Call this the last hurrah of Don and Betty Draper—one last
fleeting taste of happiness with a romp to Rome before it all falls apart. It’s
also an episode about denial and keeping up appearances. Whether it’s Joan
upset that Pete discovers her working in a department store, or Trudy trying to
act like she’s come to terms with Pete’s indiscretion with the neighbor’s au
pair. Or, in the most obvious example, Don and Betty acting like a couple in
love while in Rome; as soon as they return home, real life slaps Betty in the
face and she snaps back into her bitter, mean self (the person Don helped
create).
Best Scene: After
arriving in Rome and taking a refreshing nap, Betty walks out of the hotel like
a vision of pure beauty. She sits down at a table, alone, and flirts with a
couple men at the next table. And then Don walks over like he doesn’t know her,
and they play their little game on the men. It’s a strange thing to do, and
perhaps speaks to how their marriage is built on nothing but surface things,
but it’s also charming and memorable. It’s sad to see the chemistry and spark these
two once had, but lost.
Best Line: Betty
(having kissed Henry Francis for the first time earlier in the episode) to
Sally: “The first kiss is very special. … You’re going to have a lot of first
kisses. You’re going to want it to be special, so you remember. It’s where you
go from being a stranger to knowing someone. And every kiss with them after
that is a shadow of that kiss. Do you understand?”
Grade: C+
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