jamm - I concur! Loved Anna, loved her! She was so cool and sweet and full of lightness - you could see her affect on Don, it was like the weight was lifted. Just what the doctor ordered for Don....now he better get his behind back to NYC and clean up the mess he left.

I don't think he actually married Anna, though. I think he had to divorce her only because the original Don was married to her and was considered still alive by the government, so the only way Don/Dick could get married to Betty was for him to divorce the original Don's wife. They are definitely family, though.

Actually, he didn't have to marry her. He didn't marry her at all. He became Don Draper and, as such, became her husband. Which meant that when he met Betty, he needed a divorce from Mrs. Draper--the wife of record married to one Don Draper.

And I agree. She was an amazing, motherly/sisterly figure to him.

Wasn't she very loving? Anna was so warm, accepting and very "giving" to him. I really liked the fact that Don had someone in his life who knew him, what he had come from, and could be both comforting and empathetic and accepting. I like the "real" Don/Dick when he's open and expressive. Though has done some terrible things, to have first and foremost the forgiveness and acceptance of the wife of the man whose identity he stole - man, that's pretty great.

Even though it probably wasn't on-screen, I bet he talked about Adam and what happened there, and some of what has happened with Betty (though I doubt if he'd reveal his unfaithfulness to Anna).

At first, I thought it was a shame that Anna had nixed the idea of going along with being a member of Don's family and meeting Betty (when he first fell in love). But then, I realized that Anna was wise enough to understand that too many questions would come up and she didn't seem to want to lie. Didn't Anna strike you as very honest? I thought so. Great person. Too bad Betty couldn't meet her, and see how Anna talks to and treats Don. Alot of respect and affection and love there from Anna for Don/Dick.

I see Anna Draper as very much a mother figure to Don.

I do want to know this: Why did she justify to younger Don that he didn't have to tell Betty everything about himself?

I think Anna is the rare combination of idealist and pragmatic realist. If Don/Dick told Betty everything, then he'd have to explain Anna, their divorce, etc, etc. Overall, both Don and Anna have colluded in living under false pretenses.

To reveal too much to Betty will only engender more questions upon questions as each layer is peeled back. Anna's life and "identity" is then jeopardized too, I guess, if there's too much inquiry into Don/Dick's past life.

I felt the same way about Anna being a "mother figure" for Don/Dick. The strange circumstances which brought them together - only they can truly understand their special bond. Don/Dick seemed so real for the first time to me. I "heart" Anna!

She was non-judgmental and accepting. We all need an Anna Draper in our lives. And we see Don speaking the truth for a change, since Anna provides a safe place, and we finally get to see what he was thinking all season as he sat quietly not speaking. Don, smiling and talking with enthusiasm about Betty and life...we could not have appreciated the light and sea breezes had we not been through the stale darkness first.

Anna is Don's mother for sure, but he is the good son to her as well. How relaxed and helpful he is while staying with her.

This episode reminded me a little of the scene in Forrest Gump where Jenny comes home to Forest's house to sleep and rejuvenate. Only With Anna, Don can be himself and remember who that person was.

On another note, it was very sweet to see that scene where he told her about meeting Betty. It shows that Don was a human being before, now, hopefully with Anna's help, he can be a human being agian.

Hi everyone!
I tried to read the main thread...still getting through it!
I also love the character Anna Draper.
Bravo to all the Maddicts who predicted she was the one Don called from the wacky beach house!!

What I most liked about the epsiode was that Dick/Don was at peace. He seemed so happy, content.
During the porch scene, when Anna and Dick were talking, he mentioned how nice the space was, and she said something like, well, you paid for it. So I am assuming he we sending her money for years?
Did anyone else catch that? Could that be why he worked so hard to make enough money to support Betty, kids and Anna?

Anna was the type of female character the show lascked all season! She was caring, smart and warm!

Also liked YodaBert's sister. She called it out and had an edge to her personality.

Again, it's a damn shame such cool female characters were written in so late in the season!

Hi Visan! I loved the scene where Dick tells Anna he has met a woman, and she says "another one"?
Once a Dick, always a Dick!

@60sChild: Hey! Girl, I love your witty posts!

Now to our boy Dick....This is what I'd wanted to see; how he came to be the man who morphed into the sleek "Don." It's wonderful knowing he had an "Anna" in his life to give him a sense of stability. All along, stated Don/Dick needed to fall in love with himself and hopefully that whole beach scene was symbolic of that. Of course, with season 3 ordered, that "love affair" can't last too long for dramatic purposes....

Thank you Visan!! And right back at ya!!

Don could always tell Betty he was vising his ex-. :-)

Hi jamm54!
I just went back and read your opening comment.
You are right. Anna probably had a better life with Dick than her real husband Don.

It broke my heart when Dick meets her for the first time at his place, and he tells her he didn't know Don was married. And Anna seems heartbroken that Don never mentioned her. Then she makes the comment about how the real Don wanted to marry her twin sister, "the one with the good legs".
How sad was that relationship!?

Amazing how Anna and Dick found each other, and had such a warm friendship/family relationship for years.
As I said in another post, Don/Dick seemed so at peace with Anna.

Yes 60schild, when Anna was speaking of her Don, on first meeting with Dick/Don, she asked him something like 'what did he make you do'...I remember, on hearing that conversation, thinking that I had drawn real Don as a great guy, and just one sentence from Anna made me wonder at his character. Good writing does that.

I think Dick is coming to realize that Anna gave him another chance at life, and he screwed it major. He still harbors feelings for Betty and the children, and I think he needed to get in touch with Anna so she can remind him why he took her husband's idenity for. He took so he could have a long, wonderful life, and the scene where he tells her about Betty, was so emotional and heartbreaking that I teared up. At one point in time he was human being. Hence when he was doing the slide show in THE WHEEL he noticed how wonderful he was with Betty and vice versa, but since he had to become macho man Don, business man, he changed. I think he is ready to start anew with Betty and the kids. I just hope Betty takes him back, or if he does confess to her, she is understanding like ANNA. I think she will be, because all she wants out of Don is honesty and love, and I think if he opens up to her like he did ANNA his life will be back on track. I somewhat agree with Visan that he might change his ways back to cheating and lying for dramatic purposes, but all I have to say is...what if the writers and Weiner have decided to close that chapter. I wouldnt find the story lines boring, because we now have a Peggy climbing to power, Roger making a huge mistake with Jane, the company going to shit, Joan's future unhappiness instead of happiness, and all these other things. I wouldnt fine Don/Dick boring just because he decided to turn over a new leaf. Yes he is the main character but maybe his new attitude on life will inspire those around him to change for the better and not for the worst.

