Written by Duana T

As noted yesterday, many of you email to request for more Mad Men, but I don’t watch Mad Men til mid-week. Duana however watches it immediately, and could lecture every day about Don Draper, and she’s been kind enough to offer her thoughts on last episode. SPOILER ALERT if you’re the kind of person who’s bothered by that but as I just noted to Duana myself, when she cautioned me about reading her article since I’ve yet to see Sunday’s episode, with Mad Men it’s not so much about what actually happens, it’s more about how they react, verbally, non verbally, way down the road, the unspoken plot that only the great shows do well, the hypocrisies and character inconsistencies that may mean nothing to the action but everything to the story, and so much more. So it never matters that I already know what HAPPENED on Mad Men because oftentimes, what happens isn’t what’s really happening, does that make sense?

This week Mad Men gets down with tween drama. Duana’s thoughts below:

I’m not accustomed to having my heart broken by elfin blonde children. There was some fun in the SCDP office, and we’ll get there – but mostly episode 5 is about why this little girl is on a crash course and taking everyone with her.

So, Sally. Resentful, sullen, and trying SO hard to figure out why the people in her life have gone so crazy. She knows it has something to do with love, and ladies looking pretty – so what if she cuts off all her hair? Will Daddy love her more then? Well, he doesn’t love her less, exactly – but Mommy’s unimpressed. Why does it have to be a battle between Mommy and Daddy – and why does mean, angry Mommy always have to win? Sally screwed up again, somehow. Damn being a tween, when such a thing isn’t supposed to exist yet. “I know the man pees inside the lady”. What do you do with that?

And then sometimes when you’re 10 and your friend is asleep on the sofa and you do that thing that you would only do by yourself, but you’re alone, really, so what’s the harm, and you get caught – and the world crashes around you.

I’m really happy they said she’s only 10 . I’m sure, though I haven’t haunted the message boards, that there will be people saying ‘kids don’t do that until they’re older’ or ‘Sally’s heading down a fast path’ – like Betty seemed to believe. And even though I think that’s utterly untrue – kids do this, and yes, at this age – part of it is undeniably the path she’s been put on. You can clearly see where, as Betty points out, this all began with Grandpa Gene – the last person to love Sally properly.

So what of Don Draper? He wants to love his daughter, thinks her mother is too harsh, of course – but what can he do? He can only outwit, outlast, and outplay the annoying little gnat from another agency – unless of course said gnat is Roger Sterling, about whom I have to wonder – what’s this really about? I mean, this is the same man who thought nothing of bringing his 21 year old wife to his 20 year old’s wedding – but now he’s talking about loyalty? I don’t think Pete Campbell was right in making it all about him – but I do think he was right that Roger’s misplaced resentment at Japanese clients was just that – misplaced.

Watching the people of Sterling Cooper Draper Price try desperately to hang onto themselves as things careen into a new and modern arena is just delicious. Do you think Cooper, for example, agrees with the idea of a ‘creative lounge’? Do you think that child therapy – really an advanced idea for the time – is actually going to help Sally? And do we even care about latest femme fatale Faye?

Emmys on Sunday. If you were Kiernan Shipka’s mom, would you let her go? And how do you dress arguably the best child actress of her time for such an event?

These pictures of a girl (at the premiere of Cats & Dogs a few weeks ago) who's not 11 until November might bother you - but to me they remain perfect. No matter how many stylists you have at your disposal, when you're a little girl playing dressup you still look like you are. This is still an 11 year old trying to deal with her hair. When she actually looks older, then call me. And stay off the eyeliner, Shipka.


Photos from Wenn.com