Mad Men 4/27/14 "Field Trip"

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As a mom, I had a hard time watching these scenes because I understand how Betty felt at the initial moment she realized her sandwich was gone. She felt slighted...like Bobby didn't love her. And I've felt like that when my kids have done thoughtless things while they were busy being kids.

Where the hatred of Betty comes in is that she then holds such a grudge against her kids. As soon as Bobby started saying he was sorry is when a good mom would snap out of it and realize that her kid was just being a kid. And certainly, most moms wouldn't still be acting the martyr at dinnertime.

I actually find this storyline interesting. We already know Betty was a terrible mom to Sally. We could have chalked it up as just a mother-daughter dynamic. Now the pattern is continuing with her son. It showcases that Betty is such a self-centered, immature woman.

 

This this. Kids do dumb stuff all the time. That's why we have so many restrictions on "minors". But most parents use those dumb decisions as learning tools. You help your kid learn from the dumb and grow up a little. You certainly don't react as a kid would react. This teaches them pettiness and hostility, instead of love and acceptance.

As others have said, Betty is a child.

 

I'm still not sure where you came to that conclusion? Just that if it was attractive Don would have taken it? No, I don't think the "new" Don was looking to leave SC&P, only to get some leverage to force their hand to bring him back. And as I said, he wants to make good with his partners and colleagues. I don't think a lowball offer is enough to convince even Roger to bring him back. And it would make no sense for Don to show Roger a lowball offer. It would REALLY seem like groveling if Don walked in with that offer and then begged Roger for his job back.

 

That is not why Joan has been cold to Don. Joan has been cold to Don for a long time now. I'm not sure exactly why, but it seemed to start soon after she sold herself to get that Jaguar account. Don tried to tell her it was okay for her to say no (but he told her after she did it), and she seemed to resent his concern. Maybe she did not want to be protected by Don, and maybe she felt bad about his judgment of what she did.

 

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You might be right. From watching last night, I just felt Joan felt she was in a good place right now, the company was finally respecting her work, and the place was running like a well oiled machine. She pretty much even said so before and during the meeting. Now Don comes in, with his brand of chaos and that could upset the apple cart. Joan has always been about organization and stability, and now that is going to change.

 

Well, if the real reason was personal, she certainly would not speak that during the meeting.

And if Joan cares so much about organization and stability, she should have been speaking out at the meetings about Roger.

 

Her and Roger have always had a special relationship as we know. And Roger is a name partner.

 

Don was a named partner when Joan first started acting cold towards him. And I think the "partner" thing is more important than the "named" thing. They seemed to gloss over it in this episode, but, absent any special clauses which I do not think exist in this case, partners generally have voting control proportional to what percentage of the shares they own. Don must have had a decent percentage, certainly more than Joan, although probably less than Roger.

 

When Megan said, "This is how it ends" then went to the bedroom and closed the door, for a while there I thought we were going to be rid of Megan finally for the rest of the series, but then Don calls her long distance and screws that up for me.

After Jim Cutler's not so subtle threat in the elevator last week, I saw Roger's unilateral decision to bring Don back as a play to show everyone he (Roger) still has power. Roger feels Cutler's ambitions nipping at his heels and like was said earlier in the thread, battle lines are being drawn. Roger's camp: Roger, Don, and Pete - but certainly not Harry who Roger threw under the bus at the drop of a hat. Where the heck did Harry get that office furniture? Nice stuff. Apparently a whole lot of ego and arrogance came packed inside it.

For a minute there at the farm, I thought we might see Betty going over to the other side.

Anybody recognize the blonde who threw herself at Don? She definitely looked familiar.

Edited to add old news: Pete isn't wearing his wedding ring.

ETA II: Happy to see Francine.

 

Indeed Betty did want to connect with Bobby. She would have loved not doing it on a farm, I think, but that was the opportunity that presented itself.

We're upset with Betty because she immediately assumed Bobby gave her sandwich away out of spite as soon as her back was turned. When what really happened was that Bobby chivalrously defended her spot on the blanket from that kid who tried to sit down, and then had a kid moment where he gave into the temptation of getting candy. And then she forced him to eat the gumdrops. All the spite in the scene was hers.

 

I have to admit that I thought the braless woman was hitting on Betty.

 

Me too, and it did look for a second that Betty was tempted. Although in 1969 a proper wife would be MUCH more discreet about it (so who knows, it still could happen).

 

That blouse says she likes everyone.

 

Joan is seen by the new partners as an account person. She needs the new guard to be in charge. She can control Roger and Bert, but Don is another matter. She needs Don out of the picture to keep climbing the ladder.

Remember, she was the office/personnel manager when Don was burning through secretaries. She knows exactly what he is.

 

As opposed to, say Roger, who is certainly much worse than Don with the ladies. I do not see how Joan needs Roger in charge.

 

Joan can partially control Roger through providing/retracting access to their son.

 

Exactly...Roger sent the yellow roses to Joan. She totally controls him.

 

I think of all the partners, Don is the most appreciative of Joan's skills and abilities and would be very supportive of her move into accounts. I don't recall any situation where Don treated her poorly or gave her any sense that he thinks she should remain as a glorified secretary.

 

Evidently not, since Roger brought Don back against her wishes.

 

That's certainly true. Despite being a ladykiller, Don seems to respect the women he works with more than almost all of the other men at the firm do. With only a few exceptions (mostly when he was drunk and/or having a snit), he has behaved well with both Joan and Peggy. And yet they are both acting now as if he has personally mistreated them.