Mad-Men 3.10, The Color Blue - WARNING: OPEN SPOILERS

[The Weird One]

Not to step on alphaboi's toes, but it doesn't look like there's a thread for this episode yet. And I need to say, Holy Crap!
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I can't believe Betty found Don's Dick Whitman box. Although I don't know if she'll figure out the big secret - she was more shocked by his divorce certificate than anything else. For some reason, it never occurred to me that she would find out his big secret. Not without a long, slow breakdown of his carefully constructed life, anyway.

And Miss Schoolteacher is definitely trouble. What she said when they were on the train, about "as long as I know you're with me," is a big old warning light that she's not willing to share Don with his wife and family.

[Kid_A]

The end of the episode, with Don at his pinnacle, and Betty about to go apeshit on him reminds of America and JFK. I assume that's what all of this is leading towards.

I actually screamed at the TV "NOT THE DRAWER!!!".

Or as one of my friends texted me at the end, "shit is about to get real for don!"

[alphaboi867]

I think I'm done posting AMC's episode description before the show airs and trying to speculate on what'll happen (the promos are misleading & I'm usually wrong). Tonight's episode was really, really, good.



Betty FOUND DON'S SECRET BOX! She's clearly very confused about the labels on the childhood photos (especially since she's never seen any photos of young Don) and dog tags, but she knows "Don" had another wife before her. And that he keeps a buttload of cash onhand. This is going to get really good and messy. And at the end she still prettied herself up for the party (she seemed numb even for Betty).

The Paul/Peggy subplot was okay, but they really weren't competing with eachother for an account. Oh and Lois still works at Sterling-Cooper She could well bring the entire company down. Maybe she'll decide to take the potential buyers on a toor off the roof or they'll get a firearms company as a client. Peggy could have really fucked Paul over at he end, but she choose do something that made both of them look good.


Oh, loved the bit where Mrs Sterling Sr got confused and mistook her daughter-in-law for her grandaughter.

[AuntiePam]

I don't think Betty will confront Don about the box until she decides whether or not it matters to her. I mean, I know it matters, but does it matter enough for her to give up Don and her current life. She left him once before and came back. I can't see her doing it again. Especially now that she also knows why Don married her -- she's pretty on his arm. She's reading The Group -- that might help her decide.

On the other hand, Don could come clean and let the soup hit the fan. Gosh but didn't that sound silly? I can't believe you can't say "shit" on cable, not even in a show that kids don't watch.

I liked Don showing some guilt over the way he treated his own brother. But he must not know much about epilepsy to think that letting the guy wander around jobless is a good idea. Suzanne (is that her name?) is bound to find out.

[BaneSidhe]

Agreeing with you 110%, WeirdOne. I get the sneaky feeling Miss Schoolteacher's gonna flip her wig and do a "Fatal Attraction" on Don's family !!

Did you folks catch the utter venom on Betty's face during Don's standing at the podium at SC's 40th b-day party? If looks could kill that boy would be sprouting daisies.

[drastic_quench]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

On the other hand, Don could come clean and let the soup hit the fan. Gosh but didn't that sound silly? I can't believe you can't say "shit" on cable, not even in a show that kids don't watch.

They can say and show anything on cable; there's no FCC to consider, only losing sponsors.

[ArchiveGuy]

Originally Posted by drastic_quench

They can say and show anything on cable; there's no FCC to consider, only losing sponsors.

And IIRC, we have heard "bullshit" said on the show before...

[ZipperJJ]

Dear Ms. Draper,

Your husband is a philandering jackass.

Sincerely,
Captain Obvious

[Darryl Lict]

I was thinking that maybe Peggy found Paul passed out and took his written down idea. I'm only speculating because of the shocked look Paul was giving her when she pitched the idea that telegrams were permanent. On the other hand, Paul would probably strangle her in a fit of rage, if that actually happened.

Good episode though, it'll be interesting to see what happens between Betty and Don.

[singular1]

So what exactly was Paul's great forgotten idea?

[interface2x]

He never said, he just said "I've got it!" and then went back to his office and giggled like a schoolgirl before passing out on his couch.

I didn't think to look for it in the episode - why was it called "The Color Blue"? I can't think of anything offhand that would point to it.

