Mad Men -- Episode 4:12

As you would expect from the next-to-last episode of the year, this was a very important episode, with a number of significant plot developments. I would like to particularly focus on three of them.

The first was the return of Midge, who has not been seen in these parts since Season 1 -- back when no one watched Mad Men. Back then, Midge was a free-spirited proto-hippy -- now she's a heroin addict. In a sense, Midge was the most important part of the episode, because she showed Don what addiction looks like, and that is what inspired him to break with tobacco advertising once and for all. But I was interested in the character of Midge herself, and in how Matt Weiner treats his characters. Of all the women who we have seen get involved with Don, Midge seemed the least damaged by the whole experience. In fact, Don left Midge because he could tell she was in love with someone else. As we have followed Don through the subsequent five years -- watching him leave havoc and destruction with every woman who cared about him, it was sort of nice to think that Midge had survived. But now we learn she has not. In fact, she is doomed -- hopelessly addicted to heroin, basically prostituting herself to get more drugs, and trapped in a terrible, downward spiral. This is, of course, the puritan in Matt Weiner re-asserting itself. In his world, potential disaster is everywhere, and no one is safe.

Second, we have the story about the firm, and here an inflation calculator is helpful. Pete was asked to put up $50,000 -- which is $336,441 in our money. No wonder Pete was panicked. No wonder Trudy put her foot down and told him not to do it. No wonder Pete was so relieved when Don -- clearly making up to Pete for the trouble he caused him a few weeks ago -- put up Pete's share of the money. (The $150,000 that Don put up to cover his and Pete's share of the collateral demanded by the bank is equal to just over $1 million in our money). The whole incident shows a commitment by Don to Pete -- and the firm -- that is quote significant. On the other hand, however, Don's decision to turn down any and all tobacco work (without the consent of his partners) also shows the price of doing business with Don Draper. In his work life as in his love life, Don Draper has no "partners." He does things his way, with no sense that he has a duty toward anyone else. If the other members of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce don't like it, they can go somewhere else. That's not very nice in Don, but then again Don is not a very nice person.

Third, we have the ongoing saga of Betty and Sally. I don't think this storyline really worked as it was supposed to, and I think that must be attributed to a rare casting error. Let me be clear; I think Weiner's son -- who plays the annoying Glen Bishop -- is quite a good actor. But he is simply not right for this storyline. We the audience are supposed to believe that Betty and Sally -- two alpha girls -- have a mysterious interest in Glen. OK, I could buy that -- if Glen was charming or handsome or charismatic. Indeed, if Glen was made out to be sort of a 14-year-old version of Don, this story line would make a lot of sense. But instead, Glen is just this weird creepy nerd. No mother has ever worried about -- or even paid much attention to -- anyone who looks and acts like Glen. And no girl -- not even a precocious 11-year-old like Sally -- has ever cried her eyes out over the prospect of being separated from a Glen.

Anyway, now we just have one episode left. In the other three years, Weiner has always managed to end things with a bang. I hope he can do so again.