AMC's Mad Men Season 3, Episode 1
Out of Town
The opening image of the third season of AMC’s Mad Men was Don Draper’s bare feet. As viewers saw him stripped down physically, they also caught a brief glimpse of the enigmatic ad man’s inner workings. As he prepared warm milk for a very pregnant Betty, Don saw a vision of his birth and his prostitute mother’s death, reminding viewers of the hardships he has overcome and revealing how the Whitman baby came to be named Dick.
But what did this vision mean for Don? Was he comparing himself to his philandering father, or perhaps concerned that he had left one of his past lovers “in trouble”? Or maybe he’s just worried about the welfare of his pregnant wife. After all, he did seem to be making an effort toward becoming a better husband and father — until his business trip to Baltimore, of course.
‘Somewhere I’ve Already Been’
Don hadn’t even gotten off the plane before he found himself a fling in the form of an eager blond stewardess, and his talent for lying shone through created new identities for himself and Sal. As he told the stewardess, “I keep going to a lot of places and ending up somewhere I’ve already been.” Although he did seem reluctant as the girl seduced him in the hallway, that didn’t stop him from taking her back to his room.
“I’ve been married a long time,” he said. “You get plenty of second chances.” He seemed to bank on another chance when he returned, giving Sally the stewardess’ pin as a “gift” and telling her “I will always come home” before succumbing to a rare display of emotion as he tried to tell her the story of the night she was born.
‘Limit Your Exposure’
Don’s tryst with the stewardess was cut short by the hotel’s fire alarm, which also interrupted Sal’s encounter with a hotel bellboy. His reaction to the employee’s advances was a mixture of joy, shock and fear, but that first emotion drained away when Don caught a glimpse of the bellboy leaving Sal’s room.
From that moment on, poor Sal looked as he if were headed for a firing squad until Don gave him some advice disguised as a London Fog campaign: “Limit your exposure.” If anyone knows how to keep a secret, it’s Don Draper, so Sal was free to retreat back into the closet — although a fleeting look of relief seemed to cross his face when it appeared that Don was about to force him to reveal his sexuality.
‘They Want Us to Hate Each Other’
Poor Pete — not long after he celebrated his promotion to head of accounts with a dorky dance, he learned that he would be sharing the position with Ken. While Ken seemed genuinely excited for both of them, Pete appeared to be attempting to kill his rival with his eyes as they received their new accounts. Pete also hinted at where his relationship with Peggy stands with his irritated exclamation that she was “everywhere” on his list.
Ken brushed off Pete’s outrage with this response: “They want us to hate each other. I won’t participate in that.” Sterling Cooper’s new British overlords do seem to be stirring up trouble, from the unceremonious dismissal of the previous head of accounts to John Hooker’s attempts to challenge Joan’s authority. Of course, if anyone can deal with the bratty Brit, it’s Joan, and Peggy seems more than willing to help her.
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