Mad Men S4E5 "The Chrysanthemum & The Sword"

The Chrysanthemum & the Sword - A+


Absolutely fantastic episode this week. There was: conspiratorial hijinks, major pathos, Roger's funny racism, some comp for Don, Ugly Betty...oh and something happened with Sally too. Great writing this week by Erin Levy who has defined herself as my favorite writer for the show sans Weiner. Great Dr. Lyle Evans shout out! The acting was just, well, passable this week, however. That, and the slapstick-aroo with Ms. Blankenship, would be my only complaint(s).


Let me start by saying I have zero idea about the eponymous book, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, so looking for a theme in relation to the title, as well as the book, would be an exercise in futility for me. That's not to say that there was none. I picked up very definitely on a theme of shame in last night's episode. I think the introduction of Japanese businessmen and SCDP's scrambling to educate themselves about them, their practices and their culture, helped highlight that theme. Betty and Don both dealt with the shame of their dissolved relationship and the effects of it they're witnessing in Sally's acting out. Don gave voice to the shame he feels at realizing he's not a good father. Betty voiced her shame at having a less-than-perfect child.(1) Roger wasn't so much ashamed but did quite obviously have some "survivor's guilt" going on preventing him from accepting the Japanese account. He also had to come in and admit his mistake in front of his partners.


Some good Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 Japanese tourist business goes on with Hamm & Kartheiser doing their best Matthau. Roger "Enola Gay" Sterling comes in and royally fucks things up.


Christ on a cracker!! Roger vs. Pete!! If its a dance-off I got Pete. Heart attack competition, Roger's my man. This is an interesting development and seems to be continued next week. Sterling no longer has anything to hold over Campbell, and he knows it. It was telling that during the meeting of the partners everyone was tired of Roger's laxative jokes, which after 18 years must drive Cooper crazy. He's trying to mock Pete here for the account but nobody's letting him get away with it. He's inherited everything he has, like Lucky Strike, and taking everything else as a joke while Campbell's making power moves is just not cute. Compound that shit by fucking with their wallets? I think Roger's noticing that its not just in a French pasture that he's losing his fighting compatriots. He's losing them on his home ground as well. I don't think he's imagining it either, immediately after he stormed out of the partner's meeting Pete even asks "Does anyone really have a problem with it". Don didn't waste a second responding "No".


Sally. Okay now I don't have much problem with directing the girl to do what she did. There are child actors out there who go on casting calls for "ugly kid" "fat kid" or "looks mildly-retarded ugly fat kid", THOSE kids I feel for. Anyways, I didn't feel as awkward as I inevitably will if they have her talk upon the DVD commentary for this episode. THAT will be fucked up. While Betty definitely overreacted to Sally's masturbating...I think there is certainly something to discuss if a child feels compelled to do it amongst sleeping friends at someone else's house. Are we supposed to think that was her first time? It seemed like that the way she was curiously looking at The Man From UNCLE, almost as if she's wondering what exactly is going to happen. This poor girl. What fucks you up more: having Betty as your mother, or getting caught the first time you ever go on a date with Miss Michigan?


The meeting in Don's office (does Cooper even have one?) to begin the wacky hi jinks was good in that we got to see Roger come in and offer mea culpas in front of his partners, moments before he mocks the Japanese way of doing the very same thing. In Japan Roger would be expected to "cut his own head off" because "[they] disgraced" themselves (notice how he lumps them all in with his actions), but in Roger's America this should be all that's expected of him.


Don & Betty's terse conversations sound so very real. Betty cannot help but insist she doesn't care what he's doing, all the while she cannot help but ask with who and how many? Don's angry that he's not there in the house while problems are arising, and he's mad that he really doesn't want to be. Scary good scene here. I said last episode I could never see a Don & Betty reunion and while I mean that, I would HATE if these two actors weren't given scenes together any more. Even though that whole scene was probably done on different days with only one of them there at the time.


Don pulls Dipseydoodle #452 out of the Draper Dipseydoodle playbook and starts a cold war between SCDP & The People's Republic of CGC. Spending war! Spending war! Spending war! Smitty nut laps Don in front of his new boss. Sounds more like Kurt's hobby.


