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"People May See Things Differently....

...But they don't really want to," says Don Draper about the philosophical question, do we all see blue as blue? Wow. Talk about summing up Don, most characters on the show, and what advertising is all about.

Yet this episode is all about seeing things differently whether we want to...or not. Thoughts?

Comments

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Thirteen, you always provide the most thought-provoking questions. I noted in the open thread that this conversation reminded me of the one in "To Kill a Mockingbird" where Atticus tells Scout that you don't really understand a person until you have crawled around in their skin. This episode showed a variety of scenes in which the characters were able to see things differently, or at least from another's perspective (Peggy and Paul, Don and Miss Farrell's brother). But now, given the plotline, the biggest question remains if Betty, now that she is privy to Don's past, will be able to--or want to--see things differently. Will she call Don out for his lies? And if she does, is she ready to hear the trurth?

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Of course we all see blue as blue. That's why I took something instead of Philosophy in college. Debating what the word is is would have drove me nuts.

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I agree - this is the line to ponder from this episode.

Betty sees Don differently now, but doesn't want to.
Paul sees Peggy differently, & probably doesn't like it too much.
Don sees Miss Farrell in a new way, more forward, intrusive.
There must be more examples of this theme. These are the ones that jump out.

Also, as was mentioned by someone on the open thread, each week we ourselves have such different views of each character, depending on what they have done recently. Seems to be a running theme of the series: that people are rarely all good or bad, but rather a complex combination of both. We all make up our own moral code, after all.

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I found this discussion between Suzanne and Don to be rather depressing. Suzanne was genuinely interested in the question, and the sense of wonder that a child has about the world. Don is not interested in the question and he has lost his sense of wonder. He is totally caught up in the crass materialism and deception that is at the core of the advertising world he lives in. He has become a caricature.