Sunday's Mad Men didn't look or feel like most episodes of the show, with Don Draper relegated to a supporting role and only a few scenes taking place inside the Sterling Cooper offices.

What it did give us, though, was a much deeper look at why Betty Draper and Pete Campbell are the way they are. Let's just say the WASPy apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree.

These spoilers won't make you angry right before you go to bed. At least I hope not.

Betty learns early on in the episode that her father has suffered a stroke -- three days before anyone bothered to call her. And oh, by the way, it's not his first. His new wife and Betty's siblings insist that things are OK, that Gene just needs a little more rest. He's not, though -- he mistakes Betty for his late wife not once but twice (the second time in true cover-your-eyes fashion as he tries to get a little frisky with the woman he thinks is Betty's mom. Yikes.

But God forbid anyone actually, you know, confront the problem head-on. More than ever, this episode confirmed the sense I have that Betty is from one of those families where unpleasant things Are Just Not Discussed, so everyone just puts on a happy face and pours another round. Betty is only now stepping outside that bubble, and it took her husband's affair being thrown in her face for her to finally face such a truth (remember all the dissembling she did at the shrink's office last year?). So it's a bit of a surprise to see her kick him right back out of the house after he performs all his husbandly duties at her family's home (even if her stroke-addled old man sees through it). She's not wrong -- although would it have killed her to let the guy take a shower? -- because even after their late-night tryst on the floor, she knows that nothing's really changed between them.

None of the preceding, though, should be taken as evidence that Betty's finally acting her age, because no sooner is Don out of the house than she lets Glen Bishop, the melancholy neighbor kid, inside. Glen acts a lot older than his age, and Betty is younger than hers, so they're pretty equal. Which makes it all the more crushing when Glen takes Betty's hand, looks up longingly at her and declares with full sincerity that he's come to rescue her.

To her credit, at least, Glen's proposal snaps her back to reality. After calling Glen's mom Helen, the two women have one of the more honest talks we've ever seen Betty be party to, discussing their perceived shortcomings as wives and mothers. It's nice to see her step up and be an adult when it's needed.

Pete, on the other hand, doesn't do so well with the stepping up -- although, again, after getting a better glimpse into the family that spawned him, it's hard to blame him. Pete is reluctant to discuss adopting a baby with his wife in an early scene, and we see why later when he and brother Bud convene with their icicle of a mother to sign papers related to their (broke) father's death. After hearing his mom's callous description of adoption as choosing "from the discard pile," he practically relishes in telling her that her husband pissed away most of the family money. And really, it's hard to blame him.

Parental approval has never come Pete's way, and to some extent you have to respect his decision to work in a field that guaranteed disapproval from mom and dad. Pete is still Pete, though, so he first tries to get Peggy to sympathize by mentioning he's booked on an airline flight -- you know, the first time he's flown since his father died in the Flight 1 crash -- and then, when that doesn't work, switches quickly to condescension ("You have it so easy," he tells Peggy. "It's not easy for anyone," she replies).

Unlike Betty, Pete at least gets to escape his family for a week by going to an aerospace convention in Los Angeles for a week -- and so does Don, who takes Kinsey's place on the trip following Betty's rebuke. This could be nothing more than wishful thinking on my part, but I kind of have the feeling that Don is headed toward something (or more accurately, someone) on the West Coast in addition to just getting away from his life in New York.

Other notes from "The Inheritance":

• I nearly thought, for a moment or two there right after Pete spilled the news about the L.A. trip, that Kinsey was genuinely interested in traveling to Mississippi with his girlfriend Sheila. I should have known better. Could his little discourse on the color-blind nature of advertising on the bus have been more pretentious?
• One more bit of oddness: Neither John Slattery nor Robert Morse is in the episode for more than a minute or two: Morse pops in on Harry's baby shower/booze bash to say "happy birthday," and Slattery is only there to create an awkward moment between Roger, Don and Joan -- at which, I might add, he succeeds entirely. Don can barely conceal his contempt for Roger now that he's used Don's words to justify leaving Mona for Jane, to say nothing of the way that whole mess impacts the Joan-Roger relationship.
• That was Aloma Wright -- aka Nurse Laverne from Scrubs -- as Viola, the housekeeper at Betty's father's house who, it seems, did more to raise Betty than either of her parents.

