BEDA #7: don draper's love life

I'm going to talk about Mad Men today. 

Season 4 plot spoilers abound~ This season was aired from 25 July to 17 Oct 2010, so it shouldn't be that bad. So Don Draper goes through 3 girls this season. First dates Bethany, whom he isn't really interested in, intellectually. Goes on "5 dates in 3 months" with her, so obviously is not very invested. At the beginning of the season, one gets the feeling that he's dating someone just to get over his divorce with Betty. Also Bethany is like 20 years old, is blonde, looks like a younger version of Betty, gives good blowjobs. All those are a plus. 

Then he gets bored with Bethany and starts hitting on Dr Faye Miller, a psychologist who works freelance for the agency Don's in. Obviously he can have more in-depth and witty conversations with Faye, and connects with her on an intellectual level. They go on more dates than he did with Bethany, and have noisy sex. But, he leaves her with his kid, Sally, out of necessity-- just because she happens to be there-- and Faye is not very good at babysitting, or getting Sally to behave. 

[Now I realise that Mad Men sounds like Days of Our Lives or some soap; I guess it does, but it's wittier and goes along much faster in some episodes, and there are a lot of underlying social and political issues of the 60s that the writers do their research about.]

Then Megan, Don's secretary, starts hitting on him, and he reciprocates. Don sleeps with almost every secretary he's had, except for Ida Blankenship who was 70 and half blind, so this is something not unusual. Then Don takes Megan on to his trip to California, because the hotel doesn't have adequate babysitting, and pays her twice her weekly salary. It turns out that she's good with kids and doesn't flare up with them like Betty does, so Don sleeps with her and then proposes to her the next morning. 

I don't get it; why does he go through this whole circular thing of dating a bunch of women and just stick with Bethany instead? Megan provides as little stimulating conversation as Bethany does. I suppose it's for character development. But as a character, Don doesn't seem to be respecting women at all. I get that he wants someone that he can connect with and confide in--he finds this in Faye-- but at the same time with Megan, I don't think he intends to do any confiding with her. He is prioritizing his need for good sex and free babysitting over his need to have someone to talk to. Stupid Don.

I shouldn't use Don as a straw man. Career-wise, he does have some positive attributes. He's driven, and puts the needs of the agency over himself. He's ambitious too, and able to snag many contracts. He's also good at adjusting to the fact that Peggy's in the office as a capable copywriter, and supports her, in some ways, as a mentor. 

There are a few women that he has a meaningful relationship with, but doesn't sleep with, like Peggy and Anna, but it seems like he's unable to date a woman and allow her to see his weaknesses at the same time. The moment he does this, he's unable to date her, like with Faye. Faye was witness to one of his panic attacks, and saw him in a very vulnerable state, to the extent that Don told her that he assumed the name of someone else in the Korean War. Soon after he does this, he starts ignoring his relationship with her and goes to make out with Megan.

I think Don is stupid and Peggy should just date Joyce already. Though Joyce isn't doing too bad herself; she's dating a model.