Studiously Uncool (5)

New Amsterdam
This episode starts off with some sexist humour from Bob Newhart who makes fun of women drivers.

Up until the late 1960s, this sort of humour was common.  There were hundreds of jokes that started, so this cop pulls over this lady driver .... What I'm not so sure of is that makers of Mad Men fully appreciate just how sexist the Newhart routine was. If they do know, they forget to let enough play that anyone unfamiliar with the whole sketch could figure it out.

Anyway, Trudy pops in to see Peter Campbell and to show him an apartment. Trudy is an adult and Peter is a child. It's not that she is necessarily better or smarter than him but she is a grown up at least.

They need to borrow money for the apartment and so Peter heads off to see his parents. They're preppies so load up the clichés: cold, distant people with a place out on Long Island and a boat. We're supposed to hate him and laugh at her and we will end up doing that because the scriptwriters mean for us to. Still, Peter's father has much better taste in clothes than he does.

At one point, Peter's father mocks his son's work calling it,  "Taking people out to dinner, wining and whoring." The problem, as we shall soon see, is that is pretty much exactly what Peter does. We can hate his father all we want but when he is right he is right.

He also refuses Peter the money. We are given to understand here that Peter is a disappointment to him. Later, much later, we learn otherwise. This is one of the show's great strengths, BTW, it lights fuses that set bombs off next season.

In any case, Peter's parents are old New York, thus the title.

Two spoiled children
This is the Peter Campbell-Betty Draper show and the similarities between them are rather stunning. I think the episode was meant to fill their characters out a bit. I think it was meant to  explain their behaviour. They are still both feebs but we are supposed to realize that they have reasons for being like this.

 As a believer in virtue ethics, I think this is hogwash. Moral weaklings like these two do a lot of damage and we get good examples of it from both this episode.

Peter goes to work and gets into a testosterone battle with Don Draper. Well, of course, his father has hurt his pride so it's perfectly understandable. In a five year old maybe. In any case, he picks on the wrong guy and gets slapped down for his trouble.

One great line, though. Peter says, "You tell me I'm good with people. Which is strange because I never heard that before." Got to give him this one. He isn't much good with people.

And he is right, he is very good with ideas. But isn't being good with people what a human being is supposed to be? You can have all the other skills you want but a human being who is as bad with people as Pete Campbell is is like a lifeguard who can't swim very well. Which is to say almost useless.

 The babysitter from hell
But Peter is a walking definition of maturity compared to Betty Draper. She agrees to watch Helen Bishop's kids while Helen stuffs envelopes for the Kennedy campaign. First problem, she can't say no and so she gets used.

Anyway, while Betty is sitting for Helen, Helen's son Glen walks into the bathroom and watches her. And I mean, watches her.

Betty acts normally enough at first. She rushes him out but she is ineffectual and she knows it.

Almost immediately things start to fall apart. She has no authority and it shows. She immediately starts the "all I'm trying to say" gambit beloved of moral weaklings everywhere. Her having shown this weakness, even a little creep-in-the making like Glen Bishop knows how to capitalize on the situation. He asks her for a lock of her hair and she says yes. Then she hugs him.

I'm sorry but how childlike and helpless do you need to be to not realize that this is not a good idea?

I need you to get a  cardboard box and put your stuff in it
Peter pitches an idea of his own to a client. The client tells him to shut up because he is too interested in the prostitute Peter has gotten for him. We know from the context that Peter has been pimping for this guy for a while now. His father may be a shit but he is right about his son.

Next day, though, the client likes the idea. Little wonder, it's a good idea. But Peter is such a dickhead he can't do anything right. Not only is he not humble, he actually uses the occasion to try and exercise power over Don. Earlier, he told Trudy's parents that Don is not his boss. Well, now we learn different because Don fires him.

And then there is Betty Draper. I don't think I can do any better than to say go watch the scene on the psychiatrist's couch yourself. She takes self-absorbed twit to new depths. The only thing to note is that she also tries to compensate for her weakness with arrogance. It's a different sort of arrogance but that is what it is.

"My real concern is the children. I mean, the baby won't know the difference but that poor little boy." Yeah sure Betty, and dealing with  an adult like you who is such a feeble loser that she seeks approval from confused little boys is sure going to help. You were on the road down to child molesting.

As I say, moral weaklings cause a lot of hurt.


We do it because it's what men do
But they can't fire Pete Campbell because of who is mother is. They need him on staff as an entrée to certain social circles.

This is a really nice touch. Suddenly we see that Pete's father is not that much different from him. he married influence. One weakling produces another. Again, we're lighting a long fuse here.

So Roger solves the problem. Pete promptly reverts to the sycophantic child he is being when he isn't being a date rapist.

One of the things the creators clearly did not see was the importance of Roger., You can see it right in the first season credits: "And special guest appearance by John Slattery". They didn't plan on keeping him around. The whole first season is an unsuccessful attempt to write him out.

I'm guessing that the original idea of writing him out him tested really badly in audience response. But here's the thing, this guy is a man. The real thing. Yeah, he does stupid things, he cheats, he drinks he does it all. But, for all that, they created a virtuous man here and they need him. In the end they don't need Salvatore or Betty Draper.

But Roger Sterling they need. And it is painfully obvious going through from the beginning again. It's pure magic every time Roger and Don are in a scene together. There are other great moments but these two are the heart of the series.

One of which happens soon after Pete is reinstated. This isn't one of the great episodes but watch it again for what happens at 40:25. The screen goes black. We might think the show is over only we are panning up behind the desk in Don's office. As we clear the top, we see Roger sitting in exactly the pose that ends the opening credits. Only it's the mirror image of Don. Watch it!

And then watch the brilliant portrayal of sheer manliness that follows. The style of this show is every bit as great as the critics say but the male virtue is even better. Men haven't seen anything this good from the entertainment industry since .... well, since the early 1960s.

From the first episode of Season 2, John  Slattery is a full cast member. They keep trying to write him out but they can't. This is going to be a nightmare for them.

He says to Don, "You shouldn't compete with Pete Campbell." When Don denies this, he says, "Yes you are. Not on a personal level but for the world."

The Pete Campbells and Betty Drapers  are going to take over just like they did in real. That's the story of the 1960s. That is slowly unfolding cultural tragedy unfolding before our eyes. But who'd want to watch a show dominated by characters like that after we've seen the style of Don Draper and roger Sterling?

If you are joining me here, this series starts here.

The next post in the series is here.