Ladies Room (Mad Men)

"Ladies Room" is the second episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by series creator Matthew Weiner and directed by Alan Taylor. Weiner has stated that the interval between writing the pilot and the second episode lasted seven years.The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on July 26, 2007.

Plot

In this episode, Don Draper's past is probed from different directions by different people and the viewer is presented with the mystery of, "Who is Don Draper?" At a dinner with Don and Betty Draper and Roger and Mona Sterling, where all of the attendees talk about their affluent, privileged childhoods, Don remains silent. Roger Sterling idly probes Don about his past but Don deflects him, suggesting he will reveal the mystery in his forthcoming novel. Don says, "its a sin of pride to go on about one's self," to explain to Betty why he deflected Rogers inquiry. Betty, meanwhile, is troubled—her mother has recently died, and since that time, Betty has periodically experienced her hands going numb so that she cannot use them. She and Mona commiserate in the ladies' room at the restaurant. At home, in bed with Don, Betty Draper, too, attempts to probe Don about his past, but he casts his past into the category of "politics, religion, and sex...why talk about it?" As Betty drifts off to sleep she turns to Don, fast asleep, and asks herself, "Who's in there?"

The workplace is portrayed as "crewed" by men who behave as boys on shore leave and who view the women as toys, an environment which the women must navigate; the title of the show references the weeping women found in the ladies room. Sterling is portrayed as a cynical distant alcoholic who has never grown up and who misses his big breasted, round-faced nanny. The members of the creative team, which Don leads, discuss a product and the question of "what women want" is brought up, but they are puzzled. In the meeting, Don is established as the whip-cracker with an incisive edge. Paul Kinsey, speaking in some form of Jamaican creole, tries to come across as the hep-cat-man-of-the-world with the African-American man who comes to the office with a sandwich cart, but the man deflects Kinsey's comment. After Paul gives Peggy Olson the impression that he can be a good friend to her, he then comes on to her. Peggy too deflects him. Peggy begins to feel ill-used by the womanizing men of the office. Joan, the office manager who runs the secretarial pool, advises Peggy to enjoy the attention while she can. Bert Cooper, the senior partner of Sterling Cooper, is introduced as the eccentric, tolerant old man of the advertising world. The Draper's neighbor, Francine, gossips with Betty about their new neighbor, Helen, who wears the scarlet letter of divorce, and Francine suggests that a divorcee may be bad for real estate values.

Betty Draper is declared to be neurotic and in need of psychoanalysis, an idea that upsets Don. Don turns to Roger to ask, "what do women want?", but he has no satisfactory answer. He turns to Midge, and while talking with her he concludes that what women want is: "Any excuse to get closer." Meanwhile, Betty attends her first session with a psychiatrist.

Betty talks to her psychiatrist about her relationship with her late mother, and her insecurities about a new divorcee neighbor. After they arrive home, Don calls Betty's therapist, who relays to Don everything Betty discussed during her appointment.

Cultural references

Don and Roger discuss Richard Nixon's campaign in the upcoming election. Roger suggests that perhaps, Eleanore Roosevelt "will throw her feedbag into the ring," a reference to her appearance that was the object of many a coarse joke at the time. Paul reveals himself to be a fan of The Twilight Zone and does an impression of Rod Serling. Several characters watch the series People are Funny.

Reception

The episode received positive critical reviews from television journalists and critics. Alan Sepinwall, writing for New Jersey's The Star-Ledger, praised the episode for expanding the role of female characters, building on the characters established in the pilot, writing "the small details of how these characters are written and played gives [...] real meaning."^[1] Andrew Johnston, writing for Slant Magazine was also impressed by the episode, comparing the series favorably to The Sopranos and praising Michael Gladis' acting in particular.^[2]

References

External links

• "Ladies Room" at AMC
• "Ladies Room" at the Internet Movie Database