Don Draper- Inner Music

[colorada85]

The scene is great and the music carousel also used when kodak presentation is fabulous. I think the fingers of donald draper and the music are simbolics, seems something sobrenatural and maybe morbid, like a conexion with the girl, the spring, his personal situation. He cant change.

[IndigentiaSumEgo]

Thumbs up if you thought of Spongebob Squarepants

[SoCal92057]

Draper wears American Optical (AO) sunglasses. The other brand (RE) was not even in business at the time the show is set in.  Go to AOEyewearOnline. com

[randysuchy]

What if the grass and this long lost pagan ritual symbolize him getting in touch with a deeper more down to earth existance and the spirit of spring? I see him a bit creepy but more feeling the wave of a more natural existance

[billeagle51]

Dam! that's one Lady that I wish was still on the show..Abigail Spencer. Classy Lady, loved her character.

[TheNoCoincidence]

she is so fucking marriable ..can you even say that? i am from germany..the intersting thing about mad men..i was in love with betty at the beginning and with every episode i could understand more and more how lonely one must feel to be with beautiful woman which is just flat and not deep at all...this woman here..wow

[tiberiusgun]

don's all like, "locked on target."

[anticlimatic21]

You people are sick and twisted. Don is not a very developed feeler, not very in touch with his emotional side. Miss Feral is very much a feeler-- bursting with joy and happiness. He wants to FEEL what she feels. Feeling in general is very alluring to him, as it's such a foreign concept. Touching the grass is symbolic of his simple desire to feel what she feels...since she's barefoot, and also feeling the grass.

[Lawgirlt]

I think he was stroking the grass because he was wondering what it felt like on her soft bare feet. Yes, creepy

[8223Lucky]

@Lawgirlt

Or possibly it has been so long for even himself to feel what grass may feel like under his feet, and he admires her free spirit. He lives a cutthroat life, where the simple things such as running around like a kid in the grass have long past...??? Hes admires her which intrigues him?

[rogerdemarcos]

Under normal circumstaces one could be excused for taking a pointed interest in a beautiful maiden dancing around barefoot in the sunshine, but given the phallic symbolism of the maypole and it being a fertility rite... it would be positively rude not to notice her! I think he touches the grass not as some remote petting but to make the seen more real for himself... and by suggestion us. We are being metaphysically 'earthed'

[SagaciousSilence]

Don't be fooled, Don is checking out the little boy in the red shirt.

[diablecita]

PURE EROTISM.

[alexisfreeman]

"Type MYPRIZE instead of YOU in youtube and hit enter"

[teenloveCC]

Don is such an asshole.

[dem0819]

Probably just me, but the music sounds like it was partially inspired by the romance from Prokofiev's Lt. Kije.

[powerpuffgir1]

Thank you!

[constipatedart]

I also hear music when I see women dancing around poles.

[Munchausen45]

Is it just me or does the Maypole music make you feel like someon'e about to order a Krabby Patty...

[vladosaber]

Its David Carbonara - Mad men suite - best after "Lipstick" by my opinion!

[cheeseymenolikey]

he's nursing a semi.

there's some seriously good looking woman on this show. Even the mature wife of comedian wasn't half bad. The best one for me though is Cara Buono as dr faye miller. she is unbelievably hot.

[SagaciousSilence]

Am I the only one who wanted Don to stay with this teacher just to gaze at her hot body?

[derris]

Abigail Spencer (the teacher) is SO GEORGEOUS !!

[nilofarish]

from which episode is this?

[billeagle51]

Mad Men is a powerful series for me. Jon Hamm (Don Draper) reminds me of my dad..almost same looks and mannerisms. With my dad U never knew what he was thinking..but I always knew that WW II, 17 Airborne, "Bulge" may not be to far from his mind. I miss the guy, but when I see this series brings back many a strong private flashback to the 60's when I was in my early teens. This series for me is art in motion.

[blahblahblahuser]

This clip is Don Draper.

He watches a young, fresh, new woman dance into his life--the teacher.

Just then, he leans down to touch the freshly cut grass.

This is Don: constantly chasing after what's "new"--whether it be through advertising, through a new identity, or through women.

It's also the American Dream and the frontier myth: moving westard in a constant search for something newer. Something better. Something.

[10337152]

i wish abigail spencer played megan... she's sexier and has better teeth...

[powerpuffgir1]

I've listened to Carousel...this isn't it. Still trying to find this particular piece of music. Does anyone know the name? Is it Carbonara?

[axecalibore]

@powerpuffgir1 It's a small part of Carousel by Carbonara. You Tube not letting me post the link for some reason. It doesn't start right away, it's in the middle some place.

[mekaview]

@powerpuffgir1 rivers of babylon?

