Raw Data: In Care Of - Part 2

This is part 2 of the observations for the Season Six finale of Mad Men, "In Care Of".

Part 1

If you have not seen this brilliant "he was dead the whole time" video essay from Forrest Wickman and Chris Wade on Slate, do check it out.  I had originally planned to write up a general post about the season as a whole, but I do not think there is much I can add now after focusing on Don in Part 1 and watching that essay on Vietnam.

• Don wants another fresh start, to go to California.  Back in Season One he begged Rachel Menken to run off to Paris with him.  He had his walkabout in Season Two, touching base with Anna.  In Season Four, it was the fresh start he needed to begin a new marriage with Megan, and this season Hawaii was the high point for him and Megan.  Go West, young man, and try again...
• The episode takes place sometime between Election Day (Nov. 5) and Thanksgiving (Nov. 28) in 1968
• Did not detect an exact date on the prominently featured correspondence
• The episode may, at least literally, refer to the c/o addressee on the mail and telegram received by Don and Pete
• Figuratively, unsure
• Don pours booze into a coffee cup in what is possibly the first time anyone has bothered to hide or be ashamed of their own alcoholism
• His hand to his face during the meeting is the same reaction he had in the elevator trying to chase down Sally in "Favors".
• Almost like a private moment
• SC & Partners is located at 1271 Avenue of the Americas, but we knew that already
• The Depression era scenes always make me want to give Carnivale another try
• That show was super weird and I did not understand it at all, but maybe I am wiser now
• Don taking his kids to see his old house makes me think of Tony Soprano taking Meadow and AJ, at different times, to the old stone church which takes us back to this this and this
• The church was built by Tony's grandfather who was a stone mason from Avalino
• Tony uses the church to illustrate the value of hard work and to show them the old neighborhood
• It also touches on an early theme of the show which is being in on something from the ground up, while Tony laments he's at the end of the good times.
• I also just really really like talking about the Sopranos
• Both old neighborhoods are now black ghettos
• Sally all but threatens her father mentioning she should tell "what she saw"
• Harry Crane appears long enough to make his "I'm totally straight!" comment of the week
• I remember thinking, "meh, that didn't really warrant a comment" except to note how out of character it was for Peggy in the work place
• I don't want to think about what weird comments Harry would make about Megan's sleeping attire
• And once I started thinking about this, I though more about the dark and light colors they were wearing
• A contrast which was also noticeable when Ted plead with Don to let him go to California
• Peggy sits in Don's office and her last shot is the female version of it all
• Pete and his brother Bud are understandably angry, but it quickly morphs and it's interesting to see them, uncomfortably, rationalize that they shouldn't spend time or money to bring their mother's alleged murderer to justice.  Neither one of them were too happy with her when she was alive.  In fact, she was so miserable, she made Pete seem sympathetic
• Polar opposite outcome of the end of Season Two, following the sale of SC to PPO
• Don used to be indispensible.  However, he's become more and more disponsible this season, backing away from work and letting other fill that void, in addition to being an outright liability
•  Don removed himself from the process, saying he would only continue to review work because it is his job.  Meanwhile, colleagues more and more went to Ted with their problems.  Not being busy is a good way to get yourself axed
•  At the end of Season Two, Don, who is even allowed to work without a contract, is crucial to the company.  When he threatens to walk away the entire restructuring, with Duck as president, is re-done.  Like with anything, the bigger SC & Partners gets, the less important he, or any one individual, is
• Burt Cooper, the man without an office, willing to take his name off the firm for the sake of sanity, sits in the lobby still reading his newspaper, and wields enormous power.  
• Real power is knowing when you can give some up, at least superficially 
• Cooper still sits with his finger on the button to destroy Don at whatever moment is most convenient to him
• Loved  "Both Sides Now" at the end.  If only because it was on my dad's Folk Favorite's of the 60's and 70s'.   The point is, Don is trying now.
• We had the tapes, not these fancy CDs, and wore them all the way down
• Try to find a better mix of songs, you won't.
• I wish we didn't have to watch promos over the credits, and these songs could just play out, like on HBO.  

Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

Raw Data: In Care Of - Part 1

These are initial observations for Mad Men episode 6-13 "In Care Of."  This is the Season Six finale and is written by  and Matthew Weiner and Carly Wray who on IMDB is billed as "assistant to writers" for the previous twelve episodes this season.