10:41 EST
emerygm:
If I recall correctly, Betty asked Don to fix the electric socket, not the chair. He said he would and apparently did.

The real Don Draper was from California. "I ought to be building pools, not..," which indicated he was from a warm climate.

Great thread. I, too, loved seeing more of Anna in this ep. Lots of comments here about Anna being a mother/sister to Dick. I think of her more as his Conscience. He cannot hide from her. She is the only true thing in his entire life.
I hope there are more scenes or episodes between Dick and Anna, as we move into season 3 and beyond. What a terrific dynamic their relationship creates!

This time stamp issue is driving me nuts! Gee!

Anyway, I can't gush enough about the Anna character! That, of course, means she'll not return in any way, shape or form, because, other than Don/Dick, all my favorite characters leave the show!

Posted @11:15 AM EST

Betty had a list of things to be done before her Around the World Dinner party. She had complained to him about the electric socket not getting fixed and then told him how to do it. and then complained about all the things he hadn't done....not saying anything specific about the chair. She was mad because Jimmy Barrett had told her about Don's affair with Bobbie. Then she got angry when she saw the chaie wobbled and broke it to pieces. She really was taking her anger at Don out on the chair. Don was being the good friend to Anna and fixed her chair cheerfully. He seemed so happy to be with anna...like he would have been had he been visiting his mother.

Did you notice how Don/Dick fixed the wobbly chair for Anna and remember how, when Betty asked him to do the same thing before their dinner party, he basically told her she could do it herself and we all saw what happened to that poor chair.

Anna is great. they need some more of her kind of vibe. I really liked seeing him have a friend who wants nothing from him. great too, to see that all along there's been someone who knows everything, and has had compassion for him.

for some reason, the scenes with Anna remind me of the end of Age of Innocence, where Newland's voiceover says something along the lines of 'to know that someone who knew all along, and understood, and that it was his wife...'

I'm paraphrasing, of course, but the gist is that he felt alone in his longing all those years, and to find that someone else knew and had compassion for him, was the one thing that releases him from his pain. I'm saying this badly....

this whole story with Anna was so humanizing for Don, he became someone else entirely in this episode. really beautifully done.

Don ACTUALLY has a female who is a friend in this woman Anna! With Don, it's either [as with many men] Madonna or Whore when it comes to women. Anna appears to encompass more of a complete female character. For the first time in the show, Don actually appears relaxed around someone/a woman. Probably because she knows his secret and he can drop his facade with her.

She has got to be the most 3 dimensional female he has even known.

I STILL love Don with his WONDERFULLY messed-up Self!

RobinDee

Anna is someone (perhaps the only one) that Dick trusts completely. He is Dick when he is with her. He's so completely different than when he's "Don"--the attitude, the mannerisms, the voice, everything is different about him. I don't think he planned to go back to NYC but has changed his mind. I still wonder about their life together, about what happened to change him from the guy who sold used cars to the ad man. Did Anna put him through school during the time between when she met him and when he met Betty? Anna struck me as someone completely natural. She reminds me of Joanne Woodward during that time period (50s and early 60s)--similar looks and voice. But I can't help but wonder--if Anna is so talented with her Tarot cards, why couldn't she have figured out that her husband was dead?

While I appreciate this view of kinder, gentler Don, I still cannot reconcile his horrendous treatment of his brother. Recall the scene in the diner...And I don't believe he has revealed this to Anna. He edits what he thinks she can handle because he likes himself reflected in her eyes.

ardilla: I don't think Anna was reading tarot in the 1950's when she met Dick Whitman, I took it to mean that it's part of the accepted "thing" in California, the looser version of the bohemians in Greenwich Village - west coast style.

I think Dick/Don has supported Anna like an ex-wife, and supported well. He bought her a house! That's pretty good in a span of a decade.

I agree with everyone who says Anna is an extra special person. A real soulful woman with a lot of character and nothing but Don/Dick's best interests at heart. It seems like Don has become two separate personalities. One is Dick (who he really is... a vulnerable and nice guy), the other is Don (calculating, deceitful, and confident in his arrogance) Dick really doesn't like Don and did you notice he never really admitted that he really screwed everything up until he was in the character of Dick? I think Betty would like Dick if she ever got a chance to know him. The scene where Dick took notice of the neighbors sprucing up the old car, was significant in the fact that Don never showed an interest in anything. Never had a pastime or interest in anything outside of work except womanizing. Dick seemed truly interested in cars, like he was finally getting in touch with himself again. I rather like Dick, maybe there is hope for Don afterall.

The interactions with Anna are the reasons Don/Dick makes this show for me, more than any other current character. Anna possessed a self-awareness that was sorely lacking this season amongst the female characters. Her earthiness was refreshing! Many, certainly not all, questions about Don were answered through her presence.

I get the feeling a running gag, from my POV, will be these fabulously "together" female characters popping up on Mad Men and will *poof* disappear!

Dick/Don did want Anna to stay in his life, and meet Betty. Their "last" Christmas scene where he tells Anna about Betty, wanting to marry her, and asking for a divorce. Anna laughed (kindly) at his suggestion of being a part of his Don Draper life and being passed off as a cousin. Anna knew it wouldn't work, and just raise more questions for Betty, and she didn't want to be part of the pretense/charade or being calling him "Don" in front of Betty.

For Don/Dick, he will have to confess his infidelity, but I still don't know that he will be confessing the assumed identity. It seemed clearer in this meeting with Anna, that Don/Dick realized the gift of a new identity had been sullied by his own personality flaws (infidelity) more than the identity itself. That he was taking this golden opportunity (a new identity) and destroying it with his own flaws and weaknesses, which was no excuse. He could still be more open, truthful and responsible toward Betty by just being a better man, regardless of what his "name" is.

