I agree with your assessment of Don. He's a man whose family could never afford the products he helps market and one who has seen war and death so maybe he feels his efforts to fit into his world as a little trivial but necessary.

sometimes I just cannot stand don draper and then he turns around and says something really sweet to his poor suffering wife

Besides the fact that I love him?

Don epitomizes the tall, dark and handsome male of the late fifties and early sixties. He appears to be a man's man and a women's fantasy, however, because his past is a secret, he has not allowed his wife to know who he really is. He wants to keep up the "image" he showed her in college , and this prevents the itimacy needed to strenghten their relationship and marriage.
When he was presented with evidence that he is not who he says he is by Pete, he looses it and wants to run away. He shows up at Rachel's and asks her to leave with him. She is disgusted by his reaction and tells him to go. It leads me to believe he is a weak man under all his masculinity.

Did Don ever go to college? The real Don Draper was an engineer (on one of the quizzes), so who knows? Anybody else? I wondered about college, too.

Tall, Dark, Handsome, Tortured - Only the Best for Madison Avenue! But Don does have a heart, and shows it every once in a while in surprising ways, usally toward women.

I enjoyed the scene when Don was in the elevator and he snatched the hat off of the head of that slimy character, teaching him to show some respect for the lady. I know that is very old-fashioned to some, but I wouldn't mind seeing people treat each other with a little more respect these days.

Don Draper is an extremely complex man with many issues inside himself that are unresolved. Like my late father, a self-made, very ambitious man, no college degree, but told others he went to Dartmouth to fit in, insecure, like Don, attracted to women who not only give him sex, but a sense of 'making it' with a beautiful woman to hide his veneer of insecurity. Don is on a journey to find himself, Betty is the corporate wife who puts up, and in that day and age, supports her husband for the sake of the children. Don and Betty are THE GOLDEN COUPLE, but beneath the cover lies a mold of despair and unhappiness.

To Andy. I don't know whether you have initiated other conversations on the Mad Men Talk Forum, but It's refreshing to have new participants in these exchanges. I don't mean to be unkind, but I welcome new voices to the discussions. I like the way you are going past the stereotypes and singling out character traits that probe the complexities. I long for new voices on these forums.

Good point JAMM54. We only see Dick Whitman take Don Draper's dog tags, how did he get the rest of his credentials? Diplomas? etc.

I think Don/Dick is one of the most interesting characters in television ever. Of course we know very little of him as Dick but I think he bleeds through Don as well. He never comes off as racist or class oriented, and the only sexism he shows is towards Rachel but that stems from his attraction to her, all indicative of the kinder Dick Whitman. Also his detachment and ability "to see the world laid out in front of him" was something Dick also felt. Remember in "Babylon" when he has the flashback of his brother being born and he immediately responds with "he ain't my brother", I think this shows he never felt like he belonged. The only difference between the two is confidence.

I like him when he punks the dude in the elevator and when he stands up for Peggy and when he forces Campbell's hand in front of Cooper and comes out on top. And I hate him when I see him with his family. How he treats his wife and kids as objects of his ego, the only times he interacts with them are when he's feeling bad (watch "The Hobo Code"). Not to mention how he abandoned his brother and drove him to suicide. In the end I would say he's a pretty awful person but interesting as hell.

he has faked his way all his life ... just like in the presentation he gets the idea last minute without having to prepare for it because he is hollow inside he has run away from his past (who could blame him) he probably doesn't feel he is good enough for betty and that is why he sees other women but I think in the 2nd season he will stop fooling around but Betty is going to start ... I just hope it doesn't become a soap opera

Don Draper and his wife Betty are both complicated characters who are harbouring secrets from each other.
Don does not communicate with his wife, preferring instead to let his hair down with his mistress Rachel. Betty also keeps her real feelings and concerns to herself. Their marriage is polite but distant as if they were just acquaintances.

Don definitly has many sides to his personality. He can be kind and fair to the people who are not close to him: his mistress, co-workers, but cold and cruel to those who love him: his brother and his wife. It's as if Don considers people who are family threats because they might find out not just his alternate identity, but who he really is inside.

Don/Betty are both riddles I think. While it might be obvious why Don chose Betty, it's less clear why Betty chose Don, considering the differences in family background. I expect that we'll learn more about Betty in this season which may explain why Don/Betty 'clicked'. Pete/Peggy is another version of the Don/Betty pairing. These are realistic characters and pairings that are a refreshing change from the stereotype characters that we are accustomed to seeing on TV today. Thank you!

I think Don's education comes from the real Don Draper in the army. The real Don Draper was an officer and not in the army very long. This could mean that the real Don Draper went to college and then decided to enlist, which would make him automatically an officer, right? Don/Dick prefers office people over family because he doesn't have to be vulnerable and personable with office people. We have a love/hate relationship sometimes with Don. He grabs his mistress and they go to town with sex right then and there when she answers the door in her shirt and underwear. Betty in her Victoria Secret outfit gets an unenthusiastic look, an lighthearted "wow" as he pushes her aside making his way into the bathroom to take a dump. Not exactly the way a hot, young wife should to be treated.

Don's passive reaction in the hotel room mystified me (or maybe not if you're old marrieds - I don't know). The unenthusiastic "wow" dampened their intimate evening before it even got started.

Yes, it'll be interesting to find out whether Don and Betty have been having "hand to hand" combat for the last year and a half. Don knows how to get angry and show it. Betty knows how to feel angry and not show it. Shall the twain ever meet?

One remark she made in "Red in the Face" from last season really surprised me. When Don aggressively grabbed her arm (after the Roger pass), she was quick to say "do you want to bounce me off the wall?".

Where does that come from? Why would she say that - prior experience? With Don? Dad? Mom? Former boyfriend?

I could see Don being a woman beater. He came from the type of background where you could see the Dad bouncing the Mom off the walls. Even though we feel sorry for Don's background, doesn't mean the abuse didn't flow down to him. That's how it usually flows. However, with Betty's Mom being so verbally cruel to Betty, she could have been physically cruel as well. Betty did talk about the boy she first kissed and I will have to go back to that episode to see what she told Don. Maybe that was the boyfriend who bounced her off the wall. Anyone remember what episode that was?

I think don and betty met after he was established as an executive and they both don't really know each other just dazzled/blinded by each others good looks and for his career what would look better for a successful man than a perfect "looking" marriage