What did you think of Sunday's Mad Men? Were you OK with Don not being front and center, and what do you think Los Angeles might hold in store for him?

Comments

I want Betty to take Don back. I know that he cheated on her and that is bad but I don't like the show as much with them separated. Just doesn't work as well. When I saw Don on the plane I thought, is he going to change his identity again and just stay out there?

Also it was nice to see Peggy in cuter clothes at the end of the episode. She looked much better!

b | Oct 6, 2008 5:10:34 AM | #

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I think the editors set an AR record last night for most plays of the mistake sound effect!

PhilipDC | Oct 6, 2008 6:24:26 AM | #

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I liked the light on Don's face at the very end of the episode. It made me wonder if it represented Don understanding what a mess he's made of his life. . . and his wife.
January Jones looked especially gorgeous in this episode but that Betty Draper is one very mixed-up lady. She's sending mixed signals to everyone . . . including herself.
Were we supposed to feel sorry for Pete Campbell because he's had bad parents? Sorry. He's such a weasel. My skin crawls whenever he's on the screen.
Most telling line of the episode: "He's got no people; he's not to be trusted." How true, how true!

Anne | Oct 6, 2008 6:31:18 AM | #

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I liked the light on Don's face at the very end of the episode. It made me wonder if it represented Don understanding what a mess he's made of his life. . . and his wife.
January Jones looked especially gorgeous in this episode but that Betty Draper is one very mixed-up lady. She's sending mixed signals to everyone . . . including herself.
Were we supposed to feel sorry for Pete Campbell because he's had bad parents? Sorry. He's such a weasel. My skin crawls whenever he's on the screen.
Most telling line of the episode: "He's got no people; he's not to be trusted." How true, how true!

Anne | Oct 6, 2008 6:31:56 AM | #

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Just when you start to believe Joan might have a heart she goes out of her way to tear Kinsey down in front of everyone even though Don told her to do it in a memo. - I liked the scene with Betty and Viola, reminded me of the relationship between Scarlet & Mammy. - In Glen, Betty sees what divorce will do to her kids, I'd be surprised if she throws it and them all away in the end.

Milhouse | Oct 6, 2008 7:08:31 AM | #

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Is it so wrong for Joan to tear at Kinsey in front of everyone? It was a relief to her and me too. Stick it to the pompous one and make yourself feel a little better in the bargain.

I didn't see much in the preview, but I would love to see a fabulous 60s California episode.

Laurie | Oct 6, 2008 7:58:10 AM | #

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The 60's ushered in 'free love', 'rock n' roll' and a virtual reshaping of race relations.
The incredible moodiness, repression and stunted nature of almost all the characters except the mighty Joan makes it very hard to completely slag any of the players.
I think although a lot of women hate Don, they forget he is an extremely abused child, he has no ability to connect, he is running from his past. His 'people' would be his mother, a whore. So is he a cad? Sure. Is he really bad? No, he's 'mad'. And in this wonderfully bleak, slow grind into madness, its hard to paint the real villians. Even the despicable Pete is running from his virtual Hotel California, he's just ugly ugly.
As for moodiness, just in the nick of time, we're going to California or ... Mississippi.

mitch | Oct 6, 2008 9:23:24 AM | #

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The 60's ushered in 'free love', 'rock n' roll' and a virtual reshaping of race relations.
The incredible moodiness, repression and stunted nature of almost all the characters except the mighty Joan makes it very hard to completely slag any of the players.
I think although a lot of women hate Don, they forget he is an extremely abused child, he has no ability to connect, he is running from his past. His 'people' would be his mother, a whore. So is he a cad? Sure. Is he really bad? No, he's 'mad'. And in this wonderfully bleak, slow grind into madness, its hard to paint the real villians. Even the despicable Pete is running from his virtual Hotel California, he's just ugly ugly.
As for moodiness, just in the nick of time, we're going to California or ... Mississippi.