Don/Dick redeemed himself to me, too, in this epi. After last week and the crazy people I was ready to not watch this week, but did and am glad. I could almost smell the ocean and the easy going west coast vibe was palpable to me. A nice change from the City and all of the personal trouble that goes with it for don/Dick. I loved Anna and all the goodness she brought out of Don/dick. I actuallly LIKED him after watching and I don't know if I've ever liked him. Found him interesting, but I don't know about like. Anyhow, glad to hear MM has been renewed for another season. This show is bright spot in the great TV wasteland.

Don/Dick redeemed himself to me, too, in this epi. After last week and the crazy people I was ready to not watch this week, but did and am glad. I could almost smell the ocean and the easy going west coast vibe was palpable to me. A nice change from the City and all of the personal trouble that goes with it for don/Dick. I loved Anna and all the goodness she brought out of Don/dick. I actuallly LIKED him after watching and I don't know if I've ever liked him. Found him interesting, but I don't know about like. Anyhow, glad to hear MM has been renewed for another season. This show is bright spot in the great TV wasteland.

Sorry, I posted twice................on accident

Hi Jamm54, Visan and everyone. I agree - I loved the "Anna" character. I hope she remains in the show for awhile. And Don redeemed himself in my eyes last night. After getting to know more about his life and his feelings, I like his character more now. I didn't like him after last week, but last night he was OK in my book. Will be watching him on SNL this Saturday, too. Wow, what a creep Joan's fiance turned out to be.

a lot of posters think that Don/Dick's friendship with Anna Draper has been a warm, wonderful thing. and, i liked her character as well. she appears to resemble an anchor of sorts in his life.

but, it appears that we can assume that Betty knows nothing of her. Don/Dick has kept Anna a secret just as he has kept other important facts of his life a secret. i should think that if Don/Dick wants to be a better person/husband/father, he will want to bring Anna out in the open to Betty--as a step toward living authentically. how can a couple--Don/Dick and Betty--live sincerely without honesty and priviledging their relationship? if Don/Dick continues to keep Anna in the closet, it is like one major aspect of DD and Betty's marriage that keeps it from becoming whole and real.

so, i guess i disagree with Anna Draper's contention that Don/Dick need not tell Betty everything. i think it's not realistic to expect one's significant other to tell her/him everything that s/he is thinking. but, it may definitely be problematic to a marriage to keep someone a secret who plays an important role to that person. the term "emotional affair," anyone? if Betty were to find out about Anna from a source other than Don/Dick, she may not be so understanding.

RobinDee:
Don ACTUALLY has a female who is a friend in this woman Anna! With Don, it's either [as with many men] Madonna or Whore when it comes to women.

Anna's a true Madonna to Dick/Don. The difference between Betty and Anna is that Anna knows who he really is. There's no need for pretense, no hiding of secrets. She's the sort of the Big Sister/Mother he never had. That said, he hasn't mentioned how he "ruined everything" because she hasn't asked. If he told her how, she'd probably shrug and shake her head. To her, the answer would be simple. He'd accept and do it.

It may be that Betty will get the drawer open and find a checkbook with regular payments made to "Anna Draper." Or find her name in his address book since he didn't have it with him. Don could shrug with a sigh. "My ex-wife, who lives in California. No kids. We hadn't lived together since I went into the Army and were divorced after I met you. I visited her while out there."

Ritt mentioned checks that Betty might find.

Was I seeing things, or was Betty forging Don's signature on a check? Then, she gives Sally the expensive riding boots, and asks her friend about private school for Sally?
Obviously, she is still spending money like Don is still there...
Also, I tried so hard to read the pay stub part of the check, and I swear it said Net Pay $13,000.00.
Anyone else see this?

I just thought of something else.

If Betty finds the Anna Draper's name and California address in his address book, her phone number may be there as well. Betty may decide it's worth the price of a long-distance phone call to talk with a relative of Don's who may have seen him or know about his whereabouts.

Anna is the mom Dick never had and he is the son she never had. Dick can be himself without fear of being judged by Anna. She loves him as is--they are both free to be who they are without strings of sex, lies and what are you going to do for me?

I want to know did anyone catch the rest of the layout of the Tarot cards? Which one was at the top on the side layout of four cards--it is supposed to represent the future--Maybe it was a clue???

Kudos to Jon Hamm for his acting work in this episode! The Christmas flashback with Anna showed Don younger, more idealistic and in love with Betty. He was practically starry-eyed! Jon Hamm played this switcharoo to perfection. The MadMan Don Draper is so withdrawn and secretive and rarely smiles. What kinds of problems made him this way? I hope Season 3 digs deeper and deeper into his character and history. Mr. Jon Hamm can handle it!

One of the most pleasant aspects of the Anna interlude/meeting was hearing Don/Dick talk about feelings.

We finally got some idea of how he feels about alot of things: his own flaws; his first impression and love for Betty; how he has hurt and failed both Betty and his kids terribly with his infidelities and withdrawn persona; his secretiveness; driving Adam away. I mean, god, we've NEVER heard Don/Dick express so many feelings - I was stunned.

I immediately thought: oh, he does see that he's hurting people; he does care for them.

I'm not sure why Don/Dick feels he has to cut off the feeling/emotional part of himself to be in this identity. Where did he get the idea that that was even necessary to function. I was glad Anna was kind of pointing him in a different direction from what he's been doing or came out of. Some of it has to be from his childhood, and some over assuming an identity (fear).

Wonderful work by both actors made even more so when you realize Melinda Page Hamilton is actually younger than JH. Both of them toggling up or down 10 years+ in age in their performances and making it look totally effortless in the process despite so many different emotions in play.
Pretty amazing stuff. It was incredibly cathartic and peaceful at the same time.

after watching this episode, I'm even more certain that Don/Dick, flawed as he is, is ultimately one for having compassion and respect for others - he has a work ethic, he treats his subordinates well, genuinely did not want to hurt Anna, has taken good care of her - and now we see [beneath the veil] that he hasn't taken any of his indiscretions and bad decisions about Betty, work, family, changing identities, lightly. I've always thought he was motivated by idealism, and that his work [sell-your-soul world of advertising], coupled with his personal baggage, has made for a really fragile shell. disappointed idealist, just under that surface, is a heart on a sleeve!