The episode directed by.....Matthew Weiner! who has directed the season finale for each Mad Men season.

I'm going to do this one backwards, a write up first, and then some bullets and observations about the episode.  

All Don's terrible and selfish behavior catches up with him, effectively alienating everyone and everything (sound familiar?).  His wife is walking out the door.  His partners are pushing him out the door.  His daughter wants nothing to do with him.  Even his underlings at work have had it up to their eyeballs with him.

When he's asked to take a few month's leave, and not given a return date, we recall alcoholic Freddy Rusmen in "Six Months Leave" when  he steps into the cab and says "Goodbye Don" knowing his time off means time's up at the old Sterling Cooper.

With all the death imagery in the season premiere, and revisited again, I'm wondering if it refers to Don's career suicide, or at least the end of the life he's led as Don Draper.

The partners ambush Don, earlier than he is even though he's early (for once).  Last time Don wasn't "in the meeting before the meeting" Pete was going to Duck about Freddy Rumsen's alcoholism, and pushing him out.   Here, well, they push another creative type out the door.

Pete, whose indebted to Don for paying his share when the company was going under, and Ted, who is indebted to Don for allowing him the California opportunity, are not in the meeting, either not wanting to face Don or already on their way to the new office in Cali.  Roger, surprisingly, stands with the other partners.  Considering Joan's mere five percent share (at least, that's what Lane suggested she ask for), one would think if Roger had taken a stand against Cutler and Cooper it may have not been possible to push out Don.

Roger clearly didn't fight for Don.  He may have told Don the same thing he told Bert Peterson when he fired him..."No one fought for you."  We saw the converse when Bob Benson was highlighted and about to be deleted when Joan spoke up for him.  All of Don's savvy and con artistry couldn't allow him to continue to treat everyone and the business so poorly.  Bob Benson is the new con artist in the agency.

The creatives are scattered about, with Ted in California, Peggy holding down the fort in NYC and Don going who knows where.  No doubt the account men are relieved to search for one less mood lightener/topic changer every time Don brings up the Vietnam War/whorehouses/whatever with some huge client.  The fact they do as well as they do is a weekly source of amazement.  Had I sat there in Ken's seat, I'd be forced to break into "The Aristocrats" after every one of Don's weird dark lectures, or someone makes fun of 9/11. 
'
Don's stolen an identity.  He's stolen ideas ("The cure for the common breakfast") and he's stolen opportunities (California, from Stan).  Now, he's being honest.  For all of Don's lying and scheming and manipulation to get a foot in the door at the bottom to eventually build a top 30 advertising firm mainly on the back of his creative genius, it is ultimately his conscious about the war and his single most honest moment, in perhaps both his personal and professional life, that pushes him over the red line and out the door.  Don wants the product, at least this product, to remain pure and innocent, without advertising to obscure and manipulate it before it reaches the public.  It feels a bit like Holden Caulfield wanting to preserve the innocence of childhood.  And it's this honest moment that Roger directly questions "Was any of that even true?"

Much of the problems between Don and Megan were left unsaid this season.  But they talk about the chance to get back where they were with the move to California.  Before it falls through, Don has a civil phone conversation with Betty on the phone, with Megan right there, when he affectionately calls her "Birdie".  Betty tells him there that the good can't beat the bad.  (Did Megan have a similar line?  Re-checking this.  Maybe it was Megan who said it)  Maybe it's then that Don realizes, as much as he tries to run and get a fresh start to try to chase that ideal life he can't have, Don plus in the key and enacts the failsafe, putting those final events in motion to walk into the ocean, as foretold in his ad in "The Doorway".

After Don gives the spot to Ted, Megan drops "You want to be alone with your liquor, your ex-wife and your screwed-up kids" on him, though I'm not sure how much Don wants to be around his kids.  Don blase-ly talks about them being bi-coastal and seeing each other occasionally.  It's almost as if Don knew he could try to re-start the marriage in California, but then realized he didn't want to, and gave the opportunity to Ted as both a gesture of good will but as a way to completely sabotage the marriage because he wants to be better and it is easier to completely tear it down than try to rebuild. 

