Just saw this ep
Great ep. Maybe things change in later seasons, but right now I'm not getting the extreme Betty hate I always see online. Draper treats her like shit, and she's like this malfunctioning Stepford wife who realizes no one really cares for her, despite her playing her societal role well.
Same thing with people hating Skylar White, or Tony Soprano's wife...it's like guys root for these male, badass characters and harshly react whenever the wives lash out at how shitty they're treated.
Also, Allison Brie hnnnnngggg. Pete Campbell, what a pathetic dick
Keep watching, but I feel the same way. I really like Betty and sympathize for her situation.
She's a child, but she only acts like that because society expects her to be. You are taking forever to catch up on Mad Men. Fuck.
But yes, people idolize Walter White, Tony Soprano, and Don Draper despite the fact they are extremely shitty people. Sure, they're COOL shitty people. But they seem to unanimously take their side despite their wives being neglected and in Betty's case, this is pre-woman power days and she was raised on 50's values that the only thing a woman needs in her life to be happy is a family, kids, and a mean cooking arm. You can tell Betty doesn't even LIKE kids much, but she had them because welp, that's what society expects of her. I find Betty's tale the saddest on the series, because it's the story of a woman who was told how little she was valued and bought into it. This is even more telling in season 3 when you meet Grandpa or on season 2 when they visit Paris.
In reality, the reason Mad Men is the best show on tv is due to how subversive it is at its drama. the shows main setting takes place in an advertising agency; what better place to examine characters who have been sold on something, whether the American dream, or the wonders of having children, or
something, it has absolutely failed them, and they can't seem to figure out
why they're so unhappy. The show really is about the advertising of life and I think season 3 embodies this aspect the most.
When you think about it, Don's talk about advertising and love pretty much what the main theme of the series is about: