Hands and Knees, Mad Men Season 4 Episode 10

OK, last night's Mad Men:

I don't think Joan had the abortion. Can't say for sure, but I have a feeling. We'll see.

Lane's "Chocolate Bunny"!

Lane's dad whacking him upside the head with his old man cane, then standing on Lane's hand until he promised to do as he was told, "sir". As an added bonus, Lane's dad was played by the same guy who was Mr. Reindeer in Wild at Heart! Weirdo!!

The relief I felt when those Beatles tickets finally came through. Whew! I was nervous about it the whole episode, picturing Sally totally going off the deep end if Don had to cancel those plans.

That smarmy Lee Garner Jr guy cancelling all future business between Lucky Strike and SCDP. He's been on thin ice with me ever since he got Sal fired, and this did not return him to my good graces. He's just a creep.

Don's identity scare!! This is the first time in a long time that I've seen Betty show some kindness towards Don, or towards anyone. Good for her. I'm interested to see how this whole scare plays out in the next couple episodes.

Pete Campbell, who I cannot stand -- he and his blue suits make me sick, taking the heat for "losing" North American Aviation (really having to let them go to protect Don). I'd say this is the first time in a long time that he has shown kindness towards anyone, but he'll just lord it over Don from now until the end of time so it hardly counts. Kind of like he helped that au pair neighbor replace a dress, but then he forced her into having sex with him as 'thanks'. He's his own brand of smarmy.

What is the future of SCDP without Lucky Strike and NAA?!

During one of the commercial breaks, I saw the above really cool Converse commercial that uses (to perfection) Hello Operator by the White Stripes. I'd be irritated that Jack White sold one of his songs, but this commercial was so cool I don't care in the least. I also loved the European/Australian Coke commercial from a few years ago that he literally specifically wrote a song for, because the song and the commercial are so fantastic. Jack White can do no wrong in my book.

The Evolution of Don Draper

Isn't it nice to see Don more relaxed and light-hearted than we've ever seen him? While getting busted by Betty about his real identity/his actual past may have ended his marriage, it also changed the course of his life in a positive way. Maybe I'm being too optimistic for him, but I want him to have a life that allows him to live more freely than he ever could before. I'm not saying he's not still a guarded individual, because he is and probably always will be. But he's slowly but surely breaking out of his shell and learning to do what he wants without fear of repercussion. But he always did whatever he wanted and didn't seem to be worried about getting caught, you might say. But something's different now. He's slowly coming out of the shadows and figuring out how to live his life like other people live their lives -- honestly.

In any scenes between Anna AKA Mrs. Draper #1 and Don that we've ever seen (other than the original scene where they first meet and she demands to know why he's walking around pretending to be her husband), Don has always been relaxed and light-hearted like he never is on the East Coast. That's probably in great part due to the fact that, like she told him last night, she knows everything about him and she still loves him. He's never had to live a lie with her; he can just be himself. He can just be Dick Whitman.

Last night, even before he found out about Anna's cancer, he mentioned wanting to bring the kids out to meet her. He can do that kind of thing now! He can do whatever he wants and he doesn't have to be sneaky about it! He can hit on Anna's niece and when she asks what he's doing he can admit that he doesn't really know! He's like a kid learning to navigate his way through this whole new life.

He and Lane can spend a booze-fueled day being loud and obnoxious and making a scene both at the movies and at a restaurant. Normally the only thing I can ever think of when I look at Lane is "For the love of God, man, push your glasses up!" but he can do whatever he wants with those glasses as long as he is holding a huge steak to his crotch and declaring that it's a belt buckle!

Don doesn't have to hide the fact that those girls are prostitutes and that Don's gal has been in his apartment before. Don can now act as pimp for Lane! (I guessed $30 for the cost of a girl, and I was pretty much right on considering Lane gave $5 more than the quoted $25)

I hope 1965 brings Don a sense of calm and peace in just being himself, and I hope this newfound happy harmony doesn't shatter and collapse all around him the next time he faces a challenge. It would break my heart to see Don's bubble burst right off the bat like happened to poor Tim Riggins. Tim had literally just figured out how to be happy when he got busted for the chop shop. I love these two guys, and I just want them to be happy. Is that too much to ask, to have control over the lives of fictional characters?