Mad Men, Season 2, Episode 10: The Inheritance (Recap)

Pete Campbell rattles off the list of companies that the two-person contingent from Sterling Cooper will be able to court when they're in Los Angeles next week and Don jokes that it "Sounds like a hell of a stock portfolio."  Funny you should mention stock portfolios, Don, considering that Pete learns this episode that his recently-deceased father was broke and that the storied Campbell/Dyckman dynasty has barely a pot to piss in.  So Pete won't be receiving any inheritance thanks to his father's death, only bills and a crusty recently-widowed mother.

Betty is also dealing with her inheritance.  It's been two years since Betty's mother died and she finds some of her mother's things missing and her father ailing when she goes back to her childhood home, now taken over by her father's new lady-friend, Gloria.  Betty fears she's about to be an orphan, with nothing of her mother to remember her by and only newly-forged unpleasant memories of her father, now distorted by the brain damage of his recent strokes.  The past generation is leaving nothing but misery to the next generation - which is doing its part to either avoid creating or damaging its own progeny.  And so it goes.

The episode starts with a discussion of the aforementioned upcoming trip to Southern California which Don is making sure is not a boondoggle but sticks to the mission of getting more clients for the firm.  The impression these Manhattanites have of orange groves, beaches, and lazy afternoons is a real stereotype the East Coast holds about the West even today.  Pete can't wait to get out there, grab his putter, work on his tan, and start making contacts.  Paul Kinsey is also looking forward to the trip, even though it interferes with a planned trip down south to register black voters with his girlfriend Shirley.  Doing something for mankind is good and all, but a chance to rub elbows with Ray Bradbury (who, to name drop, I once sat on a writer's panel with!) can't be passed up.

Later that night, Don gets a call from Betty.  Her father's had a stroke.  Don wants to come in on his white horse and save the damsel, but she tells him it can wait till the morning.  The next day the two of them head up to her father's house to check on his condition.  Betty finds out that this was not her father's first stroke and that his new girlfriend didn't think it was serious enough to tell her about.  Betty is furious - that her father is ill, that her mother isn't there any more, that this witch has moved in and is taking over.

Her father comes downstairs and at first he seems none the worse for wear - until he calls Betty by her mother's name and seems very confused.  It's one of the many small moments that I love in Mad Men.  At first, nothing happens.  The conversation is stilted and superficial, with Betty's brother William and Gloria both making awkward small talk. It's realistic, exactly like that moment would play out.  Later, the chitchat takes a decided turn as Gene suddenly erupts at Don.  He's furious and vicious in his attack on Don and the family take it as another side effect of his stroke, yet they don't realize that he's right on target about Don.  He may have suffered some brain damage, but he still recognizes that there's something wrong with Don.

The profound effect of her father's illness on his perception and personality, along with the emotional toil of facing his mortality, is what likely drives Betty into Don's arms later that night.  But it's just a temporary deviation from the separate path she plans to take from Don.

Pete and Trudy have been trying to add to their family for some time and,

despite their best efforts, Pete has yet to do on purpose what he was so easily able to do by accident with Peggy.  So Trudy suggests they consider adoption.  While at first cool to the idea, Pete does warm up to it and even mentions it to his brother, Bud.  BIG MISTAKE.  Bud blabs to their mom and she refuses to consider handing her inheritance (if you can call a name with no money behind it) to someone who would bring in a child from outside of the family.  Adoption, she reminds him, was something his father called "pulling from the discards."  It's not something their family does.  But then her family also doesn't go broke...or they didn't before now.  The rift between Pete and his family just grows and grows; they don't understand him, appreciate him, or value what he values.  He's a stranger there, yet he doesn't feel at home with Trudy either.

