.
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8-17-2009 @ 11:07AM
Phil said...
Focusing on Don's feet in the opening shot might indicate the personality of the character as we've come to know him as one who is always moving and moving forward. But here is standing still, warming milk for his pregnant wife and thinking about the past. Maybe life isn't so bad this way --especially if he limits his exposure the way he suggested to Sal. Careful he was and yet could this amount to a side of Don Draper where he starts getting feet of clay? We definitely should stay tuned. . .
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8-17-2009 @ 12:03PM
Bob Sassone said...
Loved this episode. It's great how Don is sort of the keeper of the secrets in the Sterling Cooper world. He's good at keeping his own secret and good at keeping others' secrets too.
Every time an episode of MM ends I want to see the next one immediately, heh.
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8-17-2009 @ 1:07PM
pbfredle said...
When Don told the stewardess it was his birthday, I assumed he meant his Dick Whitman birthday, not his Don Draper birthday. To me that explained the flash back to his birth, at the very beginning of the episode. Loved the episode and since I couldn't wait for DVR viewing, I appreciated the limited commercial interruptions.
Several laugh out loud moments and some really touching ones as well.
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8-17-2009 @ 1:27PM
Jarrett C said...
Perhaps I'm missing something, but wasn't Don still masquerading under his brother-in-law's name (that was on the luggage tag). If he had shown his ID (Don Draper), it would have revealed him a liar. I doubt it was anyone's birthday. Just Don working his "magic".
8-17-2009 @ 8:45PM
MadaboutMM said...
pbfredle - Thanks for clearing up the birthday issue. I totally agree with you. It was Dick Whitman's birthday. I think that is why "Don" felt okay about cheating. It wasn't Don, it was Dick.
8-17-2009 @ 1:37PM
cgar said...
there is no question it was Dick Whitman's birthday.
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8-17-2009 @ 1:50PM
thepassenger said...
Based on what? If you make such a statement, you should be able to substantiate it.
8-17-2009 @ 2:13PM
edgore said...
I think that in the last scene we are seeing more than just the general unhappiness with the Brits. We are also seeing Pete Campbell realize that, even with the complaints he has about his new position and his frustration with having to compete with Cosgrove, that he is entering the Boy's Club. There is no way that Roger and Bert would have treated him like that before his promotion.
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8-17-2009 @ 2:29PM
Natalie said...
I too was under the impression that Don didn't want to show the stewardess his ID because he was using another identity. Though at the time I didn't think it was really Don's birthday and he was using it as a pick-up-line, now I am starting to think that it was Dick's birthday. It does make sense in regards to the opening scene and why he chose that moment to think about that.
I also didn't pick up that Don may have been with another woman the night that Sally was born. But I think that's another valid point. This show can really make you second guess yourself...
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8-17-2009 @ 3:48PM
Joe said...
Wow, what a way to start. I can’t wait for the rest of this season. Mad Men has turned into a must watch for me. I wish it was in HD though.
http://www.joeonthetube.com
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8-18-2009 @ 12:14AM
bc said...
Having lived there for a while, I really appreciated the period detail, especially pre-BWI Friendship International Airport and Haussner's restaurant. It famously did not take reservations, and you did have to be in line early to be sure of getting in to dine at a reasonable hour. Given that the production staff apparently contacted former staff to get details of the waitress' uniforms, I was surprised that the set wasn't as detailed as some on the show have been.
It's not surprising the tables were not as close together, but the decor, while appropriately ornate, had too few paintings--in real life the Haussner's art collection was displayed almost floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall, and there were tchotchkes and objets d'art on the horizontal surfaces as well. Given the time period and the guys, it's too bad the at-the-time "stag-only" bar, featuring paintings of nudes, couldn't be worked in.
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8-27-2009 @ 1:54PM
dkny said...
it was Dick's b-day - no doubt that's why they showed him being born - not exactly a leap there
and he slept with her becasue she was HOT - don't look to deep - Don/Dick/Bill isn't really all that deep he's just good with a line and made-up names like London Fog.
Great start and good for you Sal go get some! Will he and Frenchy hook-up now?
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