Lots of interesting stuff in this week's Mad Men, from Kurt revealing he's gay to Duck's booze-fueled corporate intrigue to the lives of the (possibly) rich and (definitely) dissolute in Palm Springs. But we have to start with the phone call.

You know what's coming.

Don has come to the end of a lost week in Southern California with his latest enchantment, Joy, and her merry/creepy traveling band of freeloaders, waking up on the couch in Palm Springs where he rested after suffering heat stroke upon arriving in the desert. He wakes up, assesses his surroundings, pulls out his address book and dials a number. What comes next really kind of put me on the floor:

"Hello, it's Dick Whitman."

We only hear his end of the brief conversation, in which he informs the other party that he'd love to see them, and soon. He then scribbles something (presumably an address) on the last page of Joy's copy of The Sound and the Fury and tells the other person he'll see them soon. This while his lost luggage is arriving back at his home in New York.

Here's my thought, and feel free to take it apart and supply your own in the comments: The person on the other end of the line is the woman who approached him in the 1950s flashback in "The Gold Violin," who may also be the person Don sent Meditations in an Emergency to in the season premiere.

Unless there's someone else we haven't met yet, that woman is the only person I can think of who would know Don by his birth name (or at least the only one Don would call and say "Hello, it's Dick Whitman"). The only family member he ever cared about, his brother, is dead, and it's awfully hard to imagine him casually looking up some old Army buddy just because he happened to be on the Coast.

The phone call also comes at the end of a period of several days in which Don seemed to be at least drawn to, if not actively considering, the idea of throwing off his current identity, with all its responsibilities and obligations, and living the carefree life with a group of people who keep calling him "beautiful." (The scary presentation on MIRV warheads probably didn't hurt either.) Not for nothing does he arrive in California without his luggage, and not for nothing does the suitcase get dropped at his doorstep in New York just as he's making that call.

So why did he choose to acknowledge the man he used to be instead of ditching the man he is now to become someone else? Maybe he, like me (and I'm assuming some of you), was just kind of weirded out by Joy's family situation. By herself, she's just about everything Don would want in a woman: educated, assertive and interested in sex. But after finding out the Viscount etc., etc., Willie is her father and not just her benefactor, that "something about taxes" is partially the motivation behind their constant movement, and especially after seeing how the nomadic life has affected two children caught up in the swirl, he can't go through with it.

Instead, he's back to being Dick Whitman again and off to who knows where to meet someone a few thousand miles away from the life he's built as Don Draper. And dear lord am I curious to find out where he's headed.

More from "The Jet Set":

Don's absence allows the episode's other major storyline to kick into gear. After Roger informs Duck that he has little shot at becoming a partner at Sterling Cooper, Duck goes calling on his former boss from London (The Nanny's Charles Shaughnessy) to plant the seeds for a takeover of the agency -- while falling off the wagon at the same time.

The liquor Duck hasn't touched since returning from London certainly does seem to make him bolder, as he pitches Roger and Bert Cooper on the same idea later on, explaining that they can reap a sizable windfall (which will come in especially handy now that Roger's about to get taken to the cleaners in his divorce with Mona) by becoming the American arm of the British agency. "There he is -- there's the man I heard so much about," Cooper marvels at Duck's plan. Duck doesn't exactly have the best track record in pulling off this sort of gambit, though, so I suspect more than a little bit that we're seeing the beginning of the end for Mr. Phillips.

Even so, you have to give him points for thinking big. With the Brits, he's angling to be named president of the agency, with everyone -- including Don's creative team -- reporting to him. Part of me would almost like to see that arrangement come to pass, just to see how Don handles being in a position where he has to take orders from Duck.

Elsewhere at Sterling Cooper, Peggy thinks she may have found a new guy in Kurt, the European artist we've seen a few times this season. Until, that is, he matter-of-factly reveals to her, Ken, Joan, Harry and Salvatore that he's gay, prompting stammers and averted eyes at first and then some pretty ugly comments by Ken and Harry after he leaves the room (the look on Salvatore's face as Harry and especially Ken revealed their true thoughts about gays was pretty heartbreaking).

