It looks likely we’re finally getting another Peggy-centic episode. I wonder we they’re going with her and Father Gill. I don’t think they’ll actually have an affair (then again it feels like that’s what they’re setting us up for). I don’t think Peggy’s going to return to the Church anytime soon either. The fallout from Jane’s going over Joan’s head should be interesting.
Poor Joan. It looked like she was actually thinking “Maybe I could move beyond secretarial work after all” (quite a shift for her). She was heartbroken. Betty wearing her party dress into the next afternoon was a nice touch. I don’t think she really wants to cheat on Don, but might do it just to hurt him and regret it. Her entire self-worth is based on being the perfect wife/mother/hostess and she’s only scoring 1 out of 3 (although she’s not aware of how poor parents she and Don are). What’s up with those scratches on Joan’s shoulder? 
Just marks from her bra strap.
“There’s only one Moby Dick. I checked.” What was that about? Sis wanted the Reader’s Digest Condensed version? Or she liked it so much she was hoping for a sequel? That was funny, and puzzling.
I don’t know if it’s the writers being clumsy or the priest being clumsy, but I thought it was clumsy of him to ask personal questions and try to draw out a confession at Peggy’s workplace. (I was waiting for somebody to say “Hey! Isn’t that Tom Hanks’ kid?”)
Peggy expecting the priest to be her Don with the church council – that was cool.
Why did Duck go to the dinner party? He declined and then showed up anyway? He must be really lonely.
Did Pete and Don actually go to markets and set up Heineken displays?
And here’s a good example to show why some people don’t confront an SO about their cheating. What now, huh? You have to do something about it.
Joan, Peggy, and Betty – what are they gonna do with all that repressed rage?
I loved the scene with Joan rubbing her sore shoulder, but I have no clue what it means. A prelude to bra burning? Having breasts is sometimes painful?
Good episode, except for the priest stuff.
ETA: I was surprised to see Joan with her fiance. I’d been thinking she was lying about being engaged. And did anyone else think her voice sounded different at home?
Excellent episode! I loved the end scene. Peggy, Joan, and the Preacher, each stripping off their superficial day job guise to reveal the vulnerable person below the surface. Each of the three seemed very comfortable, together and in charge while on the clock. But peel away the outer layer, and each is shown to be suffering in some way. Peggy seemed near meltdown. Joan bears the scars of beauty - the only thing people truly appreciate about her. And Father Gill asking the Lord through song to help him find the way.
AuntiePam - I noticed Joan’s cartoon voice too. One or two lines especially stood out as something helium induced. What the hell was that? Was it her “little girl” voice she uses at home when she’s not playing the tough office diva? Does her guy even know what a valuable asset she is to her company? He sees her as best suited to being home, eating bon-bons, and watching soaps all day. I can’t see that relationship lasting long.
I was a little confused as to why Betty did the 180 after seeing Jimmy Barrett on tv. He came off as such a goof in that spot.
I loved the dinner scene. The ballet performance brought back memories of how my brother was always expected to play the piano for guests. I took Bobby’s role as the quiet, yet attentive younger and unskilled sibling. And the manners! Remember when kids had manners?
Betty was the PERFECT hostess. Other than the one odd chair that replaced the one she beat to hell, (that made a quick disappearance when Duck arrived stag) every last detail was perfect. Another example to fit the overall theme of perfection on the outside, and pain on the inside.
Good enough, I watched it twice in a row!
Would have been interesting if they had shown the priest in the tub instead.
First time I recall seeing Joan in pants. Baby got back.
Is Jimmy Barrett based on a real person? Anyone recall the history of Utz advertising in the early 60s? Many of the ad lines they’ve used have been real or close to real.
The line was actually something like “I was right, there’s only one book about Moby Dick. I checked.” I took it as Sis wanted a sequel. Best line in this episode!
I was happy to see Betty growing a pair and standing up to Don, since she’s always played the dutiful little subservient domestic wife. I think she’s really making him think about his behavior, telling him not to come home and doing it calmly and rationally rather than in a screaming fit of anger or something.