Not to toot my own horn but I said, just moments before she did...completing that pregnant pause for her, that Dr. Miller isn't married. I could just tell that's where it was headed. Interesting revelation? Does anyone care about her outside of being a women in the Draper diaspora? While I do predict that she nailed Don on the "married within a year" thing, I don't think Don would ever marry someone that challenging to him. The girl from Benihana is a likelier prospect imo.



Gene Hofstadt putting his daughter on that pedestal has led her to jump into the arms of a much older man and allow him to father her now that Don's gone. When Don returned the kids and he and Betty are arguing in the foyer, it was like harry was in the background, with the paper under his arm no less, acting as Dad while "the kids" went a few rounds. He knows how to talk to Betty though, boy howdy. Gets on her side by criticizing Don...then telling her calmly what to do. He is her new father, while he is her lover. This just ain't going to come out well for the guy. I mean Betty lied to him about her being seeing a shrink "once" (even if she was somewhat surprisingly honest about "being bored"). This was even AFTER he gave her the out by revealing he's had a close family member (wife or daughter?) visit one with great results. I'm willing to bet she lies some more to him about it. Henry is likable, but believe me Henry...everyone thinks this is temporary.


I liked seeing childish Betty back. Man oh man did her mother and father do a number on her. I like that we've never seen her mother in any flashbacks and I hope we never do. I hope we just continue to hear these horrible things this woman did to her children. Publicly shaming her son for his very normal sexual curiosity by nailing the "nudist magazine" to his door taught Betty how to hide her experimenting. How telling was it that Betty turned that meeting with the psychiatrist into her own session? The psychiatrist was on it from about her second sentence too, having her call her "Dr. Edna", and recognizing her self-absorption; replying to Betty's insistence that Sally's natural experimenting was done to "punish [Betty]" with the very perceptive "That must be a terrible feeling for you". It must be. I must be terrible to go through life feeling like every single thing is done for your sake. But you know what? I like seeing Betty like this, I really do. I like seeing her in therapy and I think a child psychiatrist (one who won't share what they discuss with her daughter HA!) is perfect for Betty. Very telling how she smiled and stared wistfully at the dollhouse in the office. Ever the little girl, she still dreams of that make-believe perfect household and still very much believes in playing at it.

Don shames the shit outta the Japanese by writing them a 3K check and telling them they broke the rules. He doesn't reveal of course that he helped them break the rules by tricking CGC into breaking the rules. The Japanese eat it up. They love that stuff, those kooks.


"Pity Party for 1...Pity Party for 1...Mr. Sterling your table's ready!". Roger is lamenting his long lost fallen brethren: . Joan comes in and won't let him continue the wallowing. I think she doesn't want to hear gory war stories with her hubby so soon to run off and get bloweded up but really, more than that, I don't think Joanie likes seeing Roger this way. Old, bitter, and scared. She diplomatically calls him on his shit, and is off. Is there anything this woman can't do?


Lane with a nice reveal that he "allowed" Don to pull that "unseemly stunt", and for a very different reason than Don did. Brief scene but great look into the restructured hierarchy and partner dynamic going on. If Roger decides he's had enough and pulls out for whatever reason, I could see Draper Campbell & Pryce being a force to be reckoned with.


The episode ends with Sally walking into the 1st of the many tens of thousands of psychiatrist's offices she will walk into in her life. I bet Sally becomes a model who makes her way to being an actress. One who gets nude in almost every movie she's in. Like Sigourney Weaver.

(1) I wonder if she even knows how bad of a parent she is.
(2) Why is Rich Sommer still listed in my Satellite TV listings?
(3) Why no luck on the "call to California"?? DUN-DUN-DUNNNN!!!
(4) Watched this episode with my mom, who I got hooked on the show. Some of her comments: "They should just get rid of Roger" (cut to me looking mortified); Regarding Don: "He IS good at his job, too bad he can't do that in his personal life"; 2nd episode this year in which she sang every word to the song at the end, at the beginning of Sally's infamous scene she suddenly blurted out "Ilya Kuryakin"...to which I replied "Bless you" *rimshot*
(5) The one Blankenship moment I liked was the "Misters Pete and Pryce to see you". Fucking names up is good for some yuks.
http://www.nowthatspimpin.com/2010/07/17/crista-flanagan-in-august-2010-playboy-magazine/ LOIS!!!