That Kurt was also responsible for Peggy's new hairstyle almost took the story too far into cliche territory. It didn't, though, thanks to Kurt's utterly matter-of-fact discussion of both his sexuality and his opinion on why Peggy always chooses the wrong guys. "What's wrong with me?" she asks him, and rather than saying, "Oh honey, you're fabulous just the way you are," he bluntly replies that her style is off: "This is not modern office-working woman." (And the new haircut is pretty nice.)

Who do you think Don was talking to on the phone? Is there any way Duck's plan works? And were you also a little creeped out by Joy's people? Discuss this week's Mad Men.

Comments

It was also a great week for fans of Don Hamm's hairy body. He showed it off in bed with Joy, wet in the pool, and most interestingly recreating the MAD MEN logo wearing only his boxers. That "on the couch with a ciggie" moment was a nice touch.

kellek | Oct 13, 2008 12:57:04 AM | #

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What I thought was interesting about the recreation of the Mad Men logo was that it was the opposite of the logo.

In the logo, the right arm is extended over the back of the couch. With Don in California, it was the left arm.

Jason | Oct 13, 2008 3:49:42 AM | #

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I totally agree with you about who was on the other end of that Dick Whitman phone call. I can't wait to meet this woman. How different from Betty is she? What happened in their past?
But the big question is: HAS Don Draper chucked his east coast life to become one of the Lotus Eaters on the Left Coast? That little band of do-nothings more than creeped me out. I kept thinking Charles Manson and his followers were going to show up any minute and do the whole pack in! But out there with the weirdos, Don doesn't have any responsibilities; he doesn't have to lead. He can be a follower and just sit back and allow himself to be admired. I don't think this is going to last too long, however. Especially once we meet The Other Woman.
I missed January Jones in this episode. I hope she's (as Betty) not dead or dying and that's why there was no answer when the luggage deliver man came to the door. But isn't it interesting that Don kept seeing "Betty" in various women at the hotel???

Anne | Oct 13, 2008 6:01:53 AM | #

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Rick - It's quite possible that the person he called is the mysterious woman from The Gold Violin; but as we know from MAD MEN, another twist we don't expect is introduced. I believe he was speaking with a woman ("love to see you" - Don, or any man really, would say that to another man.

I had to laugh that Don fell into a lot that would allow him to escape his problems in NY - to abandon that life - the temptation. Is Palm Springs his 40 days and 40 nights in the desert?

And I had to laugh that Don is MIA and no one cares. He didn't show up at Pete's meetings. He hasn't checked in. Bets at the moment could care less of where he is. He could've been in an accident and is in a CA hospital. No one is concerned. Somehow, Don has fallen through the cracks.

Question to anyone: Don stared at that glass or its design in the pool: what did it mean? What was it about that glass that triggered a memory? Did I miss something?

And what about Duck's deal? It'll fall apart. Why? Because Duck's better days are years behind him and this failure will lead - I believe - to more drinking, and eventual suicide. He's just that type of guy. I just think he's a guy on borrowed time and he knows it. He's looking for success and coming up - again - short.

Samuel | Oct 13, 2008 6:11:01 AM | #

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I think there was a crack in glass. Am I wrong about that? Don was beginning to see through the Nomad's lifestyle - that it wasn't as great/care free as it appeared from the outside. Joy (while unbelievably smokin') was just a messed up girl with security and weird father issues. The kids were dragged from place to place and the adults were living empty lives.

Millhouse | Oct 13, 2008 6:56:38 AM | #

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This show is just so great. The only other show that is it's equal in terms greatness is House. But Mad Men has a sinewy way of storytelling that is intoxicating and real, yet somehow surreal. I loved the plot twists last night. I wonder why Don made the decision to go to Palm Springs in the first place? And I fear Roger's days are numbered. I wonder if his young lady friend will still want him when he loses his job, which seems to be where things are heading. And the bit with the logo thing at the end was sheer brilliance. What a show!