Great thread and great posts. Yes, Jamm54: This was the only time he's ever talked about Adam. Even Anna didn't know he had a brother. He will regret turning his back on Adam for the rest of his life.

I think Betty is going to find something in the suitcase about Anna Draper. And I agree with you that Don will not necessarily tell Betty about Dick Whitman. I believe he will try to make it up to her by being a better husband and father.

It was great to hear Don (Dick) talking about his feelings and the realization that his actions have had enormous consequences on those around him.

Season 3's Don Draper will be an integration of Dick Whitman and Don Draper. Hopefully, he's seen the error of his ways and will become a better man with the best qualities of both Dick and Don.

Yes! Hagan, wasn't that an astounding discovery about Dick/Don - it was like he was ALL heart. I was just amazed by that, and I just kept thinking "why are you encasing your heart in cement?". It's not necessary for him to go that far JUST because he's in an assumed identity. Open up, please, and show it and feel it.

Many great works of literature have been referenced and compared in Mad Men. Has anyone considered Dr. Jekyll (Dick) and Mr. Hyde (Don)? And "Crime and Punishment" where "the truth will set you free" as it did in the protaganist.

Has anyone noticed/mentioned that at the beginning of this episode it showed Betty tearing off a pre-type written check and endorsing it (remember she previously opened Don's usually locked desk ??) Could these be checks that Don/Dick sent monthly/regularly to Anna and perhaps they were made out to "Mrs. Don Draper" and thus Betty could legally endorse them thinking they were from Don's account and were for her to use? since she thinks she is the ONLY Mrs. Don Draper?? Stay tuned!

Has anyone noticed/mentioned that at the beginning of this episode it showed Betty tearing off a pre-type written check and endorsing it (remember she previously opened Don's usually locked desk ??) Could these be checks that Don/Dick sent monthly/regularly to Anna and perhaps they were made out to "Mrs. Don Draper" and thus Betty could legally endorse them thinking they were from Don's account and were for her to use? since she thinks she is the ONLY Mrs. Don Draper?? Stay tuned!

I think the only chance Don has with Betty is if he comes clean and reveals he was born Dick Whitman. His infidility is a symptom of the secrecy. I don't really think Don has a problem with being "macho man Don, business Don", but if that is what you think, then I think that too comes from the bigger lie. Just trying to be a moral man and understanding his responsibilities will not effect a change. I actually think Don tried that in 1961, and he was miserable, closed off. He's been operating under the assumption that Anna allowed him to have a successful life, and he gives that as a reason for sfinancially upporting her. The bigger message I think is that he hasn't taken on an enjoyable life at all. He hasn't blown his opportunity; he's neverreally ahd an opportunity under the circumstances, The Doick/Don switcharoo seems like it could work, but in reality encompasses all kinds of emotional baggage, just as sexual affairs are never the simple and harmless propositions they promise to be.

My own experience is that secrets long kept are usually not received sympathetically when they could and should have been revealed before, and when those learning of them have suffered on account. It's a discrepancy, because the secret teller feels the revelation is a moment of truth, and that somehow his courage will miraculously be rewarded by Providence. People receiving the news are ignorant of this personal time table, however, and can be confused, scared, and hurt.

I thought Anna's comment that the book of poetry reminded her of New York, and made her worry about Don, was interesting, Don does seem much more cynical in the 1962 shots of him with Anna that when he talks to her wide-eyed in 1953 of his love for Betty. Who was more New York than Bobbie, and when was there a more pressing time to worry about Don than during their association?

I had thought that Francine and Betty's agreement that their husbands were better away from the city spoke more to their stifling suscipion, and bland suburban existence, than a real indictment of the city. But I see now that the New York cloud is part of what is wrong with Draper.

The check was for 945.00 and some cents. It was his paycheck. Back in those days, I don't believe it was unusual for wives to sign the checks and deposit them. I know my dad used to give me his checks to deposit (I was 10) and no one ever questioned me. Not to long ago, I asked a friend to deposit my check for me and they wouldn't allow him to. Times have changed, banking wise.

In the early 70s, my neighbor friends and I went to a bank with $10 and they gave us a checking account. My mother was livid - how could they give a checking account to a bunch of 12 year old girls?? But they did. They said we "looked responsible".

Oh, ChiseledDon, no I didn't notice that. The check scene whizzed by so fast, I couldn't catch it all. Hmm.....well that would almost force the issue of revealing the existence of Anna to Betty. We'll see (or maybe we won't next year because they never tell us too much from the previous cliffhangers until the end - if then)!

@strongandsilent: Am confused a little about your last paragraph. Meaning, that when both Francine and Betty started married life, their husbands were happier, sweeter people. But as they rose, and more of their work life (and time) was spent in Manhattan, that it had an adverse effect on their personalities and their marriages?

@jamm -- I think part of the "Our husbands. They are better out here, aren't they?" comment in season 1 spoke to Betty and Francine really knowing that their husbands fooled around in the city, whether they could admit that to themselves or not. But I guess I took the husbands' side on that one. The suburban life seems so boring, and part of what is ailing Don. So, I took the comment to mean, "We would love to coop our husnands up and watch their every move."

And I haven't entirely moved from that interpretation of the line. I don't think the suburban life Betty leads is real or substantial. I think it's artificial, and I think it reminds Don of how much else is artificial about his life through his assumed identity. I think Mad Men is implicity critical of suburban life, just as I suppose Desperate Housewives is.

But at the same time, Anna's comment is an indication that Manhattan life is far from wholesome. Both city and suburban life can be looked at as artificial, even though are opposites. The virtues and vices of Manhattan are also on display in Peggy's date with the truck driver in season 1. This is just a theme I have been late to the party in noticing.

Well I've never noticed it! But the contrast of Anna's environment (the ocean breeze, cozy bungalow, sun, ocean, scents in others words in tune with the earth) and Don's NYC environment (cement, steel, trains, offices, skyscrapers - inanimate/dead) is life-giving versus soul-killing.