The morning after Betty and Don sleep together, Don wakes up to find Betty gone.  She later lets him know that they are not reconciled and her father's illness has not changed anything between them.  He's there for her as much as he can be, standing by and supporting her as Gene again uncomfortably mistakes her for her mother Ruth, this time with a horrifyingly sexual suggestion.  Yet Betty is so distrustful of Don that even his sympathy for what she's going through is suspect.  Viola, the family housekeeper who Betty seems very close to, gives Betty some growing up advice.  "You are supposed to take care of your husband and your beautiful children now."  But Betty doesn't want to take care of her lying cheating husband and she's not all that interested in being a parent either.  She hasn't really moved beyond being the child herself and does not know how she can handle not being taken care of. Still, she rather be alone than with Don.  So once they get back home, she sends him away, again.

Don comes back to find the office nearly deserted as most everyone is in a conference room celebrating Harry Crane's baby shower.  While Pete is plagued by his inability to get Trudy pregnant, Harry is being feted for planting one in Jennifer.  He takes in quite a haul - cigarettes, coffee, girlie magazines - all the things a new dad needs.  Harry, who's always had a sentimental streak, seems pretty moved by the occasion, despite the efforts of his coworkers to trivialize and mock the moment. As is so often the case, there are great little moments in the scene including Joan bristling when she's reminded of Roger's new lady love (the Tiffany present from Jane..."and Roger") and Peggy and Pete exchanging a brief but to us meaningful look as she hands him a piece of the celebratory cake.

Did you notice how Don zeroed in on the guidebook to Los Angeles when he first arrived back at the office?  Well, Don suddenly cancels all his meetings and tells Joan that he'll be going to LA for the conference. Don has been known to run away from his problems before and so it's not surprising that after being told by Betty that he's still not wanted at home, he decides to fly across the country. Joan relishes the opportunity to tell Paul that he won't be going after all - giving him the bad news in front of everyone at the party.  Maybe Paul will think twice before outing someone's age publicly again.  But you still have to give him credit for trying to make lemonade by quickly calling Sheila and pretending it was his idea to stay and go to Mississippi with her.

Pete needs to confide in Peggy, needs to have some connection with her (if only he knew!).  But Peggy is always so formal with him, he never seems to get the interaction he wants.  He throws out some hints to what's going on with his life, especially his decision whether to adopt or not (again, not realizing how awkward having the conversation with the woman who gave up his child for adoption).  She doesn't know what he's talking about or what he wants, but, sadly for Pete, there's really no one else for him to talk to.

Cue Jaws music.  There's something lurking in the dark, something scary and dangerous.  It's...Glen Bishop.  He's hiding out in the playhouse that Don had built in Season 1 for Sally's birthday.  Glen is in a too typical situation, torn between split homes, feeling like a burden to both parents, and looking for salvation.  As was the case in Season 1, his happiness fantasy is tied to Betty Draper.  In her he finds a kindred childlike spirit and she's as much in need of rescue as he is of someone to save.  Their interactions would be even creepier if Betty weren't such a victim of arrested development and didn't so much appear to be his peer.  But, then, Betty is the adult and she finally acts like one, calling Glen's mother.  He takes it as a betrayal, but it's more likely a sign that maybe Betty knows she needs to grow up. 

When Helen comes to talk with Betty about Glen, their interaction is much different than it's been in the past.  Betty shares with her that she and Don are separated, and this bond brings them closer.  Helen opens up, Betty opens up and each seems to much better understand the other.  Helen has been there and is making it on her own - even if she admits that she's not a very good mother.  Betty is scared about life without Don, but here is someone telling her she can do it. 

Meanwhile, some 30,000 feet overhead, Don is heading for California. "It should be a pleasant day."

QUOTES:

Don (to Paul): As much as I'd like to indulge your Twilight Zone fantasy of being shot into space
Sal:  Believe me, it's our fantasy, too.

William:  In New York.  Right.  Where everything's better.

Paul: If you don't mind, I'd rather face Mississippi and those people screaming at me and maybe getting shot after I go to California.

