Mad Men Recap

Episode Twelve, “The Grown-Ups” is the episode that answered the question: will “Mad Men” do an episode on The Kennedy Assassination and how it affected the office of Sterling-Cooper?

The answer was yes because it was (Caution, Caution: liberal arts word coming) the seminal event of the 60’s. Asked anybody who was around at the time, and they could tell you what they were doing. Except me. I was four. I think I was taking a nap.

Anyway, we found out that Peggy Olsen will have to make up a great big lie when she tells her children where she was when Kennedy was killed: She will probably say she was having lunch with a client when actually she was having (as we said in the 70’s) a little afternoon delight with the comically named Duck Phillips.

Before the end of Camelot, the English boss promoted Kenny Cosgrove, who is; let’s face it, cool, over Pete Campbell, who is not. Pete goes home to sulk with the wife.

Meanwhile, Roger Sterling’s daughter is finally getting married and she doesn’t like what New Mommy bought her and pitches a fit. Roger yells at New Mommy and New Mommy runs into the bathroom.

All of this was shattered by those three shots in Dallas. Don rushes home and finds that the change has already come: the maid is sitting on the couch smoking a cigarette with Betty.

The day after the Assassination, was the wedding day (trivia: I worked with somebody that was married on that day. Really.) and it turned out to be a bust. No waiters, no wedding cake. Everybody was walking around gloomy because a big eared Texan was President.

Into this happy occasion walks: Rocky’s Aide, with whom Betty has locked lips. Betty spends most of the rest of the wedding staring at the guy, giving her “take me from my terrible, but well cared for life” look.

The next day, Betty is watching TV and sees Lee Harvey Oswald get assassinated (people were doing that a lot back then). This gives the viewer two surprises: one, Betty shows real emotion besides dull rage and two, provides Betty with the logic to blame Don for all of the problems with the world when in fact all he ever did was assume the identity of a dead man and have sex with about 400 women. Geez, some people.

Rocky’s aide, having only seen Betty three times, decides he wants to marry her. Boy, could Don give him some stories. Betty marches back to the house and announces that she doesn’t love Don anymore, which hurts Don because he just broke up with Miss Future Hippie in the last episode.

The next day is Monday, which was an official day of mourning. This meant the office was closed. Of course, this means Don will go to the office and drink and smoke. Don’t fret, Don. Only a couple of more months before The Beatles hit town.