I think the check was in the amount of $947 and some change, but at any rate it was a paycheck, had withholdings and a YTD column. So Don was getting three times as much as Ken's salary. After withholdings.

In a lot of companies, if you're not there on payday, the check gets mailed to you. So Betty received it in the mail. No direct deposit in those days.

That she endorsed it as Don is not unusual and is rarely questioned by banks, especially when the depositor is known as the wife of the payee on the check.

I think Don will come clean with Betty but only on the infidelity issue.

So does that mean we should all move out to California and loll in the sun all day?

Some people like city living, some people like suburban living, some people like the Southern California lifestyle.

As long as you're honest with yourself, you can be happy anywhere. If Don comes clean with Betty, they can grow to love each other more authentically than before. And I think Don would get bored after a few months of surf & sand anyway.

Many people did find the suburban lifestyle to be stultifying. But I still see a lot of young couples with kids moving out there and embracing it. These are choices that people make. The locations are irrelevant; it's what's inside that's important.

I'm not expressing this the way I want to. I guess I just feel that Don cannot run away again. He has to come back home and reconcile with his wife. He wants and needs the love of his wife and kids. He has responsibilities both at home and work that he cannot ignore. He's not the young Dick Whitman anymore, footloose and fancy-free, who could do what he did in 1950.

And I don't think Matt Weiner in any way believes that So. Cailf. is preferable to New York. There are pros and cons to both.

Ritt: I agree with you. I don't think he'll tell Betty about the switched identity. As Anna advised him, "you don't have to tell her everything." But he must admit to the infidelity, yes. He must also tell Betty that he loves her, needs her, and appreciates her. And if he can't do that, then frankly, he doesn't deserve her.

City life is soul-killing? I suppose it would be if you're more of a sun/shore person. On the other hand, perhaps for big city people, noise, traffic, architecture is stimulating and exciting. Maybe city people's worship of what man has created is just as affirming as what God has created. After all, God created man. Cities are proof of the power of man's mind and abilities.

I love cities. A friend of mine (hunter, fisherman, etc.) loves the wilderness. I said once about Chicago, "driving in, as soon as I start to see the skyscrapers, I get excited and can't help smiling." He said, " That's how I feel when I cross the Mackinac Bridge." (into Michigan's Upper peninsula)."

I don't understand why Anna Draper allowed Dick to retain her husband's identity. What do you think Dick told her about himself? Why did she agree to go along with this ruse? He was a complete stranger to her; she didn't owe him anything and had not obligations toward him. Why would she do something so huge for him. Anybody?

jamm54, yes, I do agree that Don is all heart [under there, somewhere...] and, beyond that, he's moral. think about the small ways in which he doesn't condone others' behavior - it's generally taking someone else down for behaving disrespectfully towards others. I'm certainly not condoning his infidelities, or how he's basically gaslighting Betty, but I do think he strives for,...craves...a moral life.

and strongandsilent, I really like the points you made about the consequences of 'coming clean'. I do feel that ultimately, the truth will set you free. this is Don's one shot at redeeming himself, in his own eyes, anyway. but in order for him to behave morally with others, so as not to hurt them, he won't be able to behave this way until he's right with himself. everything he does now, is informed by his own self-loathing. although this episode has shown that he is, indeed, aware of [and remorseful of] the destruction he's causing in his own life, he's unable to see that there's another way to be. he's stuck in the world of his own duplicity, and won't change his basic wiring until he has some catharsis. maybe that's what we're witnessing.

but that brings up another part of your comment, which is the fact that others are not on his personal timetable - a confession of his, or an amends of his, is not necessarily going to NOT hurt someone else. in his case, a coming clean with Betty, will probably shatter her. and to what end will he fess up, and hurt others around him? dunno. someone who needs to make an amends is ultimately doing it for themselves, it's a selfish thing, [and needs to be done with compassion and discretion] but in my opinion, he has to, as it'll be the only way to set him right so he can behave out of a different 'core'.

wow, excuse my long-winded soap-box session. just my opinions, of course.
also, it reminds me of a saying - you're as sick as your secrets.

On Betty's bleeding: I think it's a way to show us, one, that Betty's so out of touch with her body she didn't recognize the onset of a period; two, that the stress of her situation has thrown her cycle off anyway; and three, that Betty hasn't had "The Talk" with Sally yet. In other words, Sally, being a typical eight-year old of the times, knows nothing about sex. She's an innocent.

On another note, I just have to let everyone know how much this show has meant to me this summer. It's been a pleasant diversion from witnessing a friend of mine's 30-year marriage - a marriage that had its ups and down but everyone believed was essentially and inspiringly stable - go up in smoke. When it hit the tabloids (they're private people, but their kids are not) it was a real shocker. Wife's suing husband, however since I'm close friends with the husband (I'm somewhat of an "Anna" to Stephen) I'm wholeheartedly on his side.

Lastly about Anna. I've been Twittering as "blondeanna" since the middle of September, ever since getting hold of a little bit of inside information (which was actually available to anyone who sat up and paid attention)... The rest of this storyline I simply intuited. As Anna would.

My intuition is that she and Don/Dick sleep together when the mood takes them both, but she - unlike every other character in MM - is not possessive. She's very much a flower child and a harbinger of tribes to come.

@LaurieB. Good point raised. Why would Anna allow Dick to take her dead husband's identity? I mean is it in Anna's best interests to give Don/Dick her blessing and let her go along with the charade. I guess I'd question her logic. Most people would have turned Dick over to the authorities the moment they found out because it is a scam.
It is revealed that Don has been supporting her over the years,bought her a house by the beach and it looks like she works only part time as a piano teacher.So she definitely benefitted in that respect. I sure wish more of their relationship was defined.
Anna seems to have been a good anchor for Don since he is a loner and doesn't seem to be skilled at interpersonal relationships. It's really heartbreaking.
Aside from Anna benefitting financially, maybe she felt sorry for Don and agreed to go along. it has been brought up on other threads that she and Don had a sexual relationship somewhere in their past. I hate to think of that because it gave Don some credibility to NOT be bedding yet another woman in his life.
Anna may harbor a secret crush for Don or she might realize her relationship with him gives Don some sense of peace and security. And that may make her feel worthy to be of value to him.

madmanfan4ever, I'd like to think, as you, that their relationship has never been about sex. the scene where he tells her about Betty, it looked as if not a shred of jealousy or resentment passed over her expression. she looked genuinely happy for him. It is heartbreaking that they're both so lonely, but I like that they've perhaps been each other's anchor over the years.

it's fitting that he should have one grounding link between his two selves, and that is where his possible redemption lies. I love the idea of this storyline, and at the risk of sounding very Pollyanna-ish, I find it very life-affirming. it says, to me, that no one is ultimately as alone as they think.

