Tea And No Sympathy or Harry And Don Go To White Castle or What A Drag It Is Getting Old

Mad Men has always been about people facing changing times, and in the latest episode, "Tea Leaves," we see now that we've hit 1966 and are in the midst of youth culture, the whole over-30 is starting to feel outdated.

The show starts with the much-unanticipated return of Betty.  And now she's economy size.  Actress January Jones was pregnant, so Matt Weiner decided to go with it and give her fat makeup.  I'd just as soon they write her out of the show, or give her only occasional appearances, but she's still one of the leads, so there it is.  Hubby Henry can take the new Betty, but the ice goddess, who's always been about looks, sure isn't happy.

Meanwhile, Don easily zips up his new model wife Megan as they go out to dinner with a client from Heinz and his wife.  Megan is still a little off at playing wife--she's no Betty--but she's not bad.  The client wants to keep up with the times and suggests Don get the Rolling Stones to sing "Heinz is on my side." Great.  Don says he'll try.

At the office, the ever-priggish Pete is unhappy that Roger wants the partners' meeting at his office.  The big news is Mohawk Airlines, whom they'd dropped to go for American Airlines, may be coming back.  Pete acts like he's in charge--which I suppose he is--and tells Roger he'll let him handle the account and also announces they'll need a new copywriter. (It's still not clear if this agency is hanging on by their fingernails or growing sufficiently.)

Harry goes to see Don and first goes by his new secretary, Dawn.  She's the African-American they unwittingly got into hiring from the last episode.  The times they are a-changin'.  Megan and Don still seem cold toward Harry (though we're not sure what Megan told Don).  Don and Harry will be going backstage to the Saturday Rolling Stones concert.  That should be fun.

Betty meets with Henry's mom, who give weight loss advice--diet pills, of course.  Betty can't resist taking a swipe her her mother-in-law's on weight problem.

Don and Roger ask Peggy to hire a new copywriter--they explain a woman won't do for these guys.  Don is a bit more polite about it, but Roger cuts right to the point.  Being blunt about these things worked in the past, Roger, but didn't they just pass a Civil Rights Act or something?

Betty goes to the doctor for a diet pill prescription but first he checks her--could be other things (like depression).  He finds a lump in her thyroid, so now she's got that to worry about.  Henry's not home when she gets there so she calls Don who tries to reassure her.

Peggy goes through a bunch of books and finds one decent guy name Michael Ginsberg.  Stan warns her don't hire anyone too talented or the new employee will wind up being her boss.  Peggy doesn't mind talent, or so she says.

Betty's in the bath, worrying.  Henry comes in.  He told Mayor Lindsay (!) and they set up an appointment tomorrow.  (He also says "waiting on"--which Don will also say later; I've heard this a number of times on the show, though I don't believe educated people in the northeast back then used that expression.)  Betty gets out of the bath, we see a back view and it's a body double.

At the doctor, Betty meets and old friend who already has cancer.  They make lunch plans, and once their the friend tell her how unpleasant the whole thing is.  A lady comes up and reads Betty's tea leaves to a bad effect. (No matter what the scene, you can't help be distracted by Betty's new look  I hate to be ungallant, but it's reminiscent of what happened with Anna Gunn in Breaking Bad, except that wasn't a plot point.)

Meanwhile, Peggy interviews Ginsberg, who's loud and rude and very Jewish.  Not that we haven't seen Jews before on the show, but they always seem an intrusive presence. (In the pilot, they need to rustle up a Jew for a meeting.  Roger asks Don if there are any Jews working there, and Don jokes "not on my watch.") Peggy is a bit put off, and figures Don won't go for him.  When she later meets with Roger, he promises he'll back her up--he's prepared Mohawk for a Jew, and it's 1966, so now every agency needs one.  Maybe Roger can adapt.

At Don's pad, he prepares to go to the Stones concert.  He doesn't tell Megan about Betty.  He and Harry get backstage and it's the sort of scene Mad Men does well: humanizing the times.  Anyway, neither the Stones nor their manager Allen Klein are around.  Harry and Don hang out and talk to some teenage girls.  Harry smokes some dope and perhaps hopes to be hip, but 40-year-old Don is starting to show his age.  When the show started, Don was it, now (though handsome and cool) he's becoming outdated--even his wife sees him as an old man, sort of.  He's what was hip in the 50s, and while he's the sort of guy who knows how to adapt, the world is changing faster than anyone can imagine, and he can come across as uptight. (The girl he talks to is into Brian Jones.  Boy will she be disappointed in a few years.)

While Harry chats up the girls, Henry and Betty make love--is she breaking down?  Betty later has one of her dreams--this time with her family in mourning at Breakfast.

Harry gets backstage and signs the band--but it turns out to be the Trade Winds.  Harry's always good for a laugh.  Don drives Harry home.  He has the munchies and consumes a bunch of burgers, and questions the new generation and being married.

Next morning, Don's still asleep and Megan wants him to wake up and visit her friends at Fire Island.  He wants to beg off--just like Betty did with Henry earlier.  He confesses that Betty may be sick, and that he's held off telling her.  She still wants him to come along, and he complies.  It's July 4th, by the way, so Betty sits outside her house, holding Gene, while Bobby and Sally run around with sparklers.

Ginsberg meets with Don, but Peggy tries to talk over him to prevent him from being rude.  When he finally does talk, he does fine and Don says hire him.  Peggy's almost miffed that it went so well.  He's not only rude, but can turn it off at will--which makes him crazy.  But he's getting the job and he's thrilled.  He certainly might bring some life into the Waspy place (which also has a Catholic female copywriter and a black secretary).

At home, Henry answers phone calls and calls George Romney a clown.  Is that some sort of message?  Betty gets the doctor's call and finds out the tumor is benign.  Henry is relieved but Betty doesn't seem that thrilled.  She's still fat, after all.  I think the viewers are relieved, because Betty's bad enough, but a sick Betty plot would have been unbearable. (Besides, we've already seen one of Don's former wives die young.)

Back at the office, Pete holds a meeting of everyone and announces they've got Mohawk airlines.  He takes all credit and treats the firm as if he runs it.  He even claims credit for hiring the new copywriter.  He sounds even worse than usual, and is especially harsh on his former mentor Roger, who is the S in SCDP, after all.  It's almost too much--hard to believe even Pete would sound that way, even if he's always been privileged and expected things to be given him.

Roger and Don bemoan Pete in Don's office.  Don mentions Betty is sick.  Don isn't too happy and there's not much Roger can offer.  He has the best line of the show: "When is everything going to get back to normal?"

Don calls Betty, but Henry answers. He's a bit miffed that his wife called Don about what happened.  Will that be causing trouble?  Henry reassures Don but quickly gets off the phone.  He doesn't even tell Betty that Don called.  Megan also gets the good news, not that she was deeply invested either way.

Ginsberg returns home to his small place, where he lives with his very Jewish father who says a bunch of Jewish things.  Not sure if I get the point of this scene.

Back at Betty's, she and Sally are eating sundaes.  Sally leaves hers half finished, and after she leaves, Betty eats the rest.  Better get those diet pills.  The song "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" comes on and the show's over.

A mild episode with far too much Betty, but still reminds us that the show is willing to take its time and do things its own way, a way you almost never see on TV.