We also get a sharp tie-in back to Don's ghosts from Episode 1: Look closely at the elfin teacher and you'll see she's wearing a billowing white nightgown, just like Betty Draper last week, and all the women who brought Don into the world.

Ah Ha! The mother complex!!

If Faran Krentcil's suggestion that there is a pattern linking Sally's teacher to other women with billowing white nightgowns in Don's life to his own shadowy origins has credence, then one aspect of Don Draper's character is highly reminiscent of Murasaki Shikibu's THE TALE OF GENJI's protagonist, Genji--a young man haunted by a mother figure he never knew, constantly chasing after substitutes, but unable to openly discuss it with anyone.

For me, the poignancy of that last scene where Don is stroking the grass while watching the teacher is his realization that the life he has chosen is so much more complicated and unsatisfying than when he began pursuing it by taking on the identity of Don Draper. The sight of this woman dancing with innocent abandon triggers within him a such a desire for a life where he could be free to act on his sexual attraction to this woman, one less colored by so many layers of deception, one where he could be honest with who he was and who he has become up until that point in his life.

Don is fully aware of the choices he has made and the responsibility that comes with them (career, wife, kids, and extended family relations) and he is unwilling to completely destroy everything in his current life to get what he really wants--I don't think that he's in any position to admit to himself, let alone know, what he really wants. Which gets us back to Krentcil's and zabadu's suggestion that what drives much of Don's character is mostly subconscious turmoil.

Who cold miss Don putting down his waxed paper cup to feel the grass while he watched the teacher dancing? I think that says a lot, while all of the parents were standing or sitting on chairs far away from the grass. What this said to me was that he wants to get grounded. Hopefully we'll see less cheating and more scenes with his family. Something he never had in his life, to finally put down roots and realize what needs to be done to end his inner turmoil. To be the father he never had. I could go on forever, but I won't.

Would men today find Ann-Margret's song and dance as appealing as they did in 1963? Sure, she's visually attractive, but is that crazed, wide-eyed look still appealing to American men? It's an honest question, not a loaded comment.

Yes, and the fashions just ever so slightly edge foreward because that's the way it really happened. We did not go from plaid shirtwaists to poorboy sweaters and go-go boots over nite then, and I'm glad Janie Bryant is at the helm clothing wise to prevent that sort of cultural mistake now.

As for Don, is he trying to let Gene be the father he never had or just trying to be a better husband to Betty?

No mention of Joan's outfit. That dazzling blue and green was mesmerizing. Which I think was the point.

I agree with undersnacks. Ann-Margret was no doubt lovely to look at..but...and this isn't jealously....she couldn't sing and didn't act very well....I mean, it's amazing how far a nice rack can take you in this world, even today.

A little off subject here, but I noticed that Trudy Campbell's striking suit in the first episode of Season 3 seemed a little too fashion forward for '63 - looked like something out of '64-'66, a bit more on the mod side! I was utterly shocked when she appeared in it - I love mod style, but it definitely wouldn't have shown up on an Upper West Side wife in '63.

Ann-Margret is just about my most favorite female icon from the '60s. While she may not be the most versatile vocalist, you could say the same for Marilyn Monroe who successfully carried several musicals. To get a sense of AM's star power, you have to actually watch her in Bye Bye Birdie itself, not the cheesy intro (and exit) footage the studio tacked on just before its release. Also, in Viva Las Vegas, she steals away from Elvis every scene she's in.

My husband walked in when I was watching the scene with the Ann-Margaret song. He just stood there and got a strange look, like what the...? I think men today are conditioned differently than they were back then, to my dismay. I don't think the Ann Margaret type would be very interesting to men nowadays.

Klaratava, I respectfully disagree with you about Trudy's suit and hat ensemble. I thought it was very Audrey Hepburn 1963. I think Trudy would have access to the most stylish shops and I am sure shopped at the "best" places due to her family. I am sure her and her mother had an account at Dior and could buy Givenchy. :) If not, they could buy the next step down knock-offs which were out at the same time. Just my opinion. :)

The thing I was questioning was Joan's coat which looked like a Bonnie Cashin and I had to go look and see if Cashin was creating her coats like that at the time. I haven't has a chance to re-watch the episode to check if it actually was a Cashin. Can you tell I love the clothes as much as I adore the everything else about the show? hehe

FASHIONS AND A-M...I was a featured extra on the film JFK and remember how the men (on-set and off) reacted to all of us women wearing the form fitting fashions of 1963. Those men LOVED what we wore and lamented that we don't wear those same fashions today. BTW - Ann Margret is an amazing actress and singer/dancer. She had her own Vegas show for years and has had stellar turns in her dramatic roles, ie, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Tennessee Williams personally chose her for the remake), MAGIC, TOMMY, and CARNAL KNOWLEDGE just to name a few.

as for betty's appearance at the dinner with the brits- what about that shellacked tightly coiled 'do? i think it perfectly illustrates betty's need to appear in control and perfect. contrast this with the maypole dancing school teacher with wild flowers in her hair. i love how the show demonstrates how things changed in society, and how fashion can mirror this.