PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.

In episode 9, Don's psychiatric love object assumes a greater and more prominent role. The best exemplification of Faye's importance is seen at the end of the episode; Faye expresses her anger in a clear and confrontational way to Don. Not hysterical anger, not out-of-control anger, simple and direct anger focused at Don.  This professional woman is able, unlike many of her contemporaries, to confront Don with her anger, and survive unscathed.

And what is her anger about: Don assumes that since she is a mental health professional and, most importantly, a woman, that she will be great managing his daughter.  Faye has a right to be angry: Don has set her up to fail. At the end of the episode she unloads at Don all the embarrassment, shame, guilt and feelings of failure engendered by professional women facing severe social stigmatization at this time in US history.

At the vey end of the episode we see Joan, Peggy and Faye all standing in the elevator:  These are respectively, the past, present and future of the evolution of women in our society.

EMASCULATION

In episode 9, the ever in control, compartmentalized and heavy defended Don, finds his well-ordered  work-life thrown into chaos because of the overwhelming emotions generated by the women in his life.  His secretary dies, his daughter runs away, he orders his wife to pick his daughter up but she defies him and then he tries to forcefully to remove his daughter from his office and she resists him.  Don has became impotent both at work (his auto-parts advice was ignored) and in his family life, especially in his ability to influence his daughter.

Don's emotions are in turmoil and he reverts to a male stereotype where he suddenly believes that not he, but a variety of women should be thrown in his daughter direction as a stop-gap solution to his own feelings of emasculation.  He attempts to throw his wife, his older secretary, his psychiatrist love interest and finally his younger secretary at his daughter, all in an effort to keep Don from actually talking to his daughter and sharing his feelings.  There is only one woman in Don's life that he shared deep feelings with, and she's now dead.  At the end of the episode Don takes out his journal, the only place for him now to share his feelings, but this will change...

SEX WARS

In episode 8, Henry does all but paw the ground, urinate on a fire hydrant and beat his chest in trying to get Don's possessions out of his hair and in trying to keep Don out of his son's birthday party. Henry even paraded around the house sweaty and shirtless.  As usual, Don is agreeable up to a point. In this war among men, Don forfeits smaller battles only to win the more important one of coming to his son's birthday party.

In the war among women, Peggy's biggest ally is really a man, Don, who turns out to be the ultimate women's rights advocate by encouraging her to "grow some balls" and fire Joey. Surprisingly, Joan is her biggest retractor in this war because Peggy is taking the truly direct and masculine role of action oriented conflict resolution, while Joan is relegated to a more indirect, passive and traditional female role to gain any satisfaction.  Peggy is the future, women's roles are a-changing, and Joan unconsciously recognizes this fact.
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Peeling Back the Onion

Don's attempt at transformation is revealed in both small and large ways throughout Episode 8. His morose self-loathing has given away to a full range of self improvement behaviors. Amazingly, Don is reducing his alcohol consumption (drinking beer, refusing champagne, drinking later in the day, and pouring smaller drinks),  exercising by swimming, going to family activities (his son's birthday party), letting out his feelings by confiding in the psychiatrist at work, expressing his feelings through journaling and God please no, it can't be Don Draper, restricting his sexual activity (by refusing the psychiatrist's advances).

Don is attempting to confront deeply buried feelings that are at the core of his being. In Psychoanalysis this is what we call "peeling back the onion." However, if you are Don Draper, you might not like what you find at the center of the onion...

Knowing more that you ever wanted to know about Mad Men

In this Blog, I will describe and interpret the sociological, psychological and anthropological symbolism expressed through a deep analysis of the Mad Men Series beginning with Season 4.

I hate you, but I hate me more!

In Mad Men's characters, their attempts to portray their perfect lives to the world is never totally successful because of deep feelings of insecurity and self hatred.

Don's paying a prostitute to slap him, Peggy's rejection and denial of Pete's child and Joan's hidden feelings about her rape by her husband, all depict a type of self malice, self-hatred and self-loathing.  These feelings are all highlighted through Don's current jaded, pessimistic, alcoholic, cynical, misanthropic hatred of who he is and all mankind.

Perfect lives falling down

Season four begins with Mad Men's typical opening depicting symbols of the perfect American life collapsing around a man plummeting to the ground.

Season four opener shows Betty, her daughter and Henry's mother all angry, complaining and maladjusted. These characters are the most invested in their past supposedly perfect lives and in the images of themselves in these lives.  These characters are now the most angry, bitter and argumentative, in fact, Betty is even abusive to her little girl.  Sally's masturbation attempt is the ultimate symbol of failure for Betty's view of her own perfect life.

Mad Men always shows the audience what people put on the surface, and yet always illustrates what it means to have much deeper issues and problems.
For example, Don's argument with the Jansen's swimwear executives about their prudish insistence on remaining a "family oriented" company, while they sell revealing bikinis.