I don’t find Kartheiser even slightly attractive even at his best, but on the show, this season, he definitely crossed the line into “repulsive.” I think, like you say, it’s the acting and the styling. The whole season he looked bloated and greasy, and his personality is always some combination of smug, frustrated, and nasty.
And, like Jophiel, in past seasons I generally tried to give Pete the benefit of the doubt. In a lot of ways, I don’t think he can help being such a reptile, and I think he really does love Trudy.
Has Trudy ever been suspicious of Pete having an affair or anything? I wonder if she would really care all that much as long has her family seemed picture-perfect. I think she was raised to expect to marry a man who would support her the way her father supported her mother, to live in the city until she had a child and then move to the suburbs to raise her family. I don’t think she sees anything else. It is simply what one does.
She’s not evil, and she’s not a bitch. She is naive and idealistic.
Not in my eyes, but I certainly recognize the divideover the definition of the act that particular night. He wore her down mentally; she said no right up until she said yes. Bad, but not rape by my judgement.
Was not attempting rape hijack [a lurid phrase, if I ever heard one]. Acknowledged the divide and stated personal opinion without passing it off as fact.
I second that Don is likely returning to his old ways. He’s lost respect for the woman he once saw as perfect, and the symbolism of him turning his back on her was almost too heavy for the scene.
Also, no one wants to watch a show about how happy Megan and Don are.
Thank you for mentioning this, madmonk28 - I loved the references as well. I’m not sure what to make of them, but at least it was appropriate period tunes. Nancy Sinatra sang “You Only Live Twice” for the film; I’m uncertain if that was Nancy last night. JB themes are usually very good tunes, imho. I wonder if an affair is going to develop between Don and Peggy? Oh boy, I don’t really like to speculate about things like that, though, because my specs don’t usually happen. LOL The original Casino Royale theme was Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - very popular in 1967.
I’m re-living my teen years - some good about that, but some bad as well, unfortunately. The musical at least was very good.
I don’t know if I’d call Trudy naive. She definitely knew what Pete was talking about when he told her not to leave him alone anymore.
But Trudy does have an extremely specific idea of what her life is supposed to look like, and she isn’t about to let anything get in the way of that. I think she’s willing to gloss over some infidelity by Pete as long as she gets her pool, to put it another way.
It’s also not like she sprung any of this on Pete. She’s been talking about this stuff forever.
The “Don walking away into the dark” scene was a bit over-the-top. It totally took me out of the moment, and made me think “I am watching a TV show that is hitting me over the head with a shovel to make sure I get the point.”
I also would have liked more exploration of Lane’s suicide. It does not seem right to get rid of a great character like that, and have the only consequences be an empty chair at the conference table, and a 5-minute conversation with his wife.
Other than that, a great episode. The closing shot was a perfect way to end the season.
I always fixate on his rather feminine mouth, it gives him a peevish, effete, uptight air. He always strives to be take-charge and manly, but then he has to look at himself in the mirror every day.
Oh, I am so going to miss reading about Mad Men online on Monday mornings, I’ve so enjoyed it!
OK, I got distracted and couldn’t watch the rest of the ep last night, finally saw the second half hour.
Anyway, Don appeared to be smitten all over again when the test reel showed Megan laughing and giggling. But then, the reel cuts to Megan acting sad and melancholy, Don’s smile quickly fades. He was only in love with the fun-loving, breezy, “Zooby Zooby Zoo”-singing Megan. But “Mrs. Megan Draper” he is not so fond of. Or as Faye (the psychiatrist / consultant from last season) put it he “only likes the beginning of things.”
BTW, did it strike anybody as significant that in that final scene, Don has a choice between two women - the blonde who approached him, and the brunette - the blonde’s friend at the end of the bar. (The blonde says “My friend wanted to know…are you alone?”, suggesting the brunette was the one who wanted to hook up with him.) It struck me that the two women represented both Don’s wives - the blonde being Betty, and the brunette is Megan, who now seems more distant to him. Perhaps Don wants Betty back? (Or more likely, a younger, still-svelte Betty.)
Also, I couldn’t help wondering if Peggy wasn’t sitting in the theater waiting for a chance to get her freak on and give another quickee hand-job to some anonymous strange guy. That would give Don’s comment “I’m proud of you” a rather bizarre subtext.
I wonder if an affair is going to develop between Don and Peggy? Oh boy, I don’t really like to speculate about things like that, though, because my specs don’t usually happen. LOL The original Casino Royale theme was Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - very popular in 1967. 
