It would have been nearly impossible for Mad Men to reach the level of “Shut the Door, Have a Seat,” the season three finale. I still believe it was one of the greatest episodes ever made, and one of the most satisfying season finales I’ve ever watched. With that being said, this week’s ender to season four, “Tomorrowland” was a great, and surprising, topper to the best season yet of Mad Men.
I don’t think anyone saw the whirlwind engagement of Don and Megan coming (and if you did — kudos!). I was definitely thinking that there might be a future with Don and Faye, but never considered Megan to be a real player. Don and Faye seemed to have a great relationship. Faye was someone who could stand up to Don, challenge him on multiple levels, and be a good partner. However, there was one fatal flaw, and after spending four years getting to know Don Draper, I should have realized it was a deal breaker.
Several weeks back there was a turning point episode. When Sally ran away to Don’s office and had her little tantrum, it should have been a clear sign. Faye didn’t know the first thing about dealing with children, and Megan was a natural. It has been evident since day one that Don was staying in his strained marriage to Betty because he so desperately needed a family and loved his kids to death. He has always strived to be a good father and a “family man” even as he continually cheated on Betty. It makes perfect sense that he would see Megan so effortlessly settle into the role of “mother” to Don’s kids and fall in love with her.
Is it all going to work out? I can see it having some potential, but it strikes me that Don married another Betty. At the end of the day, maybe that was unavoidable. Megan is young, naive, and I don’t really think she knows what she is getting into. Don is already starting the relationship with that bag full of secrets that caused him so much grief with Betty. That baggage was already out in the open with Faye, and it wasn’t going to be a problem there. I can definitely see this relationship headed down the same path as marriage number one.
I found Peggy’s reaction to the news to be a little surprising. Her relationship with Don has always been platonic, and I had always assumed that was what both of them wanted, but I think it was clear that Peggy was a little hurt by the engagement. I interpreted it as her pining for Don, but I can see that it could have been concern for the brevity of the relationship. Does she just know Don well enough to realize that the engagement was a mistake? I firmly believe that Peggy does have feelings for Don after watching this episode. She’s a practical girl though, and I also believe she knows that it will never happen (and I also imagine she realizes that it is probably for the best). Still, it led to one of the better moments of the episode, as she and Joan dished in the newly promoted Director of Agency Operations’s office. Those two have had a very interesting relationship over the course of the series, approaching life and careers from totally opposite directions. It was nice to see them relate so well to each other over something.
I know there was some question as to whether or Joan really did abort Roger’s baby a few episodes back, but I think enough time has passed on the show to safely assume that the baby she is currently carrying is her husband’s. It was nice to see her excited about it.
It seems like things are not quite as rosy for Betty and Henry. Henry realized just what a handful Betty is, finally exploding at her after she fired Carla, telling her that “no one is ever on your side.” Don may be a little self destructive, but Betty seems to steer her destruction outward. She takes anger out on her kids, uproots the family, fires the nanny, and for what? Selfishness. I did enjoy the moment between her and Don at the end of the episode as they shared a drink in the empty kitchen of the house they once shared. It was a great image: the camera capturing the kitchen from an angle we had never seen, stark and empty, with Don and Betty leaving in opposite directions.
Season five is definitely going to bring some excitement. For now, it looks like the agency may be on the right track (and how great was it to see Peggy nail an account meeting?). There’s going to be some excitement with Don’s new marriage, and you know that’s not going to be the bed of roses that Don and Megan think it will be. I’m excited for season five, and if I can say that, then the finale really must have been a success.
How did you feel about the wrap up to season four?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Oct 18, 2010 @ 18:59 EST5EDT
I’m pretty sure that Joan’s baby is in fact Roger’s.
God help me I freakin love this show. I think this season’s finale is great and above all else realistic. Somewhat similar to the Sopranos season finales, if you get what I mean.
Wow – this is the first time we’ve really disagreed about the interpretation of an episode.
First, that baby is Joan’s. No question.
I don’t think the deal breaker for Don and Faye was the children. I think he used that as an excuse to go for what’s her name instead. Faye was strong, intelligent and challenged him. He likes to imagine himself the manly man. Top it all off with Faye knowing the truth about him, and readily accepting it, and you have Don running for the hills. He needs to be able to pull the wool over his woman’s eyes and for her to take care of the children. I daresay Betty firing their nanny really propelled his “love” for his secretary into a marriage proposal.
I think Peggy was disappointed in Don. She respects him. That he made another idiotic choice really threw her for a loop. And the scene between she and Joan was my favorite. They have come so far. It was wonderful to watch them laugh.