Showrunning

There's currently a debate in television blogs about showrunners, importance of.

An article from The New Republic, written as a reaction to this book and this book, as well as magazine pieces on showrunners, takes the position that showrunners are not to be (solely) credited with the current state of television, and producing responses such as this one and this one.

Showrunners are a curious concept if you think about it.  Here you have someone entrusted with huge budgets and productions, who is essentially an elevated writer.

Craig Fehrman takes issue with how far we've elevated showrunners when discussing shows, or even promoting them and implies that critics and fans do not acknowledge the collaborative effort it takes to produce quality television, as opposed to the sheer will of one man, or more recently, one woman.

Several points raised in the article:

• Using an example from Justfied to extrapolate on the group effort needed to create a memorable scene
• Pointing to higher ratings for Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels compared to Mad Men as proof showrunner turnover produces television just as well as deities like Matthew Weiner

June Thomas of Slate addresses the first point well, citing expediency as a driving factor

And, with some notable exceptions, critics do tend to underemphasize the director’s and cinematographer’s role in producing quality television. But Fehrman’s prescription—that critics consistently acknowledge the complicated interaction of actors, directors, writers, and editors behind every creative decision—is impractical. It’s like saying that reporters covering Google would get a more accurate picture of the way the company creates new products by talking to the engineers, designers, product managers, and marketers who work on them than they do by simply interviewing Sergey Brin or Larry Page. That’s undoubtedly so, but it isn’t obvious to me that it would be a better or more interesting story.

Regarding the second point, Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels have had five showrunners between them in the five combined seasons.  While Walking Dead is the highest rated drama on cable, Mad Men attracts the wealthiest audience in television, which helps drive up the cost of ads without increasing ratings.  And if ratings directly translate to quality, that is news to me. 

Also, Walking Dead suffered it's poorest quality season following Frank Darabont's abrupt departure.  While Glen Mazzara's capable hands took over the show, it did not feel like a smooth transition and took a while (until Season Three) for the show to regain its footing (and get off that farm).  It kind of goes to show that the position itself, whoever is in charge, is that important.

On the flip side, just as a creative and innovative showrunner can lead a successful show, a righteous and condescending showrunner can detract.  The misleading and condescending attitude of Veena Sud cannot be separated from the disappointing grief porno that is The Killing.*

* And that will be the last time we speak of that show

I admittedly follow the showrunners when I pick my shows and I read all the pieces out there interviewing them. My favorite weekly reading (when in season) is the Entertrainment Weekly post-mortem with creator/showrunner Graham Yost, and what I immediately thought of when Fehrman referenced the salt shaker scene. 

Yost, like David Milch and David Chase and David Simon, doesn't put his name on every script, but his fingerprints are always all over them.  Yost credits his crew to the fullest extent he can remember, because there are sometimes when they sincerely cannot remember who came up with an idea.

And isn't that part of being a showrunner?  Fehrman uses the collaborative effort, highlighting other well known well done "lesser" jobs like the cinematographer on Breaking Bad, to show that it doesn't all come from one person...but he undercuts himself because he's highlighted the capable people on staff who are hired by the showrunner and given the appropriate conditions to succeed.  Hiring smart people and listening to them is usually the mark of a good leader.

I often view showrunners like NFL head coaches, but with more control about a final outcome*.  A good head coach is going to higher capable assistants.  If he comes from a defensive background, he may rely more on his offensive coordinator.  If he is a players' coach he may need a position coach to be the disciplinarian.

* NFL coaches can't force their running back to not fumble at a critical time.  Showrunners can choose the exact timing and manner of a major plot point. 

Not unlike the hot assistant candidates for the new vacancies every year, showrunners often hold staff positions on successful shows before getting their own vehicle.  NFL coaching trees are always interesting, and the success of a particular unit often gets that coordinator attention for vacancies.  IN the 1950s, Jim Lee Howell hired Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry to be his offensive and defensive coordinators and played in three NFL championships. 

Glen Mazzara, mentioned earlier, was a writing on The Shield, whose creator had the foresight to hire both Mazzara and Kurt Sutter, who would go on to create Sons of Anarchy.

David Chase, hired both Matthew Weiner and Terence Winter* who run Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire.  More attention needs to be paid to a young writer he fired after being nominated for an Emmy with him, Todd Kessler.  After his firing, Todd and his brother Glenn created Damages.

