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| Left to right: Christina Hendricks, Elisabeth Moss and Carla Buono |
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 4, Episode 9
"The Beautiful Girls"
"She died the way she lived. Surrounded by
people she answered phones for."
- Roger Sterling (John Slattery)
Plot:
Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss) is working on an automotive client, which doesn't sit well with Joyce Ramsay (Zosia Mamet) and her friends, who try and sabotage it. Everything is going great for Don Draper (Jon Hamm) as he handles business. That is, until Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka) shows up and demands to spend time with him. He has Faye Miller (Carla Buono) take her to his apartment and meets up with her afterwards. Everything is great, though Sally reveals that she doesn't want to go back to living with Betty Francis (January Jones). With the recent death of Don's secretary Ida Blankenship (Randee Heller), things are becoming tense and Don's reliance on Faye is becoming clearer. When Betty comes to pick Sally up, things don't go well as she pleads to stay with Don. Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) is being hit on by Roger Sterling (John Slattery) because she wants to get back together with her. It isn't working, even if her husband is in Vietnam. Faye admits to Don that she doesn't want to take care of kids. Joyce eventually accepts Peggy's idea of promoting a company that she has moral objections to.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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| Kiernan Shipka |
MVP:
Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka)
Where does the time go? It seemed like only yesterday the Draper children were well behaved and didn't interfere. In this case, Sally has become her own woman, at least naively. She wants to be with Don. She hates Betty. Things are becoming very clear about what her priorities are and its tragic to see her have to fight so loosely just to spend time with her father. Add in a phenomenal third act temper tantrum that is very tragic and sad and there's magic in Sally's performance this week. She manages to carry the emotional weight that her parents can't and unveils new layers of the broken home that season 4 has put this family in. It is beautiful and tragic in all of the most exciting ways.
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| Left to right: Shipka and January Jones |
Best Scene
In an episode packed with Sally's best moments of the season so far, there isn't anything more telling than the moment that she has to split with Don. When Betty arrives to take her home, she unleashes a fury unlike anything before. She yells in frustration and even crashes onto the floor with hopes of getting her way. She loves her father and can't stand living with her mother in a way that is very much clear. It is the moment where the rebellious nature of Sally becomes sympathetic and the dynamics between children and parents begins to shift. Will Don embrace Sally and give her a new home? Is Sally forced to grow up bitter and more self destructive? Whatever the case may be, Kiernan Shipka is doing a really great job at it.
UP NEXT: "Hands and Knees"
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