Mad Men Season 3 Episode 5: The Fog

This week Sally is sad, Sally’s teacher is hard up, Don bonds with a security guard, Campbell discovers black people then bonds with one and Duck smarms his way back into everyone’s life in a turtle neck! HAH. Oh yeah, Betty has a fever dream about her Mom, Dad and Medgar Evers and gives birth.
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Don and Betty show up at school so Hot4Teacher can oogle Don and tell them that Sally is off the rails. Betty is put out because her Dad is dead and she is too busy not grieving and being pregnant to bother with her self involved daughter/competition. While Betty is in the restroom, Don’s hair pomade, standing in for cigarette smoke, flirts with Hot4Teacher.

Back at work, the Brits are yelling about paper and pencils. Don, fresh from his elementary school meetings, walks in late digests the topic and leaves. His cigarette mentioning that the whole thing is beneath him as they briskly part. Later in a one on one, Big Chief Brit tries to simultaneously make nice/have a pissing contest with Don. Don’s cigarette speechifies “Look, I’m creative. You need me. Go be an accountant somewhere else”, still the point is made.

Later, Campbell is depressed about his client list. He notes that his crappy TV manufacturer is overall flat but growing in inner cities. He wonders if there is money to be made with blacks. The Couch Commie is too busy with his pipe and his Marxist rhetoric (for real) to care. Ken shows up and talks about how his awesome clients are too busy buying him watches and taking him to Mets games to ask him for more work. Advertising is FUN! Peter, flustered, pouts to himself about needing to change the game.

Cut to hilarity in an early 60s boardroom as Peter tries to explain Jet Magazine to a very uninterested pair of white business executives. Rich Sommer is in the meeting to give the whole thing some credibility. None of his rational thought saves him from a classic Bert/Roger hand slap, though the annoying Big Chief Brit points out that Peter may have an interesting point.

A dejected Peter agrees to meet the Duck for lunch. Little does he know that Duck wants Peter and Peggy to come over as a package deal, assuming they are “together”. Peter storms out. Peggy listens and though clearly put off by Duck’s new found smarm, gets an idea.

Peter runs into Hollis the Elevator Operator and asks him about TV purchase. Hollis just wants him, and the couch commie and anyone else who ever thought he was the sole voice for blackness to go away. It doesn’t work, mostly because Peter is a tone deaf brat. Somehow, after giving Peter a little lecture, they bond a little. Who else smells spin off?

Hot4Teacher calls Draper and demands the full service (Draper then Pitino then Draper again) and Don is quick conversation with the cigarette of poor decisions away from knocking that down when Betty’s water breaks. He takes an IOU and rushes Betty to the hospital. Draper actually loses his cool a bit. Jarring, I know.

At the Hospital, a Mama Bear takes Betty into the delivery room and sends Don packing to wherever the gents sit and wait. I had a jarring memory here. Fantastic Four Annual 4 where Sue Storm gives birth to Franklin Richards and we spend the whole issue with The Thing, The Torch and Mr. Fantastic in the waiting room (till they have to go to the negative zone to get something that will keep the newborn Franklin from exploding). In the waiting room, Don meets a Security Guard with Red Label in his pocket. FRIEND! Don actually makes a joke or three and bonds with the nervous first time father to be. Don loves opening up to random fellows of blue collar background huh? Interesting, this actually reminded me of my first internship ever, every lunch I would play cards with the security guards. No one else seemed to notice I was there. I like Don.

While Don is making friends, Betty is going to looneytown. She has a few weird child like hallucinations then meets her parents who are cleaning up where Medgar Evers got shot. There is much lecturing and much pouting (guess who?) and finally her dad compares her to a housecat, something of great skill of which very little is expected. Ouch, she’s giving birth. Even I can cut her a little slack.

Back outside, Don’s friend drunkenly commits to be a better person. Don has already been shamed to admit he does not play ball with his son and is thinking back to his near bang of the teacher. Don’s cigarette quietly dismisses the drunken guard so they can quietly stew about their own limitations in peace.

Don does what he does best - rush back to hide out at work. Peggy will have none of this and inspired by Duck demands a raise. Don tells her to get bent. Peggy points out that he has everything, 3x more than then he needs. Don is already feeling like a mega-douche. Judgment from his prize pupil cements that this is dump on Don week.

Leaving the hospital he seems his friend again, who averts his eyes to mask his insecurity. If only you knew, plot device of the week, if only you knew. Back at home, Don is making some wonderful looking hash and warms up to his daughter in a way that he hardly ever seems to. Don is growing…I wonder how he reacts when Hot4Teacher returns next week?Sorry for the delay. I'll be better next week.