* Martin Scorsese is a producer on Boardwalk.  Winter wrote the script for Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street which features another good match of Leonardo Dicaprio playing a Rich Guy to the tune of Kanye West music  These are all awesome things.

 Did you like Friday Night Lights?  You may like Jason Katims other show, Parenthood.

Enjoy Spielberg's Band of Brothers?  Writer Graham Yost created Justifed.  Enjoy Justified?  Try Graham Yost's new show (though less involved with) The Americans.

Basically, having information about showrunners and their pedigree is the best way to find shows you'll enjoy.

Matthew Weiner's End Game - Part 2

Read Part 1 of Matthew Weiner's End Game

Part 2 - Don's and Tony's Similar Trajectory and Similar Women

When Don Draper is introduced we see him living the city life with his artist girlfriend, struggling for ideas to pitch to a tobacco client.  It's not until the end of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" * that we discover Don has a wife, two kids and a house in the suburbs.  Don spends the next few seasons cycling through a load of (dark haired, independent, professional) women.  While surprising to see at the end of the first episode, we sort of accept this as the status quo and a sign of the times.

While his blonde wife somewhat complicity allows this behavior, Don's goes through a roster of dark haired mistresses including:

• Midge - owns her own artistry business
• Rachel Menken - department store owner
• Bobbie Barret - her husband's agent/manager
• Suzanne - teacher at Sally's school

Sound familiar?  Ton Soprano, another villain protagonist, philanders around in what viewers accept as "old ways" (but don't find acceptable).   Blonde, blind-eye turning Carmela Soprano also sat at home while her husband spent time with darker haired professional women**:

• Gloria Trillo - luxury car saleswoman
• Valentina - art curator
• Julianna Skiff - realtor **
• Sonya - high end Vegas stripper ***
• Dr. Melfi ** 
• And so on...****

While Tony and Carm separate at the end of season four (partially due to the unconsumated attraction between Carm and Furio) Don and Betty divorce at the end of season five (partially due to the unconsumated attraction between Betty and Henry).

After a season on their own where they live in their own versions of squalor and behave poorly, they both find themselves back in a home with a wife at the start of the season that follows (Don and Megan marry and Tony and Carm reconcile).  They then both spend a season keeping their vows, though tempted (Don's fever dreams, xxxx; Tony and Julianna Skiff).

Don seems to lose interest in Megan when she 1) leaves advertising which is is obviously good at and 2) helps her get a job.  Megan doing away with what Don views as a professional and independent life puts him back to his old ways.

Tony loses patience with behaving when he sees Christopher with Julianna in "Kaisha" immeiately regretting his decision.  He also catches hell from Carm following Christopher's movie premiere when she takes scenes in the movie for Christopher's mistaken impression that Tony and Adrianna slept together***.  Both serve to increase the riff between Tony and Christopher as well as create resentment within Tony.  As he sees it, even when he behaves, he is punished.  Shortly thereafter, Tony returns to his ways with a girl while he and Paulie are on the lamb in "Remember When."

The point is Don has followed a similar path as Tony and is about at the point where Tony was at the middle of Season Six: Part Two of The Sopranos. How he gets from the current point to the end point remains to be seen.  The biggest difference will be the role the 1960s plays in this shows.  The setting almost acts as character, like the Island on Lost.  A central tenet of the show has been to convey different characters reactions to both life events and current events.  The events provide the setting and conflict and the characters behavior so far will inform their reaction.  Which means we need to take all of Don's behavior thus far into account and predict how he will react to the upcoming era in the show's timeline, which is likely to be the setting at the conclusion of the series, the late 1960s and early 1970s. 

* Fun Fact - the episode title is also the episode title of an early Homicide: Life on the Street episode.  In the episode, from the early 90s, cops are still allowed to smoke in a government building, though they are considering a no-smoking section.  When I first watched this around 2005 it was jarring to see even then.  The episode also features cops fooling a suspect into thinking a copy machine is a lie detector, used again in the fifth season of The Wire, "More with Less."
 