If the baby isn’t joan’s I’ll be really confused! :0p
It just seemed to me that too much time had passed for it to be Roger’s. I was assuming there was another meeting between Joan and her hubby after the abortion, but I could be wrong about the amount of time passed.
We seem to be arguing the same point when it comes to Faye/Megan. I pretty much agree with all of your points, I just think that seeing Megan with the kids was HUGE for Don, and it was definitely something that Faye was not bringing to the party. Go back and rewatch the scene with the spilt milkshake. I could make the argument that that is the single moment that he falls for Megan. Of course that could all just play into the image of Megan as the stereotypical, unchallenging “wife,” which Faye certainly was not. However, I have the feeling that Megan is going to end up being quite the handful, let’s not forget how ambitious she admitted to being the first time they hooked up.
LOL! Or maybe her husband and Roger are having a baby. I’m such an ass.
Re Faye and Megan, the milkshake was definitely the defining moment in Don’s decision, but the panic before the trip was what set it all in motion. Poor Faye. She was looking for a real man, and thought she found one. She just found a child with children. Don has a way of disappointing me time and time again. And, it should be all about me. ;-)
Don is by no means a good man. That’s what makes him interesting to watch, though.
I’m not convinced that Joan’s baby is her husband’s. He was sure that Joan must be showing at this point and she wasn’t. But then again, they said it had been 10 weeks since Lucky Strike left and Mr. Harris left well before that, so I really can’t be sure.
That baby is coming out of the womb with silver hair cause its 50% Sterling.
Don looked sorry for hurting Faye, but he is still going to be punished be her for screwing her over. She knows his secret and her father is in the mob. Something is going to go down.
The whole proposal felt strange in general how fast it moved. I was expecting him to wake up next to Betty saying he was had the weirdest dream they way everything was coming together. But at least if Don and Megan make it to the alter the kids will have a mother figure that isn’t 5 steps from screaming about wire hangers.
Faye will disappear like all of other Don’s “girlfriends”. At most we will get a scene or two next season where Don and Faye cross paths. Remember in previous seasons we thought flaky Sally’s teacher would go all “fatal attraction” and she didn’t? Same thing here. Also, Faye has too much at stake from a career standpoint if she were to get all emotional and strike out at Don. Now, indirectly, she could steer business away from him but that is the most I expect her to do.
Looking forward to next season with the whole Sgt Pepper and Summer of Love and how that changes the business (if SCDP is even its own company by that point).
I really thought the milkshake was a great moment. Betty would have been apoplectic and Megan was just “chill out, it’s just a milkshake.” But the engagement was definitely a surprise. I was waiting for that “big” moment for the whole episode, and wasn’t disappointed.
Alrighty…
First of all Joan’s husband has been away all the time and he asked her if she’s already showing. You don’t show until your second trimester, which means that she’s now at least 3 if not more months pregnant. So I doubt that after an abortion the uterus had time to recover, her husband had time to come home during the right time of the month, AND three months have passed as well. To be honest I found your take on that situation a reason to smile. You are a hopeless romantic, Bob.
Same goes to Peggys reaction. Feelings? I hope you didn’t mean romantic ones. Because the relationship of the two is one of mentor and student. She sees how he behaves childish and that is what annoys her. Just replace her with a male and you get the picture. She expects him to make informed, intelligent decisions, but he rather choses to just make an “impulse buy”. She finds that ridiculous. Even more so I think she said it in that conversation with Joan – he gets to behave like boy while those two (women) who are just as strong as the men in the firm, just as important with Joan holding the whole firm together and Peggy making it rain for the first time after American Tobacco left, take a back seat while the men pat each other on the back. Even more so – she makes it rain, and the talk at the office is him marrying after taking a couple of days off. Well done, Don.
Oh and about Faye – I don’t know. We all expect him to cheat, and most likely he will. But she’s intelligent. I can’t wait for him to slip up and for her revengeful side to turn up. He’s going to be in for the fight of his life. Betty just tried to annoy him. Faye will try to make him pay through his nose.
Small addendum: maybe even his new wife will be the one who strikes back when he cheats. Maybe Faye will help her. Maybe all three will use his true identity and his alcoholism against him to get custody… maybe Megan (that’s her name, right? dunno) will try to get custody, maybe Betty gets it. I know it’s hard to believe in the US of the 60s but don’t we all agree that the only thing Don really cares about is his children?
We’ll see. It’s going to be lots and lots of fun :)
the baby is most definitely roger’s. she didn’t go through with the abortion because the lady in the abortion clinic asked her how old her daughter was, and that caused Joan, in simplisitc terms, to think that maybe it’s about time she has a child, even if it is roger’s.
her husband was gone the entire time for his basic training, so there’s simply no way it could be his child.