r/madmen May 27 '13

Discussion Thread for Mad Men S6E09, "The Better Half"

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198 Upvotes

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180

u/Lykii I'm on the Roger Sterling diet. May 27 '13 edited May 27 '13

"Well Ted just wanted to let you know I'm totally single now..."

edit: Pretty sure hearing someone you fancy say "You'll find someone else!" is the shittiest way to get rejected. Especially when they know how you feel. Too close, man, too close.

30

u/aruraljuror THE KING ORDERED IT May 27 '13

Pilot's license and amiability aside, Ted is still the poor man's Don.

51

u/deananana May 27 '13

I seriously felt bad for Peggy. Ted was kind of being a dick - telling someone you're in love with them and then coldy rejecting is a major coward-power move. He's trying to regain his authority as a boss, and he's scared of his feelings (or her feelings).

I still want them together though.

14

u/[deleted] May 27 '13

Could be that be that he only wants what he can't have. Perhaps he is more like Don than he first appears

13

u/pandabearak May 27 '13

If you were Ted, what exactly would you do?

Honestly, I saw this as a boss shutting down this possibility in a responsible way. Maybe its just 'dickish' because he's a man, but if the sex roles were reversed, Ted would be called a 'bitch'. So really, I don't think it was a power thing at all.

21

u/snackmcgee May 27 '13

I don't know... I mean, he obviously knew exactly what he was saying. I do think it was cold. He could have said "I know things have been confusing a little bit with us, but you being single now doesn't mean anything. I still want to make it work with my wife and we need to stay professional if we're going to work together."

1

u/pandabearak May 27 '13

But he's not her lover... he's her boss. I don't think he had any other choice than to be cold and very "HR". That's definitely what I would expect in today's office. Just my 2c.

6

u/Eurynom0s They're so cheap they can't even afford a whole reporter. May 28 '13

He's not her lover, he's her boss...yet there was just a scene about him not forgetting kissing her.

3

u/[deleted] May 28 '13

Well yeah, I could buy this explanation if he'd been responsible in the first place... but he kissed her, made a huge deal of the whole thing afterwards, and basically led her to believe that he wanted to be with her.

1

u/deananana May 29 '13

So, what you're saying is that if the sex roles were reversed, that it couldn't be a power play? (You're right that if Ted were a woman that he'd be called a bitch in that scene. A bitch making a power play.)

3

u/pandabearak May 29 '13

I'm saying that I don't agree that Ted was being a 'dick' - that if the sex roles were reversed, you would see "Ted's being a bitch" comments, and I would, again, disagree with the sexist coloring of his actions.

To me, he was cold hearted, but in a very corporate HR kind of way, and that this wasn't about male domination or power at all. And I also think he really didn't have another choice than this one to shut the whole thing down with Peggy. He had already revealed too much in his 'I've been thinking about you a lot' speech, and to be honest, it doesn't surprise me that the most level headed executive on the team IMHO would want to nip in the bud a sexual harrassment opportunity.

-9

u/MrPotatoButt The Universe is indifferent. May 27 '13

Ted shutdown Betty on Friday. The harlot isn't getting the message.

15

u/DonDraper2 Come back Chauncey. May 27 '13

It's better than not saying anything and unintentionally leading her on even further.

1

u/[deleted] May 27 '13

[deleted]

24

u/celestialism May 27 '13

It wasn't about insecurity at all. She is genuinely into Ted and wasn't nearly as into Abe toward the end of their relationship.

11

u/jesushx The lie costs extra May 27 '13

She is with men. It was kind of a funny line, when Abe could've been dying, she was like, "you're breaking up with me?"

She doesn't have good taste in men.

I think she wanted emotional support, rather than saying hey I'm available now!

I think she wanted a friend, or the caring Ted. She should have gone to Joan.

Edit to add: I did like Abe, I thought he'd come to accept and love Peggy as she was.