Cool Whip’s a chemical imitation of the real thing, something that’s designed to taste good enough to surpass the original, so long as you just give in and “taste it.” But Cool Whip—like Miracle Whip or a maraschino cherry—is only good as a substitute so long as you’re not intimately acquainted with the real thing. Cool Whip tastes good, but mostly in isolation. It melts down into a miracle, maybe, but it can’t compete with the taste of real whipped cream, ideally done yourself in your own kitchen. The characters most central to tonight’s episode—Don, Peggy, Pete, and Megan—have all done their fair amount of looking for sustenance in a substitution, but the substitution will always start to taste a little empty if you give it too much thought. It’s why Don and Peggy’s attempt to replicate Don and Megan’s easy banter falls flat (in a scene that’s one of the most cringeworthy of the whole series). They’re trying to replicate something that can’t be replicated.Mostly I'm freaked out by the existence of Don Draper, Supportive Husband. Okay, sure, in private he may turn off "Tomorrow Never Knows," but at least he gave it a try. But to see him accept Megan's decision to leave SCDP so calmly, so soon after their tumultuous evening at Howard Johnson's, and to not fire Peggy on the spot after her outburst at the dessert lab ... if Don Draper is growing up, I'm not sure I know this show anymore.
Monday, May 7, 2012
COOL HWIP: Just try it! Or taste it! Is there such a thing as a Mad Men metaphor being too spot-on? TVDW:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)