Noticed Joan’s squeaky voice. I don’t think she’ll appreciate being told “weren’t you going to get me a glass of water, honey” for very long. And yes, Joanie has some junk in the trunk. And under the hood. No wonder she has red bra strap marks on her shoulders. Also, last week’s lost power struggle with Jane and this week’s loss of the plum TV department job are evidence of her waning control in the office. I think the hard outer shell may soon crack.
“Duck, Crab. Crab, Duck.” Loved it.
The only thing I didn’t like was that the feed from AMC was out of sync. The audio track was about a second ahead of the video, so the whole thing looked like an overdubbed foreign film. Very jarring. I guess is was only in my local area (North/Central NJ).
Did they ever say who Crab was? I might have missed it, or was he just a generic potential account?
I thought Duck only showed as it would have looked bad if he did not, not because he was lonely. He was backing out of it, but Don made it sound like it was a command performance.
The Maytag communist agitator bit was humorous as was the “Duck, Crab. Crab, Duck.”
It seemed odd that Jane had no lines after last week.
corkboard: The AMC feed was good for Comcast in Monmouth County for the 11pm show. I can’t speak to the 10pm.
i don’t think they said, but I was under the impression that he worked at a different ad agency and that they wanted him to come work for Sterling-Cooper.
He’s been working on her for some time now. I guess he thought he’d given it enough time to have a go at it. Yes, it was clumsy, but it was meant to be. Somehow I think it would have been just as clumsy in a different setting. At least at the office, Peggy can retreat into her professional life.
Don told him that Roger expected his presence.
I doubt they did it personally.
Pete: Who’s Crab Colson?
Duck (What, are you stupid? expression): Rogers and Cowan?
I’m beginning to think that Duck, poor sap, is a better man than our heroes Don, Roger, and Pete. I really feel for him.
I’m pretty sure Weiner’s described him as a ‘Don Rickles type,’ though I don’t doubt other comedians’ character flaws have made it into the character.
What an amazing episode, overall. Just brilliant.
Don, Roger, & Pete can only be seen as heroes in Opposite Land. Mad Men is a tragedy, I think. Well, Draper’s story is a tragedy-in-process, anyway. I have hopes that Peggy can end happily.
I don’t know about that. Betty standing up to Don might start a (very long, with intermittent back sliding) story arch towards redemption. He tried to resist Bobbie at first, iirc. And the beatnik chick is gone. It’s not unfair to paint him as trapped in a sham of a marriage required by his time in society, to some extent. That doesn’t forgive his numerous transgressions, but it’s not out of the question that he could come to see the light. Remember he was reading that sort of anarchists manifesto a couple of episodes back? Net, women were victims of the times, but most men really weren’t much better off, at least if you measure by things like self actualization versus control and hedonistic pleasure.
Nice point. None of the marriages on the show seem to be true partnerships, and no one seems to be “in love” with their spouses. The married ones aren’t happy but neither are the single ones, because they think they should be married – except for Peggy.
In this week’s Behind the Scenes, Matt Weiner talks about Don’s feelings toward Betty. It’s a bit spoilerish, but worth hearing.
Will somebody check out the extended preview for next week and tell me what those guys are doing? :eek:
By the way, Crab was the guy at the country club who had gotten screwed over in the Bay of Pigs stuff. I don’t know exactly what Roger’s interest is regarding him, though.
I just wanted to bring up this gem of dialogue I just noticed in “Maidenform.”
Yeah, okay, you caught me making shit up.
Am I the only one that got the impression that, Roger expected Joan to keep helping Harry? He even told Harry that she would get a pay increase.
I didn’t get that impression. He told Harry to return the secretaries to the pool. Until Harry told him, he didn’t even know that it was Joan who was helping him.
And when he found out it was Joan, he said something along the lines of her being able to handle the extra work. Then mentioned the pay increase.
I think Harry decided to hire someone else, since Roger had pretty much designated it an actual job with a salary.
Nope. What I heard was Roger telling Harry to hire someone and to start him at $150 a week.