It probably WILL escalate.

It probably WILL escalate.

I have a question, what was it that Don said right before Betty pushed him and then he pushed back? I couldn't make out what he said.

She said something about bringing things home, and Don said something like you don't want me to bring what happened today home with me (presumably the American Airlines fiasco). I'd push you out the window. He got up in her face, and she pushed him back. Then he pushed her back.

Thanks Kay. Boy that was an intense scene. When Don pushed her back, my jaw dropped.

This shouldn't have been a major surprise. Remember that Don grabbed her arm in season 1, and she said, "You want to bounce me off the walls? Will that make you feel better?" This was after she didn't encourgae Roger's flirtations when he came over to their house for dinner. Tons of foreshadowing in Mad Men....

I think he pushed her back as a sort of "how do you like it" action. She keeps pressing him to spank Bobby, and he doesn't want to, and so he pushed her back in that scene so she can see how it feels. I think he was saying "I can throw you out the window if I wanted to," as well as "It's not good to hurt people" and "Stop pushing me around". There was a lot communicated in that push, from both of them. I don't think it's going to escalate, though. To me, it felt like that was his final word on the subject of spanking, especially coupled with the last scene where he told Betty how he was beaten by his father. I think she understood and isn't going to press him any longer, and he's not going to feel the need to fight back with her. But I think there is a fight on the horizon somewhere, and I bet it's with Duck. I love this show!

OMG I was so surprised that Don pushed Betty so hard. Yet Don grew up in an abusive home and was subject to his father's meaness. He wasn't having a great day and Betty may have puched him over the edge of tolerence, but they both have alot of pent up anger. She said she was home alone all day with them ( the Children) Out numbered. What a statment. Who is the parent here Betty. She is expecting Don to do all the disciplining around the house. Wait until your father gets home. Yes, we got that line too when I was younger, but my Mother was in charge and we knew it. Betty is so wimpy with her children. Yellling at them for ever little thing will not get the results she would like. I know she loves her children, but gettng drunk on a sunday afternoon and they both didn't know that the kids hadn't had supper yet.

I think Betty is really on the edge of something. She's wound pretty tightly, and she's going to act out soon in some way. She flirted with the tow driver to get him to fix her car. That was foreshadowing something . . .

Both are tightly wound these days. But it ended with a great breakthrough for them. Don finally opened a window crack on his childhood suffering and she responded with true compassion. Whether it leads anywhere is hard to say but it was progress of a sort.

Oh, I don't think it will necessarily escalate. I think Don will take himself out of the situation with his family before that happens - like going outside or driving off in the car.

Maybe Betty will pay more attention to "cues" from Don's mood walking in the door. It was a breakthrough that Don actually expressed a "feeling", and past history. It made Betty feel closer to him, and try to comfort him. Betty snuggling up to him and putting her arm around him was acceptance - "it's okay to show me how you feel". I think that was very loving. She wasn't trying to "get" anything from him, she was "giving" to him. It shows Don he can reveal and trust, even after an outburst and fight.

And the fact that he had a similar scene with his son, Bobby......he lets Bobby comfort him, and he comforts Bobby. That was openess from Don that I haven't seen since he told Rachel about his mother.

BTW, congrats on your MM win this week chesterton!

Thanks for bringing this up!

What I thought was most interesting about The Push was how, well, non-violent it seemed. I didn't get "spousal abuse" .... I got 2 schoolkids in a sort of "make me .. no, YOU make me!" kind of exchange. And it seemed pretty evenly matched, didn't it? Don already put the line out there about "put you through the window". It seemed like he pushed back w/the same amount of force as Betty pushed him.

I actually thought it was kinda .... hot!