By the in tune with the Earth (live-giving) or soul-killing, I was thinking more of the stress of Don's work life in Manhattan, it's pace, the women, the drinking as compared to how relaxed and aware of his environment (senses) when he was with Anna at the bungalow. Did he not seem happier in a far less hurried environment and noticing nature, smells, the ocean. Don's NEVER commented on his surroundings or noticed them.

You have to remember Don came from rural. And even though his memories are probably not fond ones, I would think somewhere inside him, it was part of his being to be close to the earth - even if he chose to escape it to the big city.

Why I say the city can be soul-killing for Don (remember folks this is about Don - not a condemnation of Manhattan, all cities, etc) is that for all its attractions, excitement, opportunities (business, socially, culturally) part of his origin started in the country, but he's lost some of that easier, slower pace since going to Manhattan. His life seems wound tighter than a watch. I'm only talking about symbols and what they represent for DON.

And if we're going to stray from the character, I love being in a city, and would commit suicide if I lived in rural surroundings. Great to visit, wouldn't want to live there. Love the ocean and swimming, no no to bathing suits.

@hagan, yes,I don't know what would give anyone the idea that Dick/Don had a sexual relationship with Anna or that hey even contemplated one in the past. I found it redeeming that Anna and Dick had a purely non-sexual relationship and one that both gave them a sense of comfort and security.It would really be a shame if the bond between them was trivialized by
a sexual relationship.
I made a comment on another thread that this was the first time that I noticed Don wasn't constantly chain smoking,drinking like no tomorrow while he was at Anna's home.In fact I only saw him light up once inside her house.A new record for Don. I took it as Don being relaxed,less stressed and uptight about having to maintain the facade that he does in NY(home and SC) If Don was sitting on the porch in Ossining he'd be down at least 2 old fashioned's and a half a pack of Lucky Strikes.
I remember in Season 1 that Don said if he left advertising he'd do something else,like live or experience life.I can't remember the specific phrase but it was to Roger. I really see Don as an artistic type,not a Madison Ave suit.He's just doing it to pay the bills and provide the backdrop for the picture perfect world of his suburban life which hasn't proved to be satisfying.Or remotely soulful.

No, I don't think Anna and Dick ever had a sexual relationship. As Anna says, "the reason we were brought together was to make each other's lives better. That's just the way it is between us." (paraphrasing)

Anna benefitted somewhat from Dick financially, but I think she realized right away that he was a nice guy and she liked him. Because she was a kind-hearted woman, she agreed to go along with the deception and made a good friend in the bargain. They weren't really hurting anybody else (there were no children). And I had the feeling that the real Don Draper was not such a great husband to her. She could tell that he had never mentioned her name to Dick, and admitted that Don had really wanted to marry her sister, who didn't have a limp.

And I cannot help but feel that Anna had also fallen for The Don Draper Treatment (although they did NOT have sex). Let's face it, this guy could charm the birds off the trees! Remember the woman on the train?

I loved when she put her hand on Dick's face and said "yes, you're so hard to look at" when he was telling her about Betty. Dick was embarrassed by his good looks! As Don Draper however, he is completely aware of the effect of his looks on women, and uses them to his advantage.

Don and Anna's relationship is like a substitute family for both of them.
I thought she was very fond of him(love him like a brother or cousin)and has been taken by Dick/Don's obvious charm and charisma.
I will admit that I am a Betty fan and I would love to see Don go back to Betty with the persona of Dick. I really hope that there will be some kind of resolution about Don coming clean about his background.Of course, nothing will be explained 100% in the Season finale so we will be "strung out" till next summer!

I'm with both of you - I hope their relationship is never trivialized by becoming romantic, I don't think it will be - it's too special the way it is. also, dunno about Anna's previous relationships [I suppose not great, given that the real Don didn't seem so great, and that she's still single], but Don seems to have a total disassociation with everyone he sleeps with, and this is the one that's based on anything substantive.

I think, on next week's finale [oh no, it's ending!] we'll see Don on the phone to Betty, saying "we need to talk...there's something I need to tell you"

As someone on another board remarked, it is a bit odd that Anna would be so friendly to the man who stole her husband's identity. Perhaps it can be explained in this way. Something clicked for Anna when Don/Dick told her that the real Lt. Draper never even mentioned her in Korea, and she may said to herself, "that SOB, he never wanted to marry me anyway." So, she focused on what the "new Don" might be able to do for her. Not in a sexual way but in a "let's put our heads together and solve our mutual problem" way. Don needed an identity (and the security that Anna won't reveal his true identity), and Anna likely needed some money, because, since Don Draper is supposedly alive, she won't be getting any life insurance or military widow benefits. I believe Anna is a kind hearted soul, but she is also a pragmatist (with a little bit of funkyness thrown in for good measure, see, e.g., the tarot cards). She knew immediately that Dick Whitman had something to hide, and she called him on it. Quite likely, they worked out some mutually satisfactory deal where Dick got Don's identity, plus some papers (I might imagine Don's diplomas, other forms of id, etc to make him more legit), and Anna got some money. The fact that they turned out to be very compatible souls is a happy thing, but I think the start of their friendship was based on pragmatic considerations.

I posted on another thread that Don's obligation to Anna began because figuratively he had cheated her of a monthly military stipend she probably recieved until his discharge and death benefits she would have recieved upon the real Draper's demise. She had no other way to support herself if he left her there, and she could have certainly made a phone call to land him in jail. Both of them were willing to use Draper's identity and their appearance as a married couple to stabilize her life before he set out on a new adventure on the east coast. Dick probably liquidated his dealership to make sure this happened. Makes perfect logic to me...as Helen Bishop says, very pragmatic decisions to better themselves and remain friends.

