Top Five Favorite "MAD MEN" Season Two (2008) Episodes

Below is a list of my top five favorite Season Two episodes of AMC's "MAD MEN":


TOP FIVE FAVORITE "MAD MEN" SEASON TWO (2008) Episodes



1. (2.08) "A Night to Remember" - During this game-changing episode, copywriter Peggy Olson agrees to help a friendly priest named Father Gill create a promotion for a Church-sponsored dance. Office manager Joan Holloway helps Television Advertiser Harry Crane read new television scripts and discovers that she likes the job. Still reeling from comedian Jimmy Barrett's revelation of Don Draper's infidelity, Betty Draper helps her husband with an important business dinner, before she later confronts him about his affair with Bobbie Barrett.





2. (2.05) "The New Girl" - Don and Bobbie heads out of the city for a night together, before getting into a traffic accident. Don recruits Peggy to help him cover up the incident. Meanwhile, a new Sterling-Cooper secretary named Jane Siegel begins working for Don.





3. (2.04) "Three Sundays" - Over the Easter holidays, Don and Betty clash over the discipline of their son Bobby. Peggy meets the new family priest, Father Gill. And Head of Advertising Duck Phillips recruits the agency in an effort to win over American Airlines as a new client.





4. (2.07) "The Gold Violin" - Art director Sal Romano develops a case of unrequited attraction for Accounts man Ken Cosgrove. Joan and Jane clash over an incident regarding a new painting in owner Bert Cooper's office. And Betty learns about Don's affair with Bobbie Barrett at a media party, thanks to her husband Jimmy.





5. (2.09) "Six Month Leave" - Owner Roger Sterling leaves his wife for Jane Siegel. Senior copy Freddie Rumsen's alcoholism spirals out of control. And the death of Marilyn Monroe has an impact upon the firm's female employees.

"MAD MEN" Season Two (2008) Photo Gallery

Below are images from Season Two of AMC's "MAD MEN". Created by Matthew Weiner, the series stars Jon Hamm:



"MAD MEN" SEASON TWO (2008) Photo Gallery

A Problem With the "MAD MEN" Finale

A PROBLEM WITH THE "MAD MEN" SERIES FINALE

I had a problem with the "MAD MEN" series finale, (7.14) "Person to Person". Ironically, it had a lot to do with the characters of Don Draper and his first ex-wife, Betty Francis. And this problem first manifested in the series' penultimate episode, (7.13) "The Milk and Honey Route". 

Betty Francis' sudden development an advanced case of cancer did not work for me. It seemed to come out of no where. I never understood why Weiner had saddled her with such a quickie death . . . yet, at the same time, allowed Roger Sterling to survive the end of the series. Yes . . . I am speaking of the same Roger Sterling who had suffered two massive heart attacks in the Season One episode, (1.10) "Long Weekend". His heart problem never became a major issue again, despite his continuing drinking, whoring and occasional forays into drug use. I find that rather odd.

Then again, this is the same Matthew Weiner who had told television journalists that Betty’s main reason for divorcing Don in the Season Three finale, (3.13) "Shut the Door. Have a Seat", had to do with class bigotry. I never understood his comment. Betty had been aware of Don’s working-class origins throughout their marriage. She made that clear in (3.11) "The Gypsy and the Hobo". When Roger had expressed his suspicions about Don's class origins in (1.07) "Red in the Face", Betty seemed more interested in the idea of learning more about Don than concern over the possibility that he might be working-class. She certainly seemed satisfied by Don's revelation to her and their kids about his past on a poor farm, during a picnic in Season Two's (2.07) "The Gold Violin". She seemed thrilled over the idea that she was learning more about him. So . . . Weiner’s claim that class bigotry was one of the major reasons behind Betty's decision to get a divorce never worked for me. 

