The girls were really saddened by the death of Marilyn Monroe. I wonder if the theme will continue or even grow over the next few episodes?

I liked the elevator operator's comment regarding the news of MM death, "I just keep thinking about Joe DiMaggio."

Don...i didn't consider your thoughts about marilyn until i saw "the jet set". betty has said that she feels she might "fly away" if Don isn't holding her down. there are all sorts of connections throughout this show which is why i think it's brilliant enough to blog about.

I think Betty may give up and attempt suicide...and if it isn't Betty someone on the show is being set up to mirror the MM death.

Hi LaAd girl--
you are so right on about the "mirroring" of events that runs like a thread thru the various episodes. The suicide theme will be revisited no doubt. I hope it's not Betty who makes the attempt. She seems to be growing up, growing stronger.   

I've been fascinated by the show's opening graphic of the man in free fall. I've interpreted it as a life spiraling downward as opposed to Don's claim: my life goes in only one direction--forward.

And I totally agree with you that MM is brilliant.

I don't know... that episode where Betty wore the (totally cute) polka dot party dress for two days straight was pretty creepy. And that was only only a couple of episodes ago. A suicide attempt might be the one thing that could get Don back in town. He might face a crisis of conscience over the children, what with those two kids of Joy's brother in view.

Besides, let's face it, as much as we can conjecture about what we imagine will happen, the central hub of this show is Sterling Cooper and the advertising business. And Don, as one of the central characters, has to be a part of that. And he has to interact with the other characters on the show. So Don has to make his way back. And Betty, if she attempts suicide, will not die. She needs to be there to cramp Don's style. There's just too much invested in all of this for certain things to change too much in the big picture of the plotline.

Yeah, peggy I think you might be right. Although a Betty attempt would bring Don back to New York, she does seem to be getting stronger as evidence by sending Glen home and confronting his mother.

Okay so you both are with me that someone is going to mirror? We don't really bring up Joan much, she's a possibility too. She is clearly unhappy about Rogers soon to be wife, she still has feelings for him. AND it's clear that this young doctor isn't going to be able to handle her career in the biz.

I do recall one of guys in the Maidenform episode, while doing that whole Jackie/Marilyn excercise, mentioned that "Marilyn Monroe is a Joan and NOT the other way around". Also when Roger found her in his office crying about MM, he had to remind her by saying, "You are not like her"

Thoughts?

LaAd girl--
I've been thinking about Joan since I read your post. I didn't consider her as a possibility because on the surface she's self-assured and in charge. It's only little hints we get from Christina Hendricks fine acting that indicate Joan's unhappiness--Roger calling her "the finest piece of ass" when she wanted to hear that he loved her (season 1 after his heart attack), her distress at the news of Marilyn's suicide; her disappointment when the TV script assignment was taken away; her distraction when her fiance was kissing her on the couch and she preferred to watch Jacki Kennedy's White House Tour (season 2 opener) but gave in to his desire. If she marries the doctor, he'll be the boss. From the previews he'll be visiting her at work so Sunday nite should be interesting.

I can't see Joan giving up yet on life and love, but it's possible on MM because it would be so unexpected --mirroring Marilyn's suicide which was a shock to all who didn't know her private pain and thought a beautiful, famous star had everything to live for. Joan understands what it's like to be under-rated and treated as a one-dimensional sex object by the men in her life, past and present.

thanks for your responds peggy...yes i'm leaning more towards this theory. Now that her perfect doctor has showed his contempt for her past by raping her, I think she is in a more desperate place, but we will see. I really like and adore joan's character.

I hope that I'm wrong.

If you're looking for foreshadowing, there's also Joan's comment to Roger when he catches her on his sofa - "Someday you'll lose someone very close to you and you'll see..."

oh good catch! yes i remember that she said that...

thanks jkerouac59. i think we  are all on to something...

OMG--I said Joan's fiance's visit to SC would be interesting but I never expected that brutality. I had him pegged as a control freak and I guess rape is the ultimate act of control. I wonder if Joan can endure being treated this way by her future husband or if she will realize that her life with him will not be the "happily ever after" dream she wanted but a living hell. We'll see.

I think part of the reason the scenes between Joan and the doctor resonate is the amount of character that is imparted in such subtle ways.  For example, I'm not so sure that these scenes would "work" if Joan's fiance was of a profession less associated with ego and control.  He is a control freak, but is he a doctor because he's a control freak or does his profession feed his ego?  Especially in the 60's - look at the god-like treatment doctors were given in popular entertainment of the time.  He's most likely chosen Joan because he pegs her as someone he can easily dominate - working class, no advanced education, as opposed to a partner like Pete's wife, Trudi who's college educated, upper-middle/upper class and used to getting what he wants.

It comes back to the writing and the nuanced performances - both reasons why I really don't feel like I "get" each week's episode till I've watched it at least twice.  There is a real economy to the writing - there are absolutely no unnecessary scenes, no throwaway bits of dialogue.  "Mad Men" gets more into 50 minutes than a lot of movies do in two hours.