# Mad Men 2.12: The Mountain King, 10/19/08 (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-12-the-mountain-king-10-19-08-open-spoilers/468694 "2008-10-20T02:08:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-12-the-mountain-king-10-19-08-open-spoilers/468694/101 "2008-10-22T14:05:06Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I don’t think he has any moral obligation to be open-minded about it. We’re talking about raising a child as one’s own. That’s a life-long commitment. And there’s nothing evil or unnatural about being uncomfortable about making such a commitment to a person who is not a genetic descendant. > > I should think that Pete’s mother’s “dregs and rejects” comment is the one that ought to be offensive. I found Pete’s attitude pretty deplorable because of his mother’s comment: his behavior makes it clear the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-12-the-mountain-king-10-19-08-open-spoilers/468694/102 "2008-10-22T14:16:04Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Paul Kinsey? Yep. He’s a fatuous poser. Don portends something different coming - I think of it as the groundwork being laid for The Sixties - but in the context of the show, he’s _earned_ the right to break the roles, by having invested so deeply in them for so long. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-12-the-mountain-king-10-19-08-open-spoilers/468694/103 "2008-10-22T15:43:04Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Yep. He’s a fatuous poser. Don portends something different coming - I think of it as the groundwork being laid for The Sixties - but in the context of the show, he’s _earned_ the right to break the roles, by having invested so deeply in them for so long. He’s earned the right to abandon his children? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-12-the-mountain-king-10-19-08-open-spoilers/468694/104 "2008-10-22T17:11:54Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > I don’t think she’s saying that everyone should be willing to adopt. Adoption isn’t for everyone. But Pete’s made it pretty clear he thinks a child who isn’t biologically his is somehow inferior, and I can see how this would be very hurtful. Yes, it’s the 1960s and it’s a fictional tv show, but this is a stigma that adopted children and their parents still struggle with today. > > I agree that Trudy is all kinds of wrong to make the appointment behind his back and run to Daddy when things go wrong. But Pete isn’t exactly being open-minded about it either. You nailed it. And the idea that an adopted child is a “reject” or less loveable than a biological child is particularly hurtful to my boyfriend, who still feels that his father didn’t love him as much as if he had been biologically related. Now, if Pete were a real person, I’d feel obliged to consider that he does have some good qualities (presumably, though I can’t think of any at the moment) and that Trudy handled her end poorly. But as he’s just a fictional character, I’m happy to write him off completely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-12-the-mountain-king-10-19-08-open-spoilers/468694.md?page=5)