Between these comments about the Draper divorce and his decision to saddle Betty with an advanced stage of cancer makes me wonder if Weiner ever liked her in the first place. Is it possible that he saw Betty as a reminder of any mother issues he might possess? Some fans have claimed that Betty’s cancer finally gave her a chance to develop as a character. This is another argument I find difficult to accept. From the moment Betty had learned about Don's affair with Bobbie Barrett in "The Gold Violin", and kicked him out of the house in (2.08) "A Night to Remember", I believe her character had been developing. Yes, she had setbacks. After all, she was supposed to be human. Did the audience and critics really expect instant character growth from Betty? Apparently, the author of this ridiculous "SLATE" magazine article . . . did. The way she had faced her upcoming death apparently made her instantly "redeemed". I have never heard of such bullshit in my life. I never expected instant redemption for Betty or anyone else. And trust me, that entire cast of characters needed it. But it was easy to see that Betty been slowly developing as a character over the years. 

If we are truly supposed to believe that Don finally achieved character growth during his "Kumbaya" moment in "Person to Person", then one could easily say that his development seemed . . . "instant". I mean it came out of no where. The speed in which Don allegedly achieved final character development left me shaking my head in disbelief. I could have bought it if Weiner had allowed Don's character to develop with the same pace as Betty's - slow and over a long period of time, with the occasional setbacks. Instead, audiences were treated to a "Kumbaya" moment for Don at a California yogi retreat, followed by the famous 1971 Coca-Cola commercial. 

Exactly what was Weiner trying to say with that last shot of Don? That the latter had created the commercial? Or was someone else responsible? Why leave the show on an ambiguous note for Don? Weiner could have ended Don's personal story on a more final note . . . and still hint that he had ended one stage in his life and was about to embark upon another. Or . . . he could have killed Don off. I would have been happy with that scenario.

Do not get me wrong. I liked "MAD MEN" very much. After all, I had stuck with it for seven seasons. But there have been times over the years when I found myself wondering if this series may have been a little overrated. I certainly felt that way when I watched the series' finale.

Top Ten (10) Favorite "MAD MEN" Episodes - Seasons One to Three

Below is a list of my ten favorite episodes that have aired during Seasons One to Three on "MAD MEN":


Top Ten (10) Favorite "MAD MEN" Episodes - Seasons One to Three



1. (2.08) "A Night to Remember" - The Draper marriage show signs of serious trouble when Betty confronts Don about his recent affair with Bobbie Barrett. Father McGill confronts Peggy Olson about her past, while working on a church project with her. And Harry Crane turns to the unlikely help of office manager Joan Holloway, when his department is overloaded with work.





2. (3.11) "The Gypsy and the Hobo" - Don's past finally catches up with him when Betty confronts him about his identity theft. Roger Sterling meets a former client/lover who wishes to rekindle their affair. And Joan discovers that her husband, Greg Harris, has joined the Army after failing to start a medical career in New York.






3. (1.12) "Nixon vs. Kennedy" - On Election Night 1960, the Sterling-Cooper staff hold an all night party to view the election results. Pete Campbell uses his knowledge of Don's past to blackmail him for a higher position. And Don recalls his moment of identity theft during the Korean War.





4. (2.05) "The New Girl" - Joan finds a new secretary for Don, while he is stuck in the middle of personal issues between TV comedian Jimmy Barrett and the latter's wife, Bobbie.





5. (3.12) "The Grown Ups" - The assassination of President John Kennedy serves as the backdrop of the wedding for Roger's daughter and the breakup of the Draper marriage.





6. (1.06) "Babylon" - Peggy proves to be more than a secretary when opportunities as a copywriter are opened to her. Roger and Joan's affair is revealed. And client Rachel Mencken deals with her conflicting feelings for Don.





7. (3.07) "Seven Twenty-Three" - Don's attempts to land the Conrad Hilton account leads to him being blackmailed by Bert Cooper to sign a three-year contract with Sterling Cooper. Peggy begins an affair with former Sterling-Cooper Accounts Head, Duck Phillips. And Betty expresses interest in the Governor's aide, Henry Francis when she becomes involved in civic politics.





8. (2.04) "Three Sundays" - The Sterling-Cooper staff rally to save an attempt to win the American account. Don and Betty clash over the disciplining of their children. Peggy becomes acquainted with a young and attractive priest named Father McGill.





