Mad Men S03E04: The Arrangements
Posted by KAT in Mad MenSeptember 9th, 2009, 10:49 AM
I may be a day late and a dollar short (dunno what that means), but I finally caught up on Sunday night’s Mad Men the other day.
Another good episode, though probs not as mind-bending as last week’s. The hour kicks off with Grandpa Gene essentially getting ready to die. He sits down with Betty Draper to discuss final arrangements, and she acts like her usual prissy, can’t-be-bothered self. It seemed to me that Gramps wanted to h2h with his dead fish of a daughter, but the babe is stone. Sigh. 
Meanwhile, Gramps is bonding with the kids. He’s eating ice cream with Sally before dinner (a no no!), having Bobby try on a Prussian helmet with dried blood from his war days (Don Draper: “It’s a dead man’s hat. Take it off.”), letting little Sally drive the car… Grandpa Gene is clearly havin’ some fun with the kids and getting ready to shut down shop.
Sally, in particular, is extremely affected by Grandpa’s attention, as it’s something she never gets from her parents. He tells her to not listen to her mother, she can do anything she wants, and she truly takes his words to heart. Finally, a friend among these bummer folks she calls family!
Back at Sterling Cooper, Pete Campbell has pulled in some silly trust fund baby’s - Horace Cook Jr. - account. Horace has a ton of money to blow on promoting jai alai, a Basque game with an oddly-shaped paddle/basket thingy. Everyone clearly thinks it’s a bad idea, but want the money that comes along with it. Only Don has the balls to tell young Horace the investment might not be in his best interest - and Horace doesn’t seem to care. Pete, meanwhile, has a somewhat more intelligent take than we are used to: “So he was born with a lot of money. He has a dream and it’s our job to make it come true.” Don seems to take these words to heart. I’m taking this life lesson as, be a little more selfless, Don, especially WITH YOUR OWN KIDS!
Also at the office, we see Salvatore Romano taking on the role of commercial director for the Patio account from 2 episodes ago - you know, the one with the Ann-Margaret/”Bye Bye Birdie” vibe.
Back at home, when Salvatore’s wife Kitty confronts him on the lack of affection between them (he’s gay, dummy!), he responds by telling her he’s stressed at work, and thinks this Patio ad is his ticket to something more. This might be true, yes, but it’s also another hint that their marriage is crumbling - don’t say I didn’t warn you. And if Salvatore’s sultry recreation of the “Bye Bye Birdie” choreography for his wife isn’t reason enough to question his sexuality, I don’t know what is.
Unfortunately, when the Patio guys come in to view the ad - which is literally a frame-by-frame “Bye Bye Birdie” knock-off - they’re unhappy. Everything is exactly how they wanted it, but something is off, and they hate it. Trouble is, at the end of the day, it’s not Ann-Margaret in the ad. Peggy Olson smirks a little I-told-you-so as she leaves the conference room.
Luckily, though the ad is a failure, Don Draper recognizes Salvatore’s talent. He’s proven himself as a worthy commercial director and will be handed the role in the future. Well done, Salvatore!
Oh! And on to Peggy! As usual, I’m instantly drawn to tales of Peggy Olson’s efforts to become a sophisticated city girl - love me a modern working girl! In “The Arrangements,” Peggy decides it’s time to move to Manhattan with a roommate. She posts an ad up in the Sterling Cooper break room, only to be met with a crank call from her co-workers. Joan Holloway steps in to criticize the ad - which boasts that Peggy is clean, responsible - and gives her advice on how to write a new one.
This time, Peggy will sell herself as fun, adventurous, ready to take on the big city with a new bosom buddy. She immediately gets a response from a lovable, chatty party girl. It’s time for Peggy to let loose!
Sadly, when Peggy tells her mother she’s moving to Manhattan (after buying her a TV, no less!), she’s met with scorn. Mama Olson even goes as far as to utter the words, “You’ll get raped, you know that.” YIKES!
The episode ends with - yes - Grandpa Gene’s death. A policeman pulls up to the Draper house and gives word to Betty and Sally that Gramps collapsed at the supermarket that afternoon. Betty, predictably, takes the news with a stern, straight-lip, letting the policeman inside and closing the door behind her. Poor Sally is left on the doorstep, sobbing.
Later that night, the Drapers and Betty’s brother William are sitting around the kitchen table to sort things out. Someone cracks a joke, they all laugh - and little lisping Sally runs in and explodes. She can’t accept the uncaring, heartless way in which Grandpa Gene’s death is being taken and she screams at the adults in between tears. Betty, as cold as always, sends her away to watch TV in the living room. In a truly heartbreaking scene, Sally lays down to watch a news report about a Vietnamese monk who burns himself to death in protest of South Vietnam’s persecution of Buddhists. We’ve all seen this image before.
One can’t help but compare Sally, lying down and giving up in protest of her mother’s cold, tyrannical rule, with this famous historical figure. This isn’t to say I predict she’ll be setting herself ablaze in future episodes - but I really do foresee more instances of Sally acting out in the near future. Oh, so sad!
All in all, such a heartbreaking episode. Every Mad Men character is desperate to connect, but when presented with the opportunity, doesn’t know how. Even worse, I really don’t predict anyone progressing anytime soon. Sob!
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