Mad Men doesn't always try and hit you over the head. A lot of the most beloved Mad Men episodes are the ones where all of a sudden we learn something that dramatically alters our perception of a character. That only happens a few times a season. Besides the perfect moment when Peggy decided to smoke marijuana, this episode is not about those moments. This is not a big episode, but it's the kind of episode that makes Mad Men the best show on TV. There are a dozen believable but absurd moments and some of them are truly hilarious. "I am so high." Ultimately, this is a show about character development, and even though Don Draper is far and away the show's greatest accomplishment, Paul, Peggy, Trudy, Sally, and even the brief moments of Roger making a crowd pleasing fool of himself are what make this a special episode. And then there's the Joan subplot. For most of the first two season's it seems like Joan is loosing her grip on the perfect world that she created, where she's queen bee, beloved by the boss, and feared by her coworkers. We see the epitome of Joan in her element and in her nightmares in this episode. In "My Old Kentucky Home," Joan is capable, even dominant, but she can't compete with the world she lives in. And even though she controls what's around her, she's never truly in control. Joan can'r be happy in her own world, while Peggy is finding satisfaction in a world completely alien to her.
This is one of the quiet Mad Men episodes, but it's pitch perfect. Little moments, like Don grabbing the beautiful grass beneath his feet, or the camera panning to the trees and then suddenly cutting to explain it steal the show over and over. This isn't an episode for new viewers or for people who aren't completely sold on the show, but for people who know and love the characters, this is an episode packed with exposition on who these people really are and if you really commit to loving this episode, it's one of the greatest character oriented episodes of TV I've ever seen.
"The thing is, I have a job. I have my own office, with my name on the door. And I have a secretary. That's you. And I am not sacred of any of this. But you are scared. Oh my god, you're scared. Don't worry about me. I am going to get to do everything you want for me. I'm going to be fine, Olive. I really am." -Peggy Olson
This is one of the quiet Mad Men episodes, but it's pitch perfect. Little moments, like Don grabbing the beautiful grass beneath his feet, or the camera panning to the trees and then suddenly cutting to explain it steal the show over and over. This isn't an episode for new viewers or for people who aren't completely sold on the show, but for people who know and love the characters, this is an episode packed with exposition on who these people really are and if you really commit to loving this episode, it's one of the greatest character oriented episodes of TV I've ever seen.
"The thing is, I have a job. I have my own office, with my name on the door. And I have a secretary. That's you. And I am not sacred of any of this. But you are scared. Oh my god, you're scared. Don't worry about me. I am going to get to do everything you want for me. I'm going to be fine, Olive. I really am." -Peggy Olson