Betty Draper vs. the Pigeons

After the Drapers' pigeon-training neighbor threatens to shoot their dog, Betty decides to respond.

Last two scenes and closing credits of season 1, episode 9 of Mad Men, "Shoot". Copyright Lionsgate and all that jazz.

For the record, embedding is disabled by the content owner, not because I'm a twit. I still appreciate how nice they are about use of their IP on YouTube! Thank you, Lionsgate!

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• Shoot
• Elizabeth
• Betty
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• January
• Jones
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• cruelty
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• pigeons
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[SagaciousSilence]

I agree with what asafindy said, but Betty isn't trying to free the birds. The birds can fly. Betty is completely isolated and trapped. She's angry at the birds because, while both the birds and Betty are caged, the birds can ultimately fly whereas Betty is tied by marriage, motherhood, and womanhood. I'd go crazy too if I lived in a society like that. It's a prison.

[FuriousOlm]

@SagaciousSilence The birds can fly, but are conditioned to return to their comfortable cage. That's not really freedom.

[monateddy1993]

What is the song's name anyone??? Its such a dream listening to it....

[FuriousOlm]

@monateddy1993 "My Special Angel", written by Jimmy Duncan. My Google (and YouTube) Fu says it's the original performance by Bobby Helms in 1957.

[dim533]

Ok I can get that she's like the perfect wife, however, isn't the shotgun supposed to kick back at all?

[FuriousOlm]

@dim533 It's not a shotgun, it's a BB gun. So, a low-powered air rifle.

[connect2012]

The show is unrealistic, I mean who in their right mind would be cheating on Betty lol....

[asafindy]

I think some people are missing the point here.

She isn't, in my opinion, trying to kill the birds. Notice that they cut to the birds several times and not a single one falls out of the sky.

What she is doing with BB gun is, again in my opinion, trying to scare the birds away. The birds are like her: trapped, owned by a man and controlled by him, expected to fly in circles and fly back into their cage. She wants to be free but she can't be. So she decides to free the birds. My take on it.

[bdd549]

I thought this whole scene was about her getting back at the neighbor for threatening her dog and kids, which i thought was brilliant. The birds are over her property so she has the right to shoot them just like the neighbor threatening to shoot her dog. Not have some secret message but it makes sense either way.

[Koopatroopa01]

@asafindy I think you are quite right.

[catklyst]

i laughed so hard in this scene

[Advanceist]

one of my fave scenes <3

[molcoo]

Betty is so bad-ass in this scene :)

[bamamamacat]

God I love this clip! If anyone had ever threatened to kill my kids' dog, I'd have taken a BB gun to those pigeons too! LOL.

[TaylorKingMusic]

Stop fucking thinking so much about it. The cunt of a neighbour threatened to shoot the dog; so she's just giving him a taste of his own medicine. Fucking hell people; not everything has to be analysed so much, appreciate things for the way they make you feel and hold onto the feeling the first time you saw the scene

[mrmott44]

@FuriousOlm Sorta like Betty, she could leave too.

[Shirishama1]

@Subartimaeus It definitely mattered because he sank into an epic depressive phase. Meaningless life of poo.

[Subartimaeus]

@Shirishama1

Doesn't really matter to him. You saw how easily he pegged himself a 2nd wife.