"I went to a place to eat. It said 'breakfast at any time.' So I ordered french toast during the Renaissance". --Steven Wright ... If you are a devotee of time travel, check out this song...

Sunday, October 19, 2008

The Day the Earth Stood Still on Mad Men 2.12

Tonight's Mad Men had a great shot of the 1951 Robert Wise science fiction classic, The Day the Earth Stood Still with Michael Rennie. And especially apt, because the remake will be opening this December 12, starring ... Jon Hamm. "Klaatu barada nikto."

Also appropriate because the Earth stood still through much of tonight's episode of Mad Men, as Don Draper/Dick Whitman jumps through time. We see him first meeting the original Draper's wife, Anna, out in San Pedro. She was the one he called last week, and gave his name as Dick Whitman. They've kept in touch over the years - Don/Dick promised to take care of her, at least financially, as the least he could do for taking over her husband's name. He certainly cares for her, likely not romantically. It's hard to say with Anna, but I'd say she flat out loves Don in all ways.

Meanwhile, back in New York in 1962, Cooper and Sterling and Cooper's sister agree to the merger. Peggy gets Freddy's vacant office. And Joan gets -

Well, hers is the most wrenching, tragic story of the night. Her fabulous doctor isn't interested in making love to her in bed at night, only to rape her in Don's office the next day. Whether or not this would have been called rape by early 1960s standards, Joan clearly said no. Christina Hendricks is always excellent in her portrayal of Joan, but never better than tonight.

And Jon Hamm gave one his best performances as well, portraying Don/Dick with just the right ratio of innocence and savvy as he moves through ten years. Don will have a lot more to deal with next week, out in California, because it may be, on the basis of the very last scene with Betty tonight, that she's pregnant.



See also: Mad Men Returns with a Xerox and a Call Girl ... 2.2: The Advertising Devil and the Deep Blue Sea ... 2.3 Double-Barreled Power ... 2.4: Betty and Don's Son ... 2.5: Best Montage Since Hitchcock ... 2.6: Jackie, Marilyn, and Liberty Valance ... 2.7: Double Dons ... 2.8: Did Don Get What He Deserved? ... 2.9: Don and Roger ... 2.10: Between Ray Bradbury and Telstar ... 2.11: Welcome to the Hotel California




And listen to my fabulous 20-minute interview last Fall with Rich Sommer (Harry Crane) at Light On Light Through



The Plot to Save Socrates


"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly

"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News

"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book


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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm..I think the last scene with Betty means that she ISN'T pregnant.

And I agree that yes, Joan was the most tragic. It was grotesque

Paul Levinson said...

Yeah - I guess the last scene with Betty could mean either of those things, depending upon what was the cause of what the daughter saw.

james said...

Don is on a road trip of personal discovery. His company is on a road trip of its own -- will it merge with the Brits? Will Sterling Cooper be ruled by a foreign hand - a glimpse into the future of TV ownership - by the time Don treks back to the office?
the plot thickens,
/jimy_max

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