Mad Men – Recap & Review – My Old Kentucky Home

photo: amc

Mad Men
My Old Kentucky Home

Original Air Date: August 30, 2009

Brittany – Staff Writer
brittany@thetwocentscorp.com

Welcome back for another week of martini’s and mayhem! A lot went on this week, and luckily I managed to stay (mostly) spoiler free. This episode, in case you hadn’t heard, was leaked early due to an iTunes mishap. So whether you saw it early or enjoyed for the first time tonight, let’s recap the highlights!

During auditions for the Ann-Margaret look alike for Patio cola, Ken and Pete let Peggy, Paul, and Smitty know that they’ll be working on Saturday thanks to the Bacardi account. We meet Peggy’s new secretary, Olive, who seems to be a trooper too, working right with Peggy through Saturday. The men talk about what they need for inspiration and the consensus after Peggy leaves the room is to call a pot dealer. Four blunts for ten dollars when he shows up, and Olive implores Peggy not to go into the room with the men. She does anyway, concerned that no work is going to get done, but soon enough she makes a statement:

“I’m Peggy Olson. And I’d like to smoke some marijuana.”

Well then.

She gets high with the boys, and when Paul and his pot dealer get into an argument about who the better singer is, Peggy stares at them after their sing off and blurts out, “I am so high.” I don’t know how to stress this enough, but you have to see it. I mean, drop what you’re doing and go download the episode from iTunes, because it’s hilarious. Finally, Peggy comes up with something she thinks she can use and returns to her office. Olive intercepts her, worried about Peggy’s future, but after a moment, Peggy says that she’s not afraid of ‘any of this’, and reassures her secretary that ‘I’m going to get to do everything you want from me’.

Over at the Draper household, Sally is reading The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire to Grandpa Gene, and later spies some money on his dresser. She takes five dollars and when Gene starts to complain about being robbed, of course no one believes him because he’s senile. The entire house searches for the money, and finally the guilt gets to be too much for her. Pretending to find the money, she gives it to Gene, who obviously knows it was her due to the guilt in her eyes. All seems to be well when he invites her to read to him again that night.

Roger and Jane have their wedding wrapped in a spring time party at the country club, and in attendance are Don and Betty, Harry and his wife, Pete and Trudy, Cooper, and Ken. At one point, Roger sings to Jane while in blackface. BLACKFACE, PEOPLE. It was shocking to see, but for the time period the show is set in, not so out of place. Everyone seems to be amused but Don, and he escapes to a bar where he meets a man looking for a drink. Don makes them Old Fashioneds and they talk about their pasts before Don goes to find Betty again. Betty, as it turns out, is with Trudy. Well, Trudy is in the ladies room, and a man named Henry very blatantly hits on Betty. She doesn’t turn him away, and when he asks to touch her stomach, she lets him. Before it can get too far, Trudy comes out of the bathroom.

Later in the evening, after Pete and Trudy put everyone else’s dancing to shame, Betty and Jane are serving themselves dinner at the same time. And wouldn’t you know it, Jane is falling over drunk. Don and Betty help her to her seat and amazingly, Jane blurts out that she always knew Don and Betty would get back together. Betty storms off alone, and Roger comes in just in time to see Jane grab Don’s belt. Don tells Roger that Jane is drunk, and Sterling wonders what he did to piss Don off. “I made a mistake by being conspicuously happy.” Don bites back that no one thinks Roger is happy: “They think you’re foolish.” Storming off to find Betty, he sees her in a clearing in the moonlight and after watching her for a minute, walks up to her and takes her into his arms. They kiss, and all seems to be forgiven between them.

Last but not least, Joan is throwing her own dinner party for Greg and his hospital colleagues. For a second it seems that things are going to be tense, but I have to admit I was shocked by how whipped Joan’s husband seemed to be, especially considering last season’s rape in Don’s office. Joan’s been making it clear the past two episodes that she’s got no plans to stay at Sterling Cooper for very long, but things seem awkward when two wives, one pregnant and one older, try to give her advice about when she should have a baby. The older woman says that Joan should avoid it, and Joan looks rather like a deer caught in the headlights. After dinner, the talk turns towards work at the hospital where apparently Greg botched an operation. So, to take the heat off of himself, he brings up that Joan can play the accordion and asks her to sing. She obviously doesn’t want to, even as she picks up the instrument and starts singing ‘C’est Magnifique’ while making ‘you’re sleeping on the couch’ eyes at Greg from across the room.

Some quips and quotes:

When Gene can’t find his money and Don offers him a five dollar bill:
Gene: You think money’s the answer to every problem!
Don: No, just this particular problem.

Carla is looking for Gene’s money in his room:
Gene: Will you stop it, Viola.
Carla: My name’s not Viola.
Gene: Do you know Viola?
Carla: We don’t all know each other Mr. Hofstadt.

Kinsey, high and sprawled on the floor:
I keep thinking about rum, and I keep thinking about Cuba, and I keep thinking about how we’re going to die.

Joan and Greg, arguing about how the table should be set:
Greg: I don’t want to get in a fight right now.
Joan: Then stop talking.

Matt Weiner promised that we would get more insight into the characters this season and it seems like we really are headed that direction! I loved this episode, and finally feel like I got to see enough Joan. Joan singing in French! Who knew that could make me grin? What did you think? Leave me your Two Cents in the comments!

Next week: Looks amazing and needs to be here right now.