** Tony makes this observation aloud in "Kaisha"

** He literally just "spent time" with her in this case, following Tony's new lease on life, and Melfi's rebuffs.

*** Possibly a real 'pro' in old profession

**** Two others meet the requirement halfway, Irina's dark haired but dependent on Tony and Svetlana is blonde but owns her own home care business...Tony's attraction to her starts when he sees her building a website herself

Matthew Weiner's End Game Part 1

Don Draper's taken a turn toward the unlikeable in the (likely) penultimate season of Mad Men.  It brings to mind another leading character who went down a similar path  in the show's final episodes, Tony Soprano.  The link is the Mad Men showrunner Matthew Weiner (also given writing credit on nearly every episode) who was a writer on The Sopranos 

Toward the end of the series, following the events of "Members Only" which begins to set up the finale, Tony had a come to Jesus moment which altered his behavior for a time.  However, he slowly forgets his new lease on life and devolved into more and more unsympathetic behavior as the series finale drew near.  Considering Matthew Weiner's own hand in Tony's journey those episodes, is it likely Don will follow the same path? 
 
Weiner is credited on eight episodes in the The Sopranos: Season Six (final season), including four each in Parts I and II.  These episodes feature some of Tony's most despicable acts:
Being on staff, Weiner no doubt had some hand in all or most of the scripts from that season, but this will focus on a few key acts which also happen within scripts credited to Weiner.  It's also possible the credits are provided on a rotating or semi-rotating basis.  The season can be viewed as two seasons, airing one year apart.

Part I
Members Only
Join the Club
Mayham (Weiner)
The Fleshy Part of the Thigh
Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request
Live Free or Die
Luxury Lounge (Weiner)
Johnny Cakes
The Ride
Moe n Joe (Weiner)
Cold Stones
Kaisha (Weiner)

Part II
Soprano Home Movies (Weiner)
Stage 5
Remember When
Chasing It (Weiner)
Walk Like a Man
Kennedy and Heidi (Weiner)
The Second Coming
The Blue Comet Weiner)
Made in America

Following the shooting by Junior in "Members Only" Tony has a new lease on life.  Starting from his hospital exit in "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh", he appears to be more forgiving.  When a medic he accused of robbing him attempts to pay back the supposed money he stole, Tony waves him off.  During a garbage dispute, Tony looks for compromise citing "There's enough garbage for everyone."

Shortly after, however, in "Mr. & Mrs. Sacrimoni Request" Tony appears weak when he collapses entering through security at the wedding.  He also sees his colleagues' disgusted reactions to John's moment of weakness as the marshals return him to prison.  What follows is an example of a situation cited at the end of the series that leads Melfi to end their doctor patient relationship. (Elliot's assertion that sociopaths are not helped by therapy to get better, but helped to get better at committing crimes).  Melfi suggests that Tony do something to appear a decisive strong leader.  In response, Tony picks a fight with his muscle bound driver (who knows not to fight back) attacks him when defenseless and beats him into submission knowing he can't fight back.  Tony's taken on a lot of tough people but this is the first I recall a complete "innocent" * being on the other end of things.

* Meaning the character did not behave in a way to proximately cause the beating





"Soprano Home Movies" - Forcing/coercing Bobby, the most "innocent" of all the mobsters to execute a young father in order to grease an illegal pharmaceuticals deal the Sopranos negotiate with some Canadians.  Not only that, but he does from a position of bitter pettiness, being a sore loser after a Monopoly-caused rumble with Bobby earlier that trip

Chasing It - Tony completely alienates Hesh, one of his oldest and dearest friends.  THeir relationship deteriorates quickly once Hesh gives Tony a $200k loan to feed his recent gambling habit/losing streak.  Tony harps on perceived slights from Hesh, including insulting his heritage.  It never comes to a boil but upon Hesh's girlfriend's passing, Tony repays the debt with only a perfunctory condolence.  Clearly their long friendship is ended.  This was, for me, the most difficult and upsetting to watch.  Additionally, Tony wants to get his cut off Carmela's spec house, even though he doesn't need the money (aside from gambling with it) and knows the joy of t


Kennedy and Heidi - murders Christopher, admits to Dr. Melfi he feels relief at Christopher's death.  Then goes to Vegas, bangs a stripper and takes peyote.  He's even happier when his gambling cold streak appears to have ended.  So, Tony is having a good time as he gets worse. 

