I'm an episode behind with my Mad Men reviews, but aim to review "A Night To Remember" later this week. Until then, let's take a look at last week's excellent episode...Spoilers. There's a lot of materialism and measuring of wealth in "The Gold Violin". First, Don (Jon Hamm) considers buying a flash Cadillac from a dealership to cement his image as an executive player -- but only succeeds in reminding himself about his early days as a used-car salesman fresh back from war, getting used to his new identity, only to be accused of deception by a customer who knew the real Don Draper...
Second, there's Bertram Cooper's expensive art acquisition -- a modern piece by Rothko that Harry (Rich Sommer) would like to know more about to impress his boss during a schedule meeting about media buys. Impetuous new secretary Jane (Peyton List) surprises everyone by leading a gang of inquisitive execs into Cooper's office while he's away, to snoop on the Rothko. Later, during the meeting, Harry's pre-knowledge of the Rothko proves pointless, when it becomes clear that Cooper has only bought the painting because it was appreciate in value.
Plus there's the titular "Gold Violin" of Ken's (Aaron Staton) latest short story, a draft copy of which he gives to Salvatore (Bryan Batt) for feedback, having picked up on his colleague's sensitive nature. Salvatore himself is flattered that Ken would let him peek into his mind, and that his literary opinion is rated so highly. Clearly, Salvatore (whom we know to be a gay man living a sham marriage with wife Kitty) finds Ken attractive, so invites him over for dinner to hear his thoughts on the story.The dinner on Sunday seems to go well, but Kitty notices her husband's constant failure to include her in the conversation, resulting in a minor domestic spat after Ken leaves. Sal, who can't come out of the closet in '60s America, let his pretense of marital bliss slip in Ken's company, although Ken himself is too straight-laced and resolutely heterosexual to ever entertain the idea that Salvatore's gay, or pick up on the vibe. In some ways Sal's marriage is exactly like the gold violin described in Ken's story ("perfect in every way, except it couldn't make music"), because it's all about appearances and doesn't actually function.
The week's advertising subplot belongs to Martinson Coffee, with Don putting new recruits Smitty and Kurt on the case as the voice of American youth. The young men pitch the idea that the under-25s don't "want to be told what to do or how to act... we just want to be," before showcasing an upbeat calypso-flavoured radio jingle designed to leave listeners with a lingering mood they associate with the product.
Don's in two-minds about buying his flash car for most of this episode, but the turning point comes when he's put on the board of a folk art museum, joining other luminaries that Cooper describe as "people who get to decide what will happen in our world." With that show of respect, Don's confidence in himself and how he's perceived rockets, so he takes the plunge and buys the Coup de Ville he had his eye on.
Joan (Christina Hendricks) is feeling threatened by Jane -- the younger, arguably sexier new girl at Sterling Cooper -- so when she hears about Jane's role in breaking into Mr. Cooper's office, she uses it as the perfect excuse to sack her. Admittedly a rock-solid reason. However, Jane shows she's no pushover, using her feminine wiles to inform Roger Sterling (John Slattery) about her dismissal after she clears her desk, fluttering her eyelashes all the while...
Jane's sob story (coupled with horndog Roger's likely desire to set Jane up as a future mistress now that Joan's getting hitched), persuades Roger to have a quiet word with Joan. Jane leaves elated, but we later learn that Roger took no action as promised, leaving Jane to face Joan's wrath when she returns to work. For Roger, it was win-win if he just let things unfold, because Joan would either renege on her decision when she calmed down (meaning Jane would think he had something to do with it), or else Joan would go crazy and he'd get another tempestuous encounter with her that he enjoys so much. And probably just overrule Joan to win the argument and keep hottie Jane around, as Joan knows full well.
Elsewhere, there's a brilliant picnic scene with the Drapers; a picturesque slice of American utopia in a beautiful park that reveals its dirty underbelly as they leave in their new car. Don lobs his beer can into the grass, then flaps the picnic blanket to leave a trail of trash behind. The moment worked both as mildly shocking look at the societal differences of 1962 (I guess there were park rangers paid to clear up picnickers' mess in those days, and it wasn't a social stigma to leave your garbage behind for them to tidy), but also symbolic of how the beatific veneer of these characters' lives are sullied underneath.
Later, Jimmy Barrett (Patrick Fischler) invites the Drapers to the Stork Club to celebrate ABC buying his new hidden-camera TV show "Grin And Barrett", really because he's developed a crush on Betty (January Jones). However, during the celebration, while Don's occupied with Jimmy's wife Bobbie (Melinda McGraw), the woman he's been seeing behind Betty's back, Jimmy reveals his ulterior motive for inviting Betty along...It appears Jimmy the comedian's not quite as cuckolded as we thought (unlike Betty), and knows his wife is having an affair with Don. Upon telling Betty of his belief, all she can do is act disgusted by his crude conjecture and abruptly leave the party with her husband in tow. But, not before Jimmy makes it clear to Don that he knows his guilty secret -- resulting in the Drapers having an intensely awkward, silent car journey home... only interrupted by the upsetting final sting of Betty vomiting into her lap.
Overall, I particularly enjoy episodes that develop the supporting characters (Ken, Sal, Jane, Harry), as there's still so much to learn about those people, and Mad Men sometimes becomes a little too focused on the Drapers. It was especially great to get some insight into newcomer Jane's personality -- clearly a sexual rival and threat to Joan's popularity, whose standing as the office glamourpuss is under threat from her impending marriage and the leak about her real age.
"The Gold Violin" worked brilliantly for me on many levels, using the Don subplot to nudge a new question into our minds (who was the woman who knew Don wasn't the real Don?), but spending more time with the less-known characters. And I just love Mad Men's beautiful moments of symbolism and cultural intrigue, best exemplified here by the coda to the Draper's idyllic picnic. Wonderful.
24 March 2009
BBC Four, 10pm
Writers: Jane Anderson, Marie Jacquemetton & Andre Jacquemetton
Director: Andrew Bernstein
Cast: Jon Hamm (Don), John Slattery (Roger), Rich Sommer (Harry), Bryan Batt (Salvatore), Aaron Staton (Ken), Michael Gladis (Paul), January Jones (Betty), Christina Hendricks (Joan), Elisabeth Moss (Peggy), Mark Moses (Duck), Joel Murray (Freddy Rumsen), Patrick Fischler (Jimmy Barrett), Peyton List (Jane Siegel), Patrick Cavanaugh (Smitty), Adam Godley (Wayne Kirkeby), Tim Ormeny (Jim Van Dyke), Gareth Williams (Mr. Wheatley), Melinda Page Hamilton (Anna), Melinda McGraw (Bobbie Barrett) & Sarah Drew (Kitty Romano)
