Photo via AMC
Sacrebleu! A proposal! Who saw that coming? Not I, my friends, not I. Mad Men's Season Four ending took me entirely by surprise. Well, not entirely, I did correctly predict Joan's impending visit from the stork (congrats?), but that's about it. This one was a doozy!
First, to the office, which I must say was vastly overlooked. I found that interesting considering we are led to believe SCDP is in the midst of a breakdown. C'mon writers, are you just going to set us up like that and leave it? Apparently so. Ken doesn't sell out his connections for the American Cancer Society account for fear of jeopardizing his marriage. Meanwhile, Peggy (with the help of Joyce) secures the Topaz nylon account. But it is small. Will it buoy SCDP until 1966?
In Ossining, we see one last glimpse of Glen. Sure, Betty was a little hasty in firing Carla just for letting him in, but I would have been freaked out if Glen made a solo bedroom visit to my daughter. Betty, as usual, took it a mite too far, severing all ties with the beloved housekeeper. I liked Henry's comment about the termination. When Betty says she wants a fresh start, he retorts: "there is no fresh start, lives carry on." Mad Men so often seems to be about fresh starts, tearing out the old sheets and starting from scratch. But can you ever really do so? I found Henry's words to be very interesting with regard to Don. He's always looking for that fresh start, but while searching, he tends to leave burned bridges and emotional carnage in his wake. This episode was no exception.
With Carla out of the picture, Megan steps in to herd the little Drapers around the Magic Kingdom. She is, of course, excellent at this. "You're Maria von Trapp." says Don. Of course she is! Throughout the season we have seen this girl be nothing but sweetness and light. You find yourself, as a viewer, liking her in spite of not knowing who she is at all. Is she an ambitious copywriter as she once said? Or does she just want a husband? Or is she just a nice person? Or is she a little bit of all those things? It seems Don doesn't care to find out. To him, she is at once the caring mother Don never had and the beguiling new woman he is more and more curious to know. And, is Don Draper a bit superstitious? He mentions that so many things had to happen for her to be on the trip. And it's true. Glen's visit=Carla's firing=Megan's hiring=Proposal? Or was it the mere appearance of the "family" ring that sparked feelings of the romantic sort? Whatever the reason, they both have a lot to learn about each other.
I found it interesting that before Don leaves New York, Faye tells him to be more open about his past. I have speculated before that Don doesn't think of Faye as a real romantic interest, but just a shrink he sometimes squires about town. This episode to me, more than anything prior, proves that point. Faye tells him what to do and then he does it. Case in point, when they visit Anna's house and see "Dick + Anna '64" painted on the wall. In a feeble attempt at truth telling, Don tells the kiddos it is his nickname. Faye's correction from earlier in the season is also true, Don will be married again. And if I know DD like I think I do, he won't waste time with the planning process and it will indeed be within the year. Is this an example of influence or is she just a really good psychiatrist and maybe not so good at picking boyfriends?
And lastly, Joan. Papa don't preach, she's keeping her baby. I'm no doctor, but wouldn't a well-educated fellow such as Greg do the math and realize it's not his little bundle of joy? Or, will the baby's silver hair and quick wit give him away?
Until next season....
xoxo
The Canary Diaries
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