...but much like her "affair" with Henry, she doesn't have the guts to come out in the open with it, probably fearing what will happen if Don calls her bluff and tells her to walk.

My guess is that by year end she will let him know that she knows about his past. The Drapers are doomed as a family, in my opinion. The lie simply can't be held up much longer and it will all come crumbling down.

I did have to laugh when Henry turned the tables on Betty and saw through her games. Every time I want to feel sympathy for her, I have a hard time. She doesn't necessarily deserve what Don does to her, but man is she petty.

The more I thought about this episode, the more I liked it.  The overall theme is perception, the title refers to Miss Farrell relating her conversation with one of her students to Don.  "How do I know that what you call blue and I call blue are the same thing?"  You could almost hear Betty's world crashing down around her as she rifled through Don's memory box.  Wonderful touch, having Don leave the key in the pocket of his blue bathrobe. Betty, sitting through the dinner, hearing Roger describing one Don, while she knows there is another.  I thought she was actually going to become physically sick. 

Miss Farrell tries to be more up front, wanting to introduce Don to her brother, not hiding either of them from the other.  But Danny knows another side of his sister, too - "You're just going to go back there and screw her."

And Don, for all the cover, cover, cover he does, thinks he is doing a good thing by opening up and giving Danny his card and some cash (my guess is because he reminds him of Adam).  Doesn't he realize he's just given Danny an open invitation to blackmail him?

Great episode all around.

Interesting, Jack. I never thought about the possibility of blackmail, but now that you mention it it does kind of make sense. His reply about needing money was "always". And Don just gave him his number.

That whole thing Don did there was sort of bizarre. Being intensely secretive, and then opening himself up to (what he thought) was a couple of hours in a car with the brother of his girlfriend. Didn't he think that the conversation would turn to uncomfortable places during the drive? Questions about marraige, working, etc.

Or maybe Don just has supreme confidence in his ability to lie.

What I think is interesting is that there is a lot of cash in that drawer and Betty didn't even blink at it. My impression of the cash, coupled with Don's expression when he got his bonus, is that Don keeps it there so he can bolt one day, if needed/wanted. Everything he would take with him is in that drawer.

Yeah, I kind of noticed that the cash got almost no reaction from her. I was a little surprised about that, of course maybe in her mind that's what she was expecting to find in there. It's the other stuff she was focused in on from the beginning.

Having a stash of cash wasn't unusual during that era when banks closed on weekends and there was pressure to be prepared in the case of a national emergency - it was the Cold War. Even before the 50s I remember my grandparents keeping a sizable amount at home partly because of their mistrust of banks. These were people (like Don) who lived through the Depression and had a real reason to mistrust the stability of banks. As I recall, this was also the drawer that people kept household handguns in too - although I didn't notice one in the Draper's desk. Even given Don's idiosyncrasies, the money alone didn't particularly seem unusual for me.

I thought about the blackmail but Miss Farrell's brother seems to care for his sister as much as she does for her. Any attempt to blackmail Don will just come back to her sister.

When Don breaks Miss Farrell's heart her brother might care enough about his sister for some payback wacking Don in the back of his head like to two hichhikers (at the worst case) and squeezing him out of some blackmail cash (at the best case)

Completely agree with King_Stannis.
My first reaction to Betty discovering the key was, "HOLY CRAP!" It still is.
I had forgotten about the shoebox being in the drawer with the cash. Betty has literally opened Pandora's Box. And we all know, that once it's opened, it can't be closed.
She didn't get a chance to confront Don right away, and they had no time to talk before Don's big "Humanitarian" award. (Just what the heck was that for, anyway? Did he give a few bucks to March of Dimes?)
Betty has come to the realization that everything she knows about the man she has spent the last 10 years with, is a lie, including his name.

I couldn't see the name on the dogtags, though I assume it was Draper. Why would he have an extra set of Whitmans? What else was there? A deed; was it to the Draper house or perhaps some property Adam inherited? Pics of Dick and Adam. And of most interest to Betty, Don's "divorce" decree from Anna. What was it Don once said to deflect questions from Betty? The way he was brought up, it was a sin of pride to talk about oneself? I don't think that will fly, now.

Betty may keep quiet a while longer until she has more facts, or is in a better postion to face him (i.e. after she's been to an attorney.) But I'm sure it'll blow up before the end of this season.

As far as Miss Farrell's brother blackmailing him, there may not be anything left to blackmail.

I put myself in Betty's shoes and I think what I would interpret from the secret drawer was that my husband was married before and didn't tell me.  She doesn't know that Dick Whitman is Don Draper, right?  Maybe I missed an episode, but I didn't think she did.  So therefore, everything in there about Don Draper, she thinks is her husband.  Dick Whitman could be anybody.  I thought she was focused on the divorce decree.