9. (1.03) "The Marriage of Figaro" - After his business relationship with Rachel Mencken takes an unforeseen turn; Don attends his daughter Sally's birthday party, which further illuminates his increasing dissatisfaction with his present life.





10. (2.07) "The Gold Violin" - Art director Sal Romano develops an attraction toward Accounts man Ken Cosgrove and invites the latter over to Sunday dinner. Joan clashes with Don's new secretary, Jane Siegel. And the Drapers are invited to attend a party for TV comedian Jimmy Barrett, who has some news for Betty.

"MAD MEN": Fan Dislike of Betty Draper

After watching the "MAD MEN" episode, (3.04) "The Arrangement", and reading several reactions to it; I decided to write the following article on Betty Draper:

"MAD MEN": FANDOM DISLIKE OF BETTY DRAPER

After a recent viewing of the "MAD MEN" Season Three episode, (3.04) "The Arrangement", I read several articles about from critics and fans. After reading numerous comments on the article, I found myself becoming angry over the critics and fans' reaction to the character of Betty Draper. Ironically, I feel no anger toward Matt Weiner. Instead, I felt anger at these fans' continuing misreading of Betty Draper's character. After reading two or three articles about "The Arrangement", I just read this article on the recent episode and now find myself wondering if many of the show's fans had ever understood the character. Frankly, I doubt it very much. Much of the fans’ vitriol toward Betty seemed to stem from her "treatment" of her two children, Sally and Bobby.

Ever since the airing of the Season Two episode, (2.02) "Flight 1" in 2008, "MAD MEN" fans had been accusing Betty Draper, the first wife of series' protagonist, Don Draper, of being a poor mother. In response to Flight 1, these fans had nitpicked over her complaint about her son Bobby's lies about a drawing he had submitted in school. It turned out, Bobby had traced the drawing from another illustration and declared it as his own original work. Matters became worse in (2.04) "Three Sundays" when Betty had demanded that Don punish Bobby for a series of infractions. After this episode had aired, many fans accused her of being a cold and abusive parent, especially since she had expressed anger at Don for refusing to discipline his son. To this day, I am shocked, not by Betty's insistence upon disciplining her son, but by the fans' reactions. Surely they realized that the episode was set in 1962? Before this decade and in the following two, parents had disciplined their children in various ways, including with spankings. Yet, fans had reacted as if this was something rare and accused Betty of being an abusive mother.

In a later Season Two episode, (2.12) "The Mountain King", Betty had caught her daughter Sally smoking. She punished the girl by locking her in a closet for a few hours. Again, fans accused Betty of being abusive. They had completely ignored the fact that Sally, a young girl around eight years old, was smoking. Instead, they focused only on Betty's punishment. I found myself wondering how my parents would have reacted if they had caught me smoking. I suspect that they would have shown less restraint than Betty. Hell, I suspect that if I had been that parent, I would have also shown less restraint. Betty eventually let Sally out of the closet and explained - somewhat - the situation between Don and herself (they were separated at the time). But the damage had been done. Betty was now a bad mother.

Following the premiere of Season Three, the fandom's reaction to Betty had ascended to vitriolic heights. Following the season premiere, (3.01) "Out of Town", fans had complained about Betty's curt dismissal of Bobby, as she and Don were prepared to discipline Sally for breaking into her father's suitcase. They complained of the pregnant Betty's desire to give birth to a second daughter, citing this as an example of her immaturity. And in (3.02) "Love Among the Ruins", these fans had Betty of being immature when she insisted that her ailing father, Gene Hofstadt, remain with the Drapers after his live-in girlfriend abandoned him. They had accepted William's argument that Betty wanted to prevent her brother William from selling their father's home and profiting from it. Without any real evidence. And . . . they complained about Betty being curt to Sally, when she ordered the young girl to zip up the dress she wore at Roger Sterling's garden party in (3.03) "My Old Kentucky Home". But the fans’ hostility toward Betty hit an all time high in "The Arrangement". According to many hostile fans, Betty was guilty of the following in this episode:

*Her refusal to discuss with Gene his plans to distribute his late wife’s furs to herself and her sister-in-law, which many saw as a sign of her immaturity.

