Mad Men 3x12 Reaction

JFK funeral proceedings interconnected with the dialogue between Don/Betty signaling their marriage's death - chef's kiss 🤌🏼

Infode

Never read the book, but i watched the show. It was ok, but follows the mainstream narratives way too much. We all know it didn't go down like that.

Alex Bernier

Why would somebody from Serbia in 2025 know who LBJ was.

INFJ-T Tyrone

JFK was a serial abuser of women. His allies would use the studio system to threaten actresses into silence. And he even drugged some of the White House interns. LBJ giving blacks the right to vote for the first time. Describes themselves as a "black African immigrant" 😂= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A7BLMA1LIw

INFJ-T Tyrone

Contrary to the commentary at the end of the reaction, i think the moment when betty was walking toward both Henry Francis and Don was when she probably decided to leave Don. In that moment, I think she knew that she had to walk to Don. He’s her husband. It would have been ridiculously scandalous if she went to Henry instead. But having such a stark choice in front of her, and being unable to pick the one she wanted, sort of galvanized her into action. For obvious reasons, she cant admit any of this when speaking to Don, so she cites their kiss as the moment she knew she didn’t love him.

Mahad Ali

Great reaction, but I would like to clarify some of the (understandably) incorrect assumptions made about JFK. JFK wasn’t that progressive. He campaigned to the right of Nixon when it came to many national security issues. Most notably, he alleged that there was a missile gap and that the Eisenhower-Nixon administration had endangered America by letting the Soviets develop a much bigger arsenal of weapons. This was a lie, and he stopped talking about the missile gap once he was elected. He was also surprisingly bad on race and civil rights. US tv and newspapers at the time, were littered with coverage of southern cops beating up peaceful black protesters. JFK thought what was happening was barbaric but he also thought the black protestors were being unpatriotic. Why? Because highlighting racism in America was making it easier for the Soviets to recruit newly-independent African countries to their side. (Just think about how crazy that is.) His attitude was somewhat similar to Betty’s in an earlier episode — after 4 black girls were killed in a church bombing, she told her maid “maybe now is not the time for civil rights.” Basically like many white people at the time, both JFK and Betty placed societal stability over basic human rights for black Americans. JFK was also a walking, talking metoo scandal. He was a serial abuser of women. His allies would use the studio system to threaten actresses into silence. And he even drugged some of the white house interns. He was an awful person who most Americans think was a much better president than he really was. His successor LBJ was far more aggressive in persuing his political goals. Domestically he passed laws prohibiting segregation and giving blacks the right to vote for the first time. (Something i dont think JFK would have done.) Abroad his aggressiveness and hard headedness led to tens of thousands dying pointlessly in Vietnam. (Something i also don’t think JFK would have done.) Anyway, sorry for the lengthy post, but as a black, African immigrant to the US, JFK’s unearned reputation on race and many other matters is a pet peeve of mine.

Mahad Ali

If anyone is looking for a book, I highly recommend Stephen King's 11/22/63. It incorporates the Kennedy assassination and it is unbelievably good. 10 years after I read it I still think about it from time to time.

Michael M

I think this might be my favorite episode of the show so far. It passed by instantly and all the characters reactions to the assassination were so interesting. Also can't believe Lola doesn't know who LBJ is smh.

Nazım Metin

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Kev

I can't wait for the next episode.

Kev

I love that moment between them at the wedding. Roger's description of her as a "lioness" fits perfectly. You can tell they still care for each other, even if that means she'll spend the rest of their lives wearily reminding him of her many "I told you so"s with a wry exasperation.

Śéáń

Why are we specifying episodes again? Ffs…

bondbond53

BobVee

On the commentary they said that they were textually trying to make it feel like how it felt for them watching 9/11 play out on live TV.

Kara

12:20 We call that dramatic irony, Lola. 50 years later we of course know what happened. Just to be a fly on the wall watching these characters perceive this huge American moment is chilling. And how these moments mirror the character's development... Love this show.

Chris B

JFK's assassination and subsequent events were allllll this to the rest of us on 9/11 from the emotions to the nonworking phones and the endless reactions

Scott

My favorite thing about this show is how they sprinkle in the real world events of the 60's, and from the very first episode of this series I was waiting for this moment in history. It very much was a turning point in America's history and I loved how in this episode, we still had to follow our characters and their lives, but there seemed to be an air of dread around the whole episode, and as the world changes, so does our characters and their lives. The writers combining Betty asking for a divorce with this moment in history was perfect if you ask me.

Nyeisha Melvina Clark

You cooked with the thumbnail.

Sami

It's so funny because I have never watched an episode of The Summer I turned Pretty, I was just never really interested in it, but I feel like I know everything about it because it has been on my entire twitter feed. Imagine my surprise when I hopped onto Patreon and learned you ladies watch it too, lol. I can't escape it.

Nyeisha Melvina Clark

The whole situation is morally deplorable if we were to view marriage as something serious and sacred, leaving your partner and immediately marrying another is truly insane, as is pursuing a married woman. In the same way, a man leaving his wife for another (which is common) is disgusting, and in the show itself we saw Roger doing this. we also constantly see episodes of Don and Pete cheating, which is also disgusting. But unfortunately, it was the only way out Betty saw for herself, and following the whole story you can understand. But yes, their whole marriage situation is a shit show.

Bernardo

DON: Kids, turns off the TV, come here. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened. The commentary features 2 of the shows researchers who spent months compiling all the real news reports + timings to include in this episode, to make it as accurate as possible. Even the weather is correct for NYC.

Kara

I always rooted for Don and Betty's divorce because yes, he is a shitty husband. But I also always thought that in the end it would be good for both of them (although I don't see her life as a housewife and mother changing that much) but in a way she wouldn't live so suffocated. and Don, well.. his suffocation is not only related to the marriage, which makes things more complicated, but not having to pretend to be the ideal family man anymore is also something that would be a relief for him. I also felt bad in a way, but they were always two people that I really rooted for to be happy and unfortunately together it doesn't work

Bernardo

My goodness, with this rewatch, this might be my favorite episode not just in the show, but in all of television. It’s surreal how this episode feels like we’re living the events in real time, and it’s not just acting, let's see if it will stand tall until the end of it. Also, I can’t believe (even after rewatching the show so many times) that Don cheating on Betty blinded me to how shitty Henry is for going after a married woman. I know she wasn’t happy and the marriage was broken, but you’re still a scummy piece of shit if you go after a married woman just because she’s unhappy or because her husband is lying/cheating on her.

Sami

I saw it and it warmed my heart

Bernardo

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Taya

If anyone follows Kiernan Shipka (Sally) on IG, she just posted a story of her and Jon Hamm at an event together in NYC yesterday. I tried to post it here, but i don't think i can.

Alex Bernier

I complained after the S2 finale that using the "an apocalypse almost happened, but didn't" of the Cuban Missile Crisis to parallel the personal & professional drama of the show wasn't a particularly compelling end to the season -- too much anti-climax across the board. Well, this one is different. Obviously we knew the Draper marriage was on the rocks, but the shock and wanton violence of the Kennedy assassination (and Oswald's subsequent murder) throws the whole world into a kind of ruleless limbo here, and frees everyone up to make big decisions. Betty in here marriage to Don, of course -- but also Pete (potentially) leaving Sterling Cooper. Don has a go-to mantra that he leans on: Everything is going to be OK. Usually, he means that you should ignore the bad thing that's happening, or the bad feeling that you're feeling, and get on with your life. He says a version of this to Peggy when she's in the hospital, and honestly, he's right. It's an impose-your-will version of "this too shall pass". Move forward. He says it *a lot* to Betty and the kids in this one, but this time he's wrong. The Kennedy assassination is a complete destabilization of Camelot and what it symbolized for Americans. And we know that Don has built his life as that American Dream in microcosm. Well, it's gone now. Great episode. It's a good question, whether Pete would be so steadfast about skipping the wedding if he hadn't gotten the non-promotion at work. I think it's probably true that he would have gone, but it's also apparent that he and Trudy are more affected by this incident than most of the other characters. Two more details I love: First, how the news reporting is constantly playing in the background of every scene. And second, the costuming on Don & Betty and especially Pete & Trudy as they hang out watching the television all weekend.

Mike

We all love Joan but yeah, the Joan glaze is indeed getting ridiculous, including the idea proffered several times by now that she should be CEO.

Julien

My favourite thing about Mad Men is seeing Sally literally grow up throughout the events of this show. It's always in the background and I don't know a better show that does this. You can literally see new neuron patterns form in her little head as she more than once sees or hears a bit more than she's supposed to.

bondbond53

You again, after we asked you last time not to do this very thing.

Julien

Oh wow I never realized the assassination makes the Aquanet commercial problematic. Imagine you're watching the towers fall but then you're like "oh my booty call is here, I'll catch up on this later" and unplug the tv lol

Taya

Mona is so good and you completely understand why Roger married her. They were a good match

bondbond53

I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT EPISODE. BEST OF THE SERIES!!!