[Lightray]

Originally Posted by interface2x

I didn't think to look for it in the episode - why was it called "The Color Blue"? I can't think of anything offhand that would point to it.

At the very beginning, Don is falling asleep on the School Slut after they've just boinked, he makes some Ad-Mannish comment about the color blue to her. IIRC, something about how 45% of people recognize the same shade as "blue", and she comments that the others may think yellow is actually "blue" but I think Don falls asleep on her.

This title was a bit of a stretch -- nothing as sublime as "Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency".

[salinqmind]

A better title would have been "Pandora's Box".

I think Betty was more upset about finding the divorce decree than anything. I wonder how long she's going to hold it all in. There are only 3 more episodes left!

[interface2x]

Originally Posted by Lightray

At the very beginning, Don is falling asleep on the School Slut after they've just boinked, he makes some Ad-Mannish comment about the color blue to her. IIRC, something about how 45% of people recognize the same shade as "blue", and she comments that the others may think yellow is actually "blue" but I think Don falls asleep on her.

This title was a bit of a stretch -- nothing as sublime as "Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency".

Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that scene.

[corkboard]

The other 'blue' connection- Don absentmindedly dropped the desk key in to the pocket of his blue PJ's (or robe, I forget), which was his downfall. Not that he's down, exactly, yet.

Also, I'm pretty sure School Slut said "bullshit" in last night's episode. Maybe Bert just doesn't use that language.

[Jophiel]

Originally Posted by alphaboi867

I think I'm done posting AMC's episode description before the show airs and trying to speculate on what'll happen (the promos are misleading & I'm usually wrong).

The promos are worthless except for a few brief moments of more Mad Men until next week. Bert's defiant "I won't do it!" was him being petulant about going to a party?

The desk thing was telegraphed the moment Don was interrupted putting away the cash. I spent the next half hour thinking "Just find the key already... I don't need to watch you do a whole load of laundry". Betty's "Ah-HA!" face when the key clicked was gold though. And I was amused by her being unphased by more money stuffed into a drawer than most people made as a couple years' salary in 1963. I also sort of pitied her, being all ready to confront this and staying up all night with the box out to get this all out for once and for all... only to have a long night alone douse the fire and leave her quietly seething but unable/unwilling to have it out like she should have. I wonder, if Don were honest about his past, what her reaction would have been (or might be)?

I was half expecting Paul to go all Hulk on Peggy, thinking that she stole his non-existent idea paper.

I learned that Sterling is the son of Bert's former partner and found Don working in a fur warehouse. Small steps towards learning how he went from used car sales to $40k/year ad executive.

The series will end when Cosgrove gets an account with ACME Explosives & Demolitions Supplies and leaves a box of dynamite where Lois can get at it.

[corkboard]

I asked my wife "if you found a key to my desk and opened that drawer, would you pull out the box or count the money first?" She'd count the money. It's almost as if Betty was looking for that box- she went right for it.

Also, Sexy Schoolmarm gave her brother, what- $375? That's a shitload of money for a schoolteacher in the 60's who lives above a garage. She was so casual about it, like "oh by the way, there's $50 in there", not like "hey listen- I know you need money so I've been saving up and there's $375 in there- that's a month salary for me, so, you know, put it to good use".

[h.sapiens]

Originally Posted by corkboard

I asked my wife "if you found a key to my desk and opened that drawer, would you pull out the box or count the money first?" She'd count the money. It's almost as if Betty was looking for that box- she went right for it.

Also, Sexy Schoolmarm gave her brother, what- $375? That's a shitload of money for a schoolteacher in the 60's who lives above a garage. She was so casual about it, like "oh by the way, there's $50 in there", not like "hey listen- I know you need money so I've been saving up and there's $375 in there- that's a month salary for me, so, you know, put it to good use".

He said something about how she was doing that kind of thing all the time, so she probably didn't bother to explain. It was already a thing with them.

I thought it was adorable how Peggy apologized to Olive for burping into the dictaphone. It's also interesting that she thinks Don hates her, or at least that's what she told Paul. Maybe his most recent criticism was still stinging. I suppose she feels a little better now that she pulled a good idea out of thin air for Western Union, and Don acknowledged it.

[Jophiel]

Well, I noticed last week that Don did have Peggy working on Hilton. She was part of the crew during the "Give me more ideas to reject" scene and in the meeting with disappointed Connie.