*A few fans had accused her of closing the door on Sally, after the police officer had arrived with news of Gene’s death.

*Her dismissal of Sally from the kitchen, after the latter ranted at the adult Drapers and Betty’s brother William, over their "failure" to grieve over Gene’s death.

*Her failure to comfort Sally over Gene’s death.

Betty's refusal to discuss Gene’s plans regarding the distribution of his late wife's furs after his death had drawn a great deal of critical fire. Personally, I do not understand why. Her refusal to discuss such matters seemed reasonable to me. Why would any grown child want to talk with a parent over his or her impending death, as if discussing a business transaction? Such a discussion still strikes me as too morbid and emotional for anyone to bear. Especially if that particular person was in the last trimester of her pregnancy. In one of his more lucid moments, Gene could have written down his wishes regarding inheritance and other arrangements in a signed letter . . . some time ago. He could have left instructions about his wife's furs right after her death. Instead, he had decided to openly discuss the matter with Betty, who obviously found the subject disturbing. And I have a question. Why on earth did he wait so long to distribute his late wife’s furs? She had been dead for over three years.

Many fans had pointed out that Gene’s disappointment in Betty as a clear indication of her shallow and immature nature. His main complaints seemed to center around her failure to become a professional, like her mother. Ruth Hofstadt had been an engineer back in the 1920s. Gene's other complaint had centered around her marriage to Don. Now, this man knew what kind of parent his wife used to be. There was never been any previous hint in past episodes that Gene and Ruth Hofstadt had encouraged Betty to acquire a profession. When she became a professional model, Mrs. Hofstadt called her a whore. And judging from Gene’s story about his wife’s efforts to reduce Betty’s weight, I suspect that he left his daughter solely in Ruth’s hands. As for Betty’s marriage to Don, had Gene become aware that his son-in-law had stolen someone else’s identity? Or was he simply disappointed that Betty had married a man from a working-class background, who did not have any family? If Gene had known that Don was a phony, why did he fail to expose the latter to Betty? And if Gene’s problem with Don had more to do with the younger man’s social background, then I can only conclude that he was just as shallow and superficial as his daughter, Don and nearly every other major character in the series. Some fans had accused Betty of shutting the front door in young Sally’s face after learning about Gene’s death. Well, I have an easy response. The cop who had delivered the news about Gene was the one who had closed the door in Sally’s face, preventing her from following him and Betty into the house. And since I do not recall him locking the door, Sally could have easily went ahead and followed them inside.

Finally, I come to the one scene in this episode that had caused a great deal of hostility from the fans – namely Betty’s dismissal of Sally, following the latter’s outbreak over her grandfather’s death. Many fans expressed outrage over Betty’s action, claiming it as another example of her cold attitude toward her children. The interesting thing about their reaction was willingness to only view the scene from Sally's point-of-view. No one had been willing to view it from Betty’s point-of-view, or any of the other adults. Very few seemed unwilling to consider that both Betty and her brother William had been devastated by their father’s death. As far as I know, only one person back in 2009 had managed to comprehend both Betty and Sally’s point-of-views, due to her own personal experiences. William tried to hide his own grief through a mild joke and both Betty and Don had laughed. Sally, who had overheard the joke, had jumped to conclusions that none of them cared about Gene’s death. And because of this belief, she ranted against her parents and uncle. Upset and shaken by her daughter’s outburst, Betty ordered Sally to her room . . . before she broke into tears. And instead of viewing the scene as another example of family conflict during a special occasion – a death in the family, in this case – many viewers saw this as another example of "Betty Draper’s despicable nature". I even came across an article that failed to mention Betty’s own grief over her father’s death.

What I still cannot comprehend is why very few viewers had failed to comment on Don's actions. What exactly did he do? He laughed at William’s joke. He looked understandably stunned by Sally’s outburst. He mildly chastised Betty for eating one of the peaches found in Gene’s car . . . and she ignored him. Speaking of the peaches, many fans saw Betty’s consumption of the peach as either a sign of her immaturity . . . or some kind of malice toward Sally. What in the fuck? Talk about being anal. Following William and his wife Judy’s departure, Don comforted a grieving Betty inside their bedroom. And when she finally went to sleep, he peeked in on a slumbering Sally. That was it. He hardly did anything to comfort Sally, aside from checking on her. And yet . . . I have never come across any criticism against him.

I wish I could explain why Betty had received the majority of criticism from the fans. She became the Bobbie Barrett of Season Three – the female everyone loved to hate. Fans never found Season Three's equivalent to Duck Phillips. Not really. Had "MAD MEN" really been that desperate to find a character to vilify every season? To the point they were unwilling to examine the complexities of all characters? Why are they willing to excuse the flaws and mistakes of female characters like Peggy Olson and Joan Holloway Harris and at the same time, dump all of their ire on the likes of Betty Draper? Was it because Peggy had managed to adhere to their ideals of the 1960s and 1970s feminist? Or perhaps they had admired Joan’s sophistication, style and wit? Whatever.

Look . . . I realize that Betty Draper was never perfect. She was not the world’s greatest mother. And at times, she could be rather immature and shallow. But you know what? None of the other characters on this damn show were perfect. In fact, nearly all of them were very flawed. Don struck me as an even worse parent than Betty or anyone else in that series. He had seemed more obsessed with maintaining appearance and indulging in his desires. He was also a fraud. Despite her ambition and talent, Peggy had struck me as an immature woman who assumed facades and personas with more speed than her mentor. I never could fathom her reaction to that opening sequence from "BYE-BYE BIRDIE", featured in "Love Among the Ruins". But that was due to Matthew Weiner's writing more than anything. Despite the strides he had gained during late Season Two, Account salesman Pete Campbell had yet to overcome his desire for approval . . . and his penchant for behaving like a prat when things do not go his way. Paul Kinsey was another poseur who had been ashamed of his past as a middle-class or working-class Jersey man. He had also been ashamed of the fact he had attended Princeton via a scholarship. And for Joan . . . I really did not know what think of her at that point in the series. Why on earth did an intelligent and experienced woman of the world marry a man who had raped her? Why? I have asked this question on several blogs, message boards and forums. And instead of giving me an answer, fans either made excuses for Joan’s choice or glossed over it by expressing their anticipation over her dumping her husband.

I realize forcing or coercing fans to like Betty Draper would have been the wrong thing to do. But I never could accept or embrace their negative view of her. And I also suspect that fans had sometimes allowed their emotions and prejudices to serve as a barrier to any possibility of a rational discussion on the series and its characters. Considering how the comments regarding Betty’s role in "The Arrangement" had managed to annoy or even anger me, perhaps I had my own biases regarding the character and was never able anymore rational than those fans who disliked her.

"MAD MEN": Sex and Bobbie Barrett

The fans’ reactions to the character of Bobbie Barrett during Season Two of "MAD MEN" have always intrigued me. In this day and age – namely the early 21st century – I never understood why they held her in such a low regard. Let me explain:


"MAD MEN": Sex and Bobbie Barrett

I have enjoyed Season Two of "MAD MEN" very much. In fact, I would say that I found it even more interesting than Season One. Many fans have commented that the female characters seemed to have developed a lot more in this past season than they did in the first season. And yet . . . when Season Two aired last summer, many fans - both male and female - had expressed a great deal of hostility toward one of the new characters - namely Bobbie Barrett. My first question is . . . why?

Why had there been such a great deal of hostility toward Bobbie? What was it about her that made her hated by many of series' fans? As we all know, Bobbie is the wife and manager of insult comedian, Jimmy Barrett. The Barretts were first introduced in the episode (2.03) "The Benefactor", when a drunken Jimmy, who had been hired as a spokesperson for Utz Potato Chips, insulted the owner's wife. Sterling/Cooper's own Don Draper had to meet with Bobbie to arrange for Jimmy to apologize to the Schillings, the owners of Utz. Don and Bobbie's meeting eventually resulted in both of them having sex inside somebody's car. Later, Bobbie tried to get more money from Don (in a hallway of the restaurant they and Schillings are at for the apology) in exchange for the pay-or-play contract of her husband's. Don manhandled Bobbie and threatened to ruin Jimmy. And Bobbie appeared to enjoy the attention. She later convinced Jimmy to apologize.

Despite this violent encounter, Don and Bobbie's affair continued in the following episode, (2.04) "Three Sundays". After meeting at Sardi's for cocktails in order to celebrate Jimmy's new television series in (2.05) “The New Girl”, the pair encountered Don's former mistress, Rachel Mencken, who got married. They eventually left Sardi's and ended up in a car accident, on their way to the Barretts' beach house in Stony Brook. The affair finally ended in (2.06) “Maidenform” when Don learned from Bobbie that he had developed a reputation for his sexual prowess amongst Manhattan’s career women . . . before leaving her tied up during another sexual encounter. Bobbie was last seen in (2.07) “The Gold Violin”, during a party held at the Stork Club, celebrating Jimmy’s new show.

I have to ask . . . why was Bobbie hated so much by most of the fans? The owner of one blog continued to call her ”the Odious Bobbie” in reviews for nearly episode in which Bobbie appeared. Others have called her sick, twisted, perverse, a skank, a whore, evil and God knows what else. When Bobbie gave Peggy Olson the ”be a woman” advice in how to deal with Don and other professional colleagues, many fans came to the conclusion that she was advising Peggy to use sex to get ahead professionally. In fact, many assumed that Bobbie also used sex to get ahead as a talent agent. And yet, the series has never hinted that Bobbie actually did this. What crime did Bobbie commit to produce such hatred?

One would point out that Bobbie has engaged in extramarital sex. Her affair with Don lasted at least four episodes - from "The Benefactor" to "Maidenform". Yet, Bobbie is not the only female on the show guilty of this:

*Peggy Olson - Sterling-Cooper secretary turned copywriter, who had sex with junior executive Pete Campbell after knowing him for less than 24 hours in Season One's (1.01) "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". Pete, I might add, had plans to get married the following day and told Peggy before they had sex. Seven episodes later in (1.08) "The Hobo Code", Peggy and a now married Pete had sex again, inside his office. Peggy gave birth to their son, in the Season One finale, (1.13) "The Wheel".

*Midge Daniels - an art illustrator who was engaged in an affair with the very married Don Draper between "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and "The Hobo Code". In fact, Midge and Don's affair had been going on for five years by Season One. Don finally ended the affair when he realized that Midge was in love with someone else.

*Joan Holloway - Sterling-Cooper's office manager who was engaged with the very married Roger Sterling, one of the firm's owners, during Season One. When the affair began, the series has not yet revealed. Their affair was already on-going when revealed in (1.06) "Babylon".

*Rachel Mencken - the head of a department store, who hired Sterling-Cooper to revamp her store's image. Although both she and Don became attracted to one another in "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", their affair began in (1.10) "Long Weekend" and ended in (1.12) "Nixon vs. Kennedy", when Don suggested they run off together for the West Coast and Rachel realized that he did not want to run away with her, he just wanted to run away . . . from some problem. She called him a coward and ended the affair. Later, she married a man named Tilden Katz.

*Hildy - Pete Campbell's secretary who had a one night stand with married Sterling-Cooper junior executive Harry Crane, during an election night party held at the firm's offices in "Nixon vs. Kennedy".

*Jane Siegel - introduced as Don's new secretary in Season Two's (2.05) "The New Girl". After Joan threatened to fire her in "The Gold Violin" for encouraging some of the junior executives to take a peek at owner Betram Cooper's new painting inside his office, she turned to Roger Sterling to intervene on her behalf. They eventually began an affair and Roger eventually left his wife, Mona, for her.

