Mad Men: The Color Blue

October 28th, 2009

Season 3, Episode 10

Synopsis

Don arrives home early for dinner, but soon departs to spend the night at Miss Farrell’s instead. While in bed, she mentions a student who wondered if everyone sees the same color blue.

The next day, Paul presents an idea for an Aqua Net television commercial, featuring a car passenger’s wind-blown hair-do. Don thinks it’s too complicated. Peggy suggests an abridged scenario which Don approves instead.

Lane delivers Don a bonus check, and reminds him about the the upcoming Sterling Cooper 40th anniversary party.

Paul confronts Peggy about her riffing on his ideas. Meanwhile, Lane’s wife Rebecca tells him how much she dislikes living in New York.

Don and Miss Farrell, in bed again, are interrupted by a knock on the door. It’s her younger brother, Danny, who suffers from epilepsy. Don makes a hasty exit.

While looking at an old company photograph, Roger recalls how he found Don working at a fur company.

Sally answers the phone, only to hear no-one on the other end. Don tells her to hang up, and Betty scolds her.

Paul and Peggy work late, seperately brainstorming ideas for Western Union. Peggy uses a tape recorder while Paul hits a liquor bottle. Later, Paul calls for Peggy across the office, but gets no response. He visits the break room for a snack, and chats with a custodian, when inspiration strikes. He happily disappears back into his office and polishes off the bottle.

The next morning, Miss Farrell surprises Don on his morning train. She says she doesn’t care about his marriage, as long as they can be together. She got a job for Danny at a veteran’s hospital.

Lois wakes Paul, who passed out on his office couch. He rummages through his papers to find his great idea, but sadly realizes he forgot to write it down.

The London office calls Lane, saying they will attend the party – and put Sterling Cooper up for sale.

Betty calls Henry to ask if he called the house the other night. He says no, and wonders why she needs such a pretense to contact him.

While doing laundry, Betty finds Don’s desk drawer key, which has fallen out of his bathrobe pocket. She opens Don’s desk drawer and finds his shoe box of old photographs, dog tags, a house deed, and divorce papers from Anna Draper. She sits down to catch her breath.

Don drops by Miss Farrell’s to find Danny still there, although his bags are packed. Don offers to drop him off at his new job. Meanwhile, Betty stays up waiting for Don, hoping to confront him.

During the drive, Danny says he doesn’t want this new job, and complains about being treated badly because his condition is misunderstood. Don pulls over and lets him out of the car. Don returns to Miss Farrell’s, claiming to have delivered Danny to the hospital as promised.

Betty gives up waiting and goes to bed.

The next morning, Don calls Betty from the office to remind her about the anniversary party. She claims to not feel well, but Don says she really need to be there.

Just before their meeting with Don, Paul tells Peggy about his lost idea. He recalls a Chinese proverb: “The faintest ink is better than the best memory.” At the meeting, Peggy mentions the proverb, and twists Paul’s forgotten idea situation into an appropriate tag line: “a telegram is forever.” Don tells them to keep working.

A limo arrives to pick up an elegantly-dressed but sour Betty. At the party, Roger rattles off a list of Don’s advertising awards, and Don walks to the head of the table to give his speech. Betty looks increasingly distracted.

Then And Now

Aqua Net: a combination of water, carbon, chlorine, and fluorine that held hair in one place with tenacity. Too bad Betty couldn’t spray Don down with it to make him stay home.
Epilepsy is better understood than it was in the 60s, but stigma remains.
Western Union sent their last telegram in 2006.

Thoughts

Consistency: Of course Betty would peek in Don’s drawer after happening upon his key, since she tried earlier when she suspected infidelity. Don’s lifetime of deception means he has no problem lying on Danny’s behalf. He perhaps sees something of himself or Adam in Miss Farrell’s brother.

Don’s silly romance with Miss Farrell is hypocritical, since earlier he called Roger “foolish” for marrying the much younger Jane. There’s a generation gap – all of Don’s previous dalliances have been older women with awareness of the “rules” regarding a husband’s extramarital affairs – Bobbie Barrett went out of her way to hide everything from Jimmy. Miss Farrell seems unstable and not beneath ringing Betty up and confessing. Then there’s the wild card of Danny – if anything happens to him, Miss Farrell will surely blame Don. Yeah, this isn’t going to end well.

I don’t believe Don Draper is meant to be admired; more pitied and made an example of. His character represents the 50s and his superficial, dishonest way of thinking must be marginalized as the series moves deeper into the sixties. With the Kennedy assassination right around the corner, Don’s surely being set up to take the terrible fall depicted in the credits, before season’s end. I look forward to it.

Next Episode: The Gypsy And The Hobo
Previous Episode: Wee Small Hours

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