I think you are right.  The deed to the house and divorce papers overshadowed a snapshot with the name Dick Whitman on the back.  As hard as Don apparently having been married before must be to take in, the concept of him stealing an identity off a fellow soldier is something you would only see in the movies.  I don’t think there was enough evidence for her to get the entire truth.

I think there's enough there to make Betty feel first confused, then betrayed, and finally angry.  Both sets of dog tags were there,  she seemed to recognize Don in the "Dick and Adam" photograph but came away from that with a puzzled look, I'm sure she fixated on the divorce decree and the deed because of the name.  I've got to look at it al again.

She badly wanted to confront Don and get an answer.  There were at least three "cut to's" with her in the background, impatiently waiting for Don to return with the box in the foreground.  Finally, disgusted and tired, she locks the box back in the drawer, figuring (I think) as with so many things, she may never get an straight answer from Don.   She will confront him sooner or later, and it won't be through a third party (as she did through the psychiatrist in season one).

Hi everyone! I've just joined this group... very interesting posts.  Betty knows... and I agree with those of you who pointed out that it seems to be the divorce that's truly disturbing her. It's just like B. to put the box back away and not deal with it. Like her dad said, she's Scarlett O'Hara -- "I'll deal with it tomorrow."  Like Scarlett, I think Betty is very childlike. Even though I can't stand her at times, I think she's a fascinating character.

This is something Betty can't just push under the rug like Don's numerous affairs.  She is childish (highlighted by that scene with Henry) but boy do we all know how she felt waiting for Don to come home so she could confront him.  I'm almost positive that she believes that Don was previously married and never told her.  The divorce papers fit in so perfectly with the image of her deceitful and promiscuous husband that she tried to reject... the dog tags and old pictures didn't seem to make sense to her, thus she disregarded them after fixating on the one item that did.

I wonder now when she will confront Don.  The momentum of that moment was lost, and she already has had to fake her way through the awards party...  And what will he say?

Well, I was pleasantly surprised by Betty in this episode. She looked 10 feet tall and Don looked a tad pathetic, though one can understand why. She really confronted him head-on, and then to my amazement, she did not needle him when he went into details. She seemed compassionate after the initial anger wore off.

Though I was waiting for the teacher to come in and muck everything up big-time.

I love how this show seems so believable. They're in the kitchen ready to talk, and then the baby cries. "We're not done yet" she told him, and that is the kind of thing that happens when there's a baby in the house!

Great tension in that scene because of Miss Farrell outside in the car!  Once again, Don is Teflon Man.  I thought if anybody would cause problems, it would be Farrell.  Maybe she still will, but so far she has rolled over like a baby.  I feel disappointed.

i kept waiting for the teacher to walk thru the door!

After hearing the "practical" advice from her family attorney, I think Betty is looking for any hook on which to hang her emotional hat.  You can see the shock, the sense of betrayal, but I think there's a part of her that is really trying to grapple with preserving the albeit artificial sense of stability of her "old" reality while coming to grips with the "new" reality.

The last line of the episode was absolutely perfect when Conrad asked Don "And who are you supposed to be?"

Even better considering that his kids were dressed as a gypsy and a hobo. If you think about it, Don has been a gypsy. He's been a hobo. And who is he now?

Oh, and I kept waiting for the teacher to ring the bell or walk in, too! He seemed like he completely forgot about her at times in all of that.

Absolutely the best episode EVER.

Yeah, this season is definitely coming around, after a painfully slow start.  And I agree, it was one of the best episodes, but we already knew this confrontation (Betty vs. Don) would be a highlight of the series. 

Betty's discussion with the lawyer should have kept her from confronting him, though.  As he pointed out, Don is providing a stable (if not always happy) life for her and the kids.  There is nothing to gain from using Don's secret against him, unless she is already looking to trade-up (and out).  But considering that she has 3 children with Don, that seems unreasonable, to me.

On the bright side, Betty knows the big secret, and can stop obsessing over it.  He's still an insecure, cheating cad, but Betty has no right to judge him, based on her own bad behavior.  So maybe they can just settle into an understanding marriage, now.

I also liked that she dropped in the "I could have called a locksmith at any time", answering a question at least some people had. Apparently she wanted to know before, but just not badly enough to do that.

I think Betty's family lawyer painted a bleaker picture than what might have been reality.
"You could be left with nothing; you'd have to sell the house..." "Your husband could get the children..." etc.  I do understand the 40's/50's/60's mentality about why he counseled her to stay together, so long as Don's providing and she's not afraid of him. The wife's job was to keep the fammily unit whole above all else. Divorce would be looked upon as her failure as a wife. Glen's mother is a good example. The neighborhood women all looked upon her with a mixture of pity and suspicion.

