Last nights episode was fantastic. Having lived through that time, about Sally’s age. I was struck by to tone set and how there was this tone of doom. Think about a constant interchange between a couple of different characters. It went something like this:

“What’s happening, what do we do now?”

“Everything will be all right”

“How do you know that, how can you be sure?”

That last line is the lasting testament to the Kennedy assassination. It seems before November 1963 you could turn to somebody you love, a dad, mom, husband, faith leader it would be enough to hear that everything would be okay, after November 63 you HAD to ask the last part of the interchange, because you were just not sure that “everything would be okay.” If they could kill the president, then what could you be sure of anymore?

On another note, that tedious time spend on “getting the right look” really pays off, when you consider that the creator set the scenes that were reminiscent of the time of year. The scene in the living room, when Betty comes upon Dom sleeping on the sofa in that twilight before darkness is such a somber and depressing time, quite possibly the worse time to receive bad news. Everything that set the tone last night was subtle and understated, but very ominous. This is why Matt Weiner is the genius he is. This episode was very disturbing to those of us that lived through it as children. I was personally taken back, to a time I had thought I had left behind. The time of uncertainly, and great sadness were very overwhelming and frankly, I wish I hadn’t watched it at 10 PM; I had a hard time falling asleep.

It really looks like the end of a lot of things, on a lot of fronts. But the other idea to consider is that we are probably at the bottom of a very deep valley in the lives of the characters so the “upswing” should be very interesting. But I personally could have lived without this part of the ride, the memories of scary uncertainly, I could live without those thoughts invading my mind, or maybe it is a reminder of the “stuff” we live with today.

Great post. The weather was right, too. That cold, howling wind that can be heard in the kitchen when Don comes downstairs the next morning after Betty tells him she doesn't love him anymore. Just achingly dismal.