Mad Men: The Jet Set

March 18th, 2009

Season 2, Episode 11

Synopsis

Jane wakes up in a hotel bed with Roger. She has written a love poem, and Roger asks her to marry him. With Don and Pete away, the office folks aren’t getting much done. Kurt invites Peggy to a Bob Dylan performance.

In sunny California, Don and Pete stand by a hotel pool, enjoying the weather and the eye candy. The airline has lost Don’s luggage. En route to the pool bar, Don passes someone that resembles Betty. He meets Willy, a Count, and Joy, a young woman.

Roger’s divorce lawyer says Mona intends to fight their divorce and make Roger pay. Duck asks Roger if he can make partner. Roger is reluctant, asking for more results.

Don and Pete attend a missile presentation, and the slides of exploding missiles seem to bother Don. Pete notes how much money the defense industry spends on media.

At the hotel, Joy invites Don on a drive to Palm Springs. Don decides go, abandoning Pete at a business meeting. Joy and Don arrive at a fancy house, to meet an odd group of people with no clear relationship to one another. Don passes out from the heat, but later recovers enough for dinner. The conversation is odd, as everyone has no profession and they play a word game. That night, Don and Joy sleep together.

Joan presents donuts at the office. Kurt, one of the younger employees, reminds Peggy about seeing Bob Dylan in the Village. Kurt announces he is homosexual, which is greeted by silence. After Kurt leaves, Ken says he isn’t sure about this. Smitty mockingly says there are others. Sal is noticeably silent.

The next morning, Don and Joy lie in bed, as she reads The Sound and the Fury. Willy pops in the bedroom to say hello. It turns out he is Joy’s father. Don is confused by the casual attitude toward sex.

Duck meets with two British ad agency representatives and prods them into purchasing Sterling Cooper, giving him a finder’s fee and control over the new subsidiary.

Kurt stops by Peggy’s apartment, and on a whim, cuts her hair in a more modern style.

At the pool, Joy tells Don that their entourage is soon leaving for the Bahamas, and invites Don to join them.

The next day, Pete returns from California, without a clue as to Don’s whereabouts. He vaguely notices Peggy’s new hairstyle. Ken says, “Kurt’s a homo.”

Duck tells Roger and Bertram about the British firm’s interest but spins the takeover as an opportunity.

Back in California, Don makes a phone call and sets up a meeting with an unidentified person. Meanwhile, his missing luggage is delivered to his doorstep in New York.

Thoughts

Style

Loretta Young was a famous actress. Bob Dylan played Carnegie Hall several times in the early sixties. Pete claims he saw Tony Curtis, a famous actor (most known for Some Like It Hot) in the hotel bathroom. Rita Hayworth was a sex-symbol actress who re-married five times. The MIRV is a missile that could deploy several warheads simultaneously. The Sound And The Fury is a William Faulkner novel that features several points of view in a stream of consciousness style. Tanqueray is a British gin.

Then And Now

Sexual liberation: Willy’s casual attitude towards Joy’s bedding of Don is surprising even by today’s standards.
Homosexuality: The knowledge that Kurt is gay is met with silent shock and disbelief by the office folks.

Developments

Kurt, one of the younger employees, is gay. Ken negative reaction is rather amusing since Sal is a closeted gay man with a suppressed interest in Ken.

The aeronautics presentation mentions the threat of nuclear annihilation, which bothers Don and foreshadows the tension of the Cuban missile crisis in the season finale.

When Don falls over, the camera move reminded me of a scene from Mean Streets.

The entourage of Joy’s friends are odd without a clear explanation – they might be nouveau riche avoiding taxes, or at worst, a cult. But their rootless quality seems to appeal to Don, and offers him the potential of a life without strings. A young boy and girl finally suggest this lifestyle is not the best idea.

Duck’s meeting with the British ad agency takes place in a dark restaurant, dimly lit with red lights, which is subtly evil, and sets a plan to take over Sterling Cooper which drives the last episodes of the season. The dimly lit restaurant contrasts with the bright California sunshine.

The last scene of Don sitting on a couch making a phone call is shot from behind, and resembles the opening credits silhouette. The differences: Don’s arm is pointing in the opposite direction, and he has no clothes (his clothes are on the opposite coast). This is Don Draper’s opposite, Dick Whitman – whom we’ll learn more about in the next episode.

Next Episode: The Mountain King
Previous Episode: The Inheritance

TV Shows: Mad Men

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