Lots of very understated twisting and turning here:
Interesting parallel here of usery of relationships.
Is Henry using business to get Betty in the sack? Is Betty allowing Henry's attraction to her as use as a tool for her cause. Or, is it also her using him for her esteem? Then, Pete using Joan to get the dress, and using the dress to get the girl.
Did you catch the Hermes?
Great line, Joan to Pete: This never happened. Not the dress, Pete meeting her at her new job.
And after they were home and Betty didn't put out with Henry, did you catch where she says the board had a secret meeting and Betty's side may lose?
The many facets of Mrs. Draper:
On one hand Betty is in a very subtle way slowly ebbing in to, or slowly similar of, a metaphor of the idea of a MadWoman. She's employing the element of sex and the boardroom, just underlying rather than overt; one of the basic differences between men and women, overt vs subtle.
Betty is subtle in using Henry. Pete is not so subtle in his overture toward the girl.
But on the other hand as well, Betty's selfishness and esteem issues show up again to conflict with that. She ends up as we learned in the end, not wanting to go to Rome with Don for Don and business, but for herself.
(tangent: remember season 1 when Betty was telling of her experiences in Italy modeling, and the guy "Johnny")? I was thinking that was going to be revisited, in more ways than one.
So she goes to Rome for herself, using Don (again the theme of usery here tonight) to, like a man actually, re-live her own version of glory days. Maybe the equivalent of a guy buying his first sportscar he had years ago when he retires.
Betty then proceeds to walk down the runway if you will as she enters the cafe. The glamorous hair, the walk, the attention. She needs the attention from the men, like she enjoys the attention from Henry.
I found this extremely interesting: At the cafe she plays the role of one of Don's conquests. But she knows he really does that. And she however plays the role anyway and enjoys it. Very, very interesting.
The best line was Betty telling Sally, you'll have a lot of first kisses. Betty is having a new first kiss with this evolution of her in the venture outside the house and into her own version of a business world like her husband has, so to speak in her own way.
Then you have Don. Progressing through this season we've had Don, usually at the end of episodes, showing a quick tender affection toward Betty. Here, this is not his usual Don sex. He's not treating her like his usual conquest, nor is he rolling on top of her saying I had a good dream. He's affectionate. He's attentive to her. He's attentive to her body, appreciative of beauty.
Was Seven Twenty-Three the death date of Don as we had known him?
Then you have the contrast of Don and Pete, yet again regarding their sex this episode. Opposite types of encounters. Yet, both Don and Pete at the same time have a parallel as well; Pete is in the same position Don was at the end of last year. She knows. Yet Pete, just like Don if you notice, won't SAY what he did. Very interesting dynamic between Pete and Don; Here both opposite yet one in the same as well.
So Betty is such a bell curve. On one hand she's exhibiting a growth, a shadow of a MadWoman. But then she falls, similar to the opening credits, back into Betty. Betty as much as she seemed to be coming out of her fog, in the end, we find out she's still only interested in fantasy land. Last episode we saw her alone and her hands wander down south after the meeting with Henry. The washing machine Season 1. Fantasy. Here she's unhappy at the end being back home in reality. Italy was a real life fantasy for her, and she lived it. That's always been what makes her, her. One big conflict with reality and fantasy land in so many ways.
MAD MEN
1 comment:
Lots of very understated twisting and turning here:
Interesting parallel here of usery of relationships.
Is Henry using business to get Betty in the sack? Is Betty allowing Henry's attraction to her as use as a tool for her cause. Or, is it also her using him for her esteem? Then, Pete using Joan to get the dress, and using the dress to get the girl.
Did you catch the Hermes?
Great line, Joan to Pete: This never happened. Not the dress, Pete meeting her at her new job.
And after they were home and Betty didn't put out with Henry, did you catch where she says the board had a secret meeting and Betty's side may lose?
The many facets of Mrs. Draper:
On one hand Betty is in a very subtle way slowly ebbing in to, or slowly similar of, a metaphor of the idea of a MadWoman. She's employing the element of sex and the boardroom, just underlying rather than overt; one of the basic differences between men and women, overt vs subtle.
Betty is subtle in using Henry. Pete is not so subtle in his overture toward the girl.
But on the other hand as well, Betty's selfishness and esteem issues show up again to conflict with that. She ends up as we learned in the end, not wanting to go to Rome with Don for Don and business, but for herself.
(tangent: remember season 1 when Betty was telling of her experiences in Italy modeling, and the guy "Johnny")? I was thinking that was going to be revisited, in more ways than one.
So she goes to Rome for herself, using Don (again the theme of usery here tonight) to, like a man actually, re-live her own version of glory days. Maybe the equivalent of a guy buying his first sportscar he had years ago when he retires.
Betty then proceeds to walk down the runway if you will as she enters the cafe. The glamorous hair, the walk, the attention. She needs the attention from the men, like she enjoys the attention from Henry.
I found this extremely interesting: At the cafe she plays the role of one of Don's conquests. But she knows he really does that. And she however plays the role anyway and enjoys it. Very, very interesting.
The best line was Betty telling Sally, you'll have a lot of first kisses. Betty is having a new first kiss with this evolution of her in the venture outside the house and into her own version of a business world like her husband has, so to speak in her own way.
Then you have Don. Progressing through this season we've had Don, usually at the end of episodes, showing a quick tender affection toward Betty. Here, this is not his usual Don sex. He's not treating her like his usual conquest, nor is he rolling on top of her saying I had a good dream. He's affectionate. He's attentive to her. He's attentive to her body, appreciative of beauty.
Was Seven Twenty-Three the death date of Don as we had known him?
Then you have the contrast of Don and Pete, yet again regarding their sex this episode. Opposite types of encounters. Yet, both Don and Pete at the same time have a parallel as well; Pete is in the same position Don was at the end of last year. She knows. Yet Pete, just like Don if you notice, won't SAY what he did. Very interesting dynamic between Pete and Don; Here both opposite yet one in the same as well.
So Betty is such a bell curve. On one hand she's exhibiting a growth, a shadow of a MadWoman. But then she falls, similar to the opening credits, back into Betty. Betty as much as she seemed to be coming out of her fog, in the end, we find out she's still only interested in fantasy land. Last episode we saw her alone and her hands wander down south after the meeting with Henry. The washing machine Season 1. Fantasy. Here she's unhappy at the end being back home in reality. Italy was a real life fantasy for her, and she lived it. That's always been what makes her, her. One big conflict with reality and fantasy land in so many ways.
Betty is still Betty.
But, is Don still Don?
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