Who Is Don Draper?

...those are the first words spoken in the fourth-season premiere of Mad Men (after we see old and new names in the credits), but it could just as easily be the title of the show.

It's late 1964 and Don is being interviewed by Advertising Age. He's caused a stir with cinematic ads for Glo-Coat floor wax (not the actual ad shown below). The interview doesn't go well. Don has always been tight-lipped about his past. That worked when he was head of creative, but now that he's a name partner in a struggling new firm, he needs to do better.

 

Soon we get the big reveal--the new (and small) offices of Cooper Sterling Draper Pryce. The modern decor puts us firmly in the 60s...finally. The first three seasons of Mad Men went from 1960 to 1963, and were always living in the shadow of the 50s. But now (though they're not mentioned) the Beatles have conquered America and the real 60s has taken over. Maybe some on Mad Men won't cross the divide, but they'll have to reckon with it.

Roger's there, with a ready quip (some things never change). Pete's there. Bert's there. Queen bee Joan is there. Even Lane's there. They seem the same, except they've got to get an agency off the ground.

Then there's Peggy. The schoolgirl bangs are gone, replaced by a new confidence and more hairspray. She's still trying to please Don, but she's also willing to go behind his back with Pete when they promote a product by paying two women to fight over it. She's also willing to stand up to Don when he, predictably, calls her out on it.

Harry also shows up, spouting Yiddish. He's the kind of guy who, though not that talented, manages to be in the right place and the right time. TV is the place to be in the 60s, and you get the feeling his career will go just fine.

Who's not there? Paul, Ken and Sal, left behind in season three. Who knows when or if they'll show up.

Don's adrift in a bachelor pad. It's got a dark, conservative look--probably needs some place to escape from his Mondrian-style office. Roger's Jane--yes, they're still together--sets him up with a friend. She's a college girl who brings up Andrew Goodman--guess if she were a high school girl she'd mention Ringo. She and Don sort of hit it off, but he doesn't get all the way. Is that a sign, because I don't recall too much trouble previously in that department? Maybe he was more attractive as a married man.

Speaking of which, what about Betty? We don't see her till halfway in.

I've had trouble with Betty. In the first season, I thought she worked. The trophy wife filled with suburban ennui. Betty and Don came from different backgrounds (she had money, he didn't even have a family), but they did what they thought they were supposed to and got married. Since then, though, they've been searching for something else. But her search, while she gets icier and harsher, has been the weakest part of the show.

Well, she wanted Henry Francis and now she's got him. She's still at the old Draper residence. Henry wants out, and Don wants her gone, but she's not ready. Betty and Henry preside over a chilly Thanksgiving dinner. Her mother-in-law doesn't think much of her (understandably), while her kids are scared of her. Sally, especially, is still having a hard time. It's scary to think what will happen when she becomes a teen in the late 60s.

Henry poached Don's wife, but is he wondering if it's worth it? It's hard to imagine this part of the show, which now seems so separate from the rest of Mad Men, can continue as is. But if it does change, it's even harder to believe Betty and Don can get back together.

Meanwhile, Don isn't doing much better. It's Thanksgiving, and he's hiring a hooker (not the first time) to slap him around. He takes the kids the next day, while Henry and Betty go out cavorting. Don works while the kids watch TV. Still, when Betty comes back late, Don becomes the better parent by default.

Peggy's stunt almost blew up in her face, and Don isn't happy. She did it behind his back, and it's the kind of low-class thing he doesn't go for. He tells her she's got to worry about the image of the company. She tells him they're all there because of him, and they all want to please him.

Don goes to his first big pitch of the season--bikini manufacturers. He knows they want modesty, but gives them art that clearly winks. They're horrified, and he tells them off and throws them out. I have to think he didn't give them what they wanted intentionally. Either they accept his ideas, or he'd rather not work with them.

He might have gotten away with this when he was just head of creative in a company with a lot of accounts, but no more. He gets a new interview, this time with the Wall Street Journal, and decides to tell them what they want to hear. But he's also going to reshape his agency into the image he wants. Make the story about him, a visionary who made a brave exit from his old job and is ready to change the industry.

And the first hour is over.

It looks like the arc of the season will be about whether the agency makes it or not. But where the characters as individuals are going, I have no idea.