*Betty Draper - Don Draper's ex-model wife, who eventually learned of his affair with Bobbie. She kicked him out of the house for a while. But after discovering that she was pregnant, she had a one-night stand with a stranger at a bar before reconciling with Don.

Well, apparently Bobbie is not the only female guilty of extramarital sex. Hell, she is not the only character guilty of extramarital sex. So, what was wrong with her? Some have complained about her aggressive nature. Which struck me as irrelevant, considering that she is not the only aggressive character in the series. Bobbie might be the only aggressive female in the series. So is that it? Men are allowed to be aggressive, but not women?

Bobbie is also a sexually aggressive woman who happens to like kinky sex. She made that quite clear in the way she wrestled with Don inside his car, and when she failed to be put off by Don's aggressive manhandling of her in "The Benefactor". She also revealed to Don that when she learned about his sexual prowess, she set out to seduce him in order to have sex with him. Is it possible that Bobbie's sexual aggressiveness is a turn off with most fans? Would they prefer if Bobbie was sexually submissive . . . allowing men to seduce her or make the first move? Would they prefer if Bobbie limited her sexual preferences to the Missionary position or bent over, positions considered submissive for women? Or would they prefer if Bobbie was a man?

Not only have male fans condemned Bobbie's characters, but so have a good number of women. The blogger who had nicked named Mrs. Barrett - "Odious Bobbie" is a woman. Even Matt Weiner has joined the act in his interview with critic Alan Sepinwall about Season Two:

"People were upset about Bobbie Barrett, that she wasn't Rachel Menken, and I'm like, she's not Rachel Menken, and he's not in love with her, and he says no. But he should never have slept with that woman."

I am a little perplexed by Weiner's statement. One, he called Bobbie "that woman" - something I do not recall him naming any of the series' other female characters. And two, he stated that Don should have never slept with her. On one level, I agree with him. After all, both Don and Bobbie were married to other people. But why did he say this about Bobbie? Why not about the other women with whom Don had cuckolded Betty? Why not say the same about Midge Daniels, Rachel Mencken, Joy or any of the other women Don had sex with during his marriage to Betty? Why Bobbie?

Bobbie Barrett's reputation with "MAD MEN" has improved since Season Two ended last fall. Many fans have complimented Melinda McGraw for her superb performance of the memorable Bobbie. There have been fans who have finally understood the meaning behind Bobbie's advice to Peggy in "The New Girl". And there have been fans who view both Bobbie and Jimmy Barrett as metaphors used to reveal more of Don's true nature.

But a good number of Bobbie detractors remain. She is also the only one of Don's known mistresses who has received such a strong level of hostility. And I can only wonder if any of this negativity might be a sign that despite the fact that we are now in the 21st century, society still demands that women adhere to some its ideal view on feminine behavior - in both real life and fiction?

"MAN MEN" Season Two Quibbles

Within a few months, I managed to become a big fan of the AMC series, ”MAD MEN”. I became a fan so fast this past summer that after watching two episodes of Season Two, I purchased a copy of the set for Season One. And fell deeper in love. As for Season Two, I thought it was excellent. In fact, I consider it a slight improvement over Season One. But . . . I do have some quibbles about it:


"MAD MEN" Season Two Quibbles



1. Duck Phillips - I had once complained on the "" site that by the end of Season 2, Duck Phillips (portrayed by the superb Mark Moses) seemed to resemble a minor villain that Don Draper had to defeat. Someone responded that Matt Weiner never intended to portray Duck Phillips as some kind of villain. After reading two interviews that Weiner had given, I now see that I had been right to accuse him of such a thing in the first place. How disappointing.




2. Don's Approval For Pete - Why did Pete Campbell need Don Draper's approval? What on earth for? Pete is a grown man in his late 20s. His existence at Sterling Cooper should have meant more to him than acquiring the approval of someone as flawed as Don. He did not need Don's approval. He did not need anyone's approval to exist. And the fact that he gave up a promotion to snitch on Duck - all for Don's approval - makes me realize that Pete has not matured one bit.