Tony did some terrible things in seasons 1-5.  He personally murdered people and he ordered other people to murder people.  He did it on a whim and he did it premeditated.  He extorts and manipulates people on a constant basis, but his actions in the final season resonate on a different level.  He continually "kicks the dog". As any NFL fan knows, animal cruelty is the worst act imaginable.

Some other actions of note:
"Johnny Cakes" Sells out a building in the old neighborhood to Jamba Juice, seemingly in conflict with Tony in the early seasons as he takes both Meadow and A.J. around to show them the neighborhood, specifically the old church.

"Kennedy and Heidi" In a separate storyline, Tony is dumping asbestos into the water supply.  Also has a crew of illegals working with asbestos without protective gear.

"Chasing It" Tony doesn't want to pay the relatively (to him) low cost to Vito's wife to relocate and start anew due to her son's troubles.  Instead he enrolls Vito Jr. in an obviously violent and ineffective "camp". 

It is pretty clear David Chase set out a path to completely alienate Tony from the audience and Weiner played a large part in doing so.


Part II - Coming soon

Raw Data: To Have and to Hold

Updated 28 April.

These are the unprocessed thoughts and observations for Mad Men episode 3-04 "To Have and to Hold". Written by  Erin Levy of "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword".  Directed by Michael Uppendahl of "Six Months Leave".

• Unable to place the episode on the calendar.  The only clue I remember is hearing Bobby Kennedy mentioned on the radio (so before June, but that was obvious anyways), but it was too tough to hear on a first watch.  Maybe on the second.
• Pete is always a day late and a dollar short on "being Don Draper," his life's work.  He offers his bachelor pad for Don's use, but Don's already moved out and back into the city again.  Too slow, Pete.
• Two people Don has a lot in common with: Tony Soprano and Barack Obama. 
• Likely in the penultimate season of Mad Men, Don is becoming less sympathetic.  Not unlike Tony Soprano's arc from the start of Season 6: Part I to the finale. More coming on this...including Matt Weiner's role in Tony's end of series spiral
• Barack Obama is an introvert. Not a backslapper who prefers to surround himself and draw energy from people.  While they both can turn on the showmanship when it's needed (as introverts do for people/work they love), neither are super excited to spend time with other people
• Interesting Dawn points out how messed up the SCDP is.  For us not familiar with the era, we were taking their behavior as the standard, but it is apparently outside the norm.  And midway through the fourth hour of the season is the first mention of Lane?  These are decidedly unsentimental men, but still...
• "Project K"?  What a code.  The CIA will be knocking at your door to get more unbreakable ciphers out of you, Pete.
• Going behind Heinz Beans' back is only made worse by doing it in Pete's skeezy apartment and proposing they get a hotel room.
• Let's hear it for Stan's jacket with fringe.  Really,  let's just cheer for Stan every week.  And Scarlett's boots, which Don would not let his daughter wear last season.
• The show's Nixon man, Burt Cooper, is about to be a pig in slop.
• Was Joan married before Greg?
• Harry Crane had a rare good moment to help the company.  Then he squandered it by blowing it on something petty (his secretary) instead of using it as leverage for a partnership.  Great job to go about asking in the worst way possible, interrupting a partners meeting for an issue so trivial Joan would never have brought up in the first place.  Harry managed to impress Sterling (and Cooper) for the first time since he demanded a raise.  ($200. Say yes.)  But his moment to ask for a partnership came and went when Burt Cooper threatened to tie him up and lock him down in the building for the weekend when they were raiding clients from the old Sterling Cooper.    That was his maximum leverage, until he has another offer to play against SCDP.
• A second Sopranos tie in?  The last season was heavily focused on the Iraq War, and while this will no doubt focus on Vietnam, I wonder if it will have a similar approach.  They are selling Dow and Dow is selling the war, or at least profiting from it.  I don't have it yet, but there's something there...Don is against the war though.  Let's see him march.

Despite besting him head to head at the old Sterling Cooper in Season Three, Ken has never been Pete when it comes to landing accounts meaning he doesn't put it above everything else in his life.  Conversely, Pete has never been Ken either, considering that Ken has other pursuits like his writing.

