Welcome back fellow Mad-Maniacs! Last Sunday’s episode, titled “The Arrangements,” had the crew of Sterling Cooper going through some major changes. Rather than making any sort of “arrangements,” it seemed as though the fourth episode of Season three focused on the sacrifices the characters need to make in order to change, improve, or face their biggest demons.
Betty Draper was forced to face the upsetting realization that her kermudgeon of a father was closer to death’s door than she would like to admit. Peggy Olson made some ballsy choices tonight, in which she faced the disgust and heartache of her suburban mother and took the plunge to move to the big city. After all, she is now “one of those girls.” Salvatore continued to hide and deny the truth regarding his sexuality. In a gut-wrenchingly pathetic scene, his na?ve wife Kitty looks upon her “man” prancing around the bedroom in his silk pajamas to the estrogen-charged “Bye Bye Birdie” advertisement–meaning it’s pretty obvious Salvatore’s secret is not so secret anymore. Does anyone hear a closet door opening?
One of the more intriguing parts of tonight’s episode, besides Sterling Coopers gang of merry ad-men’s prank call antics, was the emphasis and focus on the eldest Draper daughter, Sally. Season three has offered audiences a chance to see the younger, more innocent side of life through Sally Draper’s doughy blue eyes, giving this season a jolt of fresh energy. In tonight’s dismal episode, Sally puts down her stuffed rag doll and slides into adolescence, as she begins to see how flawed her hardly perfect family really is. The symbolism in Mad Men came to a head as the episode closed and the television set glistened over Sally’s tear stained sheets. Newscasters announced the suicide protest of a peaceful Buddhist monk who went to the extreme, lighting himself on fire and shocking the nation.
The world is crumbling around the Mad Men crew, and as each character faces the complicated monsters in their well-stocked closets. The anticipation builds as every viewer can tell that something wholly gripping is on the way.
