There is little more thrilling in an analysis of Mad Men than to justifiably begin with Joan. Everything about her, from her bright colorful radiance to her unshakeable resilience and forked tongue, is captivating. This season she has been reintroduced slowly but tantalizingly, and no I am not referencing her sexuality, an underpinning of her characterization that certainly relates to her story development, but not does define it. In the premiere we saw her only momentarily, posing for a photo on SCDPs new stairway, but the conflict between her and the ever-petty and impetuous Harry was hinted at even then, as he rudely brushed past her, jealously brimming. In last weeks episode, The Collaborators, Joan was faced with the shame of last seasons decision to sleep her way to partner when she encountered, then unequivocally shot down, the beneficiary of her deal, one stout and clumsy Herb Rennet of Jaguar. We only got a glimpse of the turmoil within Joan as she, composed as always, immediately retreated to the comfort of Don office to fix herself a drink, stating coolly Hes here. To Have and to Hold takes us further down that rabbit hole we must surely have known needed exploration, and uses some of Harrys most reliably repellent qualities to do so. Good old Harry, who spent the entirety of Season Five in a palpable state of fear and anxiety that Megan would reveal his lewd reference to Don (In case you could forget, some snippets include: I woulda just stood up and grabbed her little French behind and pushed her through those cheap post four wallsGod what I would do to herI would love to see those heels on my shoulders), allows his paranoia and self-importance to really get the best of him in this episode. He storms into a partners meeting in fear that Joan is talking about him, the two having just had a disquieting conflict over Joans (Rational and justifiable) firing of his secretary Scarlett, a confrontation laced with Harrys personal brand of sleazy misogyny. It seems the only thing Harry holds in as low regard as women is himself, his inferiority complex so tempers his personality. I really cant stand this guy. What unfolds is even more disappointing though, in the familiar pattern of social reform at the hands of the ones really in control. Despite Harrys unforgivable, out of line rant against (His superior) Joans merit and position as partner, he is not instantly fired. Instead, Pete condescendingly coaxes them all into agreement on Scarletts continued employment, and Harry is allowed to leave the office, then in a later scene given commission on his new project equal to a years pay, a token he is still not satisfied with. Lets not forget, Joan really did earn her position, its just unfortunate that due to the sexual politics of the era, the unparalleled work she has done for the autonomy of SCDP is not the reason she was promoted. It seems even Joan doesnt recognize this, forever trapped in the inferiority she was raised to assume as a woman, her pointed strength notwithstanding. She takes this deterioration of self-worth home with her, letting it fester in examinations of her life and success, and the episode continues to track her as an oddity in the milieu, standing out both in the partners meetings and nightlife with a friend. Even in her own home she is clearly not in charge. Joan gets a little late night attention and sexual assurance from a younger man at a nightclub, but it is the conversation she has the next morning with her old friend that truly comforts her.
Sometimes I think the entire purpose of Mad Men is to showcase the trials American women faced in the sixties. It seems like every hour boils down to some aspiring resistance brewing within one. To Have and to Hold
offers us four strong and varied female agendas through Joan, Megan, Dawn, and Peggy. Megan, a character whom I have never been sure if we are meant to like or despise, is of a different generation from that of Peggy and Joan. She has managed to escape the meek mentality pervading women only a few years before, and is self-assured and independent-minded, even for all her financial reliance on Don. As foreshadowed in the premiere, Megans career is growing, and she is primed for her first big scene on her soap opera: a love scene. She has a great self-reflexive line when preparing Don for the news of her the impending scene, Just once Id like to be that wife who sets a perfect trap and just lures her husband in. Megan will never be that kind of wife, not just because she is unable, but also because she is unwilling to need her husbands approval so badly. This is the anti-Betty; even for far less demanding requests (Than Megans being allowed to make out with another guy), Betty would carefully craft a scenario within which Don would agree, never considering such blatant exposure of her intentions. Megan just cant pretend to be that woman, and upon the revelation of how honest she really is, a new respect for her blossomed in me. Suffice it to say, Don reacts differently. Drawing from the heavy-handed theme of prostitution in The Collaborators, this week Mad Men presents us with an obtusely crafted elaboration of how being born to a prostitute and being raised in a brothel has shaped and corrupted Dons philosophy. While his initial response to Megans career news is condescending but not unreasonable (Honey, I can tolerate this, but I cant encourage it), the Don he brings to her set to see the love scene for himself is sharp with distaste and criticism, most of it clearly emanating from his personal relationship with sexual commerce. Immediately after the scene (Which we see from the set, offering a great visual collection of retro production equipment), Megan angrily ushers Don to her dressing room, where THE FIGHT breaks out. This isnt Don and Megans first fight, but it is the realest one yet, difficult to do when some of their past fights included chasing, screaming, and Don leaving Megan at a Howard Johnsons. This time Don holds back nothing, hypocritically telling her You kiss people for money. You know who does that? Geez, thats kind of a jump Don, dont you think? You dont have a real hang-up with prostitution or anything, do you? Better go collect that penny from beneath your paramours mat on your way into her bed, no irony in that. Poor Don and Sylvia, they really have become the villainous duo in this season, what with the emotionally sensitive depiction of Megan and heroic, if oblivious characterization of Dr. Rosen. I find myself really wanting their relationship to work out, although it obviously cant. Maybe the real driving force behind my approval of their pairing is just a desire to see Don happy in a real relationship. I had the same hopefulness for Rachel Menken and, of course, Faye. Even though Sylvia is so blatantly wrong for Don, with