Remember when Don casually remarked, I grew up in a place like this, to that high-class madam last season? At the time I tossed it off as a possible white lie or slight exaggeration, he was born in a whorehouse after all just to make his refusal of the merchandise more credible. Well, turns out there was nothing false about that statement, because after a two-season absence, the Depression-era flashbacks have returned to Mad Men, revealing yet another piece of the puzzle that is Don Drapers anguished existence.
Shortly after Archibald Whitman met his maker at the hoof of a spooked horse, his pregnant (allegedly with Adam Whitman) wife, Abigail, moved herself and adolescent Dick to her sister Ernestineshome. And that home just happened to be a brothel, run by Ernestine and her gentleman friend, Uncle Mack (you dont need to wait until the second-to-last scene to figure out that Mack, making his first appearance since Season One, is into sisters). So its no surprise that Dick, who was bereft of any pals like Boardwalk Empires Richard Harrow, was ingrained with such a depraved view of sex from a young age. This episode, The Collaborators, examined the dichotomy of Dons natural sleeping-around tendencies, as well as his recurring guilt not so much toward Megan, but Joan, whose SCDP partnership came at such a high price. Jon Hamm directed for the second time around, but other than eliciting a couple of knockout scenes from Alison Brie and Jessica Par the episode fell a little flat. But that was because the material was far less meaty than last seasons Tea Leaves.
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Running With Scissors
Apologies for the sophomoric analogy, but Don and Sylvia Rosens sloppy affair reminds me of that Sex and the City episode in which Natasha catches a pink-bra-ed Carrie in the apartment she shares with Big. Between Don sneaking into the Rosens on his way to work and remaining with Sylvia at a restaurant after Megan and Sylvias husband, Arnold, bailed on their double date, I have to wonder (yes, Im doing this in Carrie Bradshaw-speak), Are they trying to get caught? The jury is still out on Sylvia, whos wrestling with plenty of her own guilt, but maybe thats how Don figures he can be released from the shackles of his current marriage. Hes certainly addicted to the sex with her all right, but to Don, Sylvia is, quite literally, a whore. When she opens the door, dressed in a negligee and robe, her hand on her hip, the memory of his arrival at Ernestines brothel is instantly triggered.
Side note: Were on our fourth Bobby Draper, so I dont see the harm in recasting a new Dick Whitman. According to IMDB, the same child actor has played the role since 2007, which would make him in his teens at this point. If were keeping with the correct timeline, Dicks arrival at the brothel would be, at most, a few months after his fathers death. Trouble is, 10-year-old Dicks gotten taller, has a deeper voice and even Uncle Mack warns him against getting too close to the staff: Im the rooster around here.
Its only the third episode of the season, but remorse is slowly encroaching upon the sinners, even those who have been taught from an early age that its OK for your stepmother to sleep with her sisters lover, which Dick watched, Psycho-style, through a keyhole. In Dons case, hes still got a score to settle with Herb Rennet, the smarmy Jaguar rep who awarded SCDP the automobile account at the expense of Joans virtue. Not only does Don refuse to shake Herbs hand, but he goes out of his way to sabotage a meeting with Jaguar, rebelling against SCDPs Nazi collaborator-like behavior (hence the episode title) of blindly giving clients whatever they want.
But Sylvia is the one who experiences more direct, sharp guilt over the affair when Megan, continuing the ever-present death theme that Matthew Weiner beat us over the head with last week, spills that she recently suffered a miscarriage, hasnt told Don and that she didnt want the child in the first place. This is a fantastically acted scene, with Linda Cardellini conveying just the right amount of regret and uneasiness that the audience notices it, but Megan, deep in her own sorrow, doesnt. It also demonstrates the generational difference between these two wives: Theres Megan, the younger, lapsed Catholic in plaid slacks, sweater and wide collar open to the idea of abortion, and the more devout Sylvia, doing laundry in pearls and a form-fitting blue dress, unable to even fathom terminating a pregnancy. When Megan plucks up the courage to break the news to Don, he perfunctorily comforts her, but her devastating loss looks more like the death knell of their marriage. Instead of engaging his wife in a dialogue about starting a family, Don merely placates Megan with declarations of I want what you want.
In an almost direct parallel to the Don-Megan-Sylvia story line, Pete found himself mismanaging his latest extramarital affair as well. Even though he engaged in sexual relations with his down-the-street neighbor, Brenda, in his Manhattan piedterre, his ambivalence (shes no Beth Dawes!) and her intensity were a dangerous combination resulting in a bloodied and bruised Brenda knocking on the Campbells door in need of a safe haven from her cuckolded husband. Trudy, willing to accept Petes infidelity but not his indiscretion (upsetting, yet not surprising), unleashes years of pent-up fury the next morning, her steely voice matching her new set of balls (The Game of Thrones-esque If you so much as open your fly to urinate, I will destroy you is one for the vengeance saddle bag). But it was all for naught as Pete retained the upper hand: He smugly informed Trudy she would be sleeping alone that night before he marched out the door.
Wrap-Up
We were treated to a second helping of those convivial late-night phone chats between Peggy and Stan this episode, complete with cute client shorthand like, Beans brought Ketchup in for a meeting. But even those precious moments are inserted into the story line for a reason, and it looks like a friendly call between colleagues is the device that will bring Peggy and the rest of the SCDP crew together again. Now that Peggy knows SCDPs relationship with Heinz is shaky, Ted Chaough is prepared to go in for the kill. Get ready for Draper vs. Olson, Round One.
Previously: The Jumping Off Point