Don and Sal take a business trip to Baltimore, Pete is thrilled to be promoted to Head of Accounts . . . until he isn't, and we meet Lane Pryce, from PP&L. We go back in time to see Dick Whitman's birth, while Don and Betty are preparing for their new child together. Limit your exposure, grab your ant farm, and re-watch with us! www.madmenctoz.com @MadMenCtoZ Podcast Time Stamps for this Episode: 00:00 Introduction 00:47 Dick Whitman's origin story 05:45 Her name was Lola / She was a secretary. / And while John's accent made her flushed / Peggy looked on in disgust 06:43 "Who was the man who imagined her ecstasy?" "Who, indeed." Is it the sucking up that connects the painting to your business? We have questions, Bert. 13:42 "I wanted to inform you that you're the new Head of Accounts." "Excuse me?" "It seemed like the right thing to do, in spite of your lack of hospitality." 19:12 "I wouldn't be much of an account man if I didn't ask what it pays." "And I wouldn't be much of a financial officer if I wasn't prepared to disappoint you." 21:15 "I've never seen a stewardess that game." Jenna and Steve disagree about Shelly here - Jenna argues it's a departure for Don because Shelly gives no evidence of being complex or challenging, which is usually a requirement for Don's notice and interest. 24:24 "I've always been a big fan of your work, and I've been very vocal about it." 25:27 "I've been married a long time. You get lots of chances." 35:48 The fire alarm brings everything to a "screechin' halt." What does Don Draper do with someone else's secret? 37:50 "Why is she shamelessly flirting with Moneypenny?" "Don't call him that. He hates that." Why can't Joan and Peggy align and give us the glorious girl power duo we envision? 39:42 " 'Our worst fears lie in anticipation.' That's not me - that's Balzac." 42:08 "You're each taking half the company. Of course, it's possible someone could distinguish himself. It would be easier that way." 45:48 Limit your exposure 47:47 This office comes with a complimentary ant farm 48:46 "The buck stops here unless it stops over there. There are two heads of accounts. Kenny Cosgrove and I are sharing it." 55:12 Just kidding - you aren't worthy of the ant farm. It's unseemly. 58:08 What did you bring me, Daddy? Well, I inadvertently brought home a stick pin belonging to the stewardess I slept with last night. Would you like to wear it? 1:01:01 Mad Men S3:E1 wrap-up and listener shout-out Read the Mad Men C to Z Season 3 Episode 1: Out of Town Full Transcript on our Mad Men C to Z website Jenna: Hi, I'm Jenna. Steve: And I'm Steve. Welcome to All Things Mad Men, from Chip and Dip to Zou Bisou. Jenna: There's so much to love about this amazing show, and we're happy to connect to fans like us, who discover new things with each rewatch. Steve: Be advised, while we aren't gratuitous with spoilers, they can pop up as we discuss character arcs through the final season. Let's get started with Mad Men C to Z. Jenna: Welcome back to season three of Mad Men, C to Z! This episode, Out of Town, was written by Matthew Weiner and directed by Phil Abraham, and It takes place six months after season two ends in April of 1963. As we open, Mad Men loves to show Don's back to camera. It's always reminding us that we can see him, but it's making us wonder if we really know who he is. And we're also getting a closer look at that before time. With a bit of creative license, we're going back in time to Don Draper's, or rather, Dick Whitman's birth. Steve: Obviously, Dick Whitman doesn't remember his own birth, as Matt Weiner mentions in the commentary. It's terrifying. It's an awful origin story for anyone to walk around with. Jenna: We see that Abigail Whitman lost several babies, but she does want a baby very much. Earlier, in the Mother's Day episode in season one, we saw how she gave birth to Don's brother Adam and called it a miracle. And this, of course, is before Adam was born. So we learn that Archie Whitman visited a young woman working as a prostitute, and he didn't have any protection. She mutters curses as we see her later delivering the baby that the midwife delivers back to Abigail, saying his name is Dick, after a wish his mother should have lived to see. Steve: You also see how it's possible that this story could have taken a different turn. You know, she really desperately wanted a baby. Now she's getting a baby, finally. So there's this glimmer of possibility that this could be a positive thing. But as we all know, Dick Whitman's upbringing is terrible. She's an awful mother. You know, she's resentful of her husband seeing a prostitute and this child, you know, from the prostitute. So we know the whole thing goes off the rails. But I did get a sense in this scene that there's an alternate universe where it could have been more of a positive thing. Jenna: Yeah. I have a related question for you. As you mentioned in the commentary, Weiner says this is an extremely