Mark here...Laurel and I have finally gotten around to watching the last episode of Season One of "Mad Men". Laurel was on dinner this time and made a delicious (and show-appropriate) pot roast, green beans and double baked stuffed potatoes.
On to the episode, as season finales go this was a good one. At the end I was left wanting more. There weren't any cliffhangers per se, but there was plenty to chew on. For one, we see Don finally starting to appreciate married life. There are signs during the whole episode that he is having an internal struggle. He tries to track down the step brother who visited him earlier in the season (who he totally blew off with a cash payment, and a directive to never contact him again). He finds out the brother hung himself, which we had found out earlier. He also is pitching a campaign for Kodak's slide projector (the carousel) and does so showing his own family slides (immediate family of him, Betty and the kids) and this triggers an emotional response not only from the client, but it's clear from Don himself. Ironically, Betty's subplot is that she is finally suspecting the possibility that Don is cheating on her. She does discover that her psychiatrist has been talking to Don. In a bit of a twist, she uses her next session to say all the things she is afraid to say to Don. It's very revealing as it's the first time we see Betty opening up about her suspicions and general feelings for Don.
One other subplot I found interesting was with Peggy. We see her picking actresses for a radio commercial (and being totally brutal and insensitive about it). The overall impression is that she has really moved forward from just being a secretary. Don has noticed it too and she gets a promotion to Junior Copywriter, which causes her to become nauseous. At first we think its just nerves, but then she is in a doctor's office and we get the closest thing to a cliffhanger in the episode...Peggy was pregnant! All season, she wasn't just putting on weight. Understandably she is totally unprepared and in denial. When we fast forward to her in bed after the birth, the nurse is bringing her her son, and she turns away. It's an understandable moment, she was totally on a career path and this is exactly what she was trying to avoid. During these times, a baby would have been the quickest way to end her career. Still, what will become of this baby?
Hi Laurel here..I agree with Mark, this is such a good episode! The scene with Don pitching the carousel idea to Kodak is so powerful, this is actually one of the scenes I vividly remember from the show when I watched it the first time around.
Another notable scene in this episode is when Betty runs into Glen in a parking lot (library? post office? I didn't take note, but Glen is in the car waiting for his mom to come out). Glen informs Betty that he is not allowed to talk to her, to which she responds "I don't care". Then she totally starts crying and tells him she is just so sad and she doesn't have anyone to talk to. Inappropriate Betty! Leave Glen alone! He's just a kid! He's clearly inappropriately infatuated with you! Don't encourage him! Don't dump your grown up problems on a kid! It's just so wrong on so many levels. She says to him "just tell me I'm gonna be ok" to which he responds "I don't know, I wish I was older". Poor Glen.
So many things to chew on...what will happen to Peggy and Pete's baby? Will Don quit philandering and spend more time with his family? Will Peggy get to be the copywriter on Clearasil? Will Betty have a nervous breakdown? Lots going on I can't wait to see what happens!
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