[vladosaber]

@powerpuffgir1

Maybe its Lipstick thats my favourite song of his!

[greham]

@powerpuffgir1 It is carousel, listen to it once again.

[ifureadthisdie]

Am i the only one who thought SPONGEBOB at 0:52

[axecalibore]

Sally's pretty teacher Suzanne Farrell was played by Abigail Spencer. It's funny that David Carbonara would have titled this music Carousel, because that was a different famous scene in Mad Men, with a sad, rather than dreamlike, sybaritic melody.

[depp8444]

@axecalibore YOu summed it up quite well DandAInTAc

[Cometua]

The music part i meant starts at 1:31minutes.

[Cometua]

Ah, I found it :-D - Carousel by David Carbonara.

[axecalibore]

@Cometua Good work, Cometua. I'm enjoying it now. Includes both the dreamy Maypole dance and Don's tugging on the heart strings sales pitch for slide projectors,

[Cometua]

I like a lot the impressive and beautiful music at the end of the scene. Does anyone know the name of the piece or the name of the composer? :-)

It would be fantastic. Greetings!

[silvershields]

mmmm don draper!

[billeagle51]

Always thought the teacher was a beauty..I was hoping that their would be more to that romance..I felt bad for her when it ended the way it did..

[hermanthebold]

I've found this piece of music particularly poignant....does anyone know what it is called or where it could be obtained? I'd love to have the full, unadulterated track.

Lol. Adultery. Don Draper. Geddit? But yes, does anyone know what this piece is called?

[LudwigVanDirks]

Does any one know where to find this piece of music?

[LudwigVanDirks]

This scene wins.

[Dontbeahater102]

1. don draper 2. hank moody 3. up to you

[Kazikox]

I'm torn. I sometimes love Don, other times hate him. Just when you think you've figured him out, they turn everything around. There haven't been any other character that I hated and admired so many times.

[DandAinTac]

This clip is a good illustration of Draper's dark side. I think this is the closest he comes to actually feeling creepy to me, with those shades, and looking at Sally's teacher with lust, even as his daughter goes around the Maypole. Draper is a profoundly ambiguous character, just when you really like him and admire him, a scene like this happens, and when you start thinking he's a hollow cad, he wins you over again. He is a complex, gray, character.

[axecalibore]

@DandAinTac

Very true. Good comment.

[sameshirtman111]

@DandAinTac I don't think he's being necessarily creepy. I think that he sees the kid's and teacher's joy, and he realizes its been so long since he's felt that way. I think he reaches down to touch the grass to feel once more, even if its a simple pleasure, like dancing around a maypole.

[DandAinTac]

@sameshirtman111 Maybe you're right. That's a sign of how ambiguous Don, and Mad Men in general is--and open to interpretation. I will say that it is overwhelmingly tempting to give Don the benefit of so many doubts. I really like Don. He's very charismatic, but it cannot be denied that he has a dark side, more so than someone like, say, Harry Crane--and I think this scene really shows that.

[callmepresh]

@DandAinTac.......dark side? creepy? this might be the one beautiful scene of Don. does everyone forget betty is a cold bitch, especially with her children? and he had a shitty childhood. so here is this teacher, dancing, with the children in bare feet...he touches the grass to feel a part of it. its his longing for joy, and yes, longing for the teacher. i loved them together, and this is the scene that does all of us women in - can we save him??

[DandAinTac]

@callmepresh I appreciate your defense of Don, and I agree that Betty is a cold woman, and Don's childhood. I don't mean to claim that Don, is all dark and creepy. He is a gray, ambiguous, and oh so human character. I maintain that this is showing his dark side. His family is right there, include his child, and that's her teacher. There are reasons for Don's behavior, but not excuses. I still like him though. Question: if Betty were more like Suzanne the teacher, would he still cheat?

[callmepresh]

@DandAinTac WOW, good question. probably - he's so handsome arent women throwing themselves at him!! hes only a man afterall, but id like to think that he wouldnt. that his whole life he has been searching for love and true acceptance. thats what this scene meant to me. the teacher is free to feel the cool green grass on her feet, while his are encased in properly shined business shoes. that slight gesture, of hands to grass...oh the longing! which is why its beautiful and not creepy

[DandAinTac]

@callmepresh Yes, we WANT to think he wouldn't, but we know there's a good probability he would. I read somewhere that at first they didn't really want Jon Hamm in the role, because they were afraid he was too good looking, and wanted an ACTOR not a pretty boy. But after he put on the suit, and did his hair in the early 60s style, and took him on to the set, they noticed that women on the set all "wilted". The season opener really displayed his dark side, but also made you feel sorry for him.

