It's my intention to write up analysis posts for each episode of
this last season (or half season) of "Mad Men," like I did for "Breaking
Bad," but a quick warning first. My available time to consume media is
still fairly limited, so the posts aren't going to conform to a
standard schedule. I hope I'll be able to get them up before the next
episode airs, but honestly I doubt that's going to happen.
Spoilers ahead.
"Severance"
was a mostly agreeable premiere, a place setting episode that situates
us in early 1970. Initially everything seems to be back to the original
status quo for Don - he's attending casting calls and tomcatting with
Roger, master of the universe again. But now there's no Megan to make
him feel old and out of date, and no Betty to remind him of his
responsibilities. He's reasserted himself at work at things are looking
up. However, Don isn't out of the woods, not by a long shot. Multiple
portents of death still haunt him, the bloody wine stain on his
apartment floor and a vision of a dead woman in furs, presage the
passing of Rachel Katz nee Menken, the client we were introduced to in
the very first episode of "Mad Men," who Don of course had an affair
with.
He's drawn to a waitress who reminds him of
someone - perhaps many someones - she resembles several of his past
encounters including Rachel. Or maybe she doesn't. Don's fixation on
her reveals a need for closure, a need to process the loss. Despite
falling into his old behaviors, on some level Don instinctively seeks to
acknowledge the passage of time. Over the past few seasons we've
watched Don disconnect and reconnect, destroying and rebuilding his
image. Here, he's faced with the unpleasant reality that Rachel moved
on after their affair, likely to a much greater degree than Don did. He
seems torn between trying to reaffirm the connection and trying to
distance himself - he tells Rachel's sister that he's been through a
second marriage, but seems unsure how to parse it.
So
the old conflict is still very much alive in Don Draper. Even after
grappling and reconciling with his demons for the past several seasons,
confirming he's better off with this job, with this lifestyle, and
without a long term romantic commitment, he's still trying to figure out
how to live with being himself. He's still obsessed with lost
opportunities and looking backward - he's not grieving for Rachel, as
it's made clear that he didn't really know her anymore - but the life he
might have had with her. The waitress insists that the loss doesn't
mean anything, not really, but Don has always had a terribly hard time
admitting defeat and letting go. Here he's forced to, as he was forced
to let go of Bert Cooper last year, and perhaps he'll be forced to let
go of far bigger things in the weeks to come.
Other
characters were busily trying to break out of the status quo this week,
as time quietly slips by in the background - look at the facial hair on
Roger, Ted Chaough, and Stan. Part of me was really hoping that Ken
was going to make it out of the advertising business with his soul
intact and go off to write his Great American novel. But despite a
supportive wife and a helpful kick out the door from Roger and Pete, Ken
follows his pride instead of destiny, and gets himself even more fully
entrenched in the advertising world. And while I love seeing Ken get
the upper hand, it still feels like our favorite tap-dancing cyclops has
lost and lost badly. I don't think there are any characters left on
the show that I can remain remotely idealistic about - well, except
maybe Bobby and Gene Draper.
Peggy is still Miss
Lonelyhearts and getting bitter about it, but this is really starting to
get repetitive. After Abe and Ted, Peggy's love troubles have gone
from mostly entertaining to a worrisome slog, even if it's to prove a
point. And I still love Peggy, so it irks me that her personal life is
such a bore and that she's turning into a sourpuss. We don't know if
the lawyer is going to be Peggy's new beau or only a only a single date,
but he's certainly not distinguishing himself so far. With only so
many episodes left to go, are we going to be left with Peggy the
brilliant workaholic grump? Compare with Joan, who is understandably
frustrated at being on the receiving end of more catcalls, but happily
indulges in a little retail therapy to soften the blow.
Even
if she's more unsatisfied about where she is than Peggy, at least she's
better at pretending to be happy. And that's probably why she's going
to come out of the series better than anyone else when the series wraps
up.
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