Mad Men returns. Thumbs up or down?

I did mean variety as in number of different women.

 

You're surprised that people call Don a bad husband because he cheats on his wife?

That's one of those issues for me that's kind of set in stone. Cheating equals being a bad partner. There's no way to find that gray in that.

There is some leeway in his fatherhood. And his overall goodness as a person. Not as a husband, though. He's a terrible husband all the time.

 

I don't know why he married her except that he needed a care-taker for his kids.

 

That's fair.

 

I agree with Brian on the husband part but would take it one step further: When has Don been a good husband?

And while he loves his children, he is not a good father to them. He looks for excuses to avoid seeing them. He leaves them with their stepmother at any chance. He does not protect them very well, allowing Sally to run off numerous times.

Do you think love alone makes someone good at something? He is bad at fatherhood and marriage much more often than he is good.

 

He's a provider, right?

I know that Don is probably a poor father through the 2013 lens, when fathers, including myself, are very involved. But 1968 is a time when fathers did not change diapers. They did not cook dinner. They did not tuck kids in a night. Don functions as he believes fathers are supposed to function: To love and provide. In fact, I would argue that he does go a step above and beyond the expectations of times by, at times, intervening in some of Betty's bullshit.

 

I agree that Peggy dresses and looks better, even though I really don't think the fashions are any better. I think she's wearing nicer clothing and taking more care with her appearance as she's matured and grown professionally. However, I don't think Joan looks better because she's better suited (no pun intended) to fashions of the 1950s.

Roger would be much more fun than Don.

 

Have you seen Jon Hamm in tight pants?

 

It is now a requirement for each episode to have the appropriate amount of side boob.

 

Yes and I'd still go with Roger.

 

Despicable Pete has become one of the 2-3 most interesting characters on the show.

He showed chutzpah last night in several scenes; taking on Don in the middle of the office, climbing back into his wife's bed, going for it with the bid to go public without telling Don, quasi-hitting on Joan, standing up to his whore-mongering father in law and finally coming clean about said father in law with his soon to be ex-wife.

Quite the night for Pete.

And then there was the comic relief moment when he fell on his ass coming down the stairs.

 

After some rough episodes to start the season, that was a great turn for the future.

Trudy is definitely the hottest looking one now although Joan looked much better with her hair down.

I did not realize it was Julia Ormond as Marie; she is definitely French the way she talks to Megan, great advice. I have a hard time even thinking my MIL talks to my wife that way.