Mad Men: Season 3 Episode 2 - Love Among The Ruins

This one’s for the ladies. Or at least about them, the Ann-Margaret is for me and possibly my dad another lover of old Elvis movies. My dad and I used to have "Twist" offs. You have no idea what I’m talking about and that’s a shame. Let’s do some recapping!
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The show opens with the JV Team (minus Campbell) watching Ann-Margaret singing “Bye, Bye, Birdie” in color on an old school reel. Most of the gang are sporting sh*t eating grins (to hide their bones I’m sure). Sal is actually enjoying the song, humming along even. Sal, you’re not even trying anymore.

Peggy is clearly in a huff over their boner-dom and resurrects her feeling of “left outness” from last season. Of course, Rich Sommer’s character tries to placate her by telling her that at least she is “no longer fat”. Nice one Rich Sommer. Peggy is at a loss. Why can’t she be attractive, be taken seriously and get to pretend she never bore a baby that she gave up and drove her to insanity all at the same time? Why? Being a modern woman is tough work.

Regarding the Head of Accounts Wars of 63, Ken is in the early lead. While Cosgrove is trying to figure out how to win the new Diet Pepsi campaign, Peter and the Couch Commie are muffing their meeting with the group building the new Madison Square Garden. Apparently these gentlemen are very worried about the bad PR they are receiving for their plans to knock down the old Penn Station. Peter reminds everyone of his own mediocrity by totally losing control of the meeting and letting the Couch Commie share his opinions. In short order, he thinks the criticism is well deserved and drones about the Roman ruins being in Spain in his haughty Orson Wells poser voice. I can’t wait till the couch commie gives up the beatnick pose and turns into Wanna-Be-Hippie. I hate that guy. I hate that the voice supporting classic NY architecture is left to this blowhard.

The theme of old vs. new is again revisited on the home front. As Betty’s brother shows up with his family with father in tow. Senior Hofstead is losing it and everyone is at a loss as to what to do, especially Betty’s sniveling brother Bill. Btw, bad casting choice by the producers I think. Betty’s brother should be an Aaron Eckart type (or even a Ken Consgrove type). It’s hard to imagine this goon being from the same gene pool as Betty. Though I think the characterization of him as a whimp is spot on. It’s obvious that Dad was a domineering figure in their lives and they never quite got out of his shadow, so much so that Betty found an equally dominating cipher in Don. Much unlike Peggy, who manages to tell Roger (and us) in the elevator that her dad died long ago. Anyway, Betty is concerned about her dad and there is much argument between the siblings. Don ends up resolving the conflict by giving young Bill a verbal Draper. Poor impotent Bill has no choice but to accept an arrangement where he gives money to Don so Betty can assume nursing responsibilities for her dad. Not only does Don stick him with the check and makes sure Bill leaves with no car, no family home and no dad, he also insists they leave right away. All of this is just preamble of course, so the senior Hofstead can make some speech about the old being replaced by the new and the animals running the zoo, just in case the parallel between he and the old Penn Station was lost on those half asleep.

Funny Elizabeth Moss Mirror rendition of Bye Bye Birdie aside, the female empowerment storyline gets no such speechifying but it does go oral (!). Peggy goes to a bar and picks up a Brooklyn College student using Joan’s flirtations from an earlier office scene to kick off what turns into a goofier, more upbeat version of Betty’s seduction of Captain Awesome in last season’s finale. When the boy fails to come up with a condom, she politely reminds him they can do other things. Later, she dudes up and tries to sneak out in the middle of the night. When caught, she hilariously reverts to good girl mood and remembers to say she had a “nice time” as she hustles to the door.

My favorite interactions are always between Don and Peggy. Their bond is pretty neat. Like him, she is on the run from her own history and good at bringing her own life into work. She is also a fixer of things, or at least she is supposed to be.

Open Questions and Demands
Does the split in power mean that there will be fewer meetings that include bother Campbell and Ken? One of the hidden pleasures of the show is watching Ken’s casual awesomeness butt heads with Peter’s massive mediocrity/insecurity. There better be a big payoff to offset for this.

So Peggy owns her sexuality in a much more positive way than she has before and I’m intrigued. Don as the fixer of things and this is confirmed when he fixes things with his wife and with the Madison Square Garden people. Unfortunately, he but can’t figure out what the dickens to do with the asinine Brits, who are insistent on mucking things up. Roger’s daughter hates Peyton List because Peyton List is too hot for words and I’m sure that will come up again. I need more Joan; don’t make me go watch Firefly repeats for more Joan. More Joan!