Pete:  What about all that money Dad gave to Lincoln Center? Get that back.
Bud:  You can't take a donation back.

Betty (to William): Stop counting other people's money.

Gene:  Who know what he does, why he does it? I know more about the kid who fixes my damn car.

Gene (to Don):  Nobody has what you have.  You act like it's nothing.  My daughter's a princess.
You know that? ... He has no people! You can't trust a person like that!

Viola:  The minute you leave, you'll remember him exactly the way he used to be.  It's all good outside that door.

Betty (to Don): I know how you feel about grieving.

Betty: Nothing's changed.  We were just pretending.

Betty:  Daddy used to fine us for small talk, remember? Conversation is an art.

Joan: How is everything?
Don: About how those things are.

Paul:  And I want you to know I've thought about it.  Let me finish. I'm going to stand there arm-in-arm with you and make a stand. It's not just about you and me.

Glen:  I didn't know if I was going to see you again.  ... I haven't seen you in so long, except driving down the street.

Glen:  I know I'm a problem for them. ...  I know I am because they keep saying I'm not.

Glen:  I came to rescue you.
Betty:  Did you bring your cape?
Glen:  I'm not joking.  We can go anywhere.  I have money.

Betty: Sometimes I feel like I'll float away if Don isn't holding me down.
Helen:  The hardest part is realizing you're in charge.

OBSERVATIONS:

Let's run away, "I have money."  I'm not quoting Glen Bishop, but Don Draper in Season 1, Episode 12 "Nixon v. Kennedy."  When backed against a corner by Pete Campbell, Don's answer is to leave everything behind and run off with Rachel Menken.  He's not that much more evolved emotionally than a 12-year-old child of a broken home.

Pete mentions "Rope," the Hitchcock thriller about the murderous University of Chicago students Loeb and Leopold who in 1924 killed a teenager in an attempt to prove they could commit the "perfect murder."  By virtue of the fact that we know their names, suffice to say they were unsuccessful.  But Weiner and Co. must be very fond of the story as this is the second mention (the first being Don referring to Roger and Ken in episode 2.03 "The Benefactor").

Don's comment to Paul and Pete, when it was clear they hadn't read the material Peggy had prepared, was meant as an insult to the boys - "maybe I should send her."  But, maybe he should have.  Had this not been 1962, it would have occurred to him to send his best copywriter, not his most hirsute one. 

Much discussion of mourning and death, obviously:  Bud says, "all we have to do is go over there, get her signature, mourn over the loss of our birthright, and move on."  William says, of their father's home "It's like a tomb in there."  Gloria reminds Gene, "Ruth is dead."  Betty asks of her father, "Is he dying."  Pete mentions not having been on a plane since his father died. 

Though confused by his stroke, Gene has a moment of clarity when he lets rip on Don "the cypher" Draper.  He correctly notes that Don does not appreciate what he has and that he has "no people" and can't be trusted.  It's unfortunate when the sanest comment comes from someone with brain damage.

Love the little moment when Bert Cooper comes into the baby shower party and wishes Harry a Happy Birthday.  Classic.  Also appreciated the call back to Harry and Hildy's one night stand as she drunkenly wishes him the best with his new baby.

The conversation between Pete and Peggy mirrors others they've had in the past, such as when he regaled her with his hunter fantasy in episode 1.07.  

Betty perks up when Glen mentions that his mother Helen doesn't want to be with him, she wants to be with her "boyfriends."  She's always considered Helen to be a slut (a divorced woman!), and after their unfortunate interactions in Season 1, she's happy to hear anything that gives her the upper hand.

There is much gold to mine in the Betty/Glen interactions.  First, where do the writers come up with this stuff.  "G: Can I tell you something? B: Of course. G: I don't like ham. I don't like meat at all, actually."  So random.  But not random is his fantasy of saving Betty, of being the super hero who takes her away from her sadness to a place where they can be together, and happy, forever.  This magical thinking is normal for kids and yet is the kind of magical thinking that Don suffers from.  Whether it's his fantasy of swooping in to win the client or save the day, or his fantasy of pullig up stakes and running away, he's as childlike in his thinking at times as Glen is.  Only, Glen still has the excuse of youth.