Edit: who was the second "woman" in the car in the Aqua-Net "commercial"?

[AuntiePam]

Paul's Western Union idea -- Achilles was talking about how men in his family are named Achilles. He said something about how at family gatherings, when someone says Achilles, all the men turn their heads. I don't know what Paul's brainstorm was -- maybe everyone looks when they see a Western Union messenger, wondering if the telegram is for them?

More blue but probably inconsequential -- the Brit guy's wife was wearing a blue suit. She was so happy about going back to London. Smart of him not to tell her that he'd probably be sent to Bombay instead -- let her be happy for awhile.

We also learned that Don went to night school. The fur thing -- wasn't there something with Don and Betty and a fur in season one? Was Betty modeling furs and Don gave her one?

[kath94]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

<snip> Was Betty modeling furs and Don gave her one?

...but what about the fur? <snerk>



(Sorry, I'm letting my husband influence me too much these days.)

[HelloNinja]

The color blue is all about how people may see things differently. I think this episode was full of examples of this sort of thing, like w/ Cooper wanting to skip the party and the Brit guy (forget his name) telling him that people will think he's ill. Everyone sees something from a different perspective.

[ivylass]

Originally Posted by Jophiel

Edit: who was the second "woman" in the car in the Aqua-Net "commercial"?

I think that was Ken wearning a kerchief.

Auntie, I think that's how Don and Betty met...he ended up giving her the fur she modeled.

I did find it surprising that Betty didn't seem fazed by the cash. Maybe she grew up in a household where the husband normally squirreled away the cash. Maybe she's so used to the lifestyle it doesn't bother her. Maybe she thought Don was saving up for a romantic getaway. But I think what threw her more was concrete proof that she really doesn't know her husband at all.

Paul needs to suck up his whining. I thought the whole idea of Creative was to bounce ideas off each other until you get something the client will like. Peggy wouldn't have come up with her streamlined idea if Paul hadn't thought of the scenario first.

Next week...Joan, but still no Sal.

[astro]

Originally Posted by Jophiel

I learned that Sterling is the son of Bert's former partner and found Don working in a fur warehouse. Small steps towards learning how he went from used car sales to $40k/year ad executive.

IIRC Don talked about working as a Jr ad copywriter at the fur company in the "Carousel" episode. Also IIRC it has been mentioned several times in passing conversations that his father was of one of the founders plus the obvious name connection.

[The Weird One]

Originally Posted by alphaboi867

The Paul/Peggy subplot was okay, but they really weren't competing with each other for an account.

I thought it was an interesting side-plot. Peggy's clearly taken Don's criticism to heart and is stepping up her work. Paul is not. While Peggy was working late to come up with new ideas, Paul was getting drunk, jerking off, and passing out before he could write down his "brilliant idea." Whether it was actually brilliant or not is impossible to determine, but I've never written anything while I was smashed that looked very good in the morning light. Now Paul's struggling to keep up with Peggy, and he's pissed. I was really surprised by the sudden revelation of his asshole side. He's always seemed like a pretty good guy. After their second meeting with Don, when Peggy expanded on his "permanence" idea, I couldn't tell if he was grateful to her for saving his ass, or fuming that she'd stolen the show once again.

Originally Posted by alphaboi867

Oh and Lois still works at Sterling-Cooper

I know! What's up with that???? Was anyone made to take responsibility for what happened? Surely Guy should be suing the pants off S-C, but from what the Brits said, it doesn't sound like there's a huge lawsuit hanging over them. They've just been fattening the hog, and now it's time for the slaughter.

There was something Lane's wife said when they were driving to the party, something about going home to London when Lane was done working at S-C, that made it clear he never said anything to her about being relocated to India. If he is forced to move there, I think it's going to mean a divorce.

Speaking of which, there's got to be at least one divorce coming down the chutes. Sal? Pete? Don? Lane? Joan?

[ivylass]

Oh, I missed that part. Why is SC up for sale?

[jellyblue]

Wait a second - does Don even know that his brother is dead? I remember him giving his brother the cash and hitting the road, but did Don leave anything behind that would have made it possible to find/notify him of his brother's suicide?
Can anyone refresh my memory?