inauspicious way to come into the world. He's unwanted by his biological mother and father and raised, but shoved aside by his father's wife, who later gave birth to Adam. We see Don getting frustrating as a character because he can be so selfish. But do you have more pity and understanding for him when you see his early life here, or do you feel like he should have straightened himself out by now or someplace in between? Steve: I think on that question, I probably fall more to the latter. Not that Don Draper hasn't overcome a lot to get where he is, but I think he's benefited from a lot of gifts. You know, he's. He's intelligent, he has judgment and an ability to make decisions. And I feel that at this point in his life, he has an awful lot of agency. So to default to victimhood or this sense of, you know, fate has trapped him or blocked him from behaving better and making better choices. I don't get that vibe so much from Don. I feel that he's probably got as much agency as anybody in the series. Jenna: Yes, I agree. And he's all about talking the good game about moving forward, but his past is really clinging to him and he can't seem to shake it. Steve: An interesting bit of this scene is how it ends, with modern day Don Draper delivering the warmed milk up to Betty. And it's a very loving, tender scene. And Phil Abraham, the director, mentions in the commentary that we don't get a lot of scenes like this with the two of them where it seems to be just a loving scene where they're riffing a bit on how will the baby turn out. And Don is obviously caring for his pregnant wife and trying to ease her discomfort. It's a bit of a contrast to what we see typically between Don and Betty. Jenna: Yes. And we see Betty seems really happy with this reset. She says she wants the baby to come into their home at its best. They seem happy. Don is really making an effort here, and he isn't looking for credit or begrudging it either. I don't get a sense that he's frustrated or impatient, but he also doesn't seem exactly content. And maybe, as usual, that's more about him and his issues, remembering his birth and everything, than it is about his relationship with Betty. Steve: Yeah, and he uses his Mad Men skills, you know, as an advertising person, to picture this bit about a warm, sandy beach and the smell of coconut oil and the rest, you know, and just using his gift with words to try and soothe Betty as well, which, it feels sweet. But I also have this nagging little voice in my head wondering, is it a more calculating gesture? That's where Don Draper's character leaves me. I'm always sort of wondering about his motives. Jenna: Yes, you're never really sure. It always feels like there are multiple pieces of intention with his actions. We also see Don preparing for a trip, and Betty packed his suitcase - so often a symbol in Mad Men. In the Jet Set, he went with Joy without any of his things from home. And here Betty is sending him with things. So maybe Don is a little less empty than before. Maybe the love he wanted to find with Betty can be had in their recommitment now. But he is Don Draper, so maybe not. In the next scene, Peggy's in her office, and she has a secretary and no copier, so we can see that she's kept the status she claimed last season. Lola, her secretary, is played by Tricia Lafache. You might have seen her in Garden State, or the TV series Jury Duty. But Lola's busy listening to the new British assistant flirting at her desk instead of focusing on her work. And we know Peggy has no patience for that. Steve: Yeah, Peggy's all about the work, and John Hooker seems to be enjoying the attention he's gathering in the office from the various admins. Jenna: John Hooker here is played by Ryan Cartwright, recognizable from Kevin Can Wait, Bones, and Alphas. And we also hear that Lola, Peggy's secretary, is engaged. And Peggy says, enough, Lola. When we last saw Peggy, she was telling Pete that she wanted other things besides marriage and family. But I think she still wants that for herself. And maybe it prickles a little bit to see the other women around her getting married, even if that isn't the right path for her right now. Steve: From here, we cut to Lane Pryce in Bert Cooper's office, looking at a rather interesting octopus painting from Japan. Jenna: Lane Pryce is played by Jared Harris. He might be recognizable from The Crown, Fringe, Chernobyl, and Foundation. He's also Richard Harris’s son, which is especially fun to note if you're a fan of Unforgiven or Gladiator or the first two Harry Potter movies. Steve: And A Man Called Horse and Orca. I am a Richard Harris fan, so Jared Harris is all right in my book. Jenna: We hear a lot about Richard Harris in our house. So observing Lane fitting in to the group makes us feel a little behind as an audience, maybe. Like, we missed his intro, but it cuts us right into the action. And as you say, he's looking at this painting, which is a rea
