Shh they're having an experience on Mad Men man...
Photo Credit: AMC TV
It’s
rewatch time!! For the first time ever this summer we will be watching an old
season of a television show over the course of several weeks. Installments will
be posted Sundays and Wednesdays with the posts spoiling only the episode that
is being talked about. This summer the rewatch is on the first season of Mathew
Weiner’s 1960’s period piece Mad Men, one of the great first seasons of
television.
Thoughts on “The Hobo Code” as soon as I feel like Dorthy…
“So one morning I freed myself with the cloths on my back. Goodbye!
Now I sleep like a rock.”
-The Hobo
Poor Sal, Poor Poor Sal. I know the quote I started with is
a part of Don’s story this week (which we’ll get too) but my goodness if there
was ever a great example of Mad Men’s greatness it’s what is done with Sal in “The
Hobo Code.” The episode has very little plot yet has some of the most fantastic
character developments throughout the entire season. It’s an episode where
little happens but yet so much is revealed, one that truly continues to deepen
these characters as they go into much more complicated situations.
Ok back to the most miraculous thing about “The Hobo Code”
which is the development of Sal. In a way much like Pete in the fourth episode of
the show, “The Hobo Code” managed to take Sal Romano from a broad two
dimensional caricature that popped up briefly and turned him into a beautifully
tragic three dimensional character. The scene at the bar with the young Belle
Jolie client is so perfect because its outcome is so unexpected, given both
what we know about Sal and how scenes like the one that was presented usually
pan out. Given what we know about Sal one would expect the client either not to
be gay and Sal to misread him or Sal being the confident one while the client
backs away out of fear. What happens is the exact opposite, it’s the client who’s
leading Sal on and Sal has no idea what to do about it. Normally in every other
situation Sal seems at ease but when faced with a situation that he actually
wants that is outside of the normal he panics. It’s unclear whether it’s because
he has no idea what to do or whether it’s because Sal is trying to keep his
true feelings secret still but he backs down and leaves. It’s the perfect opportunity,
one that most likely not happen again and Sal is too nervous and so he
completely blows it. In that sequence alone Mathew Weiner and Chris Provenzano,
who wrote the episode, turn a once two dimensional caricature into a full on
tragic hero. It’s a truly amazing Mad Men moment, a true example of the power
of stellar character based storytelling, no matter how little plot is involved.
The second of the main storylines revolves around Don’s
childhood and continues to reveal who Don actually is and what he gets particular
habits. In “The Hobo Code” the flashback revolves around young Dick Whitman’s
encounter with a local homeless man after his family feeds him for the night.
In the encounter the hobo tells Don of his life and his commitments and how he
got rid of them because he felt “too heavy” with them on. He got rid of his responsibilities
by just leaving his life and sleeps better despite the lack of constant place
to sleep. So there we find that young Dick Whitman learned the lesson that he would
apply numerous times throughout his life including in this episode where he
seemingly leaves Midge for good after their relationship becomes too
complicated. Don (sorry about the name switching it’s just a thing that has to
happen) just leaves the check he got from Bert (who by the way seems to read
Don’s present personality correctly but misses on his past) in Midge’s shirt
and takes off maybe not to be heard from again. It’s the smallest of Don’s
escapes (an example of a bigger escape would be I don’t know his whole previous
life) but we can see the presence of the Hobo’s “teachings” in Don’s life quite
consistently.
The final big character storyline is that of Peggy and Pete’s
relationship-fu. Yes again after Pete has a big life event (the first time he
sleeps with Peggy he’s getting married, the second time he’s getting an apartment)
he decides that he’s going to sleep with Peggy again, this time in the office
(with the maintenance man watching creepily through the glass). This time
though it’s not as simple as before as Pete is beginning to have second
thoughts on his feelings for Peggy (after just being a stressed out jerk for most
of the episode). Meanwhile Peggy is having a fun day after their “encounter” as
after Don pushes a bit (or a lot in a great putting the feet on the fire pitch)
her pitch is accepted by the Belle Jolie people. The two meet again during
Peggy’s dance party where grumpy Pete shatters Peggy by telling her that he doesn’t
like her “like this.” It’s an emotional roller coaster ride of a storyline that
works well but to develop the pitfalls of sleeping with married people but isn’t
quite as utterly fantastic as the other thirds of the episode.
“The Hobo Code” is a great example of Mad Men at its
character developing best. The episode has such little plot but yet at the same
time provides so much insight into the characters and where they are coming from.
The episode also continues the fantastic run of amazing episodes that Mad Men
season 1 has had and will continue to offer down the line. On to the next
episode!
Coming up on Sunday: “Shoot” staring Betty with a rifle!
That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?
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