Don't Stand in the Doorway, Don't Block up the Hall: Mad Men Season 3, Episode 2: Love Among the Ruins

With episode two of this season, Mad Men is reminding us though so much had remained the same from the end of season 2 to the beginning of this one, it cannot remain so. "Love Among the Ruins" is an hour of television about change, and each of our characters is dealing with the vast changes in their lives and in their culture in different ways.

The most intriguing character of this episode to me was Peggy, almost cementing her place as a mini- Don, a liar, a seducer, someone who cannot find personal fulfillment despite her success and intelligence. Stuck in a place where being ahead of her time is more a curse than a blessing, Peggy cannot quite figure out how to be a desirable woman and a smart woman whose opinion actually matters at the same time. She is living in a world where those two ideas are still mutually exclusive to most men, so when she goes out looking for a little love in the night, she uses Joan's line, she pretends to be a secretary, she becomes someone else. Peggy has truly learned from the best when it comes to playing a role to make other people give you what you want, and now she is just honing those skills.

I did like that Peggy was disappointed in Don for being just as into the Ann-Margaret song as the other men, whom she considers lesser. Also you can't help but be proud of a girl who has the guts to go and disagree with Don Draper. Too bad for her she had the unfortunate luck of catching him after his meeting with Pryce about not taking the Madison Square Garden account!

Ahh, another person caught up in personal and professional change is my beloved Roger, who cannot seem to understand why everyone is just so darn mad at him for leaving Mona for Jane! His daughter his hurt and embarrassed, his ex had no desire to be understanding, Don is angry at him for using his words when he left Mona and for changing the game up. Don was perfectly happy to live in a world where men pretended to be happily married and women pretended not to cheat, and Roger is just a reminder to him and to everyone else of the tawdry reality under that fantasy. Roger's charm is falling flat on everyone these days, not just pissy, pregnant Betty, who could barely stand to look at him.

Betty was not in a good mood this episode, and you could see that Don was really trying to make her happy, which is a pretty huge change in their relationship. Not that he didn't relish the chance to one-up William and send him and his family packing (Poor Judy! She seems nice!), he still couldn't stand to see Betty wracked with the guilt of being a bad daughter, so he is letting a man he can't stand move into his house. Maybe it is because she is pregnant, but he even seemed to feel a bit bad about making her sit through that business dinner with the Pryces. Don and Betty don't seem to realize the huge change they have just embarked their family on by having her ill father move in with them, even after seeing him go back to Prohibition in his mind and pour all the booze down the drain. (What will Betty drink now when pregnancy gets her down! She needs something to go with those cigs!)

Though it was nice to see Don stand up for his whiny wife, Don is still Don and immediately drawn to any hot, independent brunette in his radius. I like that they had the teacher dressed up so she fit right with the origins of the maypole but also with the hippie future that is just on the horizon. Even as Don tries to be a good husband and father, the desire for something else, something different always seems to be eating him up inside. The teacher represents the kind of woman Don is always attracted to, and of course, poor Betty's polar opposite. 1963 was the end of America's innocence, and it change is on the horizon for the whole country, including Don Draper. Something tells me he might just be ready to embrace it.

Other thoughts-

-Goodbye Penn Station. For once, Paul is actually right about something! Maybe not the best venue to air his opinions though.

-Wedding on November 23, 1963? Oh dear.

-I loved Don's conversation with Pryce. It is always great to see Don break through his cool demeanor and come at someone with a little force. (Ditto the smackdown of William)

-So, is Don going to sleep with that teacher? I'm taking bets.

-The sweet wistful look between Roger and Joan really got me. She's still the only one that understands him.

-Ugh when Joan said that her husband told her to "watch out" after he got promoted to chief resident it made me ill. So sad that she married that rapist. Looks like we'll get a little window into that relationship next week. DON'T have a baby with him Joan!!

-Man, pregnancy is really getting to Betty! Or something. She was nastier than usual tonight.

Next week: Joan her rapist husband! Roger and Don have a fight! Talking! Quick Cuts!