Mad Cap: "Souvenir"

Left to right: January Jones, Jon Hamm, and Chelcie Ross

Welcome to Mad Cap: a daily rundown of every episode of the acclaimed AMC series Mad Men. During this time, I will be compiling my thoughts and highlights as we travel through every moment and season of the Emmy-award winning drama that has come to define modern TV. The goal is to be a refresher on every moment for Don Draper and his band of advertisement executives leading up to the final season. Stay for all of the shocking moments and the brilliant acting performances, and make sure to chime in with your thoughts and criticisms on why the show means something to you.

Season 3, Episode 8

"Souvenir"

"Every kiss with them after that is a shadow of that kiss."

- Betty Draper (January Jones)

Plot:

It's time for the Drapers to travel abroad for work. After Betty Draper (January Jones) helps her friends with a petition for a reservoir that is only passed with help from Henry Francis (Christopher Stanley), she decides to tag along with Don Draper (Jon Hamm) on his way to Italy, leaving the kids in control of Carla (Deborah Lacey). Meanwhile, Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) has to deal with living alone when Trudy Campbell (Alison Brie) is out of town. He helps a woman get a new dress after she stains an old one. He goes to a high class store to find Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) working there. He gets it fixed, but wants a kiss from the woman first, which is not in people's favor when Pete discovers that she was the maid. The Rome trip goes well and Don and Betty decide to get promiscuous and do really silly stuff in between meeting Conrad Hilton (Chelcie Ross). Back home, Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka) gets accused by Bobby Draper (Jared Gilmore) of liking a boy. Sally beats up Bobby, which causes Betty to have a conversation with her when she returns home. In fact, she wants to leave the town behind and move to Rome. When Trudy returns, Pete insists that she doesn't leave without him ever again.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Vincent Kartheiser

MVP:

Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser)

Of the two main stories of this episode, I found Pete's to be overall more interesting because it is the first time that we have seen him left to his own devices. While the overall theme of loved ones going off on their own and finding a new desperation to be together, there's no telling what Pete was capable of. He runs into Joan and helps a neighbor out with a dress issue. He is a classy guy that goes the extra mile. That is, until he feels too comfortable and owed some favors in the situation. This results in him getting frisky and Pete proves to have a lustful desire that is present when Trudy is not around. He longs for a female companion, if only out of personal lust. He is a charismatic guy who is capable of taking care of himself, even if that is in a rather self destructive way sometimes.

Jones

Best Scene

In an episode full of memorable moments, the one that stands out the most is the conversation between Betty and Sally. While there has been a tiff between the two, Betty is still reliable for some motherly advice. In this case, Betty is responsible for informing Sally that kissing is an important part of romance. Having come back from Italy with new passion for Don, she is well aware of her own words and what their poignancy could have. It is a beautiful speech and one that reflect Sally's innocence and Betty's ability to be a responsible mother. Also, it ties together the ideals of the time that women were dependent on men. Betty believes that a first kiss has power to connect people in unsuspecting ways. Will Sally have this moment stick with her? There's arguments for both ways. She has grown into a fascinatingly frustrated character and one that I am curious to see evolve, though not too quickly. Is Betty hiding her true feelings and insinuating something with someone not named Don? We'll have to wait and see. However, it's nice to get one of those rare mother-daughter moments on this show.

UP NEXT: "Wee Small Hours"