WendyG | Oct 13, 2008 7:13:16 AM | #

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Although the blonde woman at the hotel pool reminded Don of Betts, it was Joy's voice that sounded to me like Betts'. Both also project the combination of most likeable sweetness with the potential for destructive behavior. I guess, like most of the characters on the show!

Jan | Oct 13, 2008 7:28:57 AM | #

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Okay. Don may be the character in Dylan's Tangled Up in Blue. "But all the while I was alone
The past was close behind,
I seen a lot of women
But she never escaped my mind, and I just grew
Tangled up in blue."

Don may be a CIA operative. Really how did he become Don Draper? Is the military so lame that they missed the switch.

Okay this may be all bunk, but this is the Cold War.

Michael White | Oct 13, 2008 7:38:34 AM | #

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Hmmm... Don/Dick a spy? That's would be a great twist Michael!
Jason good call on the reverse arm angle! As far as the glass, I thought it was really cheap plastic with lots of bubbles in it - I seem to remember my grandma having some plastic glasses like that. Maybe it was to point to a facade in these rich gypsies? I think the kids that showed up both reminded him of his own children and his past and that was really the point of that scene and not really the glass? I'm not sure.

kellek | Oct 13, 2008 8:26:04 AM | #

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Don is just as empty and nomadic as the Palm Springs set. Even though he looked at them with a bemused expression most of the time, I think he got the connection. With the phone call, he is just moving on, at least temporarily.

rockstarmom | Oct 13, 2008 8:37:42 AM | #

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Keep in mind, folks, that next week's episode is the season finale. Chances are we will get some more information on these new developments, but that the big mysteries will probably not be resolved until next JULY!!!

Tony | Oct 13, 2008 8:39:18 AM | #

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That was a Mexican crafted glass. Maybe that is an indication of where he is heading.

rockstarmom | Oct 13, 2008 8:39:33 AM | #

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Using plastic glasses around a swimming pool would not be considered unusual - makes pretty good sense, actually.

Mike | Oct 13, 2008 8:45:19 AM | #

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Season finale is actually two weeks away. Because there was no episode on Emmy night the finale date got moved back a week.

Rick | Oct 13, 2008 9:06:20 AM | #

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Alan mentions the Lotus Eaters, but apart from the obvious _Sound & the Fury_ literary reference in this episode, I couldn't help thinking of Joan Didion's _Play It as It Lays_ (1970)much of the time, esp. once Don got in that car and was whisked away out to Palm Springs.

My gut instinct is that the person (prob. a woman) on the other end is someone we haven't met yet.

It's also possible, I guess, that it was the woman from "The Gold Violin" episode. Everyone keeps saying that Don is seeing his wife everywhere he goes. No one seems to have pointed out yet that the woman who visited him in the car dealership was also a round-cheeked blonde. Perhaps Betty is a double for that woman, and it's not (only) Betty he's being reminded of everywhere he goes during his delirium in California.

Joy (one of the most unsubtle character names on the show so far, btw), seemed to me like she was closer to 15 or 16, rather than her stated age of 21. At least her body suggested that when she stripped down to her bikini. Don notices too, which is exactly why he asks about her age at that moment.

This was probably one of my favorite episodes this season.

My favorite (funny) line American Kurt saying something to the effect of, "Oh please, like you've never met a homo in advertising before?" as he rolls his eyes and leaves the guys in the room uncomfortably wondering about each other. Most uncomfortable of all, poor closeted Sal.

Mad Girl | Oct 13, 2008 10:25:01 AM | #

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I meant Rick mentions the Lotus Eaters. Sorry, coming from another blog...

Mad Girl | Oct 13, 2008 10:26:04 AM | #

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I agree about the CIA (or similar). This guy is completely deracinated and apparently a super quickstudy to be where he is. His fast rise from a grunt to a Mad Man is highly suspect. And delicious!

sally | Oct 13, 2008 10:42:13 AM | #

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Excellent episode. I did wonder how come nobody seemed the least bit concerned that Don had totally disappeared without a trace. After all, this was in the age of no cell phones and no email, so it's not like they could've explained away his absence by someone getting a text msg. LOL.

