The Slap Heard Around Basic Cable

I was addicted to Mad Men from day one of course, so I eagerly awaited the season premiere with a martini and cigarettes in hand. They walk through the brand new office (brighter colors, louder music, new logo) I thought, "Yes! Here we go."

And then the slap and I thought, "Oh fuck yeah, here we go!"

But after the initial shock of the hot I thought, "Hmmm, okay..."

And then, "Oh great, I'm going to have to say something about this aren't I?"

It's not a new concept: the man in charge of everything pays a woman to take charge over him. The man with all the power wants to feel powerless. The man who knows he's been a bad boy wants to be punished. Don is a man riddled with guilt and shame. The scene was a way to say, "See! See how riddled with guilt and shame he is!" In a way, it was kind of inevitable.

Which is why I'm glad they did it. It was ballsy and yeah, pretty hot. It was a big blast of extra sexy in a show that's already pretty damn sexy. It's an interesting development of this character and I am curious to see if they actually expand on this beyond this one moment at the first episode, but really I've got my eyes on Peggy.

Other thoughts:

New York Magazine
The Daily Beast
Sexuality Blog