Mad Men, series three, episode four

Tonight’s episode – not for the first time in Mad Men history – focused on the difficult relationships between some of our characters and their parents.

SPOILER ALERT: This blog is for those who are watching Mad Men on BBC4. Don’t read on if you haven’t seen episode two – and if you’ve seen more of the series, please be aware that many UK viewers will not have done so …

Will Dean’s episode three blog

“You don’t want to hear about it, Scarlett O’Hara.” Gene

The glorious opening scene with Sally chauffeuring Gene sets up an exploration of Gene, Betty and Sally’s relationship. This episode is called The Arrangements – referring to Gene’s funeral plans. Despite an ill Gene taking care of everything, Betty’s response is to, in effect, cover her ears and tell him he’s “selfish and morbid”. Gene’s assessment of her wanting to be shielded from dangers (“That’s why you married that joker”) is accurate – and she proves it with her reaction to his funeral planning.

Things are simpler with his granddaughter. Gene is the first person to talk to Sally lovingly and affirmatively and, between telling her that’s she’s smart, he lets slip that her mother was chubby as a kid, which goes someway to explaining Betty’s snippiness to her daughter’s looks. These scenes with Gene and Sally are some of the warmest Mad Men have ever offered us. And – after we find out about Gene’s death – what a wonderful performance from young Kiernan Shipka, as she’s literally locked out of her mother’s grieving by the front door and later screams at her parents for laughing. Betty’s reaction to Sally (“You’re being hysterical”) may have been heartless, but we know she’s grieving too. Sadly, the only way she can express it is by eating a one of her father’s peaches.

“Jack Kennedy certainly ended up with a better job than his father.” Don

In the office, one of Pete’s old Dartmouth chums, Horace (“Ho Ho”) – another Fitzgeraldy-type – is trying to prove himself to his dad by pumping his inheritance into a national Jai Alai league. His naivety and $3m ad budget send Sterling Cooper’s finest into a froth. Don’s objections to the milking of the fatted calf lead to the scene where Ho Ho’s father is brought into Cooper’s office to check whether they should proceed. Horace’s father has no faith in Jai Alai (“Are you drunk? It’s like Polish handball”) and even less in his son (“My son lives in a cloud of success, but it’s my success”). It’s fair enough, but Horace can’t win here – he succeeds and it’s down to his father, fails and it’s his own fault.

Likewise, a few of Sterling Cooper’s males live, like Ho Ho, in the shadow of their fathers (Pete, definitely; Roger, possibly). Don is the opposite, having outgrown his disastrous upbringing. His inheritance extends to his face and one black and white photo of his parents.

Notes

Peggy is also having trouble with a parent. Her transparent attempt to distract her mum with an Admiral TV show that the aftershocks of her pregnancy still reverberate in the Olson household.

I loved the mismatch between Karen and Peggy – prom queen meets wallflower – despite Peggy’s job and office. Elisabeth Moss did a great job of conveying Peggy’s nervousness – “I like ... fun.”

Joan’s immediate redrafting of Peggy’s ad once more showed that she’s a copywriting natural.

After his run through of the Patio ad, it looks like Kitty has twigged about Sal’s sexuality.

Peggy’s mum is waiting to hear more news on the death of Pope John XXIII (d. 3 June).

When Peggy’s mother turns on the news we hear JFK discussing Vivian Malone and James Hood’s attempts to enter the University of Alabama. Later the report mentions Thích Quảng Đức setting himself on fire in Vietnam. These two defining images of the decade happened on the same day – 11 June.

Roger calls it right on the Patio ad: “She’s not Ann-Margret.” You can try and appropriate culture for business, but you have to be either subtle or go all out (ie, hire the actress and do it properly).

Culture watch

As far as I can tell, the director who quit the Patio ad to go to LA – “George Cohan/Cohen” was fictional. But the song used over the final credits – WWI song and nod to Gene – Over There was written by George M Cohan, a great subtle touch. That, like Bye Bye Birdie, has recently been appropriated by an ad agency – those awful Go Compare ads.

Joan nods to one of MM’s key references when she observes Peggy’s ad is “like the stage directions from an Ibsen play”.

Horace was reading David Ogilvy’s Confessions Of An Advertising Man.

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