3. Bobbie Barrett - Matt Weiner's comments about Bobbie Barrett made me realize a few things about the show's fans. Judging from the comments I have read about Bobbie over the past few months, I get this feeling that most fans viewed Bobbie's sexual desires and aggressive personality in the same manner that Joan's fiancé, Greg, had viewed Joan's sexual history. And since these fans certainly could not drag Bobbie to the floor and rape her, they resorted to calling her every bad name in the book and then some.

After 46 years, our society has barely changed. It seems as if even in the early 21st century, we have maintained a whore/Madonna complex about women. Even Weiner labeled Bobbie as ”that woman” in his interviews about Season Two. He also claimed that it had been wrong for Don to sleep with Bobbie. I do not understand this comment. What was Weiner trying to say? That it was it wrong for Don to have sex with Bobbie and not wrong for him to cuckold Betty with women like Rachel Menken, Midge Daniels and Joy?




4. Paul Kinsey and Sheila White - What on earth happened to the storyline featuring Paul Kinsey’s romance with Sheila White? The season’s second episode - (2.02) “Flight 1” - reveals that Paul is involved in a romance with an African-American woman named Sheila White. This revelation causes a rupture in Paul’s friendship with Joan Holloway, when the latter makes racist comments about the romance. Two episodes later, the romance is hinted again when a visiting Sally Draper finds a photo of Sheila on Paul’s desk. In the episode (2.10) “The Inheritance”, Sheila makes another appearance on the show. She and Paul have a fight over his reluctance to join her in Mississippi for a voter’s registration campaign. He eventually joined her after being pushed out of a trip to California by Don Draper. When Paul returned to New York in (2.13) “Mediations in an Emergency”, Paul informed his co-workers that Sheila had dumped him after three days.

All I can say is this - WHAT IN THE HELL HAPPENED? What led Sheila to finally dump Paul? Unfortunately, Weiner never revealed her reason. He simply ended the romance on a vague note. What makes this move even more annoying to me is the fact that many fans did not question the vague manner in which the romance ended. Instead, they crowed that Sheila had dumped Paul because of his pretentiousness.

One aspect of good cinematic storytelling is that one should ”show” what happened and not tell. Weiner ”told” the viewers what happened to Paul and Sheila . . . and he failed to tell the entire story. This makes me wonder if Weiner had decided not to continue exploring Paul’s relationship with Sheila in order to please the fans. If most of them had defended or made excuses over Joan’s racist comments about the pair’s romance, it really is not that hard for me to come up with this possibility.




5. Peggy Olson’s Meteoric Rise - Could someone please explain how a young woman between the ages of 20-22 or 23, managed to rise from a secretarial school graduate/secretary to the senior copywriter for Sterling Cooper in less than two years? I realize that Peggy was a natural talent in the advertising business. Both Freddie Rumsen and Don Draper recognized this. And I had no problem with Don promoting her to junior copywriter in the Season One finale - (1.13) ”TheWheel”. But what on earth made him promote her to senior copywriter around the end of Season Two’s (2.09) “Six Months Leave”?

One, Don was rather peeved that Peggy had failed to inform him about Freddie Rumsen’s drunken “accident”. And two, there were other copywriters at Sterling Cooper who were capable of assuming Freddie’s position as the senior copywriter. Who? Well, there was Paul Kinsey. I realize that Paul’s pretentiousness and romance with Sheila White made him unpopular with many fans. But Season Two also proved in the episode, (2.06) “Maidenform” that he was just as talented as Peggy. He also has more experience than her, which would have made him the perfect candidate to replace Freddie. Personally, I believe that Don had allowed his mentoring of Peggy to get the best of him and promoted her at a time when she did not really deserve it.

* * * *

Aside from the above quibbles, I thought that Season Two of ”MAD MEN” was excellent. I would go as far to say that it was actually an improvement over Season One. I would be very surprised if it ever failed to earn an Emmy nomination for Best Drama, next August.