We also learned more about the real Draper. Did you hear her ask Don, "What did he make you do?" or something like that. He might have been a real slickster. He had also wanted her sister, who was like her "but with two good legs." Was it a marriage in name only? A commitment due to guilt or obligation before he went into the service? We don't know, but we know he didn't mention his wife to Dick in the foxhole.

I also wanted to mention why I feel the check-writing scene was important. Betty has finally switched from the child-Betty to the responsible-Betty. The child-Betty had just completed her child-date with her child-prince charming and stood up and grew up and called his mother. Someone who, last season, wanted Don to 'help her with the tax forms' after her modeling job ended. Remember, she couldn't "possibly know how to fill them out!" Now, she is endorsing and depositing his paycheck and taking care of her finances during their separation. Her talk with Helen Bishop probably gave her the powerboost she needed. She is moving forward...I'm really glad for her.

I was struck by how different Anna was from when we first met her. When she goes to see Don in the flashback she is stiff and formal, a little uncertain, and of course dressed very properly. When we meet her at her house she is positively girlish.
Of course she would be more formal and very uncertain when unmasking the man posing as her husband, but still - maybe they were both good for each other?

SoFla Kate...
Remember one of those scenes was a flashback. Perhaps the girlish scene was the older flashback, close to when they met. Another flashback was at Xmas. Some of the scenes were current, and it is hard to tell unless we watch their mannerisms (girlishness, etc.) and fashion to highlight the differences.

I wish I could see the scene OnDemand, but the 12th episode has not uploaded yet. I'll have a better post once I see the episode again. Sorry....

The scene at the car dealership and in his apartment was in 1952. She was dressed to be in the city and was insecure because she was looking for her husband who'd vanished as far as she knew.

The Christmas scene, later in the same year, she was at home and dressed up a bit because Don was visiting.

All the other scenes were ten years later. She's secure, relaxed and at home. Not girlish. Happy. Did you see the way she stroked his back sitting there on the piano seat? Affection.

I don't think they'd had a sexual relationship for two reasons. First, she's a Madonna to him. Older sister/Mother. He wouldn't make a pass at her, she had to start it.

The reason (IMHO) she didn't was because of her insecurity about the effect of polio(?) on her. The real Don Draper had actually wanted her sister, with two good legs. She didn't want to become emotionally vulnerable that way again. Even with Dick Whitman there was that risk the subject would be mentioned. Besides the fact that she's older than him.

By now we know that the writers invoke a lot of symbolism and meaning to the scripts. I looked up who Anna was in the Bible and bingo, she is a prophetess (the Tarot Card reading) and she was a widow who was married for 7 years, just like Anna Draper.

The other bit of symbolism I thought about was the fact that Don/Dick arrived in San Pedro. San Pedro translates as Saint Peter. Isn't Saint Peter suppossed to be waiting for us at the gates of Heaven. San Pedro and Anna may represent Don/Dick's salvation. And Peter was also Jesus' rock, just like Anna may be for Don/Dick. Just some thoughts...

Great information Daisy Squire!

......Daisy Squire....Oh my! That was brilliant...very powerful. What is your take on the "baptism" scene at the end, if any?

I agree with what everyone else is saying, that it's a baptism of sorts, that Don/Dick is washing away his sins and starting anew. Also, the ocean is so powerful and Don/Dick is insignificant and weak in comparison. So maybe giving himself up to a greater power, acknowledging that he can't be in control all the time and maybe he'll go back to Betty a new man.

After watching Sunday's episode, I woke-up the next day thinking about the whole Don Draper visit with the "real Mrs. Don Draper",
and something just didn't feel quite right, like maybe we entered the Twilight Zone. Maybe the flashback of his first meeting Mrs. Don Draper was based on an actual reality-based memory, but after that it like Alice in Wonderland, via drugs, it's Don having gone through the looking glass. Starting with the phone call to Mrs. Draper, we begin a tour of Don's psyche, bits and pieces of his sub-conscious are revealed, how he copes living a life life that is anything but authentic. For his entire life, starting in infancy, he has been emotionally deprived of the security of unconditional love and protection of a caring family. Maybe the "real Mrs. Draper" represents everything he has always wanted but never had, the safe harbor of genuine love and acceptance. The surreal tone, the sunny setting, the cozy cottage, the little boy playing the scary music, the whole dialogue, it felt set apart, like some weird alternative universe, removed from the rest of episode, maybe a glimpse into the dark, deep and mysterious recesses of Dick Whitman's psyche. Somebody please, please rescue Don, he's tripping, and he's being held captive by some Euro-trash grifters.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I don't agree with all the warm and fuzzy things said about Anna. Some people "just love, love, love her" and rave about the wonderful, positive influence she is on Dick/Don, and how she treats him with warmth and acceptance, unlike anyone else in his life, etc.
Well, of course she is fond of him... dude BOUGHT HER A HOUSE!! I can understand Don wanting to give her some money to live on because his identity theft robbed her of the real Don Draper's death benefits and pension. But buying her a HOUSE on the beach in Southern California?! It's furnished nicely too, and clearly she doesn't work much, so basically he's been supporting her for years, completely unbeknownst to Betty and his children.
If Anna is such a wonderful "earth mother" and all, didn't she have a problem with that?! Don may make good money but he's not independently wealthy--- did it ever trouble her that all that dough was being sucked up by HER instead of being set aside for his children? What did she do to deserve that?
And yes, she is "honest and accepting" of "the real Dick/Don", but then again, it is DON who chooses to allow that to happen. It's Don who facilitates that, not her, by choosing to be open, real and honest with her, which I find annoying since his REAL WIFE, Betty (who he said he was crazy about) gets nothing but adultery, lies and deceit. Again, this doesn't seem to trouble "wonderful, earth mother Anna". If she cares about him so much, why doesn't she say one word about how dishonest and rotten he's been to his wife?!!
I dunno, the Anna character just rubbed me the wrong way. Part of this is because I watched "The Sopranos" and I recognize the actress as having played an almost identical role on THAT show, as "the only real, caring woman" that Tony Soprano could ever be open and honest with (and that included his wife, his sister, his many girlfriends and his therapist). I didn't see what was so great about that character then, and I don't see what's so great about this character now. To me, she seems really smug.
OK, I'm prepared to be attacked now.

