And I wondered if Don Draper truly believed his own lies. He does believe it, and with such conviction that he can look at his wronged wife with bewilderment when she accuses him of an affair they both know has happened. The denial seemed so sincere, that if I hadn't seen him with Bobbie with my own eyes, I would have believed him. And I thought Betty would. As she stood there in front of her husband, begging him to confess and give their marriage a chance, I thought that he would have her convinced. But Betty "knows what kind man" Don is, and she didn't back down for a second. Even after her exhaustive search for some proof to confront him with came up with nothing, Betty knew that he was lying. Not even Don's declaration of love for her and the children could make up for the fact that he cannot tell the truth. It isn't that he won't stop lying, it is that he literally cannot. He is so invested in his own persona that he is actually almost filled with confusion when he is confronted with proof of who he really is. With both Betty and Jimmy, Don gave almost no signal that he was lying. Because first and foremost, he is lying to himself.
I found it so maddening to watch Don lie straight to Betty's face again and again w
hen it was so clear that the jig was up, and she knew. It would have been such a relief for both of them to hear him admit his sins and maybe even apologize for them. Instead he just flailed wildly, using the old deny, deny, deny trick. He is completely pathological at this point. It was difficult to watch Betty, first in that lovely party dress that got messier and messier, and then stripped down completely, wet hair, white robe, no make-up. Showing herself without all of the falsities that make up her persona as the perfect wife. Even then, Don could not give any of that honesty back to her. It just killed me to see him squander his chance to make things right with her. Both of the confrontation scenes were painful, and you could feel that afterwards, things were not going to be the same for either of them.
hen it was so clear that the jig was up, and she knew. It would have been such a relief for both of them to hear him admit his sins and maybe even apologize for them. Instead he just flailed wildly, using the old deny, deny, deny trick. He is completely pathological at this point. It was difficult to watch Betty, first in that lovely party dress that got messier and messier, and then stripped down completely, wet hair, white robe, no make-up. Showing herself without all of the falsities that make up her persona as the perfect wife. Even then, Don could not give any of that honesty back to her. It just killed me to see him squander his chance to make things right with her. Both of the confrontation scenes were painful, and you could feel that afterwards, things were not going to be the same for either of them.I also loved the dinner party scenes leading up to the confrontations. Roger was in them for one, and any John Slattery I can get, I will take. The "Duck, Crab. Crab, Duck" intro was great. One thing I really enjoy is the spectre of Duck hanging around like the ghost of Christmas future. Showing up late and alone, remembering his ex-wife's distaste for "odd numbers. If Don couldn't see that he is on his way to being a divorced, lonely alcoholic if he doesn't switch course, maybe the phone call not to come home brought that into focus a bit more.
Peggy was also given a chance to confess that she could not bring herself to take. I liked how Father Gill wanted
to connect with her on a personal and a professional level, and I could be imagining it, but I think I see just a little chemistry there! Maybe it's his resemblance to Pete. I think Father Gill is very representative of the cultural shift that is going on around our characters. He represents the fact that even in the most traditional places, change is coming. When he takes his vestments off at the end to play guitar, he is just a man "who has lived life" as he tells Peggy, instead of some otherworldly holy person. I am not sure if Peggy is as pathological as Don, but she seems to be modeling her life after his if nothing else. But unlike Don, you could see just a crack in her facade. She wanted to say something, to tell him something. You could see just a slight struggle in her face. The scene in the tub was heartbreaking, as Peggy realizes that the she is paying a steep price for her secrets. Maybe not just the chance to connect with God as Father Gill warns her, but the chance to have any kind of meaningful human contact at all.The whole episode was riveting, but for some reason the story that really got to me w
as Joan's. Just a little taste of what it would be like to be more than someone whose job it is "to walk around and let people look at you all day" was enough for her to realize that she could be more than just a pretty girl. Unfortunately, no one else seemed to be able to realize. As the scene in her apartment shows us, Joan had neither the skill nor the desire to become a housewife, and the man she is marrying does not seem to have any idea who she is (or what she does). Before I remembered what show I was watching, I thought for a split second that she would be hired to help Harry out in the television department! She seemed to really enjoy what she was doing and the clients (of course) loved her. I couldn't help but wonder if Roger had any idea that she would be good at/ enjoy this kind of work. Probably neither he nor Harry think of any woman as someone who can do any "real" work. Peggy is a bigger exception than we might realize, and in the same vein, so is Don. He recognized her work and talent, something Harry was too oblivious (and lazy!) to do.
as Joan's. Just a little taste of what it would be like to be more than someone whose job it is "to walk around and let people look at you all day" was enough for her to realize that she could be more than just a pretty girl. Unfortunately, no one else seemed to be able to realize. As the scene in her apartment shows us, Joan had neither the skill nor the desire to become a housewife, and the man she is marrying does not seem to have any idea who she is (or what she does). Before I remembered what show I was watching, I thought for a split second that she would be hired to help Harry out in the television department! She seemed to really enjoy what she was doing and the clients (of course) loved her. I couldn't help but wonder if Roger had any idea that she would be good at/ enjoy this kind of work. Probably neither he nor Harry think of any woman as someone who can do any "real" work. Peggy is a bigger exception than we might realize, and in the same vein, so is Don. He recognized her work and talent, something Harry was too oblivious (and lazy!) to do. As usual this show surprised me this week! I wasn't so sure that Jimmy's revelation was going to go anywhere with Betty, and I certainly did not expect the "Don't come home" call (neither did Don!). The first season was about creating and maintaining one's persona, and this one seems to be about the gradual and devastating destruction of those careful lies. I can't wait to see how Don handles the possible demise of his marriage, one of the biggest pieces to the "Don Draper" he wants to be.
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