mitch | Oct 6, 2008 9:23:28 AM | #

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Some Film Class 101 analysis: The last scene showed the difference between Pete and Don, and what they represent. The trip to California is like Huck Finn's "lighting out for the territory." California is the last frontier. It's easy to forget now that going on a cross-country plane trip was a big deal, even for businessmen. They're going to an aerospace convention—that too represents the future. So there's Pete sitting safely inside with a mask on—stuck in the 50's with his bruising morality and off-handed reliance on traditional roles. The only times he breaks out of them (sleeping with Peggy, yelling at his mother) is when he indulges in self-pity; he never really challenges his identity as a stereotypical "man." Don, on the other hand, sits looking out the window of the plane at the future, as the sunlight bathes his face. It's an awakening. I don't know if I agree that Don was just a co-star this week. I think his facial expressions spoke volumes. Many of his self-made, but fragile belief systems crumbled in the prior 2 weeks, and last night he had some kind of reckoning. Contrary to Pete, Don purposefully invented himself as a traditional male, and he's never been completely comfortable with it. Going all the way back to the beginning of the show, he seemed most himself with the artist in Greenwich Village, until she started acting like an artist. That's when things ended with them. He craves authenticity, but he doesn't know how to achieve it. I don't know if he's going back to Betty or not, but it won't be the same relationship, regardless. Don is changing.

Milagro | Oct 6, 2008 10:33:43 AM | #

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I found last nights episode so disjointed. 12 things were happeing at once and nothing flowed nicely into one and other as they have in previous episodes.

Can anyone explain what has happened with Pete's family money? I dont understand where it has gone and if they have none, why were they signing all those papers. In need a 5th grade explaination because I dont understand finances of wealthy people or their legal issues. Anyone care to tell me whats going on with that?

I loved Joan's "Is there any cake left?" after demolishing Kinsey. I dont usually care for her, but I thought that was classic.

KD | Oct 6, 2008 10:52:29 AM | #

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I wasn't paying close enough attention during Pete and Peggy, but did he say something about she doesn't need to worry because it won't be hers... like a drunken rambling about how the baby they adopt won't be hers? Is that what happened there?

Mandy | Oct 6, 2008 11:06:38 AM | #

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PS I love Joan. "Is there any cake left?" That girl knows how to make it really hurt!

Mandy | Oct 6, 2008 11:07:39 AM | #

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Here's a synopsis of what is going down with Pete's mother:
Pete's family fortune is gone, his arrogant father squandered it all. His mother has no idea of what's happened. And she is signing papers which basically liquidate all their holdings to pay off debts. It's Pete, in the episode, that spills the beans to his mother because he's angry at her, telling her she's bankrupt even though the two brothers conspired to get her to sign all the papers without really devulging what the real final result would be and that she was heading for 'pauper' status.
It also creates the irony in the episode as you the viewer know more than she does as she insults Pete's intentions of adopting from 'the discard pile'. And that's the pile she is heading for as both sons tell each other that they don't want to get 'stuck' taking care of mom.

mitch | Oct 6, 2008 11:15:28 AM | #

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Thank you Mitch! I would have never figured that out no matter how hard I thought about it.
So will she lose that house as well now that they are liquidating all her assets?

KD | Oct 6, 2008 12:32:28 PM | #

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Pete's mom will have nothing, no house, no assets and both sons hate her, so most likely, she will have to live on the 'charity' of others. Its not as if Pete is going to have her move in with him.
And the irony here is, going back when Pete wanted to buy a home, his parents left him in the cold. It was his in-laws who helped him out.

mitch | Oct 6, 2008 12:54:50 PM | #

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Oh man, now that I understand this Pete storline, its gotten so much more interesting! That mother is a cold hearted B, after the adoption crap she unloaded on him last night and my new found understanding of the situation with the money, I now want to give a little cheer for Pete. I mean, I hate him, but I love me some TV style revenge!
Thanks again Mitch!