Roger's girlfriend is going to bleed him dry. She's playing him like a violin. It's been clear from Day 1 with that character that she's manipulative and sneaky. The way she's going on now with Roger is part of her bigger plan to get wealth and social standing. She's not really in love with Roger. (And somebody please cover up his pasty pink body. Blech. Did you guys know that that actor, John Slattery, is only like 43 years old!!!)

P.S. To one of the above posters, please don't compare House to Mad Men. House with its predictable formula week after week (weird ailment, House gives diagnosis, everyone tells him he's wrong, Cuddy pouts and stomps around berating him, House is finally proven right, Cuddy has to admit that he was right but she doesn't like it. Repeat.) isn't in the same league as Mad Men.

IggyPop | Oct 13, 2008 10:52:35 AM | #

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BY the way, there was a crack in that glass. That's what Don noticed, the crack. And it was a metaphor, like somebody else already mentioned, for the less than perfect existence of that wacky family.

I initially thought "Willy" was a pimp and that "Joy" and the other woman were his prostitutes.

IggyPop | Oct 13, 2008 10:56:39 AM | #

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IggyPop - thanks for the clarification about the crack in the glass - I couldn't see it too well. I agree that it is clearly a metaphor - a commentary about the family, who reminded me of a F. Scott Fitzgerald family.

This episode had its share of gay moments, as described by others, like when Kurt told the others in the office, I immediately looked for Sal's reaction of the news. And then there was Pete's excitement in seeing Tony Curtis in the men's room. LOL.
If they only knew in the early 1960's. And Willie sitting on the bed, complimenting Don on his beauty. Yeah - that left Don uncomfortable - topped with the revelation of father and daughter. And of course Sal on the whole Loretta Young thing. LOL.

This episode is one of show's best. Thank God we have two more episodes to enjoy this season.

Samuel | Oct 13, 2008 11:36:21 AM | #

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I missed BOTH broadcasts last night and I'm so dissapointed! Trying to catch up by reading blogs, etc. Was Joy and that gang smilar to Midge and her beatnik crowd? Bohemian, etc.? Why would he be attracted to this new crowd if he was so scornful of Midge's crowd? Any thoughts?

Bebobaruba | Oct 13, 2008 11:45:22 AM | #

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Sorry but I have to stick to my nutty spy theory. All of his roamntic interets have represented the fear of communism; beatniks, jews, actors, and now tax evaders. On the other hand they were all too sexy to ignore.

Michael White | Oct 13, 2008 12:23:07 PM | #

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I absolutely loved this ep! I work in advertising and my boss was in advertising in NYC during this time period so that makes it doubly delicious for me.

One question: does anyone know if the hotel they used last night is for real? And if so, which one is it?

Karen Ehlers | Oct 13, 2008 1:17:43 PM | #

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:Was Joy and that gang smilar to Midge and her beatnik crowd? Bohemian, etc.? Why would he be attracted to this new crowd if he was so scornful of Midge's crowd? Any thoughts?"

Bebobaruba, good question. I, too, though of Midge and Don's disdain for the beats. Joy's menage seems both more worldly and more disconnected. I thought of jet setters initially, but there's that whole tax evasion thing. (I suppose one doesn't completely rule out the other.) There's also some European flavoring (continental).

They approached Don first, and he initially rebuffed them. Not quite sure why he took up with them other than he seems rather rudderless at present.

meggins | Oct 13, 2008 2:12:57 PM | #

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Heh--MM continues to draw interesting parallels to 50-60's literature. Joy and her dad are eerily reminiscent of novelist Francoise Sagan's amoral heroine and _her_ dad in 1954's BONJOUR TRISTESSE. Both are aimless Euro sophisticates who are way too involved in each other's love lives for comfort. And Don was looking a lot like James Bond in this ep--rootless and glamourous. He even joked about being a spy--though whatever made him sick wasn't "shaken, not stirred" enough. :)

deering | Oct 13, 2008 2:39:39 PM | #

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