her strict faith, self-righteousness, and married status, the warmth she offers is just the maternal type Don certainly needs (That puking incident at Rogers mothers funeral was not merely alcohol induced). And their chemistry is so fine, moving fluidly from the extreme sexual tension of last weeks dinner scene to the tenderness we see this episode. After Don asks her to remove her cross for their love-making (An attempt to separate the Madonna from the whore?), Sylvia ends up telling Don she prays for him after he leaves. For me to come back? For you to find peace. The way Don nestles into her hand at this admission, like a child giving up on independence for the sake of his mothers comfort, is one of the few times we get to see Don so unguarded. It makes their relationship seem so real and unfettered, until we realize that Don is mimicking Megans love scene, and that sour taste returns. What does Don really want? A prediction: I think Don impregnated Sylvia in The Collaborators. Not only do we get Megans miscarriage to put us right in the reproductive mindset, we also get two very telling moments during scenes between Sylvia and Don. Their first love scene of the episode ends with Don saying, At least I did something today, (Conception?) and the second features a prominent mutual climax, with the camera trained on their hips squeezed tightly together. The episode begins with Dr. Rosen complaining about Sylvias continued coddling of their college-age son, which when viewed in light of her comments in the premiere about wanting to tuck the other neighbors children in, shows us that empty-nest-hood is not sitting well with Sylvia. As to the likely result if Sylvia does learn she is pregnant, we get a very clear explanation of her position on abortion when she essentially admonishes Megan for considering it, so we can at least be sure Dons baby will be born, though the raising of the child might present some further confusion. I would love to see them dump their spouses and start a new life together with baby Donvia in some tropical place befitting Dons escapist aesthetic. But hey, thats just me. I mean its really time Don had another child, since Bobby and Gene obviously arent going anywhere (Were on actor number four for Bobby. Four.)
Enough about Don already! Lets talk about Dawn. I, like many, have been waiting to get into her back story for over a season now. Its not just Dawn Ive been waiting to see explicated, but the entire other part of (Contemporary 1960s) society she comes from, the African American community that has been pretty traditionally downsized on Mad Men. I understand much of this has to do with the setting of the show, as during the early sixties our core characters wouldnt have been terribly likely to socialize or work with people outside of their own race (This obviously doesnt deal with the fact that all of our initial core characters are white, but I suppose since the premise really revolves around the ad agency, Ill just have to accept that). This was a huge historical period for African Americans, and now that we are in 1968 I am excited to see Mad Men explore the issues affecting this community as well as just their daily lives. Unfortunately, our first real foray into Dawns world fell a bit flat, with three virtually identically restaurant scenes between her and her best friend which felt like forced exposition. We did get some interesting insight into Dawns impression of her coworkers and the world they inhabit (Everybody's scared there. Women crying in the ladies room, men crying in the elevator; it sounds like New Years Eve when they empty the garbage, there are so many bottles. Amen, Dawn), but even that was self-aware, as if the writers wanted to fully round out Dawns perspective in this one episode. We do learn that she wants a husband, badly, a fact I found interesting when contrasted with the independent sentiment we see at the forefront of our other female characters this week. Dawn reminds us that yes, this is no longer 1961, but it is still 1968, and we are not quite removed from the societal expectations of yore. We also get a glimpse into Dawns professionalism and her fear that it would take less to get her fired than a white counterpart; her hyper-responsibility is at odds with Scarletts frivolity when the two engage in the fraudulence (Scarlett leaves early, but has Dawn check her out at the end of the day) that leads to their run-in with Joan. Scarlett lies, cries, then keeps quiet as she is reinstated; Dawn frets, then offers her own money for the hours Scarlett was paid while not working. Dawn doesnt remind me of Joan, but they function on a similar, rule-oriented level. And look where Joan is now. Peggy was only in this episode for a few shots, but they were telling. As we learned last week, Peggy (Accidentally, however hard I may find that to believe given the characters intelligence) spills the beans (Lol?) on the Heinz conundrum over at SCDP. Dons chosen crew (Himself, Stan, and Pete) has been working hard under the secret name Project K to woo Ketchup, keeping Vinegar, Sauces, and Beans on the backburner just in case. The pitch was okay, but I agreed that the ketchup was really missing. To be fair, I prefer mustard, but hey Heinz didnt like the pitch either! It wouldnt have been so bad, had they not encountered the Chaough crew on their way out. Here we see Peggy for the first time in the episode, and we eavesdrop on her pitch through Don, who cant help but press his ear to the door. Was that a little smirk of pride that flashed across Dons face upon hearing her use of a Draperism, If you dont like what people are saying, change the conversation? I think so, but to be sure it didnt mask his frustration at being last to know. Either way Peggy is clearly at the top, having casually arrived at Dons level, creatively and professionally. The men didnt get too much time this episode but are so thoroughly enmeshed in the conflicts of the female characters that its hard to notice. Don is, of course, still central to the action, but it unfolds as studies in the women around him, even Sylvia, playful as could be this episode. In fact the whole episode felt really playful, with some hilarious scenes where we laughed alongside our characters. The scene between Megan and Don after turning down her swinging producer and his wife were amazing: Don describes the morning after that could have been, Basking in the afterglow, a pile of arms and legs. There were some great light moments between Don and Stan as they smoked a joint in the Project K room then giggled about food. Harrys proposal for the Napalm-Touting Joe Namath Musical Television Special was laughable enough even without the enactments. Hey, maybe everything can work out for these characters after all. Im guessing Dylvia will be a girl.