So Betty confronts Don. King_Stannis was right. She did look 10 feet tall, and Don looked small and shaken to his core. Fumbling his cigarette and choking down a drink. Now what? The next morning, Betty is a bit more standoff-ish than usual, but she is still there. That's a good sign. Don knows he needs to be on his best behavior if there's still a chance to mend fences.

Thank god, at least, that Miss Farrell had the sense to skidaddle rather than pound on the door.

Betty seemed to be like a different person, more in control and on top of everything.  Before going to her father's, she could hardly give a rat's ass about the kids' halloween.  Yet, when she and Don sat down in the kitchen, the sewing machine was on the table.  She had made their costumes that day.  Pretty good for someone waiting to confront her husband with a huge secret.  There has been a big shift in power in the marriage, and Betty is wearing it pretty well.  Betty looked pretty competent sitting behind her father's desk, too.

I agree about the shift in power.  Nicely portrayed.  The whole confrontation was very realistic... and I glad to see Don and Betty finally come to some sort of understanding.

That last Halloween line was excellent too.

I still feel slightly manipulated with the Miss Farrell hiding in the car scene.  There was no real reason for it.  She lives close by--why take the risk?  I think it was just to add tension to the scene with Don and Betty and it certainly did for me.  I truly thought she would walk to the door.  There was nothing being revealed inside that wasn't known.  Don knew everything, Betty knew everything, and we knew everything.  I figured Miss Farrell was what we didn't know.  In the end it was gratuitous. Don't get me wrong.  It was still a great scene.

Becky -

Nosy neighbors can still talk. If one of them sees a young girl in Don's car waiting while he or she is out for an evening stroll, something might be said. I thought it was a very realistic precaution.

I hear you, King.  What I meant was, why not leave her at home while you run back to your own house for your things?  She's very close by.  Why bring her at all and take that risk?  The same nosy neighbors could easily walk by the car and see her crouching there.  That looks VERY bad.  Again, I think it was done to heighten the tension. 
It's like in a movie when you see a shot of an open doorway, you know someone is going to walk in.  It seems silly if someone doesn't.jmo

She is more concerned than he is about casual observers catching a glimpse.  Remember how she said she closed the blinds so that the neighbor's wouldn't observe Don coming in and turning on the lights?

I can easily see Don taking the chance to run by the house quickly before getting out of Dodge and not thinking there was a whole lot of risk involved.  Think of his mindset: he's smitten with Suzanne and as such is not thinking with his big head, his focus is on the upcoming two or three days of bliss.  Even so, he is still mindful enough to pull back from Suzanne when the other car passes after he parks.

Don is already a risk-taker and the primary threat, Betty, is "off the board" till the end of the week.  It seems very reasonable to me that he thought he had all his bases covered and there was nothing he couldn't explain away, if required.  The "WTF?!" look on his face when he walked in and was greeted by Sally said it all.

@ Becky:  I agree with you.  It is a manipulative move.  Hitchcock used it a lot.  Also horror movies where you are yelling at the person on the screen, "No, don't go in there!"  I was jumping out of my skin during that scene.  I knew I was being manipulated, but was enjoying it just the same.

I've been thinking about this scene with Miss Farrell in the car, and it occured to me that not everyone may have perceived it from the same point of view (as me.) Especially our women forumites, I think.

Did you look upon it with HORROR that if she barged in, Don was going to be toast? (As I did.)
Or were you hoping for that very scenario? Hoping the cheater would finally be caught and get his just desserts?

Ah, good point, mneeley.  I think we all bring our own baggage to the story.  I have to admit I've been watching the episodes with a girlfriend and when Betty finally opened Don's desk with the key she found in the dryer, my gf and I went "YES!" and high-fived.  Not that I'm proud of it.

Yeah, when Don went inside the house and was greeted by Sally, I was instantly worried about the teacher in the car.  Very tense. 

When Betty acted somewhat compassionately after hearing the more tragic aspects of Don's story, like his brother hanging himself after Don turned him away, I thought he was going to be okay.  I mean, she and all of the viewers of the show were witnessing honesty from Don for the first time.  Just imagine if after he told his story to her, there was a "DING-DONG!"

Betty: "A caller at this hour?"

Don: "Uh, don't worry Bets. I'll get it!"

Betty: "No Don.  I will."  (Opening door)  "Oh, hello.  You must be Don's current whore."

Don: "...eep!"

When Betty heard baby Gene crying, I envisioned her looking out the upstairs window, spying Don's car and seeing a pair of legs on the passenger side, framed by  the windshield.

I thought Betty was made of awesome this past episode.  The final conversation about Adam was very moving.  And I kind of loved the tension of worrying about whether teacher would barge in the door......I was on the edge of my seat!  Not sorry to see her slink away, either (although I suspect she could be back).

Small tangential point - but I noticed (in the divorce decree) that the real Don Draper's middle name was Francis. As the writers are free to make up names as they please, I wonder there' some significance to both of Betty's "men" sharing the same name.