Going back through these episodes after so many years, many
of them reveal long-forgotten treasures—a great line or a well-crafted scene
that slipped beyond the capacity of my memory. Most of this is great, as you
get to rediscover all the little threads this show has woven together over
six-plus seasons. “Long Weekend” doesn’t offer the same satisfactory
experience, unfortunately. In the moment, it was a big episode, one that felt
like it would be a turning point for so many characters in the show. Roger suffers
a heart attack that sends him literally weeping back into the arms of his wife.
Don seems to have a hole cut right through him watching Roger cling to life. But
instead of turning to Betty he winds up at Rachel Menken’s front door and opens
up to her about his childhood, giving us another tiny glimpse into the
circumstances that turned him into this mythological Donald Draper.
The trouble is, “Long Weekend” is the first in a series of
like-minded episodes that, ultimately, don’t impact these characters in any
permanent way. With the benefit of hindsight, we know Roger and Don and all the
rest soon forget about the moments of enlightenment they had here in the face
of death and go on about their lives like nothing happened. That’s probably
Matthew Weiner’s point, that people don’t really change; depressing and
cynical, sure, but also all too easy to believe if you take a look around the
real world. There are more episodes like this that follow, purported
breakthroughs for one character or another, but that actually cheapens “Long
Weekend” a good bit. It’s hard to go back and take this episode too seriously
because we know the events depicted here don’t ultimately lead to much of
anything. So rather than retaining the emotional power it had originally, “Long
Weekend” winds up now feeling a touch melodramatic and rather hollow.
Best Scene: In
the final moments, Don lays on Rachel’s chest and shares an abridged story of
his horrible childhood. He is more honest here, with this relative stranger,
than he’s ever been with just about anyone in his adult life—it’s certainly
more than he’s ever shared with Betty. It also serves to establish that, as
much as Don Draper may do some deplorable things, his upbringing offered him
absolutely no moral foundation on which to build.
Best Line: Joan:
“These men. We’re constantly building them up, and for what? Dinner? Jewelry?
Who cares?”
Grade: C+
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