Mad Men 'A Night to Remember' - Episode 8

To a channel hopper it's easy to believe that the show is in fact about the men of the title however a short visit to this martini-soaked world and its clear that it's about the female characters. This week was the perfect case in point.

Girls will be Girls
We've seen the tough, bright, hard-working side to the female characters in 'Mad Men' and this week we saw their tired, broken and vulnerable side – the part they have to hide from the world.

Hostess with the Mostess
Firstly Betty revealed the pain that her husband has caused her. Will Don ever realise how insulting it is to pigeon hole his wife into a box he's created for her. As with millions of women at that time, she tried to fit the box in order to please him/society, however it's not who she really is. She has accepted, for the sake of her family, that he can't, and won't try to, see that but only if he stays loyal to his role. Now that she's discovered what he's been up to, the gloves are off and the veil's been lifted.

The End of the Line
In all the days I've hated loving Don's character this was by far the worst - there was very little love in the room. How he lies to Betty over and over, how he disrespects his wife, the mother of his children, how he makes her question who she is and the life they've created together – its infuriating and of course brilliantly captured on screen. Remember in Season One's 'Nixon V's Kennedy' (episode 12) when Don turned to Pete and said: "I thought about what you said and I thought about what a deep lack of character that you have". Pot, kettle. In contrast Betty's honesty was brilliant, telling him that she didn't know what to do: "You never look me in the eye. You never say you love me". Her reaction was raw, honest yet not aggressive.

Don't come Home
How long did Don think he'd be able to get away with his cruel, selfish and hedonistic lifestyle? That's the problem, he didn't think. Finally Betty uttered the terrifying words that he perhaps has both feared and yearned for. Maybe now he'll allow himself to stop and think, to reassess and realise just what he has and maybe, just maybe he'll start to fight to keep his family together.

Gazumped
Great to see Joan put the green eyed monster behind her and join Peggy at the careers table...even if it was short-lived. I couldn't believe it when all of her great work was gazumped by Roger and Harry installing Danny in her job as Head of Broadcast Operations. Still, now that she's had a bite of the cherry and the clients loved her, ("I love what she says and I love the way she says it"), is it too much to hope they'll demand she returns to the role? Also I'm not sure if her wedding is going to go ahead. I don't have any insider knowledge but the signs aren't good, what do fellow Maddicts think?

Rock On
Still unsure as to the intentions of Father Gill, I'm intrigued by Peggy's interactions with the trendy clergyman. She is brave and clear in her conversations and well equipped to sidestep his judgemental swipes. Yet he definitely touched a nerve when he asked her: "Do you feel you don't deserve God's love?" I hope he's there to help her and not to bring her back down to her knees.

I'm looking forward to next week's episode, 'Six Month's Leave', to see if Don has made his mind up. Freddie isn't as excited though as next week his boozy behaviour leads to a six-month suspension. Drop us a line below and share your thoughts and 'Mad Men' theories.

Taragh Loughrey-Grant

'Mad Men' is on RTÉ One on late night Mondays.