Sorry I've been away from the conversations this week, dear friends. I've been down with the flu and not at all well. I didn't have the energy to be on my computer, and took some time off.
In fact, I got a call from Central Casting last night to be on set for HEROES this morning, but I was sick in bed and didn't hear my phone! Curses!!!!

Part 4 and 5 will be posted by early next week. A double whammy, if you will, of the very best part of my journey to the set of Mad Men!

All Suzanne was worried about was her job. She didn't even ask if the children were okay and that's why they were home a week early.

Ok LMM,

But I don't think she was *just* worried about her job. I think she was also worried about Don. She did ask him if he was "okay", and Don responded with, "Only you would ask about me." I don't think Don is used to hearing someone ask him if he's okay, as Betty tends to be pretty self-centered.

Hi Stagekiss: Hope you are feeling better and that more calls come your way this week!

I am not sold on the fact that SF is over this yet. I, too, thought she was a bunny boiler, but unlike you (and many others who thought that) I still think she is going to find ways to insinuate herself into Don's life....keep that thread-bare connection. from breaking.

And I still haven't let go of that gnawing feeling I had with her from the phone call scene..stalker, maybe less malignant, not going to out the affair to his wife, but stalker nonetheless.

I also think that Don is not going to do much to dissuade her as he is falling/ has fallen in love with her.

Stagekiss, feeling better I see....good. Anyway,Suzanne,has been tippy toeing around Don.She knows he's intense,tall dark and handsome.All her responses to him have been carefully spoken by her. Very few words. To me she kinda cowls in his presence. So I feel one of these days she will either leave him to be with her brother.Or she'll just stay and teach and just accept the situation the way it is. How long she will be a "plain Jane" remains to be seen. But lookout,when she decides to wear lipstick/makeup,that will be the " tell"

Stagekiss - I have never thought badly about Suzanne. From the beginning she showed she was a caring person - concerned about Sally's loss when Grandpa Gene died. Her devotion to children was demonstrated by doing the extra-curricular activities (maypole dance - which she participated in; watching the eclipse, which I think was in the summer). When hearing Dr. King on the radio, her first thought was to share this with her class. Given this context, I'd even say that her asking about losing her job was not a concern for income, but a concern about losing her children and her avocation.

I think people were put off and misjudged her because she (more or less) threw herself at Don. But she was always ambivalent- concurrently pulling Don to her, and pushing him away (particularly at the eclipse event). What others took to be kooky behavior was really this ambivalence about wanting something she couldn't have - really thinking it through more than any of Don's other paramours. She wanted more than orgasms; that's why she kept saying she understood the things she couldn't have (like dinner in Little Italy) - she clearly wanted it. She was so happy about the prospect of spending the week alone with Don. It's apparent to me she is also the only one of Don's lovers that actually loved him.

So no, I don't think she'll come back to haunt Don. She may return; she may even become the 3rd Mrs. Don Draper, but she won't return to merely get revenge or to stalk.

I was thinking about Don and his women the other day and I think Miss Farrell is the culmination of many things for Don. I never had her pegged as a bunny boiler but I always though that Season One Don would never be so brazen with a woman in his own town.

I was looking at the progression of his long term extra marital affairs, removing his experiences with Joy and the Stewardess (those seemed more like flings than any real connection).

Midge - Totally separate from his home life. She didn't even want him to mention his wife. She and Don existed in their world where they "lived in the moment."

Rachel - Aware of and talked about Don's wife and kids. She still kept herself very removed from the situation but didn't have the same need to keep if out of her relationship with Don entirely.

Bobbie - Knew about Betty, interacted with Betty, called Don's house while his kids were home, etc. She really started infiltrating Don's family life much more than the others.

Miss Farrell - Right in the thick of it. Sally's teacher, lives in the same very small town, very aware of his family situation as she has first hand experience with his kids and wife. And everyone in town knows her, and would jump at the chance to expose her as a "homewrecker."

Miss Farrell really brought his infidelity home, both figuratively and literally (I was on pins and needles when she got out of the car with her suitcase! Right outside their home!). I think Suzanne has the sense that there's nothing more for her to do than walk away gracefully, and I'm pretty sure she had some idea that she wasn't dealing with a run-of-the-mill cheating husband.

I would never have thought that Betty would confront Don on his ultimate secret before finding out about Suzanne. But then, as Jon Hamm has discussed, he probably had some subconscious desire to get caught, at one lie or the other, so it's interesting to see each woman get one step closer to his house and family as the seasons have gone on.

From the Open Thread
By Polar Bear on October 26, 2009 1:00 AM

I am sure there are those who are disappointed Miss Ferrell wasn’t some bunny boiling stalker. Her character is both compassionate and intuitive (all right, just a wee bit weird). When she gave her brother money and found him a job, I had the sense that she knew, deep in her own heart, that he wasn’t going to show up. Yet, she loves him unconditionally, so its no wonder Don is drawn to her.

She’s worldly too; preparing Don Pasta Carbonara. She didn’t want to embarrass him by not mentioning it by name. Despite the hippie image of her dancing around the Maypole, she has a keen sense of the reality of her relationship with Don – she sees things as they are. I loved the way she quieted him when Don tried to wax rhapsodic about some fantasy of the two of them. She knows exactly how this affair will end, yet she gives her heart to Don despite every rational fiber in her body screaming “NO!”.

When she gets the call from Don the following morning, she knows it is over. Yet, she maintains her self respect by not groveling or begging. Her tears are real but there is such dignity in the way she handles herself. Boy, you would have to be one cold-hearted SOB to not be won over when she asks Don how he is doing. Like Adam Whitman, she is one of the few unselfish characters on this show. I’ll be sorry to see her go if this is it. I don’t think the writers will deign to make her into some Fatal Attraction/Hand that Rocks the Cradle caricature.