When Carla comes home with the kids and asks "how is he," Betty is confused by the question.  She's so entranced by Glen's presence that she seemingly forgot she was just visiting her ailing father.  Carla's offhanded comment "what's he doing here" may have snapped Betty back into reality.

Even strangers find Paul Kinsey boring and pompous.  Imagine that.  His exchange with Hollis on the elevator was priceless.  "Please, Hollis, it's Paul."  What a coincidence the first time he tells Hollis to call him by his first name, Sheila is in the elevator. 

How long has Joan been waiting to get back at Paul for putting up evidence of her age in the breakroom?  She relished the opportunity to tell him that his trip to Los Angeles was canceled.  Let's face it, he had it coming.

Lack of subtlety:
Closeted Sal Romano toasting the new baby: "Here's to the little one, whatever it may be."  We get it, Sal's gay.  Please stop hitting me over the head with obvious nods to Sal's double life.  Also, enough with the "everyone smokes."  I can't imagine even in 1962 someone would joke about hoping their child grew up to like Lucky Strikes.  Although I don't begrudge them showing us people lighting up on the plane as soon as the no smoking sign was turned off. 

Suicide count:
Pete mentions to Peggy that his flight to California crashing "wouldn't be the worst thing."

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SPOILER-Y OBSERVATIONS (DON'T READ IF YOU'RE NOT CAUGHT UP)

Betty tells Don, after she finds out about her father's stroke, "You know, I've been dreaming about a suitcase."  That image will come back in Season 4, The Suitcase, when Don has his hallucination of the recently departed Anna Draper - holding a suitcase.   

There are two times that the Draper grandchildren discuss the art of conversation and it was nice how Betty and her brother referenced their father stressing to them the art of conversation.Once was in 2.4 Three Sundays and the other time in 7.3 Field Trip.

Don comes into the office, after being kicked out of the house for a second time by Betty, and walks by the receptionist.  He smiles, "Hello, Donna."  "Allison," she replies.  Sadly this will not be the last, nor most serious, slight she suffers at the hands of Don Draper as their crash-and-burn mini affair will show us in Season 4's Christmas-themed episode.

While Glen is still deserving of his "creepy kid" reputation in this episode, as the series progresses he becomes one of the beacons of sanity, shining a bright spotlight of rationality while others cling to their fantasies.  It's interesting to watch his evolution and growth, while seeing how stagnant others (notably Betty) are over the years.  

In Glen's last interaction with Betty, he comes to say goodbye before he heads off to war. He is 18 now and he still has fantasies of being with Betty, but she explains matter-of-factly that she's married.  She hugs him then and she's scared of what might happen to him in Vietnam, wondering if this would be the last time shed see him.  

Mad Men Season 2, Episode 3: The Benefactor (Recap/Rewatch)

"What are you worth?"

Thanks to many dropped balls - Ken's inability to tell Don about the Schillings' visit, Lois' inability to handle Don's desk, Freddy's sleeping on the job - the corpulent wife of one of the firm's clients is subjected to a hailstorm of insults about her weight.  This leads Don down a path that he had sworn to avoid at the end of last year.  With Betty knowing about his infidelities, there was an agreement of sorts that he would stay on the straight and narrow.  But he meets a feisty, sensual brunette and falls right back into old patterns.  At least for once Don appears if not guilt-ridden at least troubled by his double life.