KD | Oct 6, 2008 1:32:00 PM | #

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Wham! Bam! Strawberry Jam!

I am really glad MAD MEN is an ensemble story and not the Don Draper story - even though he is at center - because the insights of others' lives is and has been wonderful.

I have surprisingly come to like Pete more. Don't get me wrong. He's still a prime a**hole, but there's a human quality emerging, a face, and a back history you can understand why who he is. A guy like gains sympathy. Wow.

I am actually liking Bets less and less, but I suppose it's the WASP lifestyle and the illusion she tries to cling to it. But I think, in truth, she's just a rotten apple and her selfishness has limits. She has every right to treat Don like sh*t, but she and Don need to go their separate ways. For some reason, Don doesn't. Is it love or would such an action abandon his illusion?

And don't get me started about Glen. That kid freaks me out. He's a Dexter in the making. Or a GOP assemblyman.

And wouldn't it be wild if Pete and wife adopted his own son from Peggy's pregnancy. Okay - I know - that's too much - but someday he's going to find out.

Samuel | Oct 6, 2008 2:01:23 PM | #

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"Just when you start to believe Joan might have a heart she goes out of her way to tear Kinsey down in front of everyone even though Don told her to do it in a memo."

I'm beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with Joan, when it comes to Paul.

Why did she get such a thrill in telling Paul that he won't be going to California? Because he had revealed her age earlier in the season? It was Joan who started the whole mess in her jealous and rather racist reaction to Paul's relationship with Sheila.

Paul may be a poseur, but Joan . . . can be a petty and vindictive woman.

Rosie | Oct 6, 2008 3:22:52 PM | #

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"I am actually liking Bets less and less, but I suppose it's the WASP lifestyle and the illusion she tries to cling to it. But I think, in truth, she's just a rotten apple and her selfishness has limits. She has every right to treat Don like sh*t, but she and Don need to go their separate ways. For some reason, Don doesn't. Is it love or would such an action abandon his illusion?"

I get the feeling that Don is the one trying to cling a lot harder than Betty.

Betty may be messed up, but not on the same level as her husband.

Rosie | Oct 6, 2008 3:24:19 PM | #

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I recognized the song at the end of the episode as "Telsar" by the Tornados. It was the first single by a british band to reach #1 in the U.S. (I guess I'm really showing my age). It brought back a few memories; when instrumental rock was big.

It'll be interesting to see what happens in the Mad Men world when times really start changing.

M | Oct 6, 2008 3:31:18 PM | #

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That was supposed to say Telstar. =)

M | Oct 6, 2008 3:40:14 PM | #

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Quote: Betty may be messed up, but not on the same level as her husband.

I agree, Rosie; I second that.

Samuel | Oct 6, 2008 8:23:05 PM | #

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M: Not only was "Telstar" the first UK track to hit #1 in the US (paving the way for The Beatles et al), but it was also named in tribute to the first telecommunications satellite which was launched in 1962. So it ties in with the electronics convention that the guys are on their way to. A very nice, subtle choice for the credits music.

GC | Oct 7, 2008 6:36:30 AM | #

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Great observation, GC, in tying Telstar to the LA convention. I was shocked that I knew exactly what song that was. Just shows that the music of that era was a soundtrack for our lives.

Katie | Oct 7, 2008 9:31:42 AM | #

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Don should divorce Betty, give her the house and car, and take up with Joan. They seem suited to each other. Better yet, he should quit and start his own firm, taking his own clients with him. That's the road to success and wealth in the advertising business. The 60s was the Golden Age of advertising as television was really taking off. Strike while the iron is hot.

Larry Zeitlin | Oct 7, 2008 5:15:27 PM | #

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