Great episode. I was thinking, "Not only would my mother have counted the cash, she would have taken it." Cash? I have no idea what you're talking about!
I flashed on Roger's (very expensive) unloading of Mona. Nobody can take part of money they don't know about. And maybe Don's keeping his history in case he needs to NOT be Don Draper anymore. He can reclaim his old identity somewhere else.

I never really bought that Kinsey was a good guy. He's always seemed like an overblown preening buffoon to me.

[Captain Amazing]

Originally Posted by ivylass

Oh, I missed that part. Why is SC up for sale?

The Brits managed to turn the place around so that it's running a profit, and now that it's making money and is appealing, they want to turn around and offload it.

[h.sapiens]

Originally Posted by The Weird One

I thought it was an interesting side-plot. Peggy's clearly taken Don's criticism to heart and is stepping up her work. Paul is not. While Peggy was working late to come up with new ideas, Paul was getting drunk, jerking off, and passing out before he could write down his "brilliant idea." Whether it was actually brilliant or not is impossible to determine, but I've never written anything while I was smashed that looked very good in the morning light. Now Paul's struggling to keep up with Peggy, and he's pissed. I was really surprised by the sudden revelation of his asshole side. He's always seemed like a pretty good guy. After their second meeting with Don, when Peggy expanded on his "permanence" idea, I couldn't tell if he was grateful to her for saving his ass, or fuming that she'd stolen the show once again.

He looked shocked, but not angry to me. Like he just realized that she's not a glorified secretary, and might actually be good at what she does. And Peggy didn't have to mention that the idea of permanence came from Paul. He might even be grateful that she gave him the credit he was due.

[ZipperJJ]

I thought it was interesting how they've always seemed to portray Paul as a sort of progressive, bohemian type. But, when push comes to shove, it was much much easier for him (the character, not the writers) to fall back on the prejudice of the day and say "I am doing bad because you are a girl and that makes it easier for you" instead of realizing that Peggy is better and he is just performing poorly.

[Push You Down]

Originally Posted by Captain Amazing

The Brits managed to turn the place around so that it's running a profit, and now that it's making money and is appealing, they want to turn around and offload it.

My bad dream scenario is that Cooper, Sterling AND Draper buy back the company.

Seems a bit too cute.

[artemis]

Originally Posted by jellyblue

Wait a second - does Don even know that his brother is dead? I remember him giving his brother the cash and hitting the road, but did Don leave anything behind that would have made it possible to find/notify him of his brother's suicide?
Can anyone refresh my memory?

Way back in Season 1 (I think it was season 1, it could have been early in Season 2), Don had a change of heart and called the SRO where his brother was living, only to be told by the guy who answered the phone that Adam had committed suicide. So yes, Don knows his brother is dead.

[Green Bean]

That schoolteacher is a total bunny boiler for sure. Not just what she said on the train, but that she got on the train at all--and discussed their relationship in public! I thought for sure the guy in the hat behind them would be someone that Don and Betty knew. And the way she said "nice to have met you" was totally obvious baloney and fully visible to everyone in the train. I think the train thing is a Chekhov's gun.

Also, the fact that she wanted to introduce Don to her brother? Introducing people to your troubling family members is not something you do with a fuck-buddy. And putting Don in a situation where he felt that he had to do the gentlemanly thing and drive the brother to Bedford? Same thing. She's trying to draw him into her web.

Originally Posted by Kid_A

Or as one of my friends texted me at the end, "shit is about to get real for don!"

Well, that about sums it all up, doesn't it. Almost everything is leading toward that in one way or another. We coculd make a list!

Originally Posted by alphaboi867

Oh, loved the bit where Mrs Sterling Sr got confused and mistook her daughter-in-law for her grandaughter.

She wasn't one bit confused. She knew what she was doing.

Originally Posted by ZipperJJ

I thought it was interesting how they've always seemed to portray Paul as a sort of progressive, bohemian type. But, when push comes to shove, it was much much easier for him (the character, not the writers) to fall back on the prejudice of the day and say "I am doing bad because you are a girl and that makes it easier for you" instead of realizing that Peggy is better and he is just performing poorly.

I thought that they had also made it clear that Paul is just a poser.

I also got a weird vibe that they're setting up a Paul/Peggy romance.


