Mad Men Musings

At the very start I am completely shocked to see Betty. Even at the worst times with Don she never let her appearance go, so I am itching to find out what the issues are in her new marriage. I am also intrigued by them addressing the issue of women taking diet pills to 'please men' as Betty's mother-in-law put it.

Of course upon going to the doctor to ask for diet pills they found a lump on Betty's thyroid. There is obviously more than just this going on with her because even before she found out about the lump she was making excuses about doing things (and then made excuses about going to the doctor's). Obviously she has issues not only with the weight. Although she is not my favorite person in the show (in fact I have hated her for a long time) I feel a lot of compassion with her. She went searching for happiness in a new husband and life and doesn't seem to have found it, and unfortunately she does not have a whole lot of options to rectify that.

They are hitting on a topic that has been intertwined in the underbelly of this show from the start—the pressure on women to look a certain way. This was of course addressed when Peggy was pregnant, but to have it happen without that being the reason is new. I hate feeling like I have missed a huge portion of this show during its hiatus. Okay so I just looked it up and the new season started with Memorial Day 1966 and the fourth season began in November 1964, so there's a better understanding of how much time we missed.

Back to this episode. I do not like Harry at all. I think he has taken the place of my least favorite character. It started with how he acted last week and it got even worse this week. He doesn't seem to care about anything anymore, and I remember him being the good guy back at the old office.

I just don't understand. What happened with his marriage? Why is he acting like such a child? When did he become the biggest a-hole on the show? I guess it just frustrates me so much because I feel betrayed by this character—he caught me off guard. Or perhaps I never paid enough attention to him and he has always been like this?

On to another topic. Megan really showed her true colors and immaturity with her reaction to Betty potentially having cancer. 'That sucks, there's nothing you can do, get dressed we are going to hang out with my friends.' She basically threw a hissy fit when Don showed and expressed that he was a bit overwhelmed and not feeling up to it. Don actually cares if Betty is sick or not and how it is going to change things if the worst should happen. He is totally right in being concerned about Megan's age and what kind of responsibility will fall to them should Betty get sick and die. I don't think Megan really grasped the potential reality she is traveling towards.

Maybe I should reconsider when I am writing this because writing it as I go along may be great for sorting my thoughts and making sure I address everything I want, but things change so quickly and it completely makes my previous statements useless. (My response to finding out Betty does not have cancer. Not that I'm upset that she's not sick, just upset I was writing as if she were).

The episode is almost over and I am exhausted. Sorry folks, if anyone is reading, that's all I have for this week. If something completely unbelievable happens at the end I will update tomorrow! Now go drink a martini or an old fashioned or something!