Regarding Don's gift to Anna during his second and last Christmas with her in 1953: Judging from its size and weight and the fact that it's clear he was visiting from New York, my guess is that it was mink stole from the furriers where he wrote copy and met Betty. Betty got the coat and Anna got the stole, which you have to admit is a little inappropriate for the climate, but Don probably bought it at a discount and it is mighty impressive any way you look at it. (I think her gift of clothes from the Broadway - an economy store which used to be in nearby Long Beach - prompted Don to remember his own gift.)

As for Anna's house, my understanding is that the real Don bought the house before he went to Korea for him and Anna to live in. It's a bungalow in San Pedro and he probably bought it (he and Anna sharing the title) cheap as a fixer-upper. You have to remember that San Pedro in those days was a sleepy little town on the outskirts of LA - the poet Charles Bukowski, who struggled financially almost all his life, had a little house there. Also, while it's near the ocean, Anna's house isn't exactly beachfront property. (Comparison: My family and I live in a tiny apartment half a block from one of the most beautiful parks in America and a block from the beach, in fact you can see, smell and hear the Pacific Ocean from our living room window. Surfers with their boards walk up and down our street all the time. Yet our neighborhood is a workaday middle-class area.) Her house is bright and inviting because she keeps at it, keeps it clean, orderly, freshly-painted (she probably hires the neighborhood boys for this), furnishes it with second-hand furniture and decorates it with homemade crafts, like that spoons-and-forks wind chime. In ten years she'll be into macrame and tie-dye.

After their first encounter at the car dealership, she might have brought Dick to California to have him work on the house, as partial payment for his debt... Then things settled into cozy domesticity. When Dick says, "I'll take care of you forever," I don't believe that either he or Anna understood it to mean that he'd be sending her a monthly check. It was, rather, a romantic thing for him to say, his first stab at "responsible" Don Draper-hood, but actually it just meant that he would always be concerned about her well-being and try to contribute to it whenever possible. My guess is that after Christmas 1953 he didn't visit Anna again until after Bobby was born, say 1957 or 8, and hadn't been back after that until this visit in 1962. I don't see him writing to her or phoning her with any frequency or regularity. The money for the porch came from him, I'm guessing, after he got his first big bonus from his new employers, Sterling Cooper, and Dick/Don sent it to her, telling her to go buy something nice for herself. So she built the porch.

Someone brought up why Don/Dick would need to get her address if he'd already sent the O'Hara book to her. Could be that his big address book (not his little portable one with just phone numbers) was still at the office, or that Anna got her mail at a post office box or general delivery.

By the way, have you noticed that there seems to be no TV set in her house, instead it's filled with items of culture - books, music, works of artisanship. Anna is, in fact, counterculture, before the word was even coined.

She's also a good Tarot reader. The cards that turned up for Dick weren't overly dramatic, but their message was pretty straightforward.

From the hints about her marriage and from the fact that she appears to be well-educated, my guess is that she, her sister and Don were friends in college. It's clear that the real Don married Anna on the rebound (sister marrying, perhaps, above her class) but not a lot of deep emotional involvement was invested by either side - it reads more like a mutually agreed-upon beneficial partnership. She and the real Don might have honeymooned in Manhattan.

The Real Don backstory is getting very intriguing indeed.

Anna is deep but the rare type of deep person who isn't ruled by her passions. She innately recognizes the fluidity of fate, identity, how society perceives an individual. She is independent yet unpossessive. She understands Dick at once and loves him without having to be "in love" with him.

Do they sleep together? Judging from the layout of the house, I would say that there's a living room with a sofa and one bedroom with a double bed, and Anna is not hardhearted.

Lastly, did anyone else pick up on the tiny detail that, when prompted by Anna to "take a lollipop", her young music pupil took two? More twin pops!

I've been Twittering as Anna Draper (http://twitter.com/blondeanna) ever since her first enigmatic appearance at the car dealership in September, and it's been gratifying to see that almost all my observations and interpretations have been borne out. Will Anna return in the third season? I think so, but things by then will be very, very different.

A bit off topic- but those of you who have commented on CA life - in Southern CA, so many people have moved here looking for the ElDorado lifestyle that it is just about ruined. We are running out of public services, clean water and living space and still they keep coming. The freeways are so clogged you can hardly use them, housing is sky high and we have just a host of over-population problems. However, I had to laugh,if a bit ruefully, at today's headline: "Illegal Aliens leave California in Droves Because of the Failing Economy". Yikes!

......[laughing.....]

flowerpower.....believe me, among my friends are ASSORTED Europeans, ALL whom seem to possess a seriously ethno-centric attitude!

Some of us just look at each other and go, "Huh? So, LEAVE, already!! No one is stopping you!"

Sorry - just peeves me off like a "house-guest" with bad manners.

.....I thought it was very funny and ironic to see Dick Whitman repairing a chair for Anna.

Figures. He lets his own dining room chairs rot, but flies all the way to California to fix someone else's!

About the chair that was the old Don, or Dick. thought it was a little strange that he seemed so fresh and unjaded it seemed that with the lying he had done and stunts he pulled to get where he was he would already be pretty much the confused Don we know. Maybe even more so because of the newness of lying about who he was. And by the time he meet Betty he was already relatively successful in his field to have bought her that coat.
The other thing her saying he didn't have to do anything for her. If they knew Don Draper was dead she would be getting a pension, no, and he was an officer so it would be a decent one I believe. Don owed her quite a bit. And all the benefits she should have received.

I see above a comment about the nicely furnished house being more than she deserved, not really. When an officer dies I'm sure the salary to the widow would be substantial and houses in San Pedro were not expense then and with GI loans, hardly any interest still seems like the least Dick could do for her.

I missed the episode(s) that explained Anna. I had no ideas who she was. Can someone tell me the episodes? I watched the one where Don got a message that Anna had died.

I could see last night just how upset he was by the wall with Dick 7 Anna 1964, but until I read the comments here, i really could only surmise.