The episode starts with the introduction of a new character, insult-comic Jimmy Barrett, who was hired to pitch Utz potato chips but ends up biting the hand that feeds him by hurling fat jokes at the client's plump wife.  Don is brought in to extinguish the fire and ends up becoming sexually involved with Jimmy's agent/wife Bobbie.  We see Don's old bad habits come back into play -- attracted to a strong woman with her own job and life.  He weakly tries to rebuff her, before falling into another tryst.  But unlike the previous dalliances we've observed, this one takes a violent turn that is shocking and scary.  We've never seen this side of Don before, in fact, he's been the controlled one, the one who keeps his emotions in check.  Seeing him brought to such a point, and to do such an aggressive, demeaning act, moves Don from lovable rogue to jerk.  

Don is not one to be crossed, and it's not just the Barretts who learn this lesson.  His secretary Lois thinks her job is to cover for Don, but fails to realize that Don does not want to be reminded that he's a cad and needs cover.  Her job is to keep Don's work separate from his private life seamlessly and not to become frazzled and certainly not to let on that she knows what Don is up to.  Things just don't go Lois' way.  First, she attempts to seduce the closeted Sal and now she tries to move up from swtichboard operator to secretary.  

While Don dives head first into another affair, Betty again dips her toe into the waters of cheating then pulls out before getting soaked.  She is as unfulfilled as she was first season, now looking to horseback riding to fill that emptiness inside her.  Yet she again regresses to the pretty girl whose worth is measured in male adoration.  She first gets that from the stable stud Artie who offers himself to soothe her sadness, then later from the enrapt Jimmy who is mesmerized with this living doll.  But at the end what really fulfills her was being next to Don, helping him, being his partner.  "We make a good team," she tells him and this is as happy as we've seen Betty.  But look at Don, he's filled with guilt.  Probably not enough guilt to stop cheating on her, just enough to feel crappy for doing it.

Betty is still the directionless girl looking for something to steer her path and for a brief moment we think it might be young Arthur, but she rebuffs him.  Though his words - "you're so profoundly sad" -sound like a weak come on, they do ring true.  As Betty walks away, her shaking hands show that her anxiety has returned.  There is a glimmer of hope when Don suggests they go out to Lutèce, a hot new restaurant.  The glimmer quickly fades, though, when Betty learns that the dinner is for work with Don doing damage control with Hunt and Edith Schilling.  Still, Betty gets that chance to be Don's bright and shiny better half and it's a role she's comfortable filling.

At the dinner, Betty does her part - she's beautiful and coy without being aloof, and Jimmy Barrett is eating her up with a spoon.  But this does little to address the elephant in the room.  Oops, my bad.  Anyway, the apology from Jimmy to Mrs. Schilling needs to come and quickly, but all Jimmy wants to do is flirt with Betty.  So Don takes Bobbie aside and tells her that the window of opportunity is about to close.  Bobbie thinks she holds all the cards and tries to parlay this situation into even greater advantage for Jimmy.  And that's when things turn ugly.  Don grabs her, violently, and threatens her and Jimmy.  It is quick and aggressive and disgusting and then they part and go back to their five star dinner. 

Jimmy makes his peace with the Schillings, all is forgiven, and on the drive home Betty beams about the evening.  Getting to be Don's partner, his better half, helping him with work.  This is what she's been hungry for. Her tears in the car show just how much this means to her and how everything she's been trying to do to fill her days is just a substitute for what she's missing - feeling that she's part of Don's life. 

The "C" story this week involves Harry Crane.  Harry had some relationship repair to do after last season and it seems that he and the now-pregnant Jennifer have moved forward as a team. But Harry's newest problem is finding out just what he's worth to Sterling Cooper.  Harry learns that Ken Cosgrove makes half again as much as he makes per week and he's furious.  He tells Jennifer - and Sal - and now has to do something about it other than whine, pout, or quit. Both his wife and Sal tell him the same thing - decide what you're worth and go after it.

By the end of the episode, Harry rises to the occasion, coming up with a way to help a client maximize its exposure and to show that how he can help Sterling Cooper be a player in the TV-side of the business.  He created a job and department and a new title - with a little extra money as well.  It showed Harry to be an opportunist, in the best sense of the word, and to possess an ability to stumble into success.  It is a great ability to figure out what one wants and go after it - a trait not everyone possesses.