Just have to say MF is my most most disliked character. I am sure you know from my comments on the main board. Pursuing a married man even after meeting the wife and teaching the child...By her comments she has been down this path before and chooses to again. When she scrunched down in the car with that smile on her face iiicckkooooooo!!! Who is willing to do that? She is simple for Don, no demands just easy sex. With Betty he has to face a complex relationship and the 3 kids. Much more burdensome. I say again, Betty actually considered an abortion of Gene--due to her unhappiness. That was not possible and she is loving and caring for Gene while Don is comforted by the latest fling. To me Betty carries the load. I wish Don would leave to be with MF and maybe Betty could somehow find love.

Zerelda,

Nice catch on the return of the teacher. In fact, if the Draper's stick around Ossining, as does Suzanne, they have TWO more children to be schooled in the same grade as Sally....leave it to Matt Weiner, to leave this storyline string dangling.

Things could get *really* uncomfortable, if Don and Suzanne don't end up clearing the air, down the line. And by clearing the air, I don't mean that MF and Don hook up again. What I hope they do, is to talk about things, and leave what was in the past. Of course, she may end up being the one who got away, or vise-versa, so this will be very interesting, to see how it all plays out.

@Take Five: I've also wondered why Suzanne, a very attractive, young, single woman would choose Ossining to be, when the city has many more options, in single men, but then I thought as Ritt1 does, that the pay and the atmosphere is probably much healthier for her. She is a freer spirit than any of the women we've met, in Ossining, and as she is only the second woman we've met, with a more free-spiritied, independent lifestyle (Midge was the first), I also see Suzanne as one of the first flower children, and with Don's leaning toward the hobo code, I can see why she appeals to him. Indeed, they are the gypsy and the hobo.

Suzanne is also happy. Does anyone remember when young Don was telling Anna why he was attracted to Betty, and wanted to marry her? She was HAPPY. Though Betty is beautiful, there is real unhappiness behind her eyes, which Don, wanting the fix the problems in their marriage (as men tend to want to "fix" while women want men who will listen to them), cannot fix her unhappiness.

I simply cannot predict much, of what is to happen. After the last episode, I am officially stumped on what is to come.

Maximum_girl, you have some really good points about why Don strays, and with MF, she is free(er), less complicated, and doesn't bring the burdens that married life does. You're absolutely spot on: it's not a healthy, good thing to knowingly jump into an affair with someone who's married. That's the main problem I have towards MF, that she would willingly step into a situation, where someone is going to get hurt. Perhaps why MF has affairs with married men is because they don't pose any sort of threat, and she can still maintain her free, independent lifestyle. Betty presents Don with the reality of his commitment, and it's hard work. I absolutely loved it when Betty pointedly said to Don, "Are you looking at the door to leave, or will you stay and deal with this?" She nailed Don to a T, and leaving is exactly what Don wanted to do! He wanted to go to carefree MF and run away, not stay and deal with the problem at hand. This time, Don cannot just run off. He has to deal with what's in front of him.

@Stagekiss-I am glad you are feeling better. The flu can really zap you. My son and I both had it a while back and it really takes everything out of you. I am so excited to know that you will be posting parts 4 and 5 and look forward to reading them. Thank again for sharing your experience with all of us. Can't wait!!!

As far as Ms Farrell goes, I am not really a big fan of her character, but my opinion of her did change somewhat after last weeks episode. I was on the edge of my seat watching the scene where Don and Betty are sitting on the bed. It had a shot of their bedroom door and I was so afraid we were going to see her come walking in wondering what was taking so long.

I do think she will be back. I don't think she will necessarily stalk Don, but she will find ways to be around him if only from afar. She may even meet him at the train station again, just to be near him.

You can tell she really loves Don (I don't think she intended to fall for him like she did, though) She has definitely done this before and she figured out that something had happened at Don's home and was probably frantic waiting for the "dreaded" phone call that things were over "for now".

Watching her make that "walk of shame" with suitcase ,in hand was kind of sad. I am afraid, as others have posted, that someone saw her. It may have been Carlton and that is why he said what he did to Don Halloween night.

I am waiting (im)patiently to see how all of this is going to play out.

PolarBear: what do you mean about SF not embarrasing Don by mentioning Pasta Carbonara by name? Don's a guy who gets around NY restaurants. You think he never ate Italian? Or am I not getting you?

Stagekiss: I'm not as sympathetic. If Don was the one who pursued her I might feel differently, but clearly, she was wise from the get go - and made (what seems to be a pattern?) a bad choice.

Someone else said (sorry, can't remember who but I will check and get back to you) gave a very astute comparison of SF and the Looking For Mr. Goodbar gal. You've got to read it.

Hope you feel better soon.

Great comments, and all pov's well-supported. My 2 cents is that the jury may still be out on SF. I agree with Stagekiss that she might be a very happy (I'll add "idealistic) person who is spontaneous and perhaps good for our gloomy hero/anti-hero Don/Dick. In some ways they're better matched in background and life's hardships than Don and Betty.

On the other hand, her spontaneous quality is somewhat contradicted by the fact that she thoroughly thinks (over-thinks?) through everything that she imagines can happen. In some ways this makes her calculating -- or the opposite of spontaneous. This could mean that she's very mature and we should take her admirable behavior on the phone with Don at face value. Or, it could portend an un-balanced schemer who had already planned out her response and was waiting to use it the first time she was "stood up" by her lover in favor of his wife.

MW's keeping us in suspense on the nature of Suzanne. That makes for good writing I think. But I have a feeling we'll find out if not tonight, then by next Sundays (sob!) season ender. Or not.