[DandAinTac]

@callmepresh Presh, I'd love to hear your comment on the new episode and how this affects your thinking about Don. For me, it has validated my concept of his character. Magnetic, but very human, capable of things that make us admire him, and things which intensely disappoint us. Yet in a way, it makes me sympathize with him when I know I should be angry and maybe not be so sympathetic.

[callmepresh]

@DandAinTac - I can't believe how much the writer understands people. He's divorced - wife running off with a very interesting choice of man don't you think. Anyway, when your personal life doesn't turn out like you plan, it's very easy to say fuck the world. He's looking for something real, yet he is not real. He's mad at Betty but of course he understands that he's to blame, or not...And he's great at doing something phoney. I think it gives him power but makes him sick with himself.

[callmepresh]

@DandAinTac ive been divorced and as a single mom, no matter how much i try, i fail somewhere, and you just feel like giving up, but you can't. Shh, I don't ever see what is so wrong with infidelity. Life is long and one person seems like such an unattainable concept. I don't know, maybe I love Don cause I get him. LOL- and I don't consider myself dark or creepy!! ;-) I do not really enjoy him liking to get slapped tho. Seems to me like they are making Don the scapegoat 4 all suits

[callmepresh]

@callmepresh Its just a tv show and I love seeing him with lots of women!! It's what makes the show sexy...

The only scenes that disturb me are when Betty is mean to her kids. Oh and what Pete did. OH and what about the secretary being a racist!! That's the stuff that bothers me about people.  Sex?? not so much.

[DandAinTac]

@callmepresh I have seen people terribly hurt by infidelity. My own opinion is that the key issue is what promises are made, and what expectations are there in a relationship. Sex is one thing, betrayal and broken promises another. Curious thing about Betty is she doesn't really seem hurt, does she? I know people react differently, but although she sometimes seems angry or frustrated, she never seems heartbroken about anything. Has there ever been a single tear of sorrow?

[callmepresh]

@DandAinTac. I see I'm not alone in my defense of Don which is why the show is so brilliant. On the surface he seems like an unfeeling scoundrel, but we see it's his armor. Is he an asshole? I guess but the other side is this hurt little boy. And Betty is not mad at him for being unfaithful, she hates him for not being Don Draper. I've seen terribly hurt by way more harmful things than infidelity, its just your perception of what makes a great relationship.

[DandAinTac]

@callmepresh The real cause of Betty's anger with Don might be him not being Don? That's a very insightful suggestion. Note how she found out about his infidelity earlier, and their marriage survived, but then when she found out about his identity... Maybe that blew away the armor? I think neither of them really knew the other.

[billeagle51]

@DandAinTac Hmm, interesting comments, but on Betty I sometimes wonder if their is also a dark side to Betty. She hits her kid pretty violently. And when she had the little boy in her kitchen, I always wondered about that scene. In reality, their are dark sides to both characters. I was surprised with Don's "masochistic" side, that caught me off guard, and then also Betty's pent up anger with her daughter, and then throws her in the closet or beats her.

[billeagle51]

@DandAinTac And one more comment. When Betty's father was alive, he would make comments about Betty, that were pretty off the wall to the point of thinking of child molestation. I always think of Betty trying to mentally drown something out in her background. But, I could be entirely wrong. But the scene's and episodes with her father could have been taken very many different ways, and the solo night out that she had in the Bar, if U remember! I think their is a very dark side to Betty.

[DandAinTac]

@billeagle51 I find Betty to be a very cold-hearted woman--even to her own children. Although Don was the initial one who was philandering, and she was faithful, it's hard to sympathize with her and fault Don for that reason. There's no doubt Betty has her Dark Side too. As much as I hate the idea of Gene doing something like that, I think this possibility you mentioned is a direction they could take the story that might explain something about Betty. The complexity and ambiguity is great.

[billeagle51]

@DandAinTac Good to know, I thought I was the only one thinking that!

[DandAinTac]

@callmepresh Presh, I have a theory that all men are born with a dark, and yes, somewhat creepy side to them that they must learn to control. It lurks in the dark recesses of mens' hearts, and sometimes bubbles up and influences them. In some way it is linked to the sex drive. I don't know--maybe I've had too much literature or Freudian psychology.

[callmepresh]

@DandAinTac and oh my goodness!! i dont even know what to say to this comment. men are sexy, but they arent women. thats why you always need women friends. and there are a lot of dark and crazy women out there. damn just read the comments all over the internet! meaness is the character of the day. ok, now i actually hate seeing Don in that raunchy apartment, albeit accurate after divorce. i cant wait for him to rise again. unlike you, i need him to be kick ass and strong. i love don!

[DandAinTac]

@callmepresh To which comment? Please let me know so I can answer better. Also, where did you get the notion that I don't want Don to "kick ass and be strong?"