Stephen Calvird

"Why does the sun go on shining? / Why does the sea rush to shore? / Don't they know it's the end of the world? / 'cause you don't love me any more..." I think I speak for everyone when I say we're glad that Lola forgot that all the way back in S1 she half-remembered "Kennedy gets shot in 1963 I think" 💀 If you know US history, they actually "spoil" this earlier in the season when Roger sets the date for Margaret's wedding, but if you dont know (like my english ass) its a good 'twist'. Several times Mad Men has used real news events as a parallel to the character conflicts + drama and this is the best so far. Contrasting the murder of a president with Betty's realizations is genius writing. Seeing Betty rightfully reject Don at his most performative good husband, like Lola said it's heartbreaking even though it shouldn't be. The damage is done, Don can't fix his marriage any more than he can fix the world. Milena is absolutely spitting in this discussion lmao, everything she's saying is soooo right. We don't talk about this often but the show's costuming is impeccable, there was even a popular blog focused on just dissecting the clothing choices each episode. I want to highlight the grey dress Betty wears when telling Don she doesn't love him - it's a (subjectively) ugly color on her, one we almost never see her wear, and almost like she's in mourning. But it's not fully black, it's grey... like she's in between a black funeral dress and a summery white dress, perhaps? idk i'm not smart in that way 😭 but it feels intentional. The costuming, set design, hair + makeup on this show never miss. Peggy tells Paul she "has to go to the printer", which is the exact excuse Don uses when sneaking out to have sex during work. When Don arrives at the empty office, where is Peggy? She's already there, escaping home and family by musing over a now-problematic aquanet commercial. Don and Peggy are "the same person", not literally, but.... spiritually? I don't know. But they both keep emulating each other + arriving in the same places. Bonus Thoughts: I love how the show depicts experiencing world-changing news events through the television helplessly, almost like watching war + genocide play out over vids on your smartphone 😐 Betty treating Don 1% of the way he treated her is very validating. Duck turning off a ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME PRESIDENTIAL ASSASSINATION to have sex then turning it back on after is dirty-dog behavior 😂 I greatly enjoy how emotionally affected the girls are by every ep of the show at this point, its validating beyond belief.

Kara

Something people say is that the Kennedy assassination is when "innocence" died in the USA, because the rest of the '60s were so tumultuous with racial problems and growing economic inequality. I don't agree with that, since everybody except the wealthy and the white already knew they lived in a society that had problems coming out the wazoo. This didn't cause society to start having problems, they were already there. So what I say is that the Kennedy assassination is when NAIVETY died in the USA. When everybody whose heads were stuck in the sand finally couldn't hide anymore from the problems of the world. That no matter how rich or powerful or "inside" you were, you still weren't untouchable. We all also feel bad for Don. Because unlike so many other unfaithful and neglectful husbands, he doesn't bear Betty any ill will. He doesn't DISLIKE her. He doesn't want her to be as miserable as he is. He'd love it if she was happy and content with her life. But like I said earlier in the show, just because he doesn't WANT to cause harm to her doesn't mean he's not doing it. He has made her life miserable for year after year. So we feel bad for him, and we understand how he became this type of person, but we also can't help but be happy that Betty may be getting OUT.

JBK405

I’m glad you guys feel bad for Don because although all his problems are the result of his own actions, you just wish he could get it together

Jude G

its so smart that once you watch it you're like.... of course they did this. of course when breaking the season set in 1963, they decided to contrast these two things. like so many of the best shows, it couldn't have happened any other way.

Kara

+1 on Joan love. Honestly I love that y'all don't read YT comments, they're quite bad for this show.

Kara

MW and other writers talk about this often, it's text in the writers room that they want to create characters who are compelling in spite of their many flaws.

Kara

It's funny because it works both ways: if you know US history, you laugh and get the value of knowing, if you don't (like my english ass) you get gagged by the surprise of not knowing exactly when the assassination was.

Kara

Weaving the Kennedy assassination's effect on people's perception of institutions into Betty losing any hope in wanting to stay in her marriage is so brilliant. I don't know exactly what it was like but Betty's reaction after LHO was killed of "what is going on!?" must've been everywhere. Combining that with Don wanting to "hide" and distract what was happening from the kids/Betty reaffirming his deceit around his true ID. Their marriage was already cooked, but that was the final blow.

Eric Viola

Your love for Joan is NOT annoying, it's 100% totally justified! After my last full rewatch, she jumped to the top of my favorites list (along with Pete, yes I'm afraid it's true). I absolutely adore her. The JFK assassination must've been similar to 9/11. I was twelve, watched everything unfold live on tv, and I remember feeling like it was literally the end of the world. I've heard that JFK's assassination marks the TRUE beginning of the 1960's. The first three seasons of this show definitely feel like an extension of the 1950's and don't quite match up with the popular conception of what the 1960's were like, eg The Beatles, mini-skirts, hippies, psychedelics etc. That stuff hasn't really come along yet.

Taya

I know. It takes discipline to wait til my usual watch time lol

Alex Bernier

"I think it's ridiculous I feel bad for Don." The writers would high-five each other if they heard that. The character development is perfect.

Chidi.

The thumbnail

cheech

Ten episodes ago when I saw the date of the wedding, I laughed

Darrach

oh my god this released so early i can't even cook food to eat while watching holyyyy 🙏🙏🙏💖

Kara