Mad Men: Out of Town - Review
Tonight's triumphant return of Mad Men nearly picks up right where it left off. Right off the bat there are a number of interesting and compelling plot points that may propel this season as the best yet. Seriously. Creator Matthew Weiner has said this season is all about change and man he wasn't kidding. I was extremely surprised by some of the developments and how the characters handled them. So, with my Lucky Strikes in one hand and a Dewar's Scotch in the other I dug in and at times couldn't believe what I was seeing. A lot happened so . . . on to the review and recap! Unlike the 2nd season premiere, the season 3 premiere called "Out of Town" did not have a huge time jump. Sure some things happened previously off screen and if I had to guess I would say it was 3-4 months later given the nature of Betty's pregnancy. And there's the matter of the British Invasion! No, not that one. But first things first. As the episode opens we see the circumstances of Dick Whitman's (aka Don Draper's) birth. Don's in flashback mode as he tries to make some warm milk in the middle of the night. Then the first bomb drops. Turns out Don is the bastard son of a prostitute who died in childbirth. It's also revealed that his father got the prostitute pregnant and after he was born the midwife spilled the beans to the wife when she dropped off the baby to him. After many failed attempts Don's dad couldn't get his wife pregnant and this is why Don's childhood was so hellish. In one line it's clear that his father is not a good person. There was some humor as the prostitute threatens to cut off the d*ick of Don's dad if he got her in "trouble". This is how Don got the name Dick. Nicely done. We find out that the milk is for none other than a pregnant and sleepless Betty. Yes, the second bomb has dropped. All appears to be good between Don and Betty and they even seem happy. In pregnancy she has reverted back to childlike form. Betty tells Don that she packed a bag for his business trip but he'll have to repack it due to Sally breaking the clasp she blithely tells him that Sally "is taking to your tools like a little lesbian". Gotta love those Bettyisms. -- Janaki Cedanna
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