That was the theme for many of the characters.  Don doesn't know what he wants let alone how to get it.  He slips out of work not for a fling, but to hide out in a darkened theater watching a foreign film about infidelity.  He tells Bobbie Barrett that he wants to be left alone, but she tells him that's not what he really wants.  She wants to be in charge, but Don won't give her that, telling her how things are going to be in no uncertain terms.  Arthur wants someone to need him and he looks to Betty to fill that void and part of Betty wants the attention, wants to be wanted.  But what she really wants is for her husband to need her and for that brief moment in the car after dinner she she is satisfied.

OBSERVATIONS:

Betty's friend says of Artie, the boy learning to ride at the stables: "He reminds me of Monty Clift in A Place in the Sun, learning how to ride so he can worm his way into the upper crust."  When Artie is alone with Peggy he complains about his fiancee and her rich relatives and it looks like the parallel may not be too far off. She's rich and spoiled, he feels emasculated and on a leash.  She can never be happy, he can never make her happy.  That seems to be what he wants, to make a beautiful woman happy, and he tries to get that from Betty. 

The Schillings are the benefactors of loud-mouthed comedian Jimmy Barrett and Tara Montague is the benefactor of boyish fiance Artie, but wielding money does not ensure that the object of your support will be grateful.  Jimmy insults the porcine Mrs. Schilling and Artie flirts with the MILFs at the stable behind his girlfriend's back. No matter how much money you have, you can't buy respect or  happiness. 

After trying to sell Belle Jolie on how that controversial episode of The Defenders was a must-watch for women, Harry has this exchange with his wife, Jennifer:  "J: What's the show?  H: Just some show.  You wouldn't like it."  He is learning to be a good BS artist from the creative department at Sterling Cooper.

The only glimpse we had of Peggy this episode was manning the projector during The Defenders' screening.  Her one line, "There's no doubt in my mind" was meant to convey confidence that women would flock to watch the controversial episode.  Unfortunately, the client was unconvinced.  Perhaps Peggy might have been more convincing if the topic - a young girl dealing with an unwanted pregnancy - hadn't hit so close to home.

Love Jimmy's fist-biting reaction when the hefty Mrs. Schilling says she "doesn't have the stomach" for his type of humor.  An obvious reaction, but still funny.  I also loved Roger's "I don't smoke" response to why he bums cigarettes from Don rather than getting a pack from the well-stocked store room. 

The movie Don saw in the theater was Michelangelo Antonioni's La Notte a 1961 film "about a day in the life of an unfaithful married couple and their deteriorating relationship."  I thought movies were meant to take you away from everyday reality. 

Don's reference to the bumbling Roger and Ken as "Leopold and Loeb" seems an out-dated reference, even for 1962.  The two young law students were arrested and imprisoned for the murder of a young teen (part of their plan to commit the perfect crime) way back in 1924.  However, their story was the basis for a number of adaptations, including the 1959 movie Compulsion which might be why their names would be the ones to pop up then.  Today, Don would probably settle for "Dumb and Dumber."

Jimmy jokes to Don Draper, "Loved you in Gentlemen's Agreement."  That movie (available on Netflix) starred Gregory Peck and the equally handsome John Garfield (both of whose film shoes Jon Hamm could easily fit) and was about a journalist uncovering anti-semitism.  The movie came out in 1947 and if you haven't seen it, you should.  Not only does it deal with anti-Jewish bigotry, but there is a not-so-subtle nod to gender bias as well when people are shocked that the idea for the undercover article came from a - gasp! - woman.  No matter your age, you're probably familiar with Gregory Peck, who had the lead in To Kill a Mockingbird.  But you should also check out John Garfield.  I happen to be a huge John Garfield fan and if you've never seen any of his movies, you should give them a try including The Postman Always Rings Twice, Force of Evil, Humoresque and Body and Soul.

A lot of not very subtle metaphors when Betty instructs Arthur how to handle his horse.  "Just pull up on the reins. Straighten her out. You can't let her do that. ... She needs to be told what to do."  The parallel between Betty's suggestion of how you handle your horse and how her husband handled Bobbie is a bit too on the nose. 

QUOTES:

Jimmy Barrett: Open your mouth, sweetheart.  I want to see if Gepetto's building a fire in there.

Jennifer Crane:  What are you worth? You go in there and ask for it. Demand it. Be polite, but think about what you're worth to them.

Sal:  Then you're worth every penny they're paying you.

Don:  Has anyone tried to save this yet besides Leopold and Loeb over here?

Roger:  He knows what that nut means to Utz and what Utz means to us.

Don:  A guy like that must know how to make a charming apology, or he'd be dead.

Don:  You do not cover for me. You manage people's expectations.

Joan:  I'll just continue looking for another Miss Olsen.
Don:  No. I want someone who'll be happy with that job.

Bobbie:  I've seen the man sober.  He's not funny.

Artie:  I've just always been more comfortable with animals when they were on the other end of my rifle.

Bobbie Barrett:  I like being bad and then going home and being good.

Artie: Her house is a slightly smaller version of my high school. And I realized why she was so happy all the time, and then, why she was so angry when she didn't get what she wanted.

Artie: You're so profoundly sad.
Betty:  No. It's just my people are Nordic.

Don:   I need you to be shiny and bright. I need a better half.

Roger (to Harry):  Cooper thought it showed initiative.  So, you're in here now, and I'm smiling.

Jimmy: Are you two sold separately?... I bet little birds hang up your laundry. ... And make it fast, while this place is still French.''

Betty:  I spend a lot of my time riding horses.  It's really a passion for me.
Jimmy:  And for them, I bet.

Betty:  When I said I wanted to be a part of your life, this is what I meant. We make a great team.

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 SPOILER-Y OBSERVATIONS (DON'T READ UNLESS YOU'RE TOTALLY CAUGHT UP)

"I don't care that you drink, Freddy, but it's interfering with your job."  We were first introduced to the character Freddy Rumsen via his reputation as a sot, when Don invoked his name as an excuse for why he wasn't reachable the day Betty crashed her car.  There have been other jokes about Freddy's drinking, but this is the first (sadly, not last) episode where his drinking is seen as a liability.

Harry Crane is a go-getter.  He figured out how to make himself indispensable.  He created the need for a media department then offered himself to run (and man) it.  In the nine years since, Harry has stayed loyal to Sterling Cooper despite not getting a partnership, not getting as much money as some of his peers, and being treated a bit like a red-headed step-child around the office.  Here we see a generally nice but mild mannered guy standing up for himself for the first time at work and starting on the path of turning his job into a career.  But with all his success, he always falls just a bit short of where he wants to be.

This is the first time we've seen Don take a violent, aggressive turn with a woman and it was scary and distasteful.  He did about the rudest thing a man can do to a woman and I would have preferred if she had slapped him or done something other than continue an affair with him. This could only lead someone like him to think maybe this is what women want or, at least, think he can continue to get away with it.  As we later learn, Don's mind is messed up enough when it comes to women, it didn't need violence added on top of the mix.  He loses his temper again in the next episode, Three Sundays, pushing Betty during a fight.

Betty flirts with Artie, as she did with the guy from the gas station in Season 1, and as she will do with Harry Francis and others later on.  We know she's of the age, and was certainly raised, to believe that her worth came from her attractiveness.  The more she's flirted with, the better she must be. 

Betty gets the opportunity to be part of a team with her second husband, Henry, for whom she's the perfect political wife.  That is, until she decides to actually express her own opinions, which he frowns upon.  She should be eye candy - beautiful and shiny - but nothing more.