1. The head of accounts is fired. Pete is told he'll be the new accounts chief. He's chuffed, as only Pete can be. But his pure joy is short-lived. It's diluted by the news that Cosgrove has been appointed to the same position. The Brits are apparently trying to see who will make the best head of accounts. Nothing like a little good old fashioned capitalist competition...
2. Don and Sal are off to Baltimore to shore up the British London Fog account (I have a London Fog coat and I love it, just sayin'). The big story here, though, is not the Fog of coats but the fog of human relationships. Don is seduced by a blond bombshell stewardess. It's not 100% clear how far they go, because a fire alarm interrupts them. (They probably already slept together.) And this leads to the most important development in tonight's season opener...
3. On his way down the fire escape with the stewardess (he with a jacket and pants he hastily puts on, she in the London Fog), Don passes by Sal's window, and sees him in the room with a bell boy. Don's shocked. A significant part of the series has now changed, because someone now knows Sal's secret. Later on the plane back to New York, Don assures Sal, and advises him to "limit your exposure" - good advice for Sal in the early 1960s, as well as the new slogan for the London Fog campaign. Most importantly, Don has again revealed himself as a decent human being. With all of his flaws, he still manages to do the right thing when the chips are down.
So a punchy, satisfying new beginning for Mad Men. And ever on the edge of the 1960s and today, Harry Crane had a great few lines bemoaning the high tax brackets for people who make a lot of money. Those eternally recalcitrant Republican ad execs...
5-min podcast review of Mad Men
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 ... 2.12 The Day the Earth Stood Still on Mad Men ... 2.13 Saving the Best for Last on Mad Men
And listen to my fabulous 20-minute interview Fall 2007 with Rich Sommer (Harry Crane) at Light On Light Through
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3 comments:
Pinning that Airline pin on to his daughter was a tough moment to watch and perhaps a turning point for Draper. As a SF fan, I would love to see a character walk through the world's fair (64) in Queens and see how they felt about the future.
I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on this season of what I feel is the best show on TV.
I don't know if I would call Don Draper aka Dick Whitman a decent, human being. I still believe that remains to be seen. The only decent thing he did was assure Sal that he would never snitch about the latter's homosexuality. The tryst with the stewardess is another matter, considering the trouble he went to win back Betty in the last season.
Well, that "only thing" was a pretty big thing, back in 1962...
But I don't really disagree with you about Betty. It did seem to me, though, that Don maybe was a little more reluctant than usual with the stewardess. We'll just have to see what transpires this season...
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