[Vercazi]

@DandAinTac

Agreed, but I also think this scene demonstrates Don's desire for simplicity; the freedom and joyfulness of the dance taps into his old self (as shown in the Carousel scene). He wants that happiness back in his life. He brushes the grass with his fingers because he’s forgotten what it feels like.

[DandAinTac]

@Vercazi Insightful point. Maybe he does. Sometimes it seems like he does, yet he also keeps making his life complicated. All the lovers on the side, seeking increasing responsibilities at the office, and so on. I think these impulses run in all of us. We yearn for the simple, yet we always want more. Yeah, I can see how that can be seen in this scene.

[Juliabb245]

@Vercazi that is exactly how I felt watching this scene!! It is one of the only insights we as the audience see, that Don is craving purity, which is shown by as simple gesture as touching the grass! Which is probably the reason he loves this woman! He sees in her something he is missing in his life!

I actually think this is one of my favorite scenes of mad men! I love how in the begining how modern he and betty look, and towards the end you see how it is just a show.

[TheSharkPool]

@DandAinTac His "internal struggle" is the most interesting thing about the whole show, and done so well.

Truth is that DD is no different than most men I know. The conflict that is in you that says "do the right thing" and then the part of you that just wants to do what you want to do... and beggar the consequences. These kind of sequences are what sets Mad Men apart from any TV show I have seen. It's fantastic.

[pearlmode]

@DandAinTac You're right. A very gray character indeed. It looks like he was dreaming of touching her skin by feeling the earth with his finger tips. Or it could be interpreted as by simply touching the same earth as her barefeet did, he felt connected to her. A very sensual and dark scene.

[DandAinTac]

@pearlmode That's what makes him so interesting and sympathetic, isn't it? So often, heroes with Don's good looks seem to be perfect--and if they're the bad guy, perfectly evil.

[katknows]

@DandAinTac I disagree. I think he isn't looking at her with lust, but with a feeling of youth. She may remind him of one of his teachers, his mother, or anybody else that reminds him of his childhood innocence. He touches the grass because he remembers playing in the fields with no shoes on and wanted to feel what it was like to touch the grass again, as he saw the woman frolic barefooted.

[DandAinTac]

@katknows I'm open to that interpretation--but knowing Don, do you really believe this is that innocent? Especially given that he soon has an affair with her? That this scene has no special significance beyond nostalgia? I'll grant you though, that nostalgia is a major theme in this series.

[Meowth666]

@DandAinTac What? That was not what I got from watching that clip. At all.

Don lives his life as a "suit" always formal and aloof. What I got from watching that was that he saw someone being truly happy and free, dancing around on bare feet. That moment of touching the grass shows how much he longs to be out there with them, not having to worry about appearances for a moment.

[DandAinTac]

@Meowth666 That's an interesting take. Don's not really free--is he? He likes being Don Draper, but he's also a prisoner of his false identity. Will Don ever be truly free?

[NFDChiefRet]

@DandAinTac

IMHO: Don Draper is a complex character.

Draper's character loves women. When he sees someone attractive... beautiful... his mind drifts... and fantasizes a little. He sees his daughter's teacher, she is dancing barefoot... He subtly touches the grass... somehow, by touching the same grass the teacher's bare feet are dancing on, he also touches her feet, touches her. That's all he wanted. She appealed to him visually, he wanted to touch her.

Many men have similar thoughts....

[chizzangs]

@DandAinTac nice comment, youtube needs more people posting educated comments like this

[deathcabforjessie]

sexiest scene on mad men in my opinion.

[callmepresh]

@deathcabforjessie ME TOO!!

[tobybeanz]

Does anyone know the name of this piece of music? It was used for the closing credits of this episode as well. Sounds a bit like a Thomas Newman piece.

[axecalibore]

Oh, you mean Donnie Darko- Mad World! You're right. Some similarity. I never would have made that connection. Good catch.

[axecalibore]

What is "mad world"? Is it slow, dreamy and seductive?

[MrAvidLearner]

don's inner music sounds a bit like 'mad world'

[TheGreatZurEnRaah]

The reason why I love Don Draper is because there's so much more to the man than he lets you see. He hides behind this conventional, typical man of the times who's just like every other husband/father working to support a family image yet he's so much more complex. There's a depth to him which we may never truly understand no matter how bad we try and that's what keeps us watching. That hope that the truth will be revealed but it never is and that mystery is what makes him so attractive.

[axecalibore]

She seemed nice at first. Her brother is odd. Maybe that's a setup for further weirdness.

[crankygingercat]

I hope her character never returns to the show. She's a psycho.

[axecalibore]

Totally agree! Now that Don and Betty have split up, he and Suzanne should get busy.

[Minnexyz]

Definitely the hottest woman Don has cheated on Betty with. IMHO