Did anyone notice that there were two references to ancient Greece and Rome? Obviously, we had Achilles the janitor, but someone else mentioned something Roman. I can't remember what it was.

Maybe the next show will be all about everyone's Achilles heel.

(I love that there's a show that has this many nuances to discuss.)

[Jophiel]

Originally Posted by ivylass

I think that was Ken wearning a kerchief.

Nah, the "woman" had dark hair, long enough to muss up and say "Oh no!" Ken has short blond hair. Also Ken was standing off to the side, smirking at them. It might have been one of the part-time pair (Kurt & the Non-Homo) but it didn't look like them.

I like Cosgrove but part of me hopes there's never a storyline really centered around him (even the Head of Accounts is more of a Pete plot). Mainly because Ken's always chipper with no wife to lend drama and no real company weight on his shoulders since he's good at his job and doesn't have to support a family. If they gave him a real plot, it'd probably involve some dread fate befalling him.

[The Weird One]

Originally Posted by ZipperJJ

I thought it was interesting how they've always seemed to portray Paul as a sort of progressive, bohemian type. But, when push comes to shove, it was much much easier for him (the character, not the writers) to fall back on the prejudice of the day and say "I am doing bad because you are a girl and that makes it easier for you" instead of realizing that Peggy is better and he is just performing poorly.

His beatnik socialism had always struck me as a bit put-on, and this definitely confirmed it.

[jellyblue]

Originally Posted by artemis

Way back in Season 1 (I think it was season 1, it could have been early in Season 2), Don had a change of heart and called the SRO where his brother was living, only to be told by the guy who answered the phone that Adam had committed suicide. So yes, Don knows his brother is dead.

Thanks, Artemis. Okay, so major Don guilt...

[AuntiePam]

Originally Posted by Green Bean

I thought that they had also made it clear that Paul is just a poser.

I felt better about Paul after he spoke with the janitor. No one else was around so it wasn't like Paul was trying to impress with his egalitarianism (remember his black girlfriend?). He's still a poser, but his heart might be in the right place. If the Western Union idea makes him feel more secure in his work, he might continue to grow.

[alphaboi867]

Originally Posted by jellyblue

...He can reclaim his old identity somewhere else...

Not really. "Dick Whitman" died in Korea and his family buried him. It would be way too much trouble for Don to try go back to being Dick. He'd need to come up with a 3rd identity from scratch.

[Gangster Octopus]

Excellent episode. That is all.

[niblet_head]

Ok, I forget. How long have the Brits owned Sterling Cooper? Is this a plausible storyline to have the agency sold so quickly?

[ivylass]

They bought it at the end of last season, at the height of the Cuban missle crisis. We're now heading through JFK's last summer...so, less than a year?

[h.sapiens]

Lane Pryce mentioned that he's been in New York for 10 months.

[corkboard]

Shouldn't Paul have come out of his office and bellowed for Peggy before he jerked off in there? To, you know, make sure she wouldn't walk in on him?

[The Weird One]

Originally Posted by corkboard

Shouldn't Paul have come out of his office and bellowed for Peggy before he jerked off in there? To, you know, make sure she wouldn't walk in on him?

And why was he bellowing for Peggy, anyway?

[AuntiePam]

So what's up with Hilton calling Don's service? Did Don ask him not to call his home anymore?

Answering services -- another blast from the past. As late as 1972, I remember calling an answering service to get messages. Does anyone still use them? Doctors, maybe? I can't remember when we went to answering machines using tape, or when everything went digital.

[Olentzero]

Originally Posted by Kid_A

Or as one of my friends texted me at the end, "shit is about to get real for don!"

Your friend should apply for the job of writing episode summaries

This was a very good episode indeed. Don't think I can say much more than has already been said.

[Sage Rat]

Originally Posted by The Weird One

And why was he bellowing for Peggy, anyway?

I got the impression that he'd given up trying to come up with an idea all on his own and was going to try and get some sort of stimulus out of her.

[Gangster Octopus]

So how did folks interpret Paul's "My God" statement? Was it "My God, you are good at this shit." or was it "My God, you conniving wench"?

[niblet_head]

Definitely awe.

[Sage Rat]

Yeah, Paul seemed positive to me when she came up with the idea for the telegram. She wasn't trying to show him up, she just was good at what she does.