Mad Men

In the scene of Glenn entering Betty's house and facing Glenn, who has been staying in the small playing house of children for a few days, we realize from his appearance that he is in emotional and physical distress in the face of seeing Betty.

The Culmination of a Complex Relationship

The coincidence of this event with the separation (seemingly temporary from the viewer's point of view) of Betty and Don becomes the culmination of the relationship between Glenn and Betty. The point at which both must make a decision.

Let's forget the age difference between the two for a moment. Betty, whose love for Don (which has been proven many times in these two seasons) is pure, sometimes even more exaggerated than her behavior, which is specific to the behavior of women in that time of the '60s (the time of the story of the series). And she, like a child, reacts to what is happening to her.

Don Through Glenn

In the next scene, Glenn is standing in front of Betty (bottom-up angle of the camera) with Don's clothes—it's exactly like we are watching Don coming into the kitchen. It can be interpreted in such a way that Betty, for the few hours that Glenn is in her house, dresses him up like Don (the Don she has in her mind and supports him, even admits his mistakes and even smiles when he confesses).

And sit next to him and watch TV—in these two seasons we almost do not see Don and Betty sitting in their own house in front of the TV at all. And more importantly, the smile of Betty's satisfaction that attracts attention at this point.

The Golden Hours

This is how I conclude this scene: these few hours (after the night before Betty asks Don for sex but tells her on the way home that "we were just pretending") are the golden hours that Betty is somehow saying goodbye to the Don she had in mind.

Farewell may be bitter—bitter in the sense that it is a farewell to the Don she has had in her mind all these years and has loved him, and even to the real Don who has been living with her. And more importantly, he is saying goodbye to Betty at this point.

Sacrifice for Survival

Betty throws her last particles out of the house (a metaphor for her living environment). As she calmly calls Glenn's mother in her face, we do not see any sadness and grief from returning Glenn to her mother. Although we know that Betty knows that Glenn's mother was not a good mother for him, with all this, somehow Betty does what she has to do to survive.

Destroying and passing over a child who once loved a man and did not consider herself a power—but now she reaches a point where she has to sacrifice this child for something else that is growing inside her. Someone who no longer has to rely on her husband and wants to make a decision and can make a decision for the first time and drive the man out of the house.

The Power of Silence

The most important point in this scene is the lack of music (to create a space in any way), a special act or scenery or something out of the ordinary. It should be noted that the scene itself has so much meaning in it that it does not need anything to achieve its goal.

In this way, we can say that anything added spoils the scene. Because this scene represents a scene inside a person's mind—a so-called scene from Betty's mind and feelings that no music is normally played in her mind. Because for her, this decision is not accompanied by any excitement.

The Structural Importance

This episode is the most important episode of this season. From the beginning of the season, the storyline suddenly ties in with Don and Betty. This knot means it has to be untied somehow—by solving the problem between the two, or their separation, or anything else. This is the reason why this node is at its peak (where the node becomes more important than all the other sub-stories and stories in the series because the continuation of the whole story depends on it).

Why This Episode Matters:

One: The next chapter is on its way. The story must continue in an interesting and smooth way.

Two: We had enough stories and sub-stories and other sub-nodes with the situation before these conflicts, and in a way, the tension of the story should not be more than with the previous storyline.

Three: It is impossible to accept the contradiction of the fact that Don, after betraying Betty many times, will finally find his way in peace. Although we see in the presentation of a product he sees photos of their youth and tears well up in his eyes, somewhere he must finally face the consequences of these betrayals. (Although Betty finds no trace of betrayal, he, like us who watch the show, has betrayed.)

Four: In the next two episodes, we have to see clues from the main storyline of the next season, and this knot has to be untied so that we can see the next season (the continuation of their lives) in other modes as well. And most importantly, the series must show Betty that she has the power to make that decision.