Ken never would have encouraged Joan as Pete did at the end of season five.  He even went so far as to say he doesn't want to be a partner because he sees what in involves..  He was always hesitant to reach out to his father in law, of Dow Chemical, for business.  This while Pete not only asked his father-in-law for a gimme account with Clearasil, he had no qualms parlaying it into a larger deal at the expense of his relationship with Trudy's dad.

Given Ken's reservations and Pete's overly ambitious nature when it comes to landing accounts, it's no surprise Pete pushes for going behind Heinz Beans'  back while Ken is kept in the dark, all the way until he loses the account.  "Nothing like being known for your loyalty" makes it even more cutting.  For the same reason a pious person falls harder and farther than a regular person from their indiscretions, SCDP's liaison feels so much worse than if someone else had done it.  Why is it so much worse when a trustworthy person goes back on their word once, compared to an untrustworthy person goes back on it repeatedly?

There is a great interview with Aaron Staton, the actor who plays Ken, here.  

Raw Data: The Doorway

Welcome back Mad Men!  We all started watching you late in the game (at least a season in), binging on DVDs, watching one episode after another.  Now your season premiere is one of the most eagerly anticipated television events of the year.  Before I become biased by the reviews and analysis out there no more than 12 hours after the episode ends, here's some initial thoughts on episodes 6-01 and 6-02, "The Doorway". 

• Knowing Mad Men had two seasons left, I wondered if they would progress the series enough to make the 1970s as cool as they made the 1960s. 
• Speaking of, did you see Pete's sideburns?
• Mad Men season premieres have a built in game for us fans to figure out what year it is.  Time jumps between seasons have varied.  The first timeframe hints are Christmas lights and a Christmas song when Don is in Hawaii so either very late or very early in the year.  Second is a mention of President Johnson, so pre-Jan 20, 1969.  Third is a mention of Oakland and Houston facing off for the Super Bowl* berth.  That cements us at December 1967-January 1968.  I hear some stuff happened in 1968.
• Matthew Weiner provides as little to no exposition as possible, or providing it in passing like the bombshell in last season's premiere when Megan casually refers to Dick Whitman, letting us figuring things out in due time.  Betty and Henry fostering some sort of ward, as I'll refer to her, is one of a few "and who is that?" moments. 
• How did PFC Dinkens identify Don as a lieutenant?  
•  PFC Dinkins sidling up to Don at the bar made me think of the Green Beret at the wedding in The Deer Hunter, despite their opposite dispositions
• Betty looked like Henry's mom at the end.  I need to grab some screenshots.  Gross.
• Don's Carousel made another appearance, and depending how you look at it, he's feeling very similar or very different to how he did at the end of Season One
• Peggy handled the client push back in a much better and different manner than she did with Heinz
• Sally refers to her mom as "Betty" to Henry and Betty doesn't bat an eye 
• WHAT was Betty talking about with Henry?!
• A quick pan the office wall following Don entering shows it remains SCDP and not some other version including "Campbell"
• Maybe the stairs symbolize the success of the company? I wonder if we'll see more shots and scenes take place there.
• Megan does not seem to be taking the acting seriously, possibly because of her safety net, if it was a precarious time for her to go on vacation, casting-wise
• Last year's cliffhanger manages to hold off until the very end, when we're not even thinking about it anymore
• The shot of Don in his hat with the snow was almost as cool a shot as him on the film set at the end of last season's finale.
• The references to death came early and often in what I will take as painting a backdrop for further escalation in Vietnam and the Tet Offensive, until I'm told otherwise.  Even more so than last season ("you could be dead by Christmas")
• Episode opens with CPR (the guy kind of looks like Don laying there)
• PFC Dinkins talks about married guys being more likely to survive war
• Betty's ward: "My mom is dead"
• Roger's mom dies and we attend her memorial
• Roger's shoe shiner, Giorgio, dies
• Don to Doorman "You died!"
• Morbid joke about the doctor finishing surgery early
• "What's it like to have someone's life in your hands?"
• Reference to suicide in A Star is Born
• Also involving a concept which Don acted out at the end of "The Mountain King" when he walked into the ocean
• Don's sketch includes a tie that looks conspicuously like a noose
• Which we know he's fond of doodling
• 
  

 * Did they call in the Super Bowl then? Unofficially perhaps?  I can't imagine they got something wrong like that given their attention to detail, so I will assume yes.