This episode should have been called women have their uses. I know that this show is set in the 60's, but would it really bring the world crashing to halt if we had just a few episodes where women were not treated like commodities? This episode begins with Don receiving a letter from his daughter regarding what she and her siblings want for Christmas. True loving and involved daddy that he is, he quickly reaches into his wallet and promptly instructs his secretary to buy the gifts his daughter listed.
Sally runs into Glenn, the child of a neighborhood divorcee when she is out shopping for a Christmas tree for her family. He gives her tips on what it is like to live in a blended family after Sally tells him that she hates where she lives because she keeps expecting to run into her father. It seems that on the issue of her parents divorce she clearly blames her mother. Isn't mommy always to blame for everything. Daddies cannot be held accountable they have lots of work to do.
This episode sees the return of Freddie Rumsen who originally lost his job for drunkenness. He brings with him a 2 million dollar Ponds cold cream account and swears to be absolutely sober. Even though he and Peggy are supposed to be working together on a project he takes the lead patronizing her at every turn. He seems very dedicated to hi sobriety.
Due to a loss of business Lane has decided to trim the budget. Unfortunately, this plan goes out the window when Lee Gardner Jr demands to be invited to their Christmas party. Roger decides to get Joan to quickly through together a party and asks her to wear the red dress with the bow in the back. He of course feels the need to tell her that she is off limits to Lee, as though he has the right to say who she has any kind of interaction with. Though Freddie is asked to play Santa he does not show up, for fear that he will be tempted to drink again. Lee Gard
After leaving the party drunk, Don arrives home to find that he left his keys at work. He calls and his secretary brings them to him. When she turns to leave he grabs her hands and pulls her into his lap, where he begins to to kiss him. Several times she turns her head away and says no and don't. Don stops and says, "don't what," and then continues kissing her. This is clearly a case of coercion and though in the end she did says, she didn't really have the opportunity to say no. The minute she indicated that she didn't want to proceed had Don been a decent man he would have stopped. Don, has never respected women and instead has used them as a masturbatory tool and an incubator to children he has no real interest in spending serious time with.
The next day when Don calls her into his office and says, "thank you for bringing my keys, I really appreciate it. I have probably taken advantage of your kindness on too many occasions." Really? He forces her into having sex with him and all he can say is thank you for bringing my keys? I don't see how anyone can continue to route for this character any further. He is absolutely despicable.
Finally when I could take it no more Peggy sleeps with her boyfriend. He has tried to talk her into sex by saying that the Swiss had pre-marital sex all of the time to make sure they were compatible. He take her Rumsenwhesitancy to mean that she is a virgin. Of course he is the experienced one in that relationship, he is the man. He desperately wants to be the man to take her virginity. I suppose Peggy decided to listen to Rumsen when he suggested that it was painful to deny a man sex. Following the path of the episode after they finish having sex he turns to Peggy and asks her if she feels different now. Well, of course she feels different now that she has had the experience of his big manly dick. Yes, this is how real women are made.
At times Mad Men becomes tiresome to watch. Listening as they debated the right for Blacks to have civil rights at the Christmas party was absolutely infuriating. Seeing that women are always completely devalued gets old fast. I know that we are dealing with a period piece but I feel to believe that sometimes the writers are so devoted to showing the oppression that they forget even in these circumstances people had moments of power and moments of joy. I really hope as the season progresses they will continue to enlarge the characters of Joan and Peggy if only to give us a break from all of the inane commentary coming from the men. And finally it is long past time for them to stop attempting to construct Don as a